“Wolves!?” Baron Helm screamed out, horrified. “Are you certain!?”

Letting go of the young prince’s vest with shaky hands, the man turned around to face the Baron. His pallid face, pale as a sheet of paper, and fear-stricken eyes still held the horror from his grim realization.

Looking into the Baron’s eyes, he slowly nodded his head.

“By the Gods…” Baron Helm mumbled with fear.

Atlas, who had been quiet all this while, suddenly asked, “Who discovered the wolf tracks? Was it just you or was it your team?”

“I-it was my team, my lord,” the man replied with a shaky voice. The discovery had left him shaken to the core.

“Where’s the team? Where are the rest of your team members? Why aren’t they here with you?” Atlas pressed forth with his questioning, his tone turning more serious by the second.

“I–they–we,” the man stumbled. He wasn’t in the right state of mind since the discovery. Atlas’ rapid-fire questions only left him more confused.

“WHERE. IS. THE. REST. OF. THE. TEAM?” Atlas’ tone grew harsh. “Answer me!” He yelled.

“They’re on their way back to the town, my lord!” The man screamed in reply, cowering in the process. “Th-they sent me first to inform my lords since I was the fastest runner in the group!”

At that answer, Atlas immediately turned to look at the Baron and ordered, “Baron Helm, please bring the rest of that team to the manor immediately. They are not to make contact with the other townspeople.”

“My liege, but why–” Baron Helm tried to ask but was immediately shut down by Atlas.

“Just do what I tell you and save the questions for later!” Atlas urged. “Go immediately! Take this man to help you!”

“Y-yes, my liege,” Baron Helm hurriedly bowed in response, and grabbed the man before leaving the manor.

Standing alone in the empty foyer, Atlas stared at the closed entrance door with a piercing gaze. Lightning and thunder flashed and rumbled in the background, while the room sunk into total darkness. The falling rain provided a sharp staccato to suit the declining atmosphere.

Sigh. Heaving a heavy sigh, the young prince then looked towards the ceiling. Inhaling a mouthful of the cold, humid air, he opened his mouth and… screamed!

“CAN I NOT CATCH A BREAK?! WHO UP THERE IS GETTING OFF TO THIS!?”

It seemed that the lack of sleep had finally gotten to him.

---

Living Room, Baron’s Manor.

Ten minutes later.

A group of ten adult men stood lined up against the wall. These were the members of Scout Team #2.

The faces and expressions of the ten men varied greatly, but the common factor amongst them was the look of fear and uncertainty within their fear. Their throats moved in an intermittent sequence as each gulped fearfully. Their dry lips, rough and chapped, mumbled quietly while their eyes wandered against the ground.

“I’ll ask you one more time,” Atlas spoke as he walked before the lined-up men with his hands behind his back. “And this time, I want all of you to ‘really’ think about your answers.”

“Did you, at any given point since your arrival to the town, speak to or tell anyone, and I mean ‘anyone’, about the wolf den and wolf tracks discovery?” He stopped his walk and turned around to intensely stare at the line of adults.

Atlas, while very young and of short stature, had a piercing gaze that seemed to look into the very soul of the men. His ice-blue eyes radiated terrifying chillness and solemnity.

Burdened by the heavy atmosphere, none of the gathered adults dared so much as to even breathe loudly. Even Baron Helm, the large-bodied, naturally intimidating-looking man had retreated to the side and watched on quietly, not interrupting the prince’s interrogation in the least.

A few seconds passed accompanied by the heavy, pitter-patter sounds of the downpour outside. This noise gradually increased in pitch as the rainfall outside turned heavier, subtly pressuring the men and giving them an illusion of time running out.

“Take all the time you need and think carefully. I would hate for you men to rush answering me, giving me an incorrect or incomplete answer in the process.” He added paradoxically.

This subtle mental pressure was by no means a simple coincidence but a deliberate usage of his surroundings by Atlas to increase the power of his authority and to boost the effects of his interrogation.

Every small action of his; such as lining them against the wall, walking in a heavy, rhythmic pattern, repeatedly asking the same questions but using different words and tones, every little action of his was a deliberate ploy aimed at interrogation.

Having lived a successful life in the world of politics, Atlas knew better than most about human nature and about how to influence thoughts in order to achieve an intended result.

And achieve the intended result, he did.

“Actu’lly, milord. Now that I properly think about it, I think I might’ve accident’lly said something to ma wife…”

“Me too, my lord. My aunt was botherin’ me, asking a terrible number of questions. I was muddled from the discovery and might’ve slipped something…”

“I warned my sister and her friend…”

One by one, the men started to tell the truth.

Originally, when Atlas had asked them the same question when they had just arrived, each person denied telling anything about the discovery to the townspeople. The scene now, however, was the complete opposite.

‘Just as I had guessed.’ Atlas sighed and shook his head. Truth be told, the moment these men had lied to him in the beginning, he had already ‘read’ them and ascertained that they were lying.

His subsequent actions and ploy to force a confession were not for his direct benefit or validation but were meant for the Baron and in preparation for his next series of actions.

After listening patiently to their confessions, Atlas turned around and faced the Baron with a grim expression. The latter looked at the prince with a similar expression.

Baron Helm was a smart and educated man. While initially confused at the prince’s motives, he quickly formed a vague guess as he observed the interrogation process. Now that he had heard the confession, he arrived at the same conclusion as the prince.

“My liege,” Baron Helm opened his mouth to speak but was quickly interrupted by the prince.

“Before we discuss anything further, Baron Helm, why don’t you settle these men first. A warm bath and a fresh set of clothes would do them a lot of good, don’t you think?” Atlas suggested.

Hearing his suggestion, the eyes of the ten men immediately widened and their mouths went agape.

With disbelief shining in their eyes, they hesitantly asked, “M-my lord, we peasants wouldn’t dare to trouble you or the Baron in your home. Please excuse us, and we shall return to our homes.” The most eloquent person in the group intoned.

“Return in this weather? Nonsense.” Atlas immediately shut down their proposal. Turning to face the group of adults, he wore an expression of kindness and pride and spoke, “I cannot stress enough, how large of a contribution your group has contributed to this town. You ten men, by risking your very lives, have discovered a threat, nay a calamity that very much concerns the future of this town and the lives of everyone in it.”

Pausing to catch his breath, Atlas continued with a smile on his face.

“Not only did you discover it, but you risked injury and rushed back to the town in this perilous weather to deliver news of the calamity, forewarning us of its arrival and giving us time to prepare against it. You have done this town a great favor, gentlemen. All of us owe you for your contribution.”

“I have yet to decide on your rewards, and I have to tell you, it is not going to be an easy one. Until then, the least that the Baron and I could do for you, considering your contribution, is play the part of a gratuitous host. Please, in my honor, don’t refuse this gesture.” Atlas finished his speech.

His smooth words filled with sincerity and gratitude moved the hearts of the ten adult men.

With tears in their eyes, they continuously thanked the prince for recognizing their hard work before following the Baron out of the living room.

The moment they left the living room, the smile on Atlas’ face disappeared. Sporting a stony expression and half-lidded eyes, Atlas sunk into contemplation.

‘With this, I have retained these loose-lipped idiots to the manor. The spreading of information regarding the wolves should be mostly contained now.’ Atlas' kindhearted gesture to the ten scouts was by no means kind or hearted. Rather, it was filled with hidden implications that went way over what their pitiful minds could infer.

By keeping these men in house arrest, he held primary control on the information and could control how it would be shared. It was a pity that he wasn’t able to move fast enough, resulting in the news leaking to a few of their respective family members. Still, it wasn’t too bad considering the circumstances.

‘I guess the heavy downpour helps me out here. There won’t be any gatherings in this weather. The townspeople will be restricted to their residences. This should greatly slow down the spread of information.’

Why was Atlas so keen on controlling and delaying the spread of the information involving the wolf tracks and the wolf den? Well, let me word it like this; how would you feel if you lived in an unguarded, unfenced town, in the middle of an eerie forest, and were to learn that there was a pack of wolves in the neighborhood heading towards you?

Not too great, I imagine.

‘Spreading the news regarding the wolves will result in a huge blow to morale, and have unease and panic fester within the minds of the people. While it won’t be the extent of an immediate collapse of order and rampant spreading of chaos –thanks to my recent efforts to increase motivation and foster a sense of belonging within the townspeople– it will still greatly affect day-to-day operations.’

The town hadn’t reached a state of surplus yet. Hell, it hadn’t even reached the state of total self-sufficiency.

On that note…

‘Have the miners returned yet? It should be about time, right?’ Atlas wondered. He then shrugged his shoulders and pushed the matter to the back of his mind, ‘Oh well, they must be delayed due to the weather.’

He then returned to his office and waited for the Baron to arrive. He had a lot of matters to discuss with the older man.

‘First the sickness, then the shortage of food, and now this?’ Atlas rubbed his forehead. ‘I haven’t even finished dealing with the food shortage crisis yet. How am I supposed to deal with a pack of wolves?’

Even as a genius with decades of experience in dealing with greatly difficult, life-threatening situations, he still felt greatly pressured.

For all his gifts and abilities, Atlas was still human.