Chapter 534  Siege

The entire camp had descended into chaos.

Monsters and wild animals were swarming the area, launching a full siege against the camp’s defenses.

At that moment, everything suddenly made sense.

This was likely the reason they hadn’t encountered any creatures during their journey; the monsters and animals in the surrounding forest had all gathered here instead.

And something about them was clearly wrong.

The creatures looked agitated… almost insane.

Their eyes glowed with a disturbing red hue, filled with frenzy and madness, as if something within the camp was driving them into a violent rage and drawing them toward it like moths to a flame.

「A Few Hours Earlier」

“Everyone, listen up! Prepare to depart within five hours. Make sure all the animals are taken care of, and stack the crops and vegetables onto the transportation carts!” Levi commanded loudly.

Not far from the camp, Archmage Elric was already busy setting up the Teleportation Portal. One by one, he carefully placed the mana stones around the formation circle. These stones would provide the energy needed to keep the portal active long enough for every pack in the camp to pass through safely.

After Zion, Maxwell, and their group left earlier, the entire camp immediately became busy with preparations.

Everyone moved quickly.

Even Addison, whose knees were still trembling, forced herself out of bed to help.

Levi had been assigned to manage the provisions and farm animals, ensuring that everything necessary for the journey was properly secured. Meanwhile, Addison took responsibility for organizing the overall structure of the temporary camp.

The first thing she did was gather all the children from every pack into one group so none of them would get separated if something unexpected happened. She also grouped the elderly with them, allowing the elders to watch over the children while the rest of the adults focused on their work.

The teenagers who had not yet awakened their wolf forms were given another role. Since they had already begun basic training in fighting and self-defense, Addison assigned them to guard the children and elders.

To ensure their safety, this entire group was moved closest to the teleportation portal, placing them in the priority line once the portal was activated.

Meanwhile, the warriors formed defensive positions around the camp.

The Alphas from the different packs temporarily acted as team leaders for their respective groups, each assigned to guard specific sections of the camp walls. They remained alert in case the enemy attempted a desperate attack at the last moment.

Some warriors were also left behind to assist Levi.

Together, they carried the magic crates from the temporary storage area and loaded them onto the horse carts. Since transporting the supplies would take time, Levi decided it was better to begin immediately rather than wait for Zion and the others to return.

Every moment counted.

While the crops and vegetables were being loaded onto the carts, others were assigned to prepare the horses and donkeys. The animals needed to be properly fed and rested so they would have enough energy to pull the heavy carts later on.

After all, once they arrived at the border of the Royal Capital, they would still need to travel some distance to reach the designated warehouse. Because of that, the animals had to be prepared in advance to ensure they could endure the journey without difficulty.

“Everyone, there’s no need to rush,” Addison reminded them firmly. “Faster doesn’t always mean better. Make sure everything is arranged properly.”

The warriors had been running around like headless chickens, and seeing the growing chaos made Addison feel the need to intervene. When people hurried too much, mistakes were bound to happen.

Sure enough, the moment they heard her words, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over them.

They gradually calmed down.

After all, they knew it would still take time for Zion and the others to gather the necessary materials. And even after that, Archmage Elric and his mages would still need at least two more hours to fully complete the Teleportation Portal.

Realizing this, everyone slowed their pace and began working more carefully, focusing on doing things properly rather than simply rushing through their tasks.

Seeing the camp regain its order, Addison allowed herself a small smile.

After assigning each group their responsibilities, she began walking around the temporary camp, checking on the progress of the preparations.

But as she did, a faint sense of unease crept into her chest.

It was subtle… yet persistent.

It felt as if something was clawing lightly inside her gut, stirring a restless feeling she couldn’t quite explain.

At first, she wondered if it might be the entity inside her.

But she quickly dismissed the thought.

After feeding earlier, the entity had returned to its dormant state, as if it had gone back into hibernation.

So whatever this strange feeling was…

It had to be something else.

Because of the restless feeling gnawing at her, Addison decided to strengthen the defenses of the temporary camp instead of ignoring her instincts.

She began inspecting the perimeter more carefully, quietly observing everyone’s movements as she searched for any signs of a spy among them.

Earlier, she thought she had discovered a small clue, something suspicious that might lead her to the traitor. But just as quickly as it appeared, the lead vanished without a trace, leaving her at another dead end.

That only made her feel even more uneasy.

Just then, Mary hurried toward her.

“Princess, we found that some of the farm animals have gotten sick…” Mary said anxiously.

Because of her nervousness, she forgot to wait for Addison’s permission to speak and blurted the report out immediately.

Hearing this, Addison frowned slightly as she fell into deep thought.

’Was this done by our enemy?’ she wondered.

’But what would they gain from making the animals sick?’

After a moment, Addison lifted her gaze back to Mary.

“Have you asked the veterinarians to check on the animals?” she asked calmly.

“Yes. Before coming here to report, I already asked the veterinarian to check on the animals. They’re looking into it right now,” Mary replied.

As she spoke, she straightened her back slightly, feeling a small sense of pride for having acted quickly and responsibly.

“Good job,” Addison said with a nod. “Let’s go take a look.”

With that, she began walking toward the animal pens.

At the same time, Addison felt quietly satisfied. Mary had shown good judgment; she understood what needed to be done and handled the situation promptly without wasting time.

For a servant, that was a very good quality to have.

“Yes, Princess!” Mary replied energetically.

She immediately stepped aside and gestured for Addison to go first before following a step behind. As a servant, she knew it was proper etiquette that royalty always walked ahead, with attendants following behind to reflect the order of hierarchy.

Addison gave a small nod of acknowledgment, glancing fondly at Mary. The girl was quick-witted and diligent, and her lively personality made her quite endearing.

The two of them walked through the camp together.

As they moved, Addison continued observing everything around her, carefully checking each aspect of the preparations and the movements of the people within the temporary camp.