"Need help?"
Gorth turned around and lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling on the old man beneath Alina, pale from blood loss.
Alina snapped out of her shock and nodded vigorously.
"Th-thank you! Please save my grandfather!"
Without another word, Gorth crouched down and gently lifted the old man. Crimson liquid dripped from his fingertips.
The wound gradually closed. Color swiftly returned to the old man's paper-white face, and he slowly opened his eyes, looking around at his surroundings in confusion.
"Thank you!"
Seeing that her grandfather was out of danger, Alina looked at Gorth gratefully and gave him a deep bow.
"Thank you! Thank you so very much!"
"You deserve it, kind little deer..."
Gorth nodded slightly and patted Shadow Wolf.
Understanding his intent, Shadow Wolf slipped into the shadows. The next second, it surfaced beneath Alina and her grandfather, its broad back steadily supporting them both.
"Where is your home?"
Gorth asked again, looking at Alina.
Alina thanked him once more and raised a hand to point toward the village.
Gorth nodded and led the two away.
What? You want to know what happened to the Infection Patrol?
Gorth halted and glanced back.
Vines dragged the corpses underground, conveniently covering them with fresh snow.
"Hmm... This should keep them from frightening passersby."
After safely delivering the old man to his doorstep, Gorth stopped, vanishing into the shadows on the outskirts of the village as he watched the lit-up cottage from afar.
An elderly woman, her face full of worry, rushed out. After a brief bout of commotion and explanations, Alina comforted her with a few murmured words before hurrying out of the house and looking around.
The moment she spotted the figure standing quietly in the distant snowfield, she jogged over.
She had barely stopped before Gorth