The caravan was still standing in complete silence in the middle of the plain.
The gentle wind was moving the tall grass, and the massive column of black smoke was still rising on the horizon.
No one was joking anymore, even the pack monsters had become restless and were occasionally letting out short roars.
The escort commander stared at the smoke for a few moments and then turned to the senior officers.
"Everyone here."
In less than a few seconds, five senior officers, the commander of the guards, the commander of the scouts, and two senior mages gathered around the map.
The students were standing a little further away, although the meeting was for the commanders, no one pushed them away.
After all, they were the main members of this caravan, the entire reason for the guards’ presence was to protect their safety, and every decision also concerned them.
Any decision made would directly change the fate of their mission.
The commander turned his gaze among the people, his voice calm but firm.
"First, we need to understand... who the enemy is."
A few seconds of silence followed, finally one of the officers, a middle-aged man in heavy armor, stepped forward and placed his finger on the approximate location of the conflict.
"If the attackers are the natives of the Ruined Realm, then the matter is completely clear." He continued.
"They attacked one of the World Alliance’s caravans, this means the first direct attack by a native force against humans."
His words made the surrounding atmosphere heavier, until this moment, most of the conflicts between humans had been with monsters.
If the native civilizations had really decided to directly attack human caravans... then the situation would completely change.
The World Alliance had very strict rules, and if an intelligent native force attacked them, it would be considered a declaration of war.
"In that case, our mission is not just to protect the students."
"Rescuing survivors and gathering information about the enemy becomes equally important."
A few people nodded in silence.
But another officer disagreed, he was a thin man in a gray robe who looked more like a strategist than a warrior.
"No, it is still too early for such a conclusion." He turned to the wounded scout.
"You said you only saw five people."
"Yes, and I only saw them using different skills." The scout nodded.
"What if those five people are not natives at all?" The officer said slowly.
A few people looked at him in surprise, and he continued.
"Until this moment, no one has seen the attackers’ faces, no one has heard their language, and there is no evidence to prove they were really natives."
He opened the map on the ground.
"Caravans from different countries have set out from different routes toward Base #9, the nearest base to us is Base #2, and the attacked caravan is most likely them."
"According to the rules, no caravan can attack another, but..." His gaze became more serious.
"There is no guarantee that all humans abide by the World Alliance’s rules." He raised several possibilities one by one.
"It could be an independent group, it could be an illegal organization, or even mercenaries who do anything for money, or a few thieves."
A few people listened in silence.
"Looting equipment, stealing resources, hunting powerful awakened ones, or even settling old scores... all of these could be reasons for the attack."
The atmosphere fell into silence again, this possibility was just as dangerous, in fact, maybe even more dangerous than the possibility of a native attack.
Because this way, they would be caught up in a scenario for which there were no clear rules.
Federation rules say that two bases should not enter a conflict, but if it does happen, there is no clear rule to stop it.
And now, if two groups from their own world are fighting each other, if they intervene, they will also get caught up in this chaos.
The commander did not say anything for a few moments, his gaze shifting between the distant smoke and the map.
In the end, he took a deep breath.
"If the enemy is the natives of the Ruined Realm, then helping the Base #2 caravan is our duty."
No one objected, Base #2 belonged to one of the member countries of the World Alliance.
According to military protocols, if a member of the alliance was attacked by an external force, the nearest forces were obliged to take action to help.
Aside from that, their humanity and morality were also reasons that forced them to intervene to save people from their own world.
But the commander continued.
"But, if the attackers are humans, the matter is completely different."
He turned his gaze to the officers.
"It could be an internal conflict there, it could be that Base #2 itself started the conflict, or even that both sides are members of the World Alliance." His words were logical.
If they entered the field without knowing the truth, they might unintentionally interfere in a war that had nothing to do with their mission.
A few moments later, the commander asked for the opinions of those present, especially the students, Marcus was the first to break the silence.
"If someone is still alive, we shouldn’t abandon them." His tone was serious, unlike usual.
"If we pass by a damaged caravan today... tomorrow it might be our turn."
"The main goal of this caravan is to deliver the students to Base #9, we shouldn’t let an unexpected event endanger the entire mission." Nathan said quietly.
Everyone looked at him, clearly they did not expect a member of the student council to have such a mindset.
"Before any decision, we need to understand the truth, without information, any choice could be wrong." Rindo, who had remained silent until then, said.
"If there is still a wounded person alive there, every minute of delay might cost their life." Seraphina also said quietly.
Liana and Selina also agreed with Seraphina and Marcus, they also did not want to abandon people who needed help.
"They are also our people, and we must help them." Cassian also had the same opinion.
Everyone was silent for a moment.
The only person who did not give any opinion was Lian, he was just staring at the smoke column, his mind, unlike the others, was elsewhere.
He did not care what decision they made, it made no difference to him and had no effect on him, but he also preferred that they go to see the situation.
Because if it was the work of looters, then this route was very dangerous, and this matter needed to be reported, otherwise even more casualties would occur in the future.
A few minutes later, the commander announced the final decision.
"The caravan will continue moving, but from this moment, in full battle formation."
All the guards answered at the same time.
"Yes, Commander!"
"If it becomes clear that the attackers are natives or any hostile external force, we will immediately take action."
"But if there are signs of a conflict between humans... we will assess the situation first, no one will enter the battle without orders."
The decision was clear, they would continue on this path, helping awakened ones from other bases was a duty, and they could not close their eyes to such a matter, even if it was dangerous.
No opposition was heard, this was the most logical decision possible.
Of course, this did not mean they would risk their own lives. As the commander, his duty was to protect the students, and if necessary, if something happened, he would buy them time to escape with his life.
A few minutes later, the caravan started moving again, but there was no longer any sign of the calm from a few hours ago.
The mages kept their defensive spells active from the start, the guards held their weapons in their hands.
The scouts changed their positions every few minutes to ensure no blind spots remained.
Even the pack monsters seemed to have sensed the presence of danger and were walking with restlessness.
The further they went... the thicker the smell of smoke became.
Shortly after... the smell of iron... and blood, and the gray fog slowly became thicker.
Everyone fixed their gaze ahead.
Suddenly... from within the fog, something became visible, a broken wheel, a few burnt wooden planks, and then... the first overturned cart slowly emerged from the fog.
No one said anything, the caravan... had finally reached the battlefield.