The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon-Chapter 14. Who to Blame (1)

The snow was cold, and the path was rough and narrow, with many sharp rocks jutting out here and there.

Noticing a few rocks that we might trip over, I said, "Watch your step."

Thud!

No sooner than I had spoken, Rubia suddenly tripped over a rock.

Clatter!

I moved quickly to catch her. Her sudden fall caught me a bit off guard.

Should I have warned her sooner?

"Are you alright?"

"Ah..." she sighed. Then she complained with a flustered expression, "What am I even doing? I wasn't trying to be funny. I really don't like things like that. If someone deliberately tries to be funny, I'm always the last one to laugh..."

"I know. Just walk slowly and drink some water."

I handed her the canteen. She took a deep breath and sipped the water with her small mouth. I quietly watched her lips part as she gulped down the water.

Then I looked up at the sky. It was still daytime, but soon, the mountain would gradually darken, and the temperature would drop. We needed to walk a bit further and find a place to rest.

I told Rubia, "As I said, it'll be rough. We're taking this route to avoid people."

"It's fine. You're always listening and supporting me. It's bearable."

We were heading toward Grassmere via a high route to avoid encountering humans. It was my suggestion, as I was concerned about possible pursuers, and Rubia agreed. The altitude was high, and the path was rough, but it wasn't a detour. In fact, we might reach our destination faster.

"Shall we go?" Rubia asked.

"Let's rest a bit more before we move on."

Grrrr...

Suddenly, a faint growl came from ahead. I tensed up immediately at the wolf's growl. I looked straight and saw a small wolf cub crouching low.

It's pure white.

The wolf cub's fur was as white as snow. It blended in so well with the snow that anyone could have missed it without paying close attention. The wolf cub lay flat on the snow with one front paw stretched out, with a black trap clamped shut around it. The wolf cub was breathing heavily, its chest was rising and falling rapidly. It bared its not-yet fully-grown teeth toward its paw.

Is it trying to bite off its paw?

Clatter.

I moved a little closer, and the wolf cub looked at me with its piercing blue eyes. It was incredibly beautiful.

Will that wolf eventually bite off its own paw? Can it do it?

Rubia noticed the wolf cub belatedly and shouted, "Oh, it's a wolf cub!"

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"Does it bother you?"

"Yes, it does."

"Shall we help it?"

Rubia nodded and then said with concern, "It might be dangerous. I'll find something like a wooden plank."

I shook my head.

"No need."

There was no need for that. Such a small wolf posed no threat to me.

After telling the anxious Rubia to stay put, I carefully approached the wolf.

"Grrr!"

Does it think I'm going to harm it?

The wolf cub jumped up, but it couldn't move properly with one of its paws caught in the D-shaped trap. The trap was firmly anchored to the ground with an iron stake. The wolf cub tried to brace its hind legs and push with its other front paw, but it only flailed around, unable to escape.

"Yip! Yip!"

It planted its three paws on the ground and pulled its body backward, straining to free the front paw caught in the trap. However, it was to no avail.

It's struggling hard.

The wolf cub twisted around and thrashed its tail with all its might. The trap rattled, but the iron stake firmly anchored to the ground did not budge.

Swish!

I threw a piece of jerky toward the wolf cub, but it didn't take it.

Pride, perhaps?

I wanted it to relax, but that wasn't going to be easy. As I approached to dismantle the trap, the wolf cub bared its teeth and lunged at me.

"Grrr! Grrr!"

It leaped at me, trying to bite fiercely. But the wolf cub was small, so its mouth was even smaller, and its teeth were not fully sharpened yet. It nipped at my bones, but even if it were to succeed with its bite, I would feel no pain since I didn't have any flesh. It would be much more painful for the wolf cub to move with the trap.

"Grr..."

After a while, the wolf cub tired itself out from trying to bite me all over. It finally lay down, exhausted. I sat down and grabbed the trap with my hand. Then, I pulled the firmly clenched trap upward.

Snap!

The trap sprang open, releasing the wolf cub's paw. The cub suddenly recoiled, twisting about as if it were experiencing a muscle spasm. Then it got up, turned around, and darted in the opposite direction, disappearing into the snowy mountains.

"It didn't take this."

I shook the jerky and threw it toward the forest where the cub had vanished. I heard the soft thud of the jerky hitting the ground, but it remained there.

"That's a Barapha Wolf. With such white fur and blue eyes like that, it won't eat thrown food. They're too proud."

"Did you read about that in a book, too?"

Rubia blushed slightly at my words. "Y-Yes! But it really isn't eating, is it?"

Suddenly, I heard a sound.

Ding!

[The young wolf's Affection has increased by 7.]

I looked back toward the forest. The jerky I had thrown was gone.

"It seems it ate it?"

"Oh, it did? Good!"

I almost teased her about her quick change in attitude, but I stopped. A ding echoed in my head again.

[Rubia's Affection toward you has exceeded 20. You can now read the subject's basic psychological state.]

[Would you like to read Rubia's current state of mind? Yes/No]

When did it exceed twenty?

Last time I checked, it was at nine, but it steadily increased as we walked together. Judging by the notification, an Affection of twenty seemed quite high. However, I chose "No." I had no desire to pry into my companion's mind without permission.

We walked for a while in awkward silence, and I wondered how long we had walked.

"Grrr! Grrr!"

Suddenly, the wolf cub we had rescued earlier jumped out. With gleaming blue eyes gleamed, the wolf cub bared its teeth and barked, blocking our path.

"Huh? Why is this little one doing this?" Rubia asked.

"Who knows? Maybe it wants more jerky."

Thunk!

I took out another piece of jerky and threw it in front of the cub. It didn't even glance at the jerky. Instead, it blocked the path and continued growling.

"Why is it acting like this? Is it hurt somewhere?"

Rubia cautiously approached and gently stroked the wolf cub. It seemed startled but didn't bite her. It just blocked the path.

"I don't think that's the case. We need to find a place to rest soon. Let's go."

I forcibly pushed the still-growling wolf cub aside and continued on the path. After walking a bit, I glanced back. The jerky remained in the same place.

Hmm. Is something ahead?

The wolf cub might have been warning us about something.

"Stay back a bit and follow me."

I carefully observed ahead as I walked cautiously, scanning the area broadly. I picked up a long branch and slowly prodded the snow.

"Why was it growling like that?"

"Let's be careful until we find out."

It wasn't long before I discovered a trap connected to several trees. The trap was quite large and not designed for small animals like wolf cubs or foxes. It seemed to be built to ignore such weights. Instead, it was powerful enough to catch a human or a large bear in a single go, ensuring that either would certainly get caught if they passed through this path.

"Stop."

I raised my hand. I made Rubia stop and then I cautiously moved around the trees. I severed and loosened all the wires hidden from sight. With a snap and crack, the large trap was disabled.

If we had been caught, there'd have been no escape.

Without the wolf cub's warning, the trap would have been hard to spot. It was anchored to several large trees, designed to catapult the trapped prey up and ensnare it in a net. Even if I had been stronger several times than I am now, escaping would have been a challenge. I realized that the wolf had repaid me for rescuing it.

Just as I was about to tell Rubia we were clear, I sensed several human presences from the path we hadn't taken yet. I could hear murmuring and the sound of footsteps in the snow.

"Let's hide to the side."

Rubia nodded.

We hid in the bushes and waited for the humans to pass. There was no benefit in meeting them. Six men were approaching our location, and the murmurs quickly grew louder.

Six of them. Good thing we hid.

Two wore studded leather armor, while the others wore fur clothing that didn't seem particularly protective. Three of them carried shields and one-handed weapons, while the other three had bows. But there was something unique about them. All six of them carried spears as secondary weapons on their backs. They weren't long spears, but javelins.

A tricky group.

Even if I fought, it would be hard to protect Rubia. The bows were one thing, but if they threw their javelins, there was no way I could avoid being hit and killed.

What kind of bandits carry so many javelins?

I carefully aimed my loaded crossbow at them. Although I had scattered our footprints before hiding, it wouldn't be too difficult for them to find us. Even if I managed to take out three of them with a surprise attack, stopping them from harming Rubia would be challenging. Maybe I had chosen the wrong path, but I deliberately chose this route to avoid humans, even if it was a bit rough.

Humans really are everywhere.

Crunch. Crunch.

The men approached with nimble steps. They seemed like men who often climbed mountains.

Should I fight?

They would soon notice the scattered footprints. I anxiously gripped my dagger tightly, wondering if our pursuers had already caught up.

At that moment, a voice filled with astonishment rang out. "Oh, the trap... the trap is broken!"

"What the hell? Why is the trap like this? Who did this?"

The voices were thick with anger. If they found out who had broken the trap, it sounded like they would kill them on the spot.

That would be me.

There was a strange emotion mixed in with their anger. It was fear. They were clearly afraid of something.

"Damn it!"

"Who the hell came all the way here and broke our trap?"

"There are footprints here."

A man who had been silently staring at the broken trap pointed out the footprints. They began skillfully tracking the footprints.

"One set looks a bit odd."

"They walked straight this way. It looks like they tried to scatter the trail around here..." they mumbled while looking at the ground.

One man, holding a mace in his left hand and a wooden shield in his right, bent toward the bushes. He was only a few steps away.

Should I attack now?

It was risky. We were about to be discovered. If I killed this one man and grabbed a javelin to throw...

It seems impossible.

I quickly visualized how it would play out in my mind, but no matter how I thought about it, there was no clear answer.

The man with the mace gestured to his comrades.

"Everyone, come here."

"Huh?"

All his comrades turned to look our way.

This is it.

Then it happened.

"Groooooar!"

A massive roar erupted from afar.

"Groooar!"

Whatever was roaring rapidly approached.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Something heavy pounded the ground as it ran. It was a heavy yet quick and nimble thudding.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Get ready!"

The men immediately grabbed the javelins with sharp spear tips slung across their backs, demonstrating their skill.

What on earth is it?