The wagon hired from Rabbit's Paw Village was a simple flatbed. To secure the massive Giant Spider, Aldric spent considerable effort carefully tucking its seven tree-trunk-thick legs and binding them tight with sturdy ropes.
Even bound and dead, the spider seemed to crouch on the wagon, exuding a heart-palpitating majesty. Its broken body swayed slightly with the wagon's movement, as if it might wake up any moment, creating an indescribable oppression.
On the way back to Winter Town, the massive carcass became a strange attraction. It terrified timid travelers but stopped countless curious eyes. Many people involuntarily followed the wagon for a long way just to gaze at the rare beast.
Being the center of attention is pleasant, but being too much the center of attention is annoying—especially when the onlookers lack boundaries.
Along the way, the mercenary squad had to chase off countless waves of kids trying to climb onto the wagon for a closer look, and old men trying to set the spider on fire to "kill it again."
As they approached Winter Town, only two miles out, the prudent Eddie rode up to Aldric. "Captain, so many people followed us on the road. Once we enter Winter Town, the crowd will be even bigger. We need to prepare."
Aldric thought for a moment and turned to Haywar. "Haywar, what do you think?"
Haywar shrugged. "I don't. I'm going straight back to Winterfell."
Clearly, he didn't consider himself part of the team. However, he offered a kind warning: "If you don't want to make a scene, cover your prey with straw mats. If onlookers get hurt or killed because of your spider, it won't look good before the Lord."
Cover it with straw mats?
Then why did I drag it all the way back?
But Haywar had a point. Winter Town's roads weren't wide. If they got blocked by a crowd, passing through would be difficult.
After consideration, Aldric had his comrades dress in full gear and mount their horses, hoping to intimidate the curious and timid.
They took a route detouring from the Hunter's Gate on the west to the Kingsroad on the east, entering via the wider main road to avoid congestion.
As soon as they entered, Winter Town boiled over as if stirred by an invisible force.
Townspeople poured out of shops and homes, flooding the streets to gawk at the wagon carrying the giant spider.
If not for the five-man team guarding the wagon tightly, the spider might have been torn to pieces by the curious crowd before even reaching the market.
Finally, after over an hour of pushing through the human tide, they returned to the blacksmith's courtyard.
Aldric immediately locked the gate, shutting out the irrelevant curious onlookers and the noise.
Hearing the commotion, Brother John came out of his sept. Seeing a hideous giant spider on a wagon in his yard, his heart skipped a beat. He cried out, "Seven Hells! Where did you get this monster?! Did you go to collect a gambling debt or clean a giant's room?!"
Taking off his helmet, Aldric wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Cleaned a giant's room. You have no idea; it was filthy. A booger on the floor was bigger than you."
While chatting nonsense with John, Aldric organized the team to unload the spider.
After exposure to the sun on the journey, the spider's grey carapace had turned dark brown, thick as armor, gleaming with a cold, sharp luster.
Though lifeless, its six pairs of massive eyes still stared roundly, as if watching everyone who approached.
The courtyard was small. A wagon plus the animals packed it full.
Having everyone squeeze in here wasn't viable. Aldric paid the Rabbit's Paw driver the agreed ten Silver Stags and arranged for Conrad and the others to come for dinner the next evening, then sent them away.
After the chaos, the courtyard quieted down. Aldric finally had time to change out of his armor and rest.
That night, Rennel came back early from the Smoking Log. He rushed to the spider, touching its shell repeatedly. "Is this it? No wonder the patrons were talking distractedly about a big spider today. I thought they were crazy. A wagon-sized spider actually exists, and it's in my house!"
Touching it, Rennel found his fingers sticky. He sniffed them and instantly gagged. "URGH! Why does it smell so bad?!"
"It's not that bad anymore."
Aldric handed him a damp cloth. "Wipe it off. It was worse before. We treated it with quicklime. Just don't stick your face in it, and it's bearable."
Rennel scrubbed his fingers furiously. "Tell me what happened! Where did you pick up this corpse?"
"Pick up? I led Kevin and three others to kill it. Look here."
Aldric pointed to the leg joint Kevin severed. "Here and here, Kevin cut these."
Then he pointed to the holes in the carapace. "I pierced its abdomen here with Sea Serpent's Strike and pried its chest open. The other holes are from spears."
Rennel's eyes went wide. "You really killed it? Simply... I don't know what to say. Tell me the whole process quickly! And the names of everyone involved! I'm telling this story tomorrow!"
Aldric didn't understand the bard business well. He worried that rushing would result in a poor story. "So urgent? Shouldn't you organize the plot and polish the lyrics?"
"Catch the heat!" Rennel explained, pained. "You want to turn it into a poem? By then, who will remember? And if we're slow, others will make up different versions using this spider as material, and the story won't be about you anymore!"
Aldric frowned. True. If he didn't spread the facts quickly, unauthorized versions might circulate, and he could be painted as a fraud stealing credit.
So Aldric gathered the household in the main room. Over wine, he recounted the events of the past few days.
After hearing the whole story of the forest spider hunt, Rennel fell silent for a long time. "Aldric, I've become lazy. I used to run wherever there was a story, experiencing the plot myself to tell it well."
"Since reciting The Chronicle of the Dawn, I got used to adapting your stories and lost my own... Take me next time. I don't want to miss another city-shaking event."
Aldric shook his head. "Not every mission shakes the city... but taking you along is fine."
Brother John couldn't empathize with Rennel. He focused on reality. "Aldric, are you leaving the spider there? The yard is small. With it there, I can't work."
Before Aldric spoke, Rennel shouted, "My Lord Septon! You complain about it taking up space? If I were you, I'd put it on the sept's roof! The more conspicuous, the better! Ideally, Lord Eddard should see it first thing when he opens his curtains!"
"Don't you complain about few people coming to pray? I tell you, starting tomorrow, people coming to see this spider will break down your door. Get materials ready to fix the doorframe."
In the flickering pine oil light, Aldric and John looked at each other.
After a long while, Aldric spoke first. "Tomorrow, I'm going to the Wolf's Kiss. I'm relying on you here."
John panicked. "You can't dump this on me! You brought it back!"
Aldric covered his face. "Oh, oh, I get nervous seeing too many people! Aren't you a Septon? Shouldn't Septons preach to crowds? I leave this to you!"
Seeing John's unhappy face, Aldric threw a chip. "How about this: If anyone asks how I killed this monster, just say it was all thanks to the Seven's protection. I won't deny it. Okay?"
Hearing this, Brother John was finally moved. If it was to spread the glory of the Seven, a little hardship was acceptable.
Kevin looked up at Aldric, then lowered his head, staying silent throughout.
Back in their room, Kevin couldn't hold it in. "Teacher, killing the spider was clearly the Sun God's favor. Why give the glory to the Seven?"
"Hmm?" Aldric was surprised. "That's strange coming from you. Aren't you a devout follower of the Seven? In White Harbor, you prayed at every sept."
Kevin argued, "That's different! I never saw a follower of the Seven perform a miracle. But I saw you use the Sun's power to save me! The Seven are fake; the Sun God is real!"
Aldric sat up. The thick blanket over his shoulders, the scar from the thug in White Harbor reflected dull red in the moonlight.
He spoke seriously. "Kevin, strictly speaking, you didn't see me cast Light magic because you were in a coma from blood loss."
"Of course, the Sun's power is real. My existence, your life, are proofs."
"But the Sun, or the Light, isn't as narrow as you think. The Sun God being real doesn't mean the Seven are fake."
"Have you considered that the Seven might be aspects of the Sun? Many teachings of the Seven align with the Sun God's wisdom."
Kevin muttered, "The Seven are aspects of the Sun God..."
Seeing Kevin's enlightened look, Aldric felt bitter. Crap. I just made that up. Don't let the kid go crooked.
"Kevin, I'll explain in detail later. About the faith of Light, the teachings of the Sun God. You'll learn that faith in the Seven and the Sun God might not be mutually exclusive."
Kevin's eyes shone in the dark. "Teacher, when will you teach me?"
When I make up a coherent story.
"When the Sun's glory covers this land. When I can perform miracles without needing mana from creatures like the spider."
Kevin was finally persuaded and fell asleep.
Watching his student's curled back, Aldric worried. Would Kevin become too radical about An'she? In medieval Europe, this kid would be a Crusader fanatic.
He had to spend more time on Kevin's ideological education. He couldn't raise a Scarlet Crusader.
The next morning, Aldric took Kevin quietly to the market district.
There were two smithies displaying tools and farm implements, with a few weapons.
Even from a distance, the craftsmanship was clearly superior to the village smith in Falling Stone.
However, due to noise, smoke, and fire risk, the workshops were pushed to the town's edge. He couldn't talk to the masters directly here.
But Aldric didn't care. He didn't plan to see them.
His goal was to buy tongs, hammers, and iron ingots. He would forge a better suit of armor for Kevin himself back in the courtyard.
Before the Wolfswood, Aldric confidently thought his martial prowess and a chainmail shirt would keep Kevin safe.
Facts proved he was overconfident.
On a real battlefield, anything could happen. Death was unpredictable.
If Kevin faced another life-threatening situation, he might not be so lucky to have a magical tumor handy.
So Aldric decided to forge a full plate set for his student, based on his own "Lightbringer" armor.
He had considered commissioning a smith. But for high quality, it would cost a fortune, and he couldn't guarantee the smith would do his best.
Doing it himself saved money.
And he could use each piece as he finished it, protecting the torso first, instead of waiting for the whole set to be delivered.
After visiting two shops and gathering the necessary tools and materials, Aldric sent Kevin back with the goods and went to the Wolf's Kiss alone.
"A cup of barley ale."
Sitting at the bar, before he could state his business, Howard asked, "Heard you brought a big thing back from Rabbit's Paw?"
"Yeah, pretty big. About," Aldric looked around, pointing at a table, "two tables big."
"A nightmare," Howard shuddered, piecing together a terrifying image. "But you didn't sign the contract with Greyjoy here. Why come to me?"
"What do you think of that spider? I'm displaying it in my yard. Will it help my career?"
"Of course. Your reputation will crawl out with the spider. Soon, the whole North will know a hedge sword named Lewie Seres is good at handling spiders."
Aldric ignored the joke. "But I lack manpower. I only have one apprentice. Conrad and Eddie are good for long-term cooperation, but that's too few."
"I want to ask if there are any loose hands here willing to group up. I want to form a real mercenary squad."
"If there are, send them to my courtyard. I won't be going out much lately."
Howard thought and nodded. "That's a good idea. Solos never get big jobs."
"Mercenaries are realistic. To lead them, you must prove you deserve their trust."
"But with that spider there, no one will question your strength. I'll keep an eye out. What will you name your squad?"
Aldric didn't hesitate. He gave the name he had pondered for a long time.
"Let's call it the 'Warriors of Light'."