After retrieving the other trap, the two quickly walked back to the cave where they had rested earlier.
"This is as far as we can go. Let's deal with this wolf first." With a THUD, Kase dropped the Winter Wolf's corpse to the ground.
The sound alone was enough to tell how terrifyingly heavy the Half-Orc's burden had been.
"The hide, teeth, and claws. That's all we need."
"I've handled a Winter Wolf before. Know a bit more than you, kid." Kase deliberately put on a stern face, but it soon twitched twice before he failed to hold back a ferocious grin.
The Half-Orc coughed twice. "C'mon, lend a hand. Lift this leg."
"Looks like someone's attempt to maintain his so-called 'boss's dignity' failed," Colin teased as he stepped forward to hold one of the Winter Wolf's forelegs.
With his help, Kase quickly went to work on the Winter Wolf with a sharp Small Knife.
Even with the Half-Orc's considerable skill and the strength to handle the Winter Wolf's corpse, it still took over an hour to skin it.
The cave was immediately filled with the thick scent of blood.
"What a shame. If not for these wounds, this hide could've sold for a much higher price," Kase lamented.
Colin urged him on, "Hurry up. We can't risk attracting any wild beasts."
"If that happens, I might as well just give up and die."
As he worked, Kase rambled on, "Just think about everything we've run into on this trip. We met a Wolf Pack on a supposedly safe trade route, then ran right into goblins while gathering herbs, and setting a trap just got us ambushed by a Winter Wolf..."
"It does seem like we've had some pretty bad luck."
"Bad luck? It's worse than that. I'm starting to think you're another unlucky bastard with a Curse from a goddess, only this time it was the Goddess of Destiny herself," Kase said.
"So you're blaming me?"
"I was never this unlucky when I traveled on my own."
Colin was at a loss for words.
After skinning the Winter Wolf, Kase shook out their prize. The blood-soaked raw hide was quite thick, but it had many gashes, with the ones made by Colin's Emerald Flame Sword being particularly obvious.
"Now that I get a closer look, the hide's in pretty bad shape... Still, we can probably sell it for a dozen or so Gold Coins. People often come to my tribe to buy hides." Kase couldn't hold it in any longer, a grin revealing his sharp, pointed teeth.
"It's worth the risk for a dozen Gold Coins," Colin said.
"Other people wish they had the chance to take this kind of risk. Go grab a random person from the docks, and you'll find plenty who'd gladly trade places with us, even if it meant losing their lives."
Kase said, "I bet you were some rich kid before, or you wouldn't be so cautious all the time. Of course, that's not a bad thing. Your caution has saved our necks more than once."
After finishing the skinning, the two removed the Winter Wolf's four claws and its teeth.
Feeling it was a waste, Kase also carved a few strips of meat from the wolf's legs to take with them.
In the end, it was thanks to the goblin herb pouch Colin had snatched that they could even carry all their spoils.
All told, the items weighed over two hundred pounds, but Kase didn't seem too strained after hoisting them onto his back.
Gods only knew how strong that Orc was.
'If he hadn't been cursed by a goddess, his situation and combat prowess would definitely be much better than they are now,' Colin figured.
「Just like that, the two set off for Flint Village.」
Compared to their cautious trip out, when they were afraid of missing any herbs, the journey back was a bit more relaxed. After all, besides worrying about goblins and Wild Wolves, there wasn't much else they needed to be on constant alert for.
Even though winter was approaching, after walking for a few miles, both of them were drenched in sweat.
It wasn't until dusk that the two set foot on a man-made road again, and they soon reached the outskirts of Flint Village.
The scenery along the road changed from scattered rocks to wheat fields, and banners fluttered on a distant watchtower.
Colin's tense nerves finally relaxed completely.
Because the raw Winter Wolf Hide on Kase's back was so large, Colin frequently felt eyes on them as they walked.
A number of idle children and curious villagers even started following them, though Kase's fierce appearance kept them from approaching to strike up a conversation.
After walking a little further, a man dressed as a Guard in Armor came over.
"Halt!"
He shouted from a distance, quickening his pace.
The Guard pointed at the white fur on Kase's back. "What are you carrying?"
"This is the Winter Wolf we killed. The big White Wolf that's been attacking the trade route," Colin replied.
The moment he finished speaking, the few onlookers who had followed them gasped, their sharp intakes of breath followed by a burst of cheers.
The Guard barked at the crowd before turning back to the two of them.
"Are you sure it's that wolf? I heard that thing is about the size of a small horse," the Guard said. "Can I see it?"
With a great heave, Kase threw the raw hide on the ground.
The Guard hurried forward to inspect the blood-stained hide. You could clearly see him swallow hard.
"Please, bring the hide and come with me to see the lord. This beast has been giving us a huge headache lately."
Kase looked back at his companion and jutted his chin.
"It should earn us more than selling it directly to a tanner..." Colin muttered, then said to the Guard, "Of course, sir."
The Guard immediately turned and led the two toward Flint Village.
The people following behind them began to cheer, and even a few children who didn't know what was going on joined in the excitement.
"This is just like my tribe." Kase looked around, occasionally raising his arms and roaring along with the crowd. The look on his face was even more ecstatic than when he ate that treasure stew a few days ago.
Colin felt a little awkward.
He wasn't the type to enjoy being in the spotlight, but motivated by the promise of a reward, he steeled himself and followed the Guard.
The group soon arrived at the village gate.
The Guard proudly shouted a few words to his colleagues on duty. A group of Guards all took off their Helmets and nodded in respect toward Colin and Kase. This action drew the attention of the surrounding commoners and a merchant caravan that was paying taxes at the entrance.
Another Guard wearing a Plate Armor Chest Guard walked over. This one looked like their captain.
He nodded slightly and said, "Please, come with me."
Colin nodded and followed him.
He was suddenly reminded of the scene when they had first arrived, with Bob being hassled by the Guards. These guys weren't spouting any nonsense about the Wild Wolf not existing anymore. Their attitude was a world of difference from before.
The group proceeded down the main street.
The people who had followed them in from outside shouted things like, "The wolf is dead!"
In an instant, the crowd around them grew larger and larger, as if by some chemical reaction.
Most people didn't know what was happening; they only knew that someone had killed a giant wolf.
"Look at that hide! Heavens, how much do you think that's worth?"
"What is that? What's going on?"
"I recognize them! They're caravan guards staying at the Broken Shield Inn!"
These people were either pointing at the Winter Wolf's hide or pushing forward desperately, trying to get a glimpse of the wolf-slaying heroes. Colin even spotted the innkeeper who had served him a few days ago, shouting at the top of his lungs that his inn had attracted heroes.
All of this made Colin somewhat uneasy.
'To be honest, if that unknown giant bear hadn't scattered the Wolf Pack, he and Kase would never have been able to face this Winter Wolf.'
'A large part of finally killing their opponent was just luck.'
'What if the Winter Wolf hadn't stepped on the trap in the end? They probably would have just come back with herbs, and maybe even been ambushed by the Winter Wolf again on the way...'
"We're here, sir."
Snapped back to reality, Colin looked up and saw they were standing in front of a two-story wooden house.
"What are you spacing out for?" Kase said, crossing his arms. "This is something we earned by nearly dying several times."
"You know what I was thinking?"
Kase said, "I'm the boss, ain't I?"
Colin lowered his head and thought for a moment.
'He's right.'
'This was the fruit of our life-and-death struggle. Feeling uneasy about it would be disrespectful to myself.'
With that, Colin strode into the house.