Chapter 48: Changes
Three days passed swiftly, during which everyone learned that all the elite soldiers had perished. However, Arthur did not make an official announcement at first. Instead, he ordered his followers to wait and see if there were any other survivors. Just as he had anticipated, two days after Chadwick’s return, three more soldiers made it back.
Unfortunately, their conditions were dire: one had lost an arm and his body was covered in bite and claw marks"; the second was deeply traumatized, Unable to live a normal life again; and the third, though injured, was in a relatively stable condition both physically and mentally.
With their return, the truth was confirmed, all elite soldiers, including the official mages, had been annihilated by the Calamity Wolves. The news was deeply shocking, spreading sorrow and fear throughout the Village. As a mourning ritual, candles were lit and placed at doorsteps overnight.
That night, Arthur looked out from his window and saw the Village faintly illuminated — a rare sight. He felt guilty but couldn’t bring himself to admit it or ask for forgiveness. After long contemplation, he decided to compensate the families of the victims with fifty silver coins each and granted them small plots of semi-fertile farmland. He also organized a public funeral and personally attended, delivering a stern speech warning the populace of the dangers lurking within the Thorndark Forest.
Seeking to capitalize on the Calamity he had indirectly caused, he announced during the funeral the creation of a new military unit: the Reconnaissance and Surveillance Unit. This new unit’s task was to monitor forest beast activity in order to better prepare for future Beast tides.
The idea was well-received by the townsfolk and helped ease their anxiety. The compensations and new policies increased their respect for Arthur and shifted public perception. Still, not everyone was convinced. Some blamed him for the soldiers’ deaths, claiming they would still be alive if he hadn’t ordered the bandit extermination.
This wasn’t the only thing that occupied Arthur’s mind in the past three days. He had been overseeing the census and project management, as well as launching new initiatives. Chief among them were temporary public toilets. The design was simple: a 3.5-meter-deep rectangular pit, with a small cabin built on top, divided into two rooms, one for men, one for women. Each room contained a wooden seat with a circular hole leading to the pit, functioning as a primitive sewage system.
The design was highly practical. Even in his technologically advanced world, some remote regions still used such methods. The deep pit, low in oxygen, minimized odors, and he intended to assign someone to throw wood ash into the pit weekly to further reduce smell and accelerate decomposition.
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