Chapter 72: Reaching Camp
No one called for a stop, and Silas was glad for that. He could have used his mantis echo as a mount to get them there quickly, but he had to improvise and use his legs because he didn’t trust anyone, except his girls, Chloe and Gromda, of course. They would never betray him.
The journey back was far less exciting than the battles they’d fought, at least on the surface. The mountainous region stretched endlessly before them, ridges rising and falling like waves frozen in stone. Jagged cliffs pierced the sky while ancient pine forests clung stubbornly to steep slopes. Small rivers cut through valleys below, glittering under the afternoon sunlight.
It was beautiful and exhausting. The terrain forced them to constantly climb, descend, and navigate around massive rock formations. Even as awakened individuals, they felt the strain after hours of movement.
Silas walked at the front, his coat fluttering lightly behind him while his pink eyes occasionally glowed every few seconds. To the others, it looked strange, but to Chloe and Gromda, it meant he was using his ability. Silas himself found the sensation oddly relaxing.
When he first awakened, Thread Sight felt overwhelming. Now, it felt natural and comfortable. It was like breathing. The countless threads weaving through the world no longer looked chaotic, but rather, they made sense. Every living thing carried a thread, every movement created ripples, every destination possessed a path, and right now, one particular thread was guiding him toward the camp.
The further they traveled, the clearer it became. Behind him, Victor limped badly. Silas had not held back. The bruises decorating Victor’s face looked artistic at this point. Peter kept glancing at him before quickly looking away. Christian did the same. Nobody wanted to bring it up, especially Victor. His pride had already suffered enough.
Hours passed and the sun slowly descended toward the horizon, causing the air to grow cooler. Silas suddenly stopped, causing everyone to nearly walk into each other.
"What happened?" Alicia asked. Silas closed his eyes and focused. Far away, through the eyes of his scout, he finally saw them... Tents, dozens of them, campfires, and people. The main camp. Without anyone noticing, the hobgoblin echo several kilometers away dissolved into mist.
Silas withdrew his consciousness, a grin appearing on his face.
"We found them."
The group froze.
"What?"
Silas pointed ahead.
"Camp."
For a second, nobody moved.
"WHAT?!" Christian nearly screamed.
"Seriously?!" Peter shouted.
Emma’s eyes widened, and even Alicia looked surprised.
"We’re close?"
"Very close. Just a few kilometers more."
The exhausted group suddenly looked alive again. Funny how hope worked. People could march for hours while miserable. Give them good news, and suddenly they find another day’s worth of energy. They immediately increased their pace. Silas did the same. While everyone focused on moving, he casually slowed beside Gromda.
A small, crude sack appeared in his hand, and he immediately shoved it toward Gromda. She accepted it naturally, not breaking character as if she could read his mind. The sack contained several kilograms of monster meat. System purchases were wonderful.
Alicia’s eyes narrowed.
"Wait."
"Hm?"
"Where did that sack come from?"
Her question made everyone look towards Gromda suspiciously, wondering just how the sack had appeared. Silas didn’t even blink, lying through his teeth and thick face.
"Gromda was carrying it."
Alicia looked at the giant orc woman in suspicion, but her suspicion turned to confusion when she noticed that the sack looked tiny in her enormous hand. It was almost comically small.
"..."
"Oh." Now, she felt stupid, her expression turning from suspicious to embarrassed. Silas almost laughed at it, while Chloe looked away before her expression betrayed her. Even her cold expression was cracking slightly. Silas knew how to make even a cold queen like her smile. Gromda looked proud for absolutely no reason.
The group continued moving, everyone ignoring the fact that Alicia had just soiled her reputation, if she even had one to begin with. Soon, the scent of smoke reached them, then came distant voices and movement. Finally, after moving a few more meters further, the tents became visible. At almost the same time, another group appeared from the camp.
Leading them was a tall man, Mr. Sylvester, the wind-affinity teacher. He had been preparing to leave for another scouting mission. His expression was grim. That was until he noticed movement approaching, and his eyes narrowed. He moved ahead of his group, already preparing for a battle when his eyes widened in shock.
"No way..."
Behind him, several students noticed the approaching figures, and one screamed.
"Alicia!"
The camp exploded into chaos as students and teachers rushed from their tents. Mr. Fatars stepped outside carrying a mug, wondering what the cause of the commotion was, when the mug slipped from his hand and shattered on the ground.
Walking toward camp was not only Alicia’s supposedly missing team. At the front was a pink-haired menace everyone had assumed was either dead or probably fighting gods or something. Beside him walked a white-haired girl with a cold expression and piercing eyes that chilled Fatars to the bone. She didn’t look familiar until she got closer, and he identified her as Chloe. She was alive, healthy, and somehow even more beautiful than before, not to mention powerful. And thinking about her hair color had changed, he could only relate it to awakening. Hair dyes weren’t present in the rift, so that was the only conclusion. Beside them walked a seven-foot-tall female orc carrying a tiny sack, and wearing clothes that looked too expensive for a native of such a world.
Mr. Fatars stared at the orc, then at Silas, and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. He even felt like attacking, but looking at how she was walking closely behind Silas, he stopped himself. The orc remained there, staring at him blankly, and... condescendingly?
"..."
"..."
"Gertrude," he said quietly.
"Yes?"
"I’m either having a stroke..." His gaze remained locked on Gromda. "...or Silas brought an orc back to camp."
Silas raised a hand and smiled.
"Good evening, everybody!"
The entire camp fell silent. Then absolute pandemonium erupted.
