Chapter 712: Return...temporarily (1/2)

”…and then there was much rejoicing.” Arthur sighed as he looked at the excited faces of the people in front of him.

”Well, we can't really blame them. We almost ran out of food despite our preparations. The new wave of Berserkers are also anxious to grow stronger so of course they'll react this way.” Rosa replied, deep down she was sighing in relief as well.

Vendrick had returned victorious from his trip. Well, his job isn't done yet but at least he bought some time for himself and tribe. Getting rid of the Forest Witch and her Hag Daughters made the Southern Continent less dangerous for them so he went back and told them that they could lift the seals and start hunting Demonic Beasts again. In fact, Arthur and Rosa just finished their announcement and people are already forming groups to hunt as soon as the sun rise tomorrow.

”Where's Vendrick anyway?” Arthur asked, he looked around and saw that Vendrick isn't here.

”Sleeping.” Rosa replied blandly. ”He said that the trip was draining so he'd have a good rest before setting off again. And it's not like you don't know him, he's not really a socialite.”

”Ah, right. I almost forgot about that.” Arthur chuckled wryly when he was reminded.

”Anyhow, everything's all fine and dandy. With the seals lifted, we can go hunt for game again. This means we can continue cultivating. This time, we should be able to reach a stage where our appetites won't be as big anymore.” Rosa sighed, still feeling stressed about the close call.

Thanks to Vendrick's unceasing work, he accomplished his initial goal earlier. Had he been delayed for a few more months, the situation of the tribe would be dire.

They've grossly underestimated the appetite of growing berserkers. They thought that they already prepared well for the difficult times but it turns out that the food they gathered were not nearly enough. During this year, they tried to ration the food according to their initial plans but people were still hungry. It was really lucky that Vendrick arrived earlier.

Although only a year and a few odd months passed since Vendrick set off, the tribe had grown larger in number. Due to the comfort and happiness of the people, the birthrate increased. The tribe is now filled with babies. In a few years, these babies will grow up into adults and will start a family on their own.

Although the tribe has expanded, it would seem that this place won't be enough for them in future. Eventually, they have to consider moving out and settling down somewhere else. But, this is a problem for later. For now, the crises had been averted and the mood of the tribe eased up greatly.

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Vendrick slept for three days straight at the comfort of his own place.

When he woke up, it's already late in the afternoon. Nobody was around, only him and the cold breeze and lush vegetation surrounding his home.

Vendrick got up and stretched his body. He's still feeling quite lethargic but its not an excuse to ignore his grumbling stomach. He prepared a meal for himself, he took a bath, changed clothes and stared at a blank space for quite sometime, you know, the usual.

His mind was relatively empty. He didn't think about anything and did things instinctively. He never uttered a word since there's no use to it. He just enjoyed the peaceful ambiance of the silence around him.

Vendrick was like this for a week. And during this week, neither Arthur nor Rosa came to disturb him. The hideout wasn't sealed so they could've come whenever they liked, still they knew that Vendrick worked hard so they didn't want to burden him anymore than they already have.

”…four left.” Vendrick uttered.

This was the first words after a week long of rest. He stared at the sky and sifted information according to what he knows.

After using Wendy to kill the Forest Witch and sending the sisters off, Vendrick officially eliminated one of his main targets. Still, there's something that's really bugging him. It's the Forest Witch's lover.