46 - Chapter 43: 43[Starting Village]
Cynthia and I quickened our steps, running toward Hanel Village.
Even at a light run, we moved faster than a carriage,
and soon, the village appeared as a small dot on the horizon.
But something felt off.
For the middle of the night, the entrance was brightly lit.
Since her eyesight was much better than mine, I hoped she'd spot it first.
"What's going on over there?" I asked.
"Just a moment."
She frowned, peering closer, then said,
"Wait, that's..."
Her expression grew increasingly serious.
"The village is being invaded."
As soon as she finished speaking, we both doubled our running speed.
Even with the Demon King dead, a village invasion made no sense,
but just as she said, as we got closer, we could see hordes of demons invading the village.
It was mostly low-level monsters like goblins and skeletons, with a few ogres and orcs mixed in.
"Cynthia, I'll take the left."
"Okay, then I'll go right."
Cynthia and I split up, heading to opposite sides of the entrance.
I cut down the demons in front of me with my sword.
Even as I sliced and diced the small skeletons, goblins, and ogres,
their numbers didn't seem to decrease.
Hordes of monsters surrounded the shabby wooden fortress,
and the Guards were locked in battle with them.
With everyone so intertwined, sweeping them all away with my sword was impossible.
Then, instead of just swinging my sword...
Yes, that's it.
I spread my Energy Sensing wide to pinpoint the demons' locations.
I selected the unpleasant energy signatures clinging to the village and memorized their coordinates.
Then I raised the Holy Sword toward the sky.
"『Bloom down from the sky, Sword Bloom!』"
Above the battlefield, where monsters and people were mixed in battle,
hundreds of golden sword blades were created.
"Fall!"
As soon as the words left my mouth, hundreds of blades fell.
The blades pierced through the monsters' skulls at terrifying speed and embedded themselves in the ground.
"Crunch! Splatter! Thud!"
Monsters' heads split open, and horrific sounds echoed.
The Guards were dumbfounded, too stunned to react as they watched the monsters explode before their eyes.
But upon closer inspection, it wasn't just the Guards; even the villagers had come out to fight.
From sturdy village men
to even young boys and girls, all were out with weapons.
I wondered where the Knights meant to protect the village had gone, and why these villagers were fighting with weapons.
Just then, shouts rang out.
"It's the Hero!"
"Ah, yes."
"Kids, the Hero has come to save us!!"
"It's true, the Hero is here!"
"Then that just now was also the Hero?"
"Wow, the Hero is really in our village?"
"Thank you, Hero."
"Hero, the Hero has come again!!"
Everyone was shouting their thanks, and some even collapsed on the spot.
Well, they must've had a tough time.
"Please treat the injured first. All the surrounding monsters have been dealt with."
"Yes, thank you, Hero."
Just then, a woman approached.
Her long, dark blue hair, disheveled from the battlefield, fell gracefully,
an alluring sight even amidst the chaos.
"Thank you so much, Hero."
"No, I only did what any Hero would. I should be thanking all of you who stepped up to defend the village like this."
"All of us? Hero, did you perhaps forget me?"
"Uh, um..."
Her words implied that I should know her.
"I apologize. If you could tell me where we might've met, I'll try to remember."
Though I'd met many people wandering all over the world,
I rarely met such a beautiful woman.
I would've remembered if I'd seen her, so this was strange.
"You really don't remember me, do you?"
The woman in front of me pretended to cry, wiping away tears with her finger.
"I'm that little kid you saved from a goblin horde in the forest nearby."
"Do you remember Charlotte?"
Only then did it start to come back to me.
Quite a long time ago, when I set out on my journey to defeat the Demon King,
I saved a child who was surrounded by goblins and facing a terrible fate. That child was definitely Charlotte.
To think that young, cute child had grown up so splendidly—it was amazing, and I felt proud, and a mix of other emotions welled up.
Back then, she was just a fragile-looking child.
"You've changed so much I couldn't recognize you!"
"Hehe, well, time has passed, you know. But Hero, you're just the same as back then?"
"Uh-oh? Ah, right."
Ugh, to hit me where it hurts with such an innocent expression.
Strangely, my body hadn't grown much over those few years.
I now had to look up at Charlotte, whom I used to tower over.
"Indeed, I wonder why I haven't grown."
Just then, Cynthia approached from the opposite side.
"Done cleaning up? Who's this?"
Cynthia, always on guard.
"Oh, remember that time? The little kid I saved in the forest?"
"In the forest?"
"Ah, no, you wouldn't have been there then.
She's the little kid I saved ages ago, though she's grown up so well now."
"I see."
"My name is Charlotte. Thank you for saving our village."
"Oh, it was nothing. We were just passing through."
But a monster invasion in a rural village like this...
Something about it felt off.
Where had all the Knights who were supposed to protect the village gone,
and why were only volunteer Guards defending it?
"By any chance, where did the Knights who protected the village go?"
"Ah, they all left for the Capital to enjoy the festival after hearing the news that the Demon King had died, leaving the village undefended."
A festival, huh...
Oh, right, that festival.
The festival they held, drunk with excitement because the Demon King was defeated.
If the villagers suffered damage like this because of that festival, was it really right?
I don't know.
"Are you perhaps staying overnight?"
"Yeah, that's right. I'm planning to catch some sleep tonight and leave early in the morning."
"Oh, in that case, we have two empty rooms at our house. Why don't you stay with us? I want to repay your kindness for protecting the village and host you!"
"Really? In that case, I can't refuse. We also need to get some quick sleep and leave early."
Well, rather than wandering aimlessly,
it's probably better to get some rest.
And so, Cynthia and I headed to Charlotte's house.
As Charlotte entered the house, her younger sister was waiting for her.
She had come out to greet Charlotte, worried about her sister who had gone out to protect the village.
"Sister, are you okay... Oh my, is that the Hero?"
"Yes, I'm Yuria, the Hero."
"Oh my, I've heard so many stories from sister. Thank you for saving my sister back then."
"No, I only did what was natural for a person, and for the Hero."
"Haha, Lua, it's rude to cling to the Hero like that."
"Okay, sister."
"Hero, I apologize, my younger sister was quite rude. Please come inside."
"Ah, yeah, thanks."
I followed her guidance and went inside the house.
Ah, now that I think about it, if we're staying in the same house,
I should check their Stats, just in case.
[Charlotte Stats]
【 Name 】
Charlotte: Lv 18
【 Abilities 】
▷Strength: 14
▷Agility: 20
▷Stamina: 19
▷Mana: 7
▷Holy Power: 5
▷Coitus: 16
She has higher Stats than an average person.
Did she work hard after that? Or did she face a lot of hardship?
Many thoughts crossed my mind, but first, I should check her younger sister's Stats as well.
[Lua Stats]
【 Name 】
Lua: Lv 6
【 Abilities 】
▷Strength: 8
▷Agility: 9
▷Stamina: 5
▷Mana: 2
▷Holy Power: 2
▷Coitus: 5
Compared to her sister, who had quite high Stats,
the still-younger sister had generally low Stats.
Well, her Coitus Stat is also lower than mine,
so I concluded that staying overnight here wouldn't pose a problem.
"Um, by any chance, are there no other adults in the house besides you two?"
At that, Charlotte and Lua's expressions instantly darkened.
"Well, our parents..."
Even without her saying it, I could roughly guess the outcome.
"I-I'm sorry. You don't need to answer."
"Hey, why did you bring that up?"
"No, it's alright. Please come in. I'll make you a delicious dinner."
"Ah, uh, thanks. Then, excuse me."
And so, Cynthia and I were able to enjoy the delicious dinner Charlotte had prepared.
"That was really good, Charlotte. Thank you."
"It's just my way of repaying your kindness."
"Then, I'm sorry, but could we leave the cleanup to you and head up to bed?"
"Oh, of course. I'll show you the way."
"Thanks."
Upstairs, we found two rooms with simple bedding.
"Here you are. It's nothing fancy, but please make yourselves comfortable."
"No, not at all. We camped out every day, so this is more than enough, right?"
"Exactly! Just having a soft bed is wonderful."
"Thank you. Then, sleep well."
With those last words, Charlotte went downstairs.
"Then, shall we go to sleep too? We should if we want to leave early tomorrow."
"We should. Good night, Yuria."
"Yeah, good night, Cynthia."
*
Have you ever woken up suddenly in the middle of the night?
You think it's morning, look outside, and find only the quiet darkness of the middle of the night.
Ugh.
I gotta pee.
Ugh.
I roused my sleep-drunk body and headed for the restroom.
Now that I think about it, is there even a restroom here?
I don't know.
I'll just pee outside then.
It'd be a shame to wake the kids unnecessarily.