Chapter 551 Going Back Home
Mary stepped in as well, helping direct the effort so the carcasses of the dead wild animals and monsters would not be left to rot in the open.
That could not be allowed.
Not here, especially not when the North was already struggling with plague.
A pile of dead bodies left unattended would become a breeding ground for disease. Insects would spread it. The wind could carry it. Before long, sickness would follow.
So Mary ordered the warriors to dig a pit, drag the carcasses inside, and burn them properly before burying the charred remains.
By the time Mary and the other warriors finished sweeping the battlefield clean, Archmage Elric and his circle had already completed the teleportation portal leading to the borders of the Royal Capital.
Wasting no time, Elric made his way toward Addison, who was returning with Maxwell and Zion to check on their progress, and they met halfway across the field. "Princess, the portal is ready. We can open it at any moment," he reported, breath slightly uneven as he steadied himself against his staff, the strain of the spell still clinging to him.
"Archmage Elric, are you alright?" Addison asked, concern softening her voice as she took in his pallor, the strain etched across his features.
"I’ll manage," Archmage Elric replied with a faint chuckle, though the weariness beneath it was unmistakable. "I pushed myself a little too far this time, but worry not. Once we return to the Royal Capital, I’ll have all the time I need to rest. I only need to endure a while longer." His fingers drifted through his long beard as he spoke, a quiet gesture meant to steady both himself and her concern.
"That’s good to hear. Rest for now, I’ll see to the preparations and have everyone ready to cross the portal," Addison said with a small nod, her gaze shifting to Maxwell and Zion as she motioned for them to stand down. "You two have done enough. You’ve held the line, so leave the rest to me."
"Baby, let me help," Zion replied, his hand settling briefly on her shoulder, steady and reassuring. "More hands mean we finish faster." His voice carried a quiet insistence; though fatigue tugged at him, it hadn’t broken him.
They had lingered in the West far too long; every moment mattered now, and the sooner they returned to the capital, the better for them all.
Seeing that Zion had no intention of standing idle, Addison turned to Maxwell, only to find the same resolve mirrored in his eyes. With a quiet exhale, she relented. "Alright then. Oversee the warriors and the Alphas, have the field cleared, everything secured, and the people lined up for transport. We leave in fifteen."
At her command, Zion and Maxwell nodded without hesitation and moved at once, their steps purposeful as they carried out her orders. Addison, meanwhile, turned with Archmage Elric and made her way toward the teleportation portal, where the mages rested in quiet exhaustion, and the elders and children waited in hushed anticipation for the journey ahead.
Under Zion and Maxwell’s direction, the camp surged into motion. Warriors worked with swift efficiency, dismantling tents, packing tableware and pots into waiting carts, gathering every piece they could salvage, even the stools made during their stay in the temporary camp, the rough-hewn tables, all the small traces of a life hastily built.
Only the immovable remained: the temporary storage sheds, the walls, the bones of the camp left standing as they were. One by one, the carts were lined in careful order, ready to move the moment the portal opened.
At the front stood crates of grain and vegetables, followed by the livestock, the veterinarians, and doctors had managed to save. It was a narrow victory, had Addison not ordered both doctors and vets to work side by side, the animals would not have survived.
Even so, a few dozen were lost to the poison, and those that remained were frail, their bodies weakened, their organs scarred by the toxin. They lived, but only just, and it would take time and careful tending to draw them back from the brink.
Some of the warriors even had to push the cattle forward just to make them move; that was how weakened the livestock had become. Even the chickens lay limp, barely breathing, their small bodies having suffered the worst; the poison spread through them too quickly, claiming most of the fallen.
When the report reached Addison, she let out a quiet breath of relief. In the midst of that grim hour, she had chosen not to abandon the animals, and now she knew it had been the right decision.
Not once had her people opposed her; instead, they stood with her, acting without hesitation. Though the attack on the livestock had been nothing more than a calculated diversion, the loss of so many would have dealt a heavy blow to the kingdom.
And so, in the silence of that realization, she could only offer a silent prayer of gratitude to the Goddess, for the clarity granted to her when it mattered most.
"Everyone, line up! The portal is about to open!" Addison’s voice rang out, clear and commanding above the noise. At once, the camp fell into order, the people forming lines while the warriors moved along the sides, guiding and steadying them.
Faces were drawn with exhaustion, bodies worn from the trials they had endured, yet beneath the fatigue stirred a quiet anticipation. They knew that once they reached the border, rest would finally be within reach, and beyond that, the chance to rebuild what had been lost, with the Royal Family’s aid to see them through. And so, weary as they were, they stepped forward with hope flickering in their eyes.
Soon, Archmage Elric opened the teleportation portal, and its swirling blue light washed over the camp, illuminating every weary face in a cold, steady glow. When the spell settled, Elric stepped back and gave Addison a quiet nod.
She turned, taking in the people behind her, then met the eyes of her three fated mates before inclining her head. Together, the four of them stepped forward, followed closely by Elric and his mages, and one by one, the rest began to pass through in careful order.
The moment Addison crossed, space twisted around her, a sharp dizziness pulling at her senses before her feet found solid ground again. She staggered lightly onto a patch of grass, breath catching, but did not stop; there were still many behind her.
Forcing herself forward, she lifted her gaze and found a welcoming sight: the contingent her father had sent, already gathered at the portal’s exit. A mage stood among them, the one who had pinpointed the portal’s opening, while warriors moved swiftly to assist with the transport.
And at the center of it all stood her father’s Royal Beta, personally overseeing the caravans and the pack members from various territories. At that moment, Addison understood. By sending his most trusted Beta, her father was telling her to leave everything here in capable hands and come home without delay.
After exchanging brief greetings with her father’s Royal Beta, Addison, along with Zion, Maxwell, Levi, and Archmage Elric with his mages, boarded the waiting carriages prepared to take them back to the Royal Capital without delay.