“Did you have a good sleep, my liege?”

“I had sufficient,” replied Atlas. He then looked at the drizzling rain outside and said, “The weather seems to have calmed a bit.”

“A good omen considering what is to come, my liege,” Baron Helm remarked. He then advised the little prince, “Careful with your steps, my liege, the ground ahead is slippery.” He extended the lantern within his hand to better illuminate the path.

Atlas noticed the puddle of water before him and carefully sidestepped it. With Baron Helm intently guiding him, the young prince did not have much difficulty navigating the paths.

“It’s been raining for an entire day now, huh?” Atlas casually asked. The downpour had begun in the evening of Day 6. It was currently the evening of Day 7. “Is it normal for it to rain this long?”

“I couldn’t say, my liege. The Brooding Dark forest is home to many unusual phenomena. Perhaps such sustained rains are a normal occurrence here.” Baron Helm explained.

“Isn’t there someone to record such things? The forests are part of our domain, are they not?”

“It certainly is, my liege. However, due to the lack of arable soil in and around the forests, this territory is largely ignored. The lack of other valuable resources also contributes to this disregard.”

“We found a whole coal lode though,” Atlas rebuked. “Not to mention the abundant timber.” To say that it baffled him to know that the Constantine Kingdom ignored the territory of the Brooding Dark forest would be an understatement. It was straight-up nonsensical to Atlas.

“The coal vein was certainly a surprise to me, my liege. In regards to the timber, there are more easily accessible locations to the east of the kingdom. While the Brooding Dark Forest is certainly rich in timber, the superstitions and the perceived danger surrounding it makes it difficult to organize workers to come and work here.” The rick noble education instilled into the Baron shone through in moments like this. While Baron Georg Helm was a little dull and naive, he was certainly not dumb.

“The fact that our people are currently cutting away at the trees inside the forest here can be said to be a result born out of desperation rather than convenience.” Baron Helm concluded.

While the modern-er side of Atlas’ scoffed at this answer, the rational part couldn’t help but agree that the Baron’s reasoning made sense. It was true that the peasants were very susceptible to stories and superstitions during this era. The lack of formal education and intellectual self-reasoning only served to add fuel to this flame of ignorance.

As the Baron stated, the only reason the townspeople were chipping away at the dreary forest and harvesting lumber was due to the current situation forcing their hands. They had to choose between surviving inside this nightmare-inducing forest or believing in superstitious rumors that may or may not be true. Undoubtedly, they chose the first option.

Still, that didn’t mean that the townspeople were suddenly all that much wiser for it. Their beliefs had certainly not left them but were simply hiding within their hearts.

‘Although I understand this thought, the sight of such a large, juicy piece of natural resource not being exploited greatly pains my capitalistic heart. The second I’m outta this town, chased away those rebellious invaders, and reclaimed my birthright as the rightful ruler of this nation, I’m sending an expedition here to claim the forest. If such a large coal vein was hiding in plain sight, who knows what other resource we might find deeper.’ The thought of finding large amounts of precious resources caused Atlas to unconsciously salivate.

“My liege, watch your step!” Baron Helm immediately swooped down with his hand and caught Atlas seconds before he was about to step into a large sludgy puddle. The Baron’s shout jerked Atlas back into reality.

“Whoa!~” Atlas exclaimed, stopping himself in time. He then corrected his footing and then continued with his journey with some added caution.

“Something troubling your mind, my liege?” Baron Helm asked, having noticed the lost expression on the young prince’s face.

“Simply pondering on the future of my kingdom, Baron Helm,” Atlas off-handedly replied. ‘Just imagining the fat stacks that I’m gonna make by exploiting this forest is causing this cold, world-weary heart of mine to burn with excitement!’

Sustainable development? Nature conservation? Yeah, that was a problem for the future generation to worry about, cause right now, Atlas Constantine did not give two cents about them.

While the young prince was fantasizing about how rich he would become, Baron Helm’s mood was drowned in worry and sympathy.

‘My poor liege, he must be worried about those traitorous invaders. While he doesn’t show it, I’m sure his heart is burdened by the weight of responsibility and duty towards his kingdom and his people. A young child being burdened by such worries when he should be experiencing the spring of his life… I’m ashamed. I’m ashamed to be so incompetent.’

“I-I’ll try better, my liege! I shall work harder to become more suitable for you!” Baron Helm roared.

Snapped out of his fanciful delusion once again, Atlas was rather caught off-guard by his sudden statement. “O-okay.” he unsurely nodded his head. ‘What the hell is this bald fool suddenly screaming for? Goddammit, my headache’s coming back.’ He fought his urge to rub his forehead.

Fortunately, Atlas did not have to fight back his urges for long as mere moments later, the duo arrived at their intended destination; the Public Square.

The recently refurbished platform stood tall (get it?), glistening from the rain. Oil lamps decorated the posts surrounding it providing ample illumination for the stage and its supposed speaker.

The area around the Public platform had also been recently renovated. Not only was it larger and formed the center of the unnamed town, but the floor was also fitted with proper sheets of wood making it grander and more comfortable for the townspeople to gather.

There were also ‘fire pits’ equally spaced and scattered through the square. Atlas had requested for them to be put in, to prepare heating spaces for assemblies during the winter– which according to Baron Helm was a few months away. Unfortunately, due to the recent turn in the weather, they were currently unusable.

Right now, throngs of people had gathered around the tall Public Platform. Most of their expressions were a mixture of confusion, anxiety, and mild unease. The slightly drizzling rain did not serve to improve their moods either.

One group of people stood out amongst this crowd. Their bodies were covered in makeshift raincoats and their arms carried woodcutting equipment. Their faces wore a stern, determined expression while their bodies exuded an aura of duty.

Walking up to the raised platform, Atlas stood amidst the spotlight and raised his hand. This action of his immediately drew the attention of the gathered people and quietened their discussions.

Raising his voice to the utmost, Atlas began his prepared speech, “The current weather does not make for a congenial gathering, therefore skipping all formalities, I shall get to the point.”

“I’m sure by now, most of you have heard about the wolf pack. For those who aren’t knowledgeable about this matter and to prevent any uncertain rumors from spreading, let me address this issue.”

Taking in a deep breath, Atlas continued, “Yesterday evening, the diligent gents of Scout Team #2 delivered news to me about a pack of wolves heading towards the town, risking their lives in the process. Their contribution towards the town and their dedication to their duty is highly commendable. They are real heroes.” Saying so, Atlas turned towards the group –Scout Team #2– hidden within the large crowd and gestured a salute and a smile.

Cheers and applause immediately filled the public square. The members of the scout team who were greeted with this unexpected gesture puffed out their chests with pride.

After waiting for a few seconds, the smile on the young prince’s face immediately disappeared. He then continued with his address.

“The presence of a wolf pack in such proximity to the town is certainly worrying. However, without exacting information on the size of the wolf pack and location, the extent of this threat remained unknown. The torrid weather did not do any favors towards the situation either. While I spent a night worrying about the safety of my people and trying to come up with a solution to this threat, the heroic gents of Scout Team #2 stepped forward once more. Risking their lives, this time to greater effect, they stepped into the domain of the beasts in hopes of bringing back more information. Information that could help deliver us from this evil.”

“And fortunately, with the will of the Gods looking out for us from the heavens, they managed to succeed once again. They discovered the tracks of those vile beasts. But as fate would have it, these tracks were largely washed-out due to the rain and barely discernible. The track ran cold once again.”

Speaking up to here, Atlas suddenly brought together his two hands and conjoined them, clasping his palms in a sign of prayer.

“But not all hope was lost, for the Lord Gods were gracious with their blessings. Before these heroic, self-sacrificial men had left, I was struck with a rather sudden epiphany, prompting me to pass on some additional information. And it was this exact epiphany that led us towards the truth of the matter.”

“For you see, these insipid beasts, their kind treacherous and evil, abandoned their pursuit of our town in their cowardice and pointed their ravenous jaws towards the party of weary miners returning from a hard day’s duty. These infernal beasts dared to point their claws at our industrious workers and attacked them!”

Atlas’ passionate narration enamored most of the townspeople into his story-telling and drew out not a small number of gasps.

“But our men and women aren’t cowards! Nay, they people who’ve dedicated their lives towards the reprisal of the invaders and revitalization of our glorious kingdom! They fought back those vile, vermin-like beasts. But, how is a beast to know the honor of man?”

“Their kind, deceptive and cunning, attacked our men with greater effect. While our people staved off those evil beasts from claiming lives, they couldn’t come out fully victorious either. Surrounded by danger both known and unknown, they retreated towards the mines. The beasts following their beastly ways gave chase and have now trapped our men inside the mines.”

“The moment I learned of this news, delivered to me a few hours ago by our resident heroes, rage spilled out of my heart and fire threatened to pour from my mouth. Immediately, I moved to organize a rescue party, members of which have gathered here.” Atlas pointed to the group wearing the raincoats.

Forty members constituted this rescue group and included woodcutters, the scouts of Scout Team #2, the seven guests who had shown up at the Baron’s Manor –Anna had passed out in the parlor and was currently recuperating in the Medical Center– and a few other able volunteers.

“These forty people are about to set forth immediately and bring home our trapped fathers, our husbands, our wives, our brothers, our sisters, our children, and rescue them from those degenerate beasts! This group of heroes will set forth immediately, and will be led by the noble and knightly Baron Georg Helm!” Atlas roared at the top of his lungs, before retreating into the shadows and gesturing for Baron Helm to walk into the spotlight.

The older man’s appearance immediately prompted earth-shattering cheers and heaven-shaking cries. The already good image of Baron Helm further elevated to an absurd degree within the peasant’s hearts.

After waiting for the cheers to die down a little, Baron Helm spoke.

“His noble highness, the prince, has already spoken everything that needs to be said. I only request the people who’re staying back, to assist the prince and prepare in welcoming the heroes. While I’m confident in our people, there are bound to be those who are seriously injured, or those requiring immediate treatment amongst the miners.”

“Without further ado then, the rescue party will now set forth!” His shout prompted the forty gathered members to gather below the platform.

After shooting one last, worried look towards the prince, Baron Helm jumped from the elevated platform and landed before the rescue party. Shooting them a stern look, he then turned around and yelled.

“Let us set forth!”

And so began the mission to rescue the trapped miners.