Vili gently shook his head. "You hired me. This is my duty."
Kariel and the others said no more, simply committing this kindness to memory.
"You all head into the cave and rest for the night. I’ll keep watch outside."
After securing the horses, Kariel took his Long Spear and walked outside the cave.
The deeper into the night, the more dangerous the forest became. Many fearsome creatures were nocturnal, and without someone on watch, it was highly likely they would be ambushed by some beast.
"I’ll take the second half of the night."
Vilin said to Kariel.
Kariel nodded, saying nothing more.
Vili found a corner in the cave, got comfortable, and lay down, closing his eyes.
The series of actions he’d taken to save Vincent had left him mentally and physically exhausted. Sleep was the best way to recover now.
Soon, drowsiness washed over him, and Vili drifted off to sleep.
「The next day.」
As the first rays of morning sun shone into the cave, Vili slowly opened his eyes.
"You’re awake? Here, have something to eat."
Still groggy with sleep, Vili saw Lanni holding out a piece of dried meat.
The smell of the meat made Vili’s stomach GROWL. This was the first time he had seen meat since arriving in this world.
"Thank you."
Vili took it, first opening his waterskin to take a few sips before starting to chew on the dried meat.
"Where are Vincent and the others?"
Vili glanced around, realizing only he and Lanni were left in the cave, so he asked.
Lanni pointed outside the cave. "Our leader said it was too stuffy in the cave. Vilin and Kariel are looking after him outside."
"Vincent’s awake?"
Vili had thought Vincent would remain unconscious for a while longer. He didn’t expect him to wake up after just one night.
"He’s awake, but he’s not in good shape." A trace of worry appeared on Lanni’s face. "There wasn’t enough wound ointment. Even though we’ve bandaged the wounds, we can’t stop the signs of infection."
Vili frowned, swallowed the last bite of dried meat, and stood up. "I’ll go take a look."
Vili walked out of the cave and immediately saw Vincent leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree. Vilin and Kariel were sitting beside him.
Seeing Vili approach, a grateful smile spread across Vincent’s face. "Thank you, Vili. Thank you for saving my life."
During the continuous wolf attack last night, Vincent’s consciousness had faded. He only vaguely remembered seeing Vili rushing toward him, long blade in hand, before blacking out. It wasn’t until he woke up this morning and Kariel told him what had happened that Vincent learned Vili had driven off the wolf pack and risked his own life to save him.
"It was the right thing to do."
Vili didn’t want to dwell on the topic.
He crouched down and looked at Vincent’s bandaged wounds.
The bloodstains on Vincent’s body had been cleaned, but bloody discharge was still seeping through the white gauze bandages.
"Let me see your wounds."
Vili gently unwrapped the white gauze from the wounds.
On Vincent’s body, the flesh torn by the black wolves had begun to stick together, but it wasn’t the adhesion of normal healing. It was the result of festering flesh.
Vili’s expression grew serious.
He knew very well that if the wounds were left to fester, Vincent would not make it out of Morse Forest alive.
"It’s all my fault. I should have prepared more ointment."
Lanni stood to the side, deep in self-recrimination.
"It’s okay. I can pull through."
Vincent’s face was pale, but he still managed to force a smile to comfort Lanni.
Vili thought for a moment, then picked up Vincent’s Crossbow and a few Crossbow Arrows.
"I’m going to look around."
Vili knew that if Vincent’s wounds weren’t treated promptly, tragedy would be unavoidable. Since he had already saved his life once, he might as well help him again.
From the knowledge granted by his Basic-level Gatherer class, Vili knew of many herbs with anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties that could possibly be found in Morse Forest.
"Where are you going?"
Vilin asked, confused.
"To find something."
Vili replied before walking off into the distance.
Vilin hesitated for a moment, then stood up and gripped her longsword. She didn’t feel safe letting Vili wander the forest alone. "I’ll go with you."
Vili didn’t refuse. Another person meant another layer of safety.
Vili moved through the undergrowth, keeping an eye out for potential dangers while searching for the herbs from his memory.
"What are you looking for?"
Vilin followed behind Vili, scanning their surroundings for any beasts that might launch a surprise attack.
Vili didn’t hide anything and said directly, "I’m looking for some herbs. They might be able to stop Vincent’s wounds from festering further."
Vilin stared at Vili in astonishment, momentarily at a loss for words.
’He even knows about medicinal herbs? But he’s just a boy from the countryside.’
Ever since meeting Vili, it seemed he was constantly doing things that ordinary people found impossible.
"Found it."
Vili, who had been staring at the weeds at his feet, suddenly had his eyes light up.
Vili bent down and pulled up a clump of deep green leafy grass by the roots. He brought the roots to his nose, sniffed them, and nodded slightly.
"Let’s go back."
Vili turned crisply and headed back toward the cave.
Perhaps this clump of what looked like common weeds could save Vincent’s life.
"Lanni, could you please unwrap the gauze from Vincent’s wounds?"
Vili had returned to the group. He crushed all the herbs in his hand, mashing them into a pulp.
Lanni looked at Vili blankly, not knowing what he intended to do after rushing back.
"It’s an herb Vili found. It might be able to stop the boss’s wounds from getting worse."
Vilin explained from the side.
Lanni and Kariel gave Vili a surprised look, while Vincent paused, a look of gratitude spreading over his face.
He started to say something, but Vili stopped him.
After Lanni removed the gauze from Vincent’s several wounds, the mangled flesh was exposed.
Vili spread the crushed herbs evenly over Vincent’s wounds.
As the herbs were applied, Vincent’s expression twitched. The poultice obviously caused intense pain when it touched the wounds.
After applying all the herbs, Vili said, "Don’t re-bandage the wounds just yet. Wait for half an hour. There might be some change."
"How sure are you?"
Kariel asked in a low voice.
"Fifty percent, maybe."
In truth, Vili was seventy percent sure this would get Vincent through the crisis, but he didn’t want to overstate it.
"That’s enough."
Vincent smiled. Whether he lived or died, he would never forget this debt to Vili.
From the moment he decided to form a mercenary team, Vincent had always been prepared for the worst. He had faced life and death too many times, and this time, his heart was calm.