Chapter 360: Homeward Road

Morning arrived quietly over the western side of the Evergreen Mountain Range. A thin layer of mist drifted above the forest floor before slowly fading beneath the rising sun, revealing a landscape that looked calm enough to make it difficult to believe what they had experienced only a day earlier.

The river where they had awakened had long disappeared behind them, replaced by endless woodland broken only by narrow animal trails, scattered streams, and occasional rocky hills that forced the group to alter their route.

Sage led the expedition from the center rather than the front, allowing Valeria to scout ahead while Vanthrice watched the rear. It was a formation they had naturally settled into during the Vault expedition, and after everything they had endured together, nobody questioned their positions anymore.

The twenty adventurers maintained a disciplined pace despite their lingering exhaustion, Brutus occasionally helped those whose injuries had not fully recovered, Caelis quietly monitored the group’s condition, and Gregor walked beside Lyana whenever the terrain became difficult without making a fuss about it.

Compared to the desperate escape from the Vault, the journey now felt strangely peaceful. They were still far from home, still carrying countless treasures inside Sage’s storage, and still crossing unfamiliar territory, but for the first time in several days nobody felt like death was waiting behind the next tree.

The first morning passed without incident. They crossed shallow streams by stepping across smooth stones, climbed over fallen trees left behind by old storms, and carefully avoided several large beast trails after Vanthrice pointed out the fresh claw marks carved into nearby trunks.

Although the immediate danger had lessened, nobody had become careless. Valeria remained several hundred meters ahead of the main group almost the entire time, returning only briefly every now and then to confirm the direction before disappearing into the forest once more.

Sage had long stopped asking how she managed to navigate so accurately. Whether it was experience, instinct, or simply the frightening awareness she possessed, she never once hesitated when choosing their path.

Every time she returned, she reported the same thing in her usual calm tone.

"The route ahead is clear."

That was enough. Boren, however, refused to let the peaceful atmosphere remain peaceful for very long. Less than two hours after leaving their campsite, he released a dramatic sigh loud enough for almost everyone to hear before wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead.

"I’ve reached a very important conclusion," he announced with complete seriousness. "Treasure hunts are overrated. Whoever said adventuring was exciting clearly never had to walk across an entire mountain range afterwards. My feet are protesting. My back is protesting. Even my stomach is protesting because nobody has fed it properly since yesterday."

Brutus glanced sideways at him. "You ate before we left."

"That was breakfast." Boren protested.

"You ate twice."

"I had first breakfast and second breakfast."

Gregor shook his head with a helpless smile.

"You also had dried meat while we were walking."

Boren looked genuinely offended.

"That was a snack. A growing man requires proper nutrition."

Mina, who had been skipping happily beside Sage despite still looking a little pale from the previous day, tilted her head thoughtfully before looking up at Boren.

"Uncle Boren..."

"What?"

"I think your stomach is the strongest beast we met in the Vault."

Several adventurers burst into laughter.Even Brutus let out a low chuckle.

Boren placed one hand dramatically over his chest. "...Little Mina."

"Yes?" Mina looked at him with an innocent facd.

"That hurt."

She smiled innocently. "I learned it from petty uncle Sage."

Sage immediately looked away. "I had nothing to do with that."

"You absolutely did," Gregor said.

The relaxed conversation continued naturally as they walked. The tension that had gripped every member during the Vault expedition had gradually disappeared, replaced by the quiet comfort that came from surviving something together.

Nobody needed to force conversations anymore. They simply happened. One adventurer would tell a story about a ridiculous mission from years ago, another would argue that it never happened the way it was being told, and before long several others would join in with their own exaggerated versions until the entire discussion dissolved into laughter.

Even the twenty adventurers who had originally been little more than experienced Guild members accompanying Sage had begun feeling less like subordinates and more like companions. Shared danger had erased many of the invisible walls between them.

Around midday Valeria returned from scouting carrying a large mountain hare over one shoulder. Without saying much, she tossed it toward Brutus before quietly drinking from her waterskin.

Boren’s eyes immediately lit up. "Finally."

Brutus caught the hare easily. "You were complaining five minutes ago."

"I was motivating everyone."

"No."

"I was."

"No."

Sage smiled faintly before looking toward Valeria. "Anything unusual?"

She shook her head. "A herd of horned deer crossed our path. A few low-rank beasts farther east. Nothing worth changing direction for."

"Good."

They continued walking until the sun began dipping toward the horizon. Rather than pushing through the night, Sage chose a small clearing surrounded by large trees for their first camp. The decision drew no complaints.

Everyone immediately understood what needed to be done without waiting for orders. Some gathered firewood. Others fetched water from a nearby stream. Brutus and two adventurers prepared the hare Valeria had caught while another small hunting team returned carrying several forest birds.

Lyana rested against a fallen log while quietly recovering her mana, though she still insisted on using a little of it to encourage several edible plants growing nearby.

The fresh vegetables she produced were modest, but after days inside the Vault they tasted better than anyone expected.

Once dinner had finished and the fire burned lower, several adventurers received proper treatment for lingering injuries.

Small cuts were cleaned, bruises were wrapped, and strained muscles were massaged with medicinal ointment taken from the Guild supplies.

Nobody had suffered life-threatening wounds during the escape thanks largely to Valeria holding the serpent back, but everyone carried small reminders of the journey. Sage moved between different groups checking on their condition until Lyana quietly stopped him.

"Guildmaster."

He turned and looked at her. "What is it?"

She stood slowly before bowing her head.

"I... never had the chance to say this properly. Thank you."

Sage blinked. "For what?"

"For protecting me. All of you." Her eyes moved toward Gregor, Brutus, Caelis, Vanthrice, Valeria, Mina, and finally the twenty adventurers resting around the campfire.

"I know I slowed everyone down more than once. Gregor kept pulling me out of danger. Brutus carried me after the explosion inside the treasury. Vanthrice stayed near me whenever Valeria went ahead. Even everyone else kept making sure I wasn’t left behind. If I had entered that Vault alone... I wouldn’t have survived."

Silence settled over the camp for a brief moment.

Gregor scratched the back of his head and said. "We’re Guild members and besides you are my little sister so it’s my responsibility to protect you."

Brutus nodded once. "That’s what companions do."

The fire crackled softly while everyone returned to eating. Nobody tried to make the moment overly emotional. It didn’t need to be.