"Is it over?"
"Have the enemies been slain?"
"Did the leader and his team win?"
Though it felt somewhat eerie, seeing that the commotion had stopped, the members on the fringe couldn’t help but speculate optimistically.
At least for now, they hadn’t been attacked, and everything seemed to have settled.
They weren’t left in doubt for long.
Soon, the entire team was summoned to gather in front of the main tent.
The intelligence captain, Fisher, stood solemnly before the tent, looking at the crowd focusing on him. His face showed the perfect blend of grief and hesitation. It seemed he had prepared his thoughts for a long time, and after a deep sigh, he announced with a heavy tone.
"Everyone, I’m sorry to inform you of some unfortunate news."
"Captain Wolf has been murdered."
Almost instantly, the entire team exploded into chaos.
"The captain is dead??"
"The captain was so powerful, how could he die so suddenly?"
"This can’t be true!"
Upon hearing this news, the adventure group members’ pupils kept contracting.
Although the earlier commotion was strange, it was far from being intense enough to kill someone as strong as the captain.
In their view, if the captain had been killed by an external enemy, the entire camp should have been completely destroyed, rather than being almost intact like now.
"Though it’s hard for me to believe, this has indeed happened." Fisher ordered his men to carefully carry out Wolf’s body on a stretcher.
The tall figure now lay motionless on the stretcher, its entire body pale without a hint of color.
Some senior members stepped forward to check Wolf’s vital signs, indeed finding no signs of life.
He really was dead.
"The one who did it was Luna. When we arrived here, the captain had already been killed, and she, along with some traitors, had escaped out of guilt."
Fisher continued to add.
"But Vice-Captain Luna has been with Captain Wolf for so long, how could it be her?"
Some raised doubts.
"It was indeed her who did it."
This time, before Fisher could speak, one of the other captains beside him spoke up.
"When I arrived, I saw her using Flying Skill to escape."
"Unfortunately, we were still a step too late."
Other captains also nodded in confirmation.
In the crowd, it seemed someone wanted to raise objections, but they were quickly silenced by their companions.
Of course, more members wore faces of bewilderment, as many were not privy to the upper echelons of the adventure group; yet, with so many high-ranking members affirming it, it had to be Luna who did it.
"Brothers, what matters most now is avenging Captain Wolf."
"But a group cannot go a day leaderless, and Captain Fisher is the strongest among us here. I propose making him our new leader." One captain actively suggested.
As soon as he finished speaking, someone in the crowd immediately voiced their agreement.
"I agree."
"Lord Fisher is mighty. He saved my life, and if he’s leader, I’ll follow with all my heart."
"..."
"You all..." Fisher raised his head slightly, his eyes red-rimmed, seemingly in a fierce internal conflict.
"Since everyone insists, I... I will reluctantly bear this responsibility for now. But let me make it clear, this position is just temporary for me."
"When we find Luna and those traitors, avenge the captain, and when there’s a more suitable candidate within the group, I will gladly step aside."
As he spoke, his peripheral vision swept over a handful of indifferent faces within the team, silently noting down their names in his mind.
At least now, Gray Wolf’s Fang was finally under his command.
His thoughts couldn’t help but drift to Gauss, the mastermind behind Wolf’s death.
But before taking any formal action, he needed to deal with those few veteran deserters first and then seek out that Gauss.
He was very curious indeed about what secrets were hidden on the other side.
...
"Ha—"
Gauss yawned, and walked out of the house.
"Didn’t sleep well?"
"Maybe because yesterday’s battle drained too much of my magic power." Gauss shook his head.
"Captain, would you like a Calming Agent?" Ivan popped up out of nowhere, thoughtfully handing him a potion.
"Thanks."
Gauss didn’t stand on ceremony.
This is the advantage of having a pharmacist in the team; most low-level magic potions could be consumed freely.
After this mission concluded, it was time to procure some high-level recipes for Ivan.
With the effect of the Leader’s Certificate at play, he wasn’t worried that just after investing in Ivan, Ivan would run away with the potion recipes.
Moreover, he trusted his judgment in people.