The Stonehearted Knight-Chapter 125: The new chief

Awoo!

The enraged howl of the alpha reverberated through the hollow caverns. It caused the pack of shadow wolves to go berserk.

Clang.

Their fangs and claws scratched Hex’s cloak but failed to damage it. Hex slashed his sword around, killing demon-stage beasts with ease.

Amidst the hundreds of beasts, he moved like a grim reaper, harvesting lives with each swing.

His mastery over the bearhanded sword technique had improved significantly in these past few months. Each cut was clean. His attacks flowed into each other seamlessly.

Noticing Hex close in at a breathtaking speed, the alpha retreated. With another howl, it started to run away.

But Hex couldn’t let a fiend-stage alpha get away. The weakened town wouldn’t be able to handle it if such large packs attacked.

Flex Step!

Hex jumped out of the densely packed area and stepped into the air. He took another step, flying straight to the escaping wolf. The shadow wolves were fast but Hex was faster. Just when it reached the cavern’s exit, Hex was above it. With a downward slash, he beheaded the beast.

’For demon-stage beasts, I need about five percent of my power, but fiend-stage still takes thirty to fifty percent to behead in one move.’

Hex’s control over his strength had reached a stage where he could gouge the variance in strength output. These past few months, he had spent almost all his time clearing the mountain passages close to the town.

It helped the town folk gather supplies at a fast speed and it helped him to consolidate his strength. As Hestia had put it, his abnormal advancement speed came at the cost of experience. But Hex believed he had filled in those gaps.

The remaining wolves scampered away. Without a leader, they didn’t dare to attack Hex.

’Leaving them should be alright. If we end up exterminating all the wolves, the mountain’s ecosystem might get out of balance.’

"Chief, this will take us a whole day to clean."

After a while, a few people entered the cavern. They exclaimed, seeing the hundreds of bodies lying around.

"You have something else to do, Mart?" Hex asked the young man in the front of the group.

The man called Mart smiled sheepishly and shook his head.

"No Chief, I was just saying."

His friends behind him interrupted. "Chief, he wants to return early so he can clean up. He hopes to find a mate tonight at the bonfire."

Mart scowled at his friends. "As if you guys are different!" He then turned toward Hex and probed carefully. "Chief, ahm, can we leave early?"

"You can leave an hour early. Make sure you clean up as many as you can. Mart, you work on the field."

Mart grimaced but hurried at once. Fiends were harder to work on but Mart was a good scavenger.

Hex walked out of the cavern. The town had lost all powerful families and the baron wasn’t around. But the people needed a leader. To Hex’s surprise, they choose him, instead of the other, more experienced, Knights.

As the baron’s student, he was considered the obvious heir. Under his leadership, the town stabilized a bit. Of course, he had people like Hestia and Althea advising him.

As they returned at dusk with the loot, Hex felt the admiring glances of the people around him. It was something he still wasn’t used to. For years he was considered an outsider, a cursed person, and many other things. Now, he was their leader, and they respected him. Even the older people seemed to accept the young man as the leader.

The hill was split nearly in half. The plaza side wasn’t used anymore. People were still salvaging whatever they could from the ruins.

Hex climbed the southern side of the slope. This was where the castle stood. Underway to his home, he looked at the houses built on the slope of the hill.

They were not as sturdy as he would have wished them to be but it was the best they could do in such a short time. Winter in the mountains was harsh. The wooden houses wouldn’t protect the people from it. That’s why he had been hunting for fur. They were used as isolation, put between two layers of walls.

’I hope they can survive this too. Hopefully, aid will arrive after the winter.’

Hex sighed as he entered the castle. The destruction of the southern tower had wiped out most of the wealth. It would take time to rebuild everything.

Althea had sent a few members of the Hawks to request help from the troops. According to her, the Commander often helped villages and towns that met with disaster with manpower. But it would take some time for it to arrive.

"You are back."

Hex saw all the Knights inside the main hall when he entered it. They were discussing something.

"What happened?"

They all looked at Hestia to explain. She was often the one to take the lead in discussions too.

"We just received a message, brought by the Governor’s office. All nobles, leaders, and commanders are invited to a feast, welcoming the new person in charge."

Hex understood at once why everyone had seemed tense. He had told them about his talk with Silvera.

"When is it?"

"Next week."

Hex frowned. Winter was expected to arrive in a few days. Once the snow started to fall, it would be difficult to leave.

"That would mean we need to leave before the snow falls. And that we wouldn’t be able to return anytime soon. But we can’t leave the people on their own, can’t we?"

Hex didn’t want to leave the people on their own. They wouldn’t be able to survive. He hadn’t been someone who cared too much about others but he also didn’t leave people to die.

Also, Hex wasn’t aware that since he knew he wasn’t a human like everyone else, he tried even harder to prove that he still was humane. That he wasn’t some kind of monster.

But he couldn’t ignore the invitation. It might cost him the title and the land. Hex didn’t wish to let the baron’s belongings fall in someone else’s hand.

Hestia nodded. "That’s why we think that we should make two groups. Althea and I will accompany you, while these three will remain here to help the people."

Hex would rather go alone but he had never been down south. He would need some guidance. So he nodded. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow."