* * *
Edrick moved swiftly through the stream of soldiers hurrying back and forth.
Less than an hour had passed since the battle ended, yet the camp that had resembled complete chaos was already being restored with astonishing speed.
While soldiers recovered weapons from the wyvern corpses and cleared away the ruined tents, laborers loaded crates and baggage onto wagons. Maids gathered the dead in one place and began wrapping the bodies in fine cloth.
As he strode through the camp, Edrick estimated the number of corpses at a glance.
Seventeen.
Including those who had been swallowed by the wyverns, the total death toll was likely somewhere between twenty-five and thirty.
Considering the wounded as well, the losses were far from insignificant.
He clenched his fist.
'A wyvern flock appearing during the Season of Fire...'
Normally, wyverns awoke from hibernation near the end of the Season of Rest and only began gathering in flocks during the Season of Water. Once the breeding season ended, they dispersed into pairs.
For more than a dozen wyverns to appear together during the Season of Fire was exceedingly rare.
Moreover, this region was not even suitable habitat for large magical beasts such as wyverns.
'Calling it mere bad luck doesn't quite explain it.'
Edrick narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the wyvern carcasses scattered across the hills.
Then he pushed the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ question from his mind.
This was not the time for idle speculation.
Lengthening his stride, he headed toward the gathering of knights.
“Commander!”
Varkas, who had been issuing instructions to the knights, turned his head.
Without meaning to, Edrick halted.
His superior's face, illuminated by flickering torchlight, was stained with dark blood.
Edrick himself likely looked little better, but there was something unnerving about the sight of that marble-like face splattered with blood while cold eyes shone beneath it.
“Have you found her?”
Lord Siorcan asked in his usual flat voice.
Snapping back to attention, Edrick hurriedly reported.
“We found traces of a wyvern crash site to the north. It appears it fell into the ravine below.”
Varkas turned toward the north.
The torches carried by the knights cast faint light across the shadows of the forest.
There was no telling what other violent monsters might be lurking in the darkness.
Edrick spoke anxiously.
“We need to organize a search party immediately. There's no time to waste—”
“A search party? What search party!”
The savage voice cut him off.
Edrick whipped his head around.
The Crown Prince was approaching with his attendants in tow, his dark hair disheveled like a lion's mane.
Edrick immediately bowed.
The Crown Prince paid him no attention whatsoever and strode directly toward Varkas.
“She’s obviously dead already! Stop wasting time on pointless nonsense and start preparing to leave! What happens if another pack of monsters attacks while we're standing around?”
The heartless words made Edrick's face harden.
The Crown Prince looked paler than usual, clearly shaken by the sudden disaster.
Someone who had never even faced an ogre in his life, let alone a wyvern, could hardly be blamed for feeling frightened after such an ordeal.
Yet Edrick felt not the slightest sympathy.
The prince looked so on edge he was almost pitiable, but Edrick could only feel resentment.
He glanced toward Varkas.
Strangely, his commander remained silent.
Surely he wasn't considering following the Crown Prince's wishes?
Regardless of whether she had been born a bastard, Talia Roem Gwirta was still the Emperor's daughter.
More importantly, she was the eldest daughter of the current Empress.
They could not simply abandon an Imperial Princess to become monster food because of the Crown Prince's personal hatred.