The place the mages had directed them to was an old building erected at the edge of the forest that extended from the Great Sarain Forest, visible right at the proximate distance.

"This place is merely a temporary facility for resupply, not much to look at. But please, do come in."

As the mages entered with the injured carried on a stretcher, a few others inside hastily rose and rushed towards them.

"What happened? Did you meet the priest?"

"Is the holy water still there?"

"And who are these people?"

Despite their disheveled appearances, as if they had run here in the midst of a battle, their concern for their comrades seemed sincere. The mages who came with the injured on the stretcher looked at the Cavalry members with bright faces as they moved the stretcher toward the bed.

"The old priest was exhausted and had no strength left, the young priest ran away, and they even said there was no holy water left. I thought a real disaster was upon us. But then, these folks happened to pass by and helped."

"What?"

"That man over there turned out to be a very capable priest."

The mages breathed a sigh of relief at the news that Lusan had quickly healed their injured comrade, and moreover, had asked for no recompense. They dropped their guards and bowed their heads to express their gratitude.

"Good heavens, thank you so much, priest!"

"You used such great power to save a dying man, how can you not accept anything in return? Please bill us, the Mage Union, whatever the cost! We are not stingy about such matters!"

"No, no... I am simply glad that I was able to help where needed. The divine power is a gift for helping others, how could I accept a fee for it."

Having been cooped up for a long time in the temple without the opportunity to use his divine power, only enduring oppression, Lusan was deeply moved by the direct and passionate gratitude. As he waved his hand to say it was okay, the mages opened their mouths in astonishment.

"No way... I thought only priests who heal minor wounds while charging exorbitant fees existed, how can there be someone like this..."

"I'm going to start going to the temple again from today. I will be a sprout of God once again, so don't try to stop me."

"What? How can you do such a thing after becoming a mage? I'll be the first one to go repent, so let's not meet in the same temple."

"Everyone, be quiet! The priest came here because he needs to go to the Great Sarain Forest and wanted to know how the situation changed rapidly."

The mages are generally talkative, but the situation was even more serious now that their comrade, who was near death, had been revived. After laying the injured on the bed and checking his condition, it wasn't until one mage raised her voice that they finally kept quiet.

"I'm sorry, we've been fighting monsters since this morning and just managed to escape, so everyone's still quite excited. Anyway... the injured need to rest quietly, so it would be better if we go elsewhere to talk. Please follow me."

With a tired face, she opened the door and led them to a larger space. Several mages naturally followed, standing around as if to guard the perimeter.

"My name is Lorna Beit. I've been a mage in the Western Mage Union for 15 years now. I'm the most experienced person here, so would it be okay if I represented everyone and explained the situation?"

"Of course."

As Gakane responded, the mage who had introduced herself as Lorna smiled.

"As I mentioned earlier, our Western Mage Union has been conducting research in the Great Sarain Forest for several years, so we are familiar with its dangers. Not once has our heavily fortified research base suffered from monster attacks. Well, not until this year."

"Is the situation that serious?"

Hearing the question, Lorna's expression grew grave.

"I'm not sure if you're aware, but over a month ago, reports of heavy damage began to emerge from the countries adjacent to the Great Sarain Forest. Even then, we thought lightly of it. We assumed those countries, with their unstable politics, were ill-prepared and suffered damage as a result, but we would be fine."

There were still a few months left before the monster outbreak period, during which monsters would invade the empire en masse, according to past records. The mages anticipated that, as in previous years, they would be safe if they culled the surrounding monsters before the most dangerous period arrived.

"However, reports of sightings of unprecedented monsters started coming in from the Great Sarain Forest region within the Empire a short while ago. As rumors spread, the land trade routes began to destabilize. The border lords, facing a crisis, requested support from the Tainu lord, the ruler of the largest city in the west. But, there were problems on that end as well."

The Baron of Tainu, Willhem, was notoriously stingy. Despite knowing that he had to deploy forces for monster culling every year in the west - a region with frequent monster outbreaks - he was reluctant to offer his troops. Hence, he forced the Western Mage Union to assist, but the mages, who didn't have a good relationship with him, were equally reluctant.

"The lord of Tainu had been using the power of the Western Mage Union at his discretion in exchange for allowing us to conduct research in the forest. We were all angry, for we were collaborators, not subordinates, yet for years we were made to cull monsters in their place."

The mages had decided that this year they would give the Lord of Tainu a taste of his own medicine. As they squabbled and sought help from their respective homes and the Pearl Tower, the number of monsters appearing at the border regions swelled rapidly.

"As we were busy dealing with Tainu's lord, and ordinary citizens fled due to increasing casualties in the forest, the monster numbers grew. Our leader was so angry that he left Tainu's base and came here."

"I see."

"And then this morning, it all blew up."

Monsters suddenly appeared in the heavily fortified base of the Western Mage Union, which was protected by over a hundred large barriers. After several hours of battle, the monsters were defeated, but many barriers were destroyed, parts of the buildings crumbled, and many mages were injured.

"Fortunately, there were no fatalities but the condition of the colleague that the priest treated earlier was very serious. That's why we rushed to this village where two priests were stationed Yes, that's how the situation unfolded."

Lorna's tale, even for Yuder who already experienced the situation of the Western Monster Subjugation in his previous life and knew what was to come, was immensely intriguing. The long-standing conflict between the Western Mage Union and the Lord of Tainu had affected the initiation of the subjugation mission. It was information he could never have known if he hadn't come here.

'Back then, I thought everyone was simply protective of the Cavalry...but there was already discord amongst them.'

"Actually, the reason we initially thought you were a priest from Tainu is because of that," Lorna confessed, with a laugh that echoed through her nose, as if finding her own words amusing. "We thought the Lord had finally realized the seriousness of the situation and started sending support."

"It's unlikely that miser would ever do so!"

She once again expressed her gratitude towards Lusan.

"It really was a blessing that you came when you did. They probably had a good laugh at our expense as soon as they heard the news."

"So, do you plan to simply heal the victims in the Western Mage Union and leave?"

The one asking the question was not Gakane, but Kishiar who had been quietly listening from behind. His voice was unexpectedly pleasant; it was so deep that it made him appear more imposing, especially with his face hidden under his hat. This fact surprised some of the mages, who gave him a fresh look.

"Hmm, that's still under discussion. But I think we probably won't leave completely. There are many who can't leave their research bases... above all, our leader is vehemently opposed to it."

"Even if it becomes more dangerous than it is today, you still plan to stay?"

"If we were going to back down because of danger, we wouldn't have come here in the first place. We mages are like that. We are a species more concerned with finding the answers to the future than with the immediate dangers."

Lorna bowed her head slightly and gave a small smile at the corner of her lips.

"Are you worried about us by any chance? We're more concerned about you. Are you still planning on going to the forest after hearing all this?"

"Yes, we have to go."

"That's serious. After receiving such great help, it's only right that we should help in return...but we're short-handed ourselves at the moment."

Even experienced traders and mercenaries who frequented the Great Sarain Forest suffered substantial damages in just a few days due to unpredictable monster appearances. Lorna wondered what kind of purpose drove those who insisted on advancing in spite of the dangers that even the mages who had lived there for years couldn't avoid. Yet, out of respect for their benefactor, she swallowed her curiosity.

"You don't have to help us."

"No, we can't just do nothing..."

Lost in thought, Lorna suddenly turned her head and made a suggestion.

"Hmm... Some of us are planning on returning to the base soon, would you mind accompanying us at least that far? The place where our base is located is still probably the safest."