“My lord! You were right! The tracks do lead away from the town and head towards the mines!”

‘Talk about perfect timing,’ Atlas inwardly commented to himself, feeling pleased with the scout’s perfectly timed arrival. Outwardly, he donned a mask of seriousness as he ordered the scout to report his findings.

“Come in and explain to me your findings.” The scout compiled and walked into the parlor. His body, wet from the heavy downpour outside, drenched the carpets inside the parlor. Fortunately, no one paid any attention to this transgression.

With nine adults (including the Baron) and one child staring at him with worry and anxiety coloring their faces, the scout swallowed a large gulp and began explaining.

In summary, he and his team left in the morning to search for the wolf tracks that they had found yesterday. Much to their dismay, they found that the unceasing rainstorm had destroyed most of the tracks, rendering their search meaningless. With their primary objective having fallen through, the team placed their focus on their secondary objective; searching the miner’s route.

Before they had left, Atlas had asked the scouts to check on the miner’s route and see if they could find any information as to why they hadn’t yet returned. He had also instructed them to remain cautious as, while the chances were low, it was possible that the wolf pack had changed their target from the town to the miners.

Lo and behold, his guesses turned true.

‘Of course, it turned out to be true. I’m a goddamn genius, that's what I am!’ Atlas felt his overinflated ego swell further when he heard that his prediction came true. Filing aside his narcissistic thoughts, for now, he turned around and ordered the Baron.

“Baron Helm, please bring me the map from my office table.”

“Certainly, my liege,” the older man complied and hurriedly left towards the office. Meanwhile, Atlas thanked and praised the scout for his efforts and asked him to take a seat. He then looked at other guests in the parlor and noted that half of them had their expression pale from the revelation while the other half kept their heads lowered with anxious expressions on their faces. Most notable amongst them was Anna who looked like she had lost her soul. She slumped against a chair and stared emptily into the void of space.

The young prince himself wore an anxious, nervous expression for the people around him to see and to sympathize with. His heart and thoughts, however, continued to remain cold and rational.

‘Can’t say I didn’t expect this outcome. But Gods, this only serves to complicate the situation further.’ Truth be told, when he noticed that the miners had failed to return after their daily shift and then later heard that a pack of wolves was prowling around in the forest, he immediately assumed the worst. And as fate would have it, his assumption came true.

Rubbing his weary face with his hands, he thought to himself, ‘Why can’t I have an easy life? Why must there be a ‘But…’ to every situation?’ While his mind thought so, a distinctly noticeable smile appeared on his face, hidden beneath his palms.

A few dozen seconds later, Baron Helm returned to the parlor holding a stack of neatly folded parchments in his hand.

“Here, my liege,” he said and put down the folded stack on the largest table available within the parlor. Atlas immediately arrived by the table and carefully unfolded the map.

Sprawling on the lacquered wooden table was a hand-drawn, bird’s-eye view map of the town and its surroundings. The map was put together by piecing together multiple, different-sized parchments to create a single, larger unit of paper. The map, drawn with delicate, precise lines, included the various buildings within the town, its roads, details on the immediate forest surrounding the town, a drawing of the nearby river and its path, and of course, the miner’s road and the coal mine itself.

If one had to ask Atlas, which task he was most heavily involved in since his arrival in this world, he would undoubtedly reply with this; the map.

“Alright now, let’s see,” After carefully stretching out the map, Atlas immediately placed his index finger on the line depicting the miner’s route and called for the scout. “Was it around here that you found the wolf tracks?” He asked, circling a specific region.

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The scout arrived next to the young prince and replied, “A bit further, my lord. Around here.” He was intimately familiar with the map as he played a huge part in its construction.

“I see,” Atlas replied and stretched his right hand towards the Baron. The large-bodied man, having grown familiar to the little prince, wordlessly handed an inked quill to the prince.

Receiving the apparatus, Atlas immediately began marking. He drew dotted lines along the miner’s route and at some other places. A few seconds later, he finished and handed the quill back to the Baron.

“Does this look right?” he asked the scout, pointing to the newly drawn dotted lines.

“This! This is precisely the route we traveled following the wolf tracks my lord!” The scout replied with astonishment. “How did my lord know?” He turned around and stared at the little prince.

Feeling their amazed gazes gather on him, Atlas remained quiet and continued to soak in the feeling for a few additional seconds, before furnishing them with a reply.

“I’m no wolf expert, but I simply predicted their behavior and route after considering the human factor.”

“The human factor?” Baron Helm ventured.

“Correct. It should be quite apparent by now that the wolf pack abandoned their route towards the town and instead turned around and headed towards the mines. Now, of course, we can’t exactly know when this change occurred especially since this damned weather has destroyed all the tracks. But, if we were to venture a guess…,” he pointed to the newly updated map, “we can assume that the change occurred in the evening when the miners were returning to the town. This will not only provide us with a reason for the sudden change in the pack’s path but will also explain the reason behind the miners’ absence.”

Adopting a serious expression he concluded, “I’m afraid that the miners have faced an attack by the wolves. If I’m correct, and I desperately pray that I am not, they might even be trapped in the mines itself with the wolf pack surrounding them.”

Shocked gasps rang out from the people around him. Their reactions required no explanation.

“Why do you say that the miners are trapped in the mines, my liege? If they were attacked all the same, why would they return to the mines instead of escaping back to the town?” Baron Helm asked, noticing a peculiarity.

“Perhaps they were blocked by the wolves. Perhaps they did not want to lead the pack into the town. Perhaps they were injured and not in any state to make it back to the town. We can say with certainty why they didn’t return to the town, Baron Helm. All we can do is assume an appropriate answer given the evidence.” Atlas replied. “If I was in their situation, I would go back to the mines. It’s because the route back to the mines is known and safe while the route towards the town is filled with uncertainty and danger. Who knows how many wolves there are within the pack?”

“In any case, we now know the approximate locations of both the wolf pack and the miners. What comes next is to confirm our guesses and make appropriate plans to rescue them. We also need to act quickly for there might be injured people amongst the miners. Food and drinkable water are also a concern.”

Atlas then turned around to face the scout and asked, “Where is your team?”

“They are resting near the edge of the town, my lord. We await your orders.”

Nodding his head, Atlas ordered, “I request your team to follow along the miner’s route to see if you can find any tracks or signs of the miners. It would be best if you could make it all the way up to the mine itself and confirm the situation. Place your safety first and be extremely careful. It’s highly likely that the wolves are hiding near the mines.”

“Understood, my lord. I shall take my leave then.” Saying so, the scout immediately saluted and left to carry out his duties. Atlas then turned around to face the townspeople and spoke.

“I hope this answers all the questions that you came seeking. I also trust you to keep this information secret in order to protect the peace and avoid chaos and fear from spreading. When the time comes to send a rescue party towards the mines, I will be sure to inform you first before informing the town. Is that alright with you?” Atlas asked.

“Of course, Your Highness! His Highness wisdom and ease with which you handled this situation greatly comforts us.” The eloquent guy replied.

“Yes, yes! Rest assured, we’ll keep our mouths shut, y’er highness!”

“Please call me when ya organize the rescue party, my lord! I offer my body for your service.”

After a few verbal back-and-forths Atlas finally had his guests sent out with the help of the Baron. His eyes then landed on the final resident of the parlor; Anna Abel.

“Mrs. Abel?” Atlas gently called out to her. The latter showed no signs of reacting and continued to emptily stare into space. Looking at her empty, unfocused eyes, Atlas quietly clicked his tongue and inwardly shook his head.

He then walked away from the parlor and met with the Baron who was returning from sending the other guests off,

“Baron Helm, Mrs. Abel doesn’t seem to be in any state to return back to her quarters. Keep her here and give her something to eat.” Saying so, Atlas immediately continued, not giving the Baron the chance to refuse his order. “I’ll be returning to the office. Call me when the scouts return. That’s all.” He then quickly scampered off to the office.

Baron Helm stiffly stood in the empty hallway, his eyes darting back and forth between the parlor and the closed office. He then stared at the entrance to the parlor with an awkward expression before sighing and resigning himself to fate.