After walking for another hour or so, a village began to emerge under the faint moonlight, buzzing with signs of human life.
"Is this the place?"
"Yes, this is our village, Roavillage."
It's definitely got that village vibe—utterly rundown.
Chimney smoke rose from every house, proof that people lived here, but beyond the homes and farmland, there was nothing but barren land.
"Rowen."
"Yes."
"Hide the cart in the bushes and follow me."
"...Understood."
Rowen had looked pretty displeased when I first said I'd hide my captain status, but he kept it to himself.
We stashed the cart in the underbrush and headed to the village entrance, where an old woman came out to greet us.
"Hanji, where have you been wandering off to this time, without a word?"
"Village Chief!"
The village chief, huh.
Unlike the village's decrepit state, the chief's face looked surprisingly healthy.
"Hm, and who's this behind you? New faces."
"Ah... um... these are some mercenaries I ran into on the way. They had nowhere to stay, so I... brought them along."
Hanji, if you weren't a supernatural ability user, you'd have been in real trouble.
Soft-hearted, timid, and a terrible actor to boot. Without his ability, life would've been brutal for him.
"Is that right?"
The chief approached and extended a hand.
"Heh heh, I'm the village chief, Betro. If you need a place to rest, stay here. We'd welcome it. A mercenary in our village—makes us feel secure."
Mercenaries existed in Haven too, mostly handling monster extermination or escort jobs to make ends meet.
But all mercenaries had to register with the mercenary guild authorized by the Lord's Castle. Unregistered ones were automatically criminals.
In that sense, a mercenary identity was the perfect cover for traveling between territories.
"Tch, how dare this lowly—"
I shot a sharp glance at Rowen, who couldn't hold back his anger at the sight of the chief's hand. He shut his mouth.
I politely grasped the chief's outstretched hand.
"Thank you. I'm Kain. This is my companion, Rowen. He's a bit on edge—sorry if he offended you."
Using my real name, Astra, risked the territory lord recognizing it, so I went with a fake one.
Rowen's name was safe—even a lord wouldn't know every knight from the Lord's Castle.
"Heh heh, no worries. Young folks get like that. But... I hate to ask, could you help our village a bit? No charge for lodging—just deal with the monsters around here. They're making it hard for folks to farm these days..."
"Lots of monsters nearby?"
"Greenwood Territory helps a ton. The big ones are mostly gone thanks to them... but those goblins are like rats—persistent. They swarm at night, ruin crops, steal livestock. Real headache."
I already knew all this, but I feigned ignorance, raising an eyebrow in interest.
"Greenwood Territory helps the village?"
"Yep. Grateful for it. A lord who cares about a tiny place like ours..."
Genuine gratitude laced the chief's voice. Unlike Hanji's suspicious glances toward the territory lord, the chief seemed purely thankful.
The villagers get dragged off to the territory and come back soulless—they must know that.
I watched the chief's expression closely. People in desperate straits sometimes compromise with horrific realities.
Was it an unavoidable choice as village head? Or was he turning a blind eye because it wasn't happening to him?
"Mind if we look around the village?"
"Heh heh, go ahead. Take your time."
We exchanged greetings with the chief and stepped into the village.
Walking narrow paths between shabby houses, I started hunting for clues to uncover the village's truth.
Fields bustled with farmers at work; kids played by the roadside.
To anyone else, it'd look like a lively, ordinary village. But something felt off to me.
Like they were forcing a picture-perfect "peaceful village" scene.
"Oh, right—what's your mercenary rank? Goblins aren't tough, but in numbers..."
"C-rank."
"C-rank should handle goblins fine. No need to worry. You've seen enough—let me show you to your quarters. Follow me."
C-rank was mid-tier, where you started getting real respect as a mercenary.
I picked it because even if the Greenwood lord heard about me, a C-rank wouldn't draw much attention.
Not too threatening, not too weak—the sweet spot.
Deeper in from the entrance, a rundown house appeared.
"Sorry about the looks. Inside's clean, though."
"To think Astra would stay in a place like—"
I ignored Rowen's whisper from behind.
"As long as we can sleep, it's fine."
The chief opened the door, revealing a surprisingly tidy interior despite the exterior. Two beds—plenty for Rowen and me.
"Old owners lived here... went herb gathering and got killed by a monster."
The chief's reminiscing face looked somehow forlorn.
In a place where monster deaths were routine, how many villagers had he lost?
Was I overthinking it?
For a moment, his sincere expression shook me.
"Ah, I've said too much. You must be tired—rest up. Hanji, say your goodbyes."
"Yes, Village Chief."
Hanji bowed to us.
"Kain, Rowen—rest well. See you tomorrow."
Before they left, I subtly tapped my finger to my nose toward Hanji.
He got the signal, nodded slightly, and left with the chief.
The door shut, and Rowen immediately dropped to his knees.
"Astra, give me your orders."
"According to Hanji, people from Greenwood will come soon. Until then, hunt monsters like the chief asked and keep tabs on things here."
"Understood. And for sleeping... I'll stand guard outside—"
As expected.
I knew Rowen would insist on that.
"No need. Two beds—sleep inside."
"But I couldn't possibly share space with you, Captain—"
"If someone spots you on guard, it'll raise suspicions. We need to look like ordinary mercenaries."
"Ah... such profound intent... Understood."
I watched Rowen sit on the bed, then sank into thought.
The chief's expression from earlier nagged at me.
His pain and sorrow talking about villagers lost to monsters—that was real. You can't fake tears in wrinkled eyes or a trembling voice.
But something was off.
A chief who cared so much for his people... he had to know villagers returned from Greenwood as shells of themselves.
Yet he thanked them sincerely.
Shouldn't he be grieving... no, furious, despairing?
Sorry, Hanji, but right now, the chief was the most suspicious. Every contradictory action piled on the doubts.
Need to watch him more.
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"Hanji, good job. Bringing mercenaries—and C-rank, no less. Our little troublemaker's grown up."
"Just a coincidence."
The chief walked beside Hanji, reminiscing.
"You were such a rascal as a kid... vanishing and coming back with spirit beasts. Scared me half to death. Not just once, either... sometimes covered in wounds. Heart in my throat every time."
"Haha... that was kid stuff."
The chief slowly placed a hand on Hanji's shoulder. His wrinkled fingers carried the weight of years guarding the village.
"Never do anything dangerous. No matter what anyone says, your life comes first... Remember that, Hanji."
Hanji nodded gravely at the chief's earnest words.
"Good. With Greenwood helping and a C-rank mercenary, we're set for a while. We're lucky."
Hanji burned to argue, but seeing the chief's relieved face, he held his tongue.
Village Chief... with villagers losing their spark, is 'no immediate death' really a blessing?
"You're tired too—go rest."
Hanji started to speak, bit his lip, and bowed his head with a murmur.
"Rest well."
As Hanji's figure faded into the dark, the smile slowly drained from the chief's face.
Shadows deepened on his wrinkled features, deep anguish settling in his aged eyes.
"Everything... will be fine..."
His trembling whisper under the moonlight sounded like self-consolation.
"In the end, it'll be a lively village again. He... he promised."
Desperation laced his voice. In his eyes, faintly gleaming in the hazy moonlight, burned a desperate wait for something.
In the chill midnight air, his whisper scattered like a prayer to the gods.
Under the night sky embracing the silent village, only a deep sigh lingered.
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