"How is Ulfhen? Is there anything wrong with his body?"
Gauss looked at Theron, who was temporarily serving as a veterinarian, and asked.
"I couldn't find anything abnormal."
Theron stood up and shook his head.
As soon as he heard that, Ulfhen sprang to his feet, lively as ever.
"Maybe we should operate on him anyway."
Alya still seemed a little uneasy. Ulfhen immediately ducked behind Gauss.
"Even if we wanted to operate, it's too late now." Theron shook his head.
The ashes inside Ulfhen had already been absorbed and digested. They just couldn't tell what effect they might have had yet.
Alya sighed and gave Ulfhen's wolf's head a vigorous rub.
"Fine, then. Ulfhen, next time, don't eat anything strange without our permission. Got it?"
"Awooo!"
Relieved that they weren't going to cut him open after all, Ulfhen threw his head back and howled in promise, looking full of energy.
After tidying up the scene, collecting the spoils, and recording the quest documents, Gauss and the others rested briefly before setting off.
The group continued deeper along the road through Old Crow Pass.
Beyond Old Crow Pass, they emerged into another stretch of open wilderness.
Gauss held a yellowed parchment map and compared it with the wilds before them.
"Flute Castle is our next stop."
"Caw! Caw!"
"Caw! Caw!"
Gray-black crows circled in the sky above the party.
Aside from Gauss, who had gained the most from their trip through Old Crow Pass, Raven Ike was probably the next biggest winner. He had recruited a group of strong, young crow underlings.
He was starting to look like a crow lord, with flocks following him wherever he went.
"Ray of Frost."
A beam of freezing energy shot out from the carriage and struck the ground beside the road, instantly freezing