Turning around, Colin saw Kase holding a Scimitar that had been nearly dissolved by acid, examining it over and over.

"Did you find this in the bone pile?" Colin asked.

"Yeah. Could it belong to the Adventurers who were here before us?"

With that, they began to rummage through the pile again.

As they searched, they found many strange items.

For example, there were strange human finger bones with curved claws attached to the tips, and a necklace made from a string of dried ears. These items definitely didn’t belong to any Adventurer.

Strangely, while there were what looked like human bones on the ground, they didn’t see a single humanoid skull—not even a sliver that might have come from one.

Kase scratched the back of his head. "This is really weird. You don’t think there’s a pack of clawed goblins around, do you?"

"Shepherds usually live far from towns and villages, so you rarely see goblins near their homes. Besides, if there were goblins around, the people at Dragon’s Fang Castle would have warned us."

Colin continued, "Or maybe there’s a group of undiscovered monsters nearby. A group that knows how to use weapons."

"We have no idea what kind of creatures might be down south."

The image of the vast, beautiful fields, the kind old Priest, and the friendly farmers flashed through his mind—his experiences from traveling across the Golden Plain these last few days.

’Without a doubt, these people have no way to defend themselves against a monster attack. If a goblin warband showed up here, it would be a massacre.’

’It wouldn’t sit right with me if these people were plundered by monsters.’

"Let’s stop gathering herbs for now. We need to go to Horn Castle and report this," Colin said. "We’ll go back and warn Mark on our way out."

"We’re not gathering herbs anymore?"

"These monsters can use weapons, which means they have some intelligence. There might even be a tribe nearby. There’s no need to risk our necks gathering herbs here. Let’s report back to Horn Castle first, then we can go somewhere else."

Kase grunted a couple of times, accepting the plan.

"Also, let me have this ring. The Insect Shell is yours."

"That doesn’t feel fair. Want me to add something to make it even?"

"It’s fine. One item each." Colin waved his hand dismissively.

The two collected some evidence, climbed out of the Earthworm’s tunnel, and went back to say a few words to Mark before heading for Dragon’s Fang Castle.

Colin took a quick look at his Panel.

-----------------

[Quest: Earthworm Egg Sac]

[Rating: 2 (Mortal)]

[Reward: 100 Skill Level points]

-----------------

’One hundred Skill Level points. Not bad.’

’Counting the twenty-five points from the other quest, if I put them all into Dwarf Armor Technique, I’ll get my next Specialty soon enough.’

This trip had been surprisingly smooth, Colin thought as he walked.

There had been no ambushes, most of the people they’d met were friendly, and the Earthworm hadn’t been difficult to handle. If it weren’t for that neurotic old soldier, it would have been a perfect trip.

’All we have to do now is report what we found and head home. Simple.’

The two headed back, following the same road they had taken.

Halfway there, they ran into a group of Guards who were also heading back.

The two groups had seen each other not long before. After Colin explained their purpose, the patrol split off one man to lead them toward Dragon’s Fang Castle.

By the time they reached the fortress, it was already evening and the sky was nearly dark.

Torches had been lit atop the walls of Dragon’s Fang Castle.

Colin led Kase across the bailey. Under the watchful eyes of numerous veterans, the two confidently made their way to the command room.

As they went upstairs, they could hear voices from the command room.

"Excuse me, we have something to report." Colin knocked on the door.

He looked up and saw that, in addition to the officer and commander from before, the old veteran who hated Orcs was also in the room.

’Just my luck,’ Colin thought grimly.

Steeling himself, he took out the evidence—the toe bone and other items—and walked up to the commander. "We found these while hunting the Earthworm. We suspect they belong to some kind of intelligent monster."

After speaking, Colin glanced at the old veteran standing nearby.

The man was staring daggers at Kase, who was standing right behind Colin. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Are you talking about goblins?"

The commander glanced at the bones on the table. "No, not goblins... It’s a Jackal Wolfman."

"A Jackal Wolfman?" The old veteran standing to the side sneered. "The last of the Gnolls Tribes around here were wiped out years ago. You probably just found some old relic."

"Look at this bone," Kase said, gesturing to the evidence. "It still has ligaments attached. It can’t be more than a few days old..."

"Shut up, Orc," the old veteran cut him off sharply. "You have no right to spout nonsense in a human castle!"

Colin spoke up. "We’re just delivering a message. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

"No! You’re trying to mislead the defense of Dragon’s Fang Castle! Don’t think I can’t see your hidden agenda. Yes, I’ve seen right through you! You..."

"Old Davin, that’s enough."

The commander pressed a hand to his forehead and waved, looking utterly exhausted. "We’re not in the Northern Lands anymore. The Orc Tribes are no longer our greatest foe. You can stand down."

"Stand down? You really think I can just stand down? Blatter! Those Orcs are still threatening our borders! For all we know, this winter disaster is a conspiracy hatched by those Shamans!"

"You..."

"Don’t give me that bullshit!" The old veteran was nearly hysterical. "Just because you’ve forgotten what happened in the north doesn’t mean I have to!"

The commander’s expression grew even more helpless.

It was clear he didn’t know how to handle the old veteran.

Colin frowned.

’What is this guy’s problem? How dare he talk to his commander like that?’

Seeing this, the officer standing nearby quickly pulled Colin and Kase out of the command room and onto the castle wall.

The golden wheat fields rippled in the darkness.

A light breeze drifted by, carrying the faint scent of fruits and vegetables.

"First, thank you for coming back to report this," the officer said to them. "And don’t take what just happened personally. Most of the soldiers here are veterans who retreated from the north. The Orc problem up there is severe, you know?"

’So this place is just a retirement home for veterans,’ Colin thought to himself. ’If they’re that close, I guess he can get away with shouting at the commander. But that’s no reason for us to put up with his baseless hostility.’

He and Kase exchanged a look, but neither of them said anything.

The officer sighed. "He’s a pitiable man. His wife died in childbirth, and both his sons were killed by Orcs, one after the other. His behavior now... it’s understandable, in a way."

Kase’s voice was a low rumble. "I’m sorry to hear that."

The officer frowned.

It was clear he felt like he’d punched a bag of cotton. Perhaps he’d expected a tall, fierce-looking Half-Orc to fly into a rage and cause a scene. That would have been the ’normal’ reaction in his eyes.

Even Colin hadn’t expected Kase to say that.

Back in Thousand Masts City, when people came looking for trouble, the guy had never once backed down.

Colin quickly spoke up. "We both live in the slums. We’re Adventurers who risk our lives every day for a few coppers. We’ve saved each other’s lives more times than I can count. I can guarantee you, he’s not like the Orcs you find in the wild."

The officer sighed. "As an apology, please stay the night here. It’s the least we can do."

"We appreciate the offer, but we’d rather find a farmer to put us up."

"Alright then. I wish you good luck," the officer said.

Colin nodded and led Kase toward the gate.

Both of them had mixed feelings and didn’t know what to say.

The main gate of Dragon’s Fang Castle was already closed. The two soldiers on duty lifted the heavy bar and began to push the gate open, inch by inch.

Colin silently watched the gap in the gate slowly widen.

And then...

A furry hand tipped with sharp claws suddenly shot through the dark opening.