—-- Leon Greyrat —--

It had been a week since the rescue operation, and after one day of travel, I had spent the rest of the time relaxing and playing with some of the children of the Doldia village.

I mean, as we would be spending the next few months here, I might as well make some connections, right?

But it had already been seven days… I was getting a bit worried that something had gone wrong with Ruijerd and the rest.

Maybe the ship had already left? Or maybe they got caught up with the smugglers?

I didn’t know, but I was anxious that Eris was left watching Aisha and Norn by herself for all this time.

I could trust her, of course, but it didn’t mean I wanted to leave everything to her for so long.

And so, deciding that enough was enough, I decided that after a good night’s rest, I would head back to Zant Port first thing in the morning to see what was happening. And if need be, offer my assistance.

But rather than being welcomed by the singing of birds or a hesitant knock by one of the kids, I instead was woken by the sounds of screaming and an instinctual churning in my stomach.

Something… something was wrong.

Shooting out of my bed, I quickly grab my sword before heading out the door of the residence I had been gifted by Gyes, only to see the night-time scenery lit up by flames.

A… forest fire?

The rainy season was just about to come when the land and forest would be drenched with water, which meant that right now, the forest was extremely wet.

So something like this should be extremely rare.

Unless, of course, it was… not natural.

“Fire!”

“Evacuate the houses!”

“Ansha!? Ansha! Where are you!?”

Beastfolk ran around panicked as armoured humans chased some, trying to grab any women and children they could and cutting down any that provided any resistance.

So it was an attack… that explained the fire.

The sounds of confusion, carnage, and fear entered my ears, quickly snapping me out of my thoughts.

Right. That didn’t matter right now.

There was a fire, and fire was bad, so the obvious thing to do was put it out.

Raising my hand into the air, I summon rain clouds across the sky before having them converge above me. Twisting and churning the atmosphere, infusing the clouds with mana, and transforming said mana into water, before letting it all fall.

As the rain began to pour down, I noticed a man, a kidnapper, tear a child from a woman’s arms before unsheathing their sword, raising it to bring down on the woman’s neck.

Extending my other arm, I generate a stone bullet before releasing it, accompanied by a blast of wind to propel it. Breaking the sound barrier, the bullet slammed into the man’s head a moment later, instantly killing him before his sword reached the woman.

Tsk. There were more. And from what Gustav said before, most if not all of the warriors were gone to rescue the rest of the kidnapped children.

It seemed their weak defences had been exploited, leading these attackers to have free range on the entire village. And considering the rainy season was about to begin, by the time the warriors got back, they wouldn’t be able to go after them for a while.

The village was completely exposed.

Well, as long I wasn’t here, that is.

While I was prudent not to go chasing after problems to deal with, unlike our justice-loving Ruijerd, when there was something like this happening right in front of me, and where my assistance wouldn’t put my family at risk, there was no need to hold back.

“It’s raining!? Shit! There’s a magician,” one of the armed men says before looking around and quickly spotting me. “You!?”

He then ran forward, drawing his curved blade as he approached.

Intermediate rank, at most… how disappointing.

With one great leap, the man swung his sword toward my neck, prompting me to raise my blade to defend.

But it seemed that I didn’t need to.

“You’re dead- Gahk!”

Before he could reach me, a broad blade was embedded into his chest, sending a splash of blood across the ground.

“It was you who is quelling the fires, right?” Gyes says, flicking his sword to the side and killing the man. “I thank you, but if you could please lend your aid once more-”

“Of course I will,” I huff.

Still, this guy wasn’t very good at asking for things, considering his teeth were clenched the entire time.

It seemed that his pride was hurt that he would need the help of a human, and a child no less, to help defend his village.

Well, it was the ability to swallow that pride that made a good leader, so maybe he wasn’t as bad as Gustav said.

“Focus on creating a safe zone, and bringing all the villagers there. As for the attackers…”

I then walk up to the recently made corpse before kicking his sword up and grabbing the hilt with my right hand.

“You can leave them to me.”

Taking a few swings to get used to the weight, I crouched low to the ground, digging my feet into the dirt as I mapped out my path.

One, two, three… four up high.

Right. Let’s do this.

“Don’t order me arou-!”

I then step forward, my touki-enhanced leap leaving Gyes’ words behind as I drew both swords.

Reaching the first attacker, I slice his throat with the curved blade, and twisting around, I embed my companion spellsword into another’s forehead, both bodies dropping to the ground as I move onto my next target.

Efficiently and emotionlessly, I cut through man after man, only stopping to heal any beastfolk that needed it, or if I sensed any trapped in collapsed buildings with my demon eye.

But even with my assistance, there were still numerous casualties. Both from the fire and the human attackers.

The thought made me grit my teeth in frustration, but it didn’t go past that.

After all, in this world, death was a common occurrence. Which is why I needed to get stronger. To shield my family from everything that might come our way.

My spell had been going on for a while, and as a result, the rain was now pouring down over the surroundings, dousing any flames and recovering the beastfolk’s innate senses, allowing them to easily flee or fight.

Thus, our counterattack started, led by me combing through the human numbers, felling a foe with each strike.

The humans, on the other hand, were understandably in disarray.

After all, the advantage they held against the beastfolk had turned against them, and while they knew there was a magician around, by the time they understood who it was, I had already killed them.

This continued as we moved through the village, and before I knew it, I had ended up leading a band of warriors, with some breaking off now and then to take the freed villagers back to the village center.

Eventually, the sights revealed from my demon eye dimmed, showing only one last opponent to be dealt with.

“Tch. You guys caught up awfully quick, huh?” he spat turning to our group.

A familiar scar came into view, with the man holding a child close to his chest with a sword to her neck.

A hostage.

But to think that Gallus was here… while I was suspicious about his intentions, I didn’t think he would capture the people he asked us to free a week later.

There must be something more at play.

Gallus’ eyes comb over our group before widening as they fall on me, “Guardian Wolf!? What the hell are you doing here?”

“...That doesn’t matter. I could say the same to you,” I say.

“Tch. This was my plan from the start,” he spits. “To think you would stay with these people… I guess you separated from the Superd, huh? Even though he didn’t end up massacring the warriors, they still kept themselves out of the village, but I guess that didn’t matter in the end, huh?”

Was that his plan? Have us free the kids as the beastfolk warriors come to rescue them, leading to conflict with the confusion… well, I guess he didn’t really understand Ruijerd that well.

“Yeah. It seems like your plans didn’t work out,” I sneer. “And what’s with this? Taking the people you asked us to save?”

“Hah. These brats,” he shakes his head. “I don’t care about them. The Sacred Beast, on the other hand, would be problematic.”

Mmm. While I still couldn’t understand how that dog was more important than a kid, much less a bunch of them, the ‘Sacred Beast’ was apparently the symbol of the entire Doldia tribe.

But to me, it was only a big, fluffy dog.

“Anyway, I guess you’re the one who killed all those guys, right? Damn shame-”

Leaping forward, I extend my curved sword toward Gallus’ neck, only for him to raise the child, stopping me from cutting through.

Right. The North God style has hostage techniques.

Good thing I was adaptable.

Swiping my feet, I unleash a blade of wind toward the man’s legs, prompting him to dodge out of the way, and most importantly, leaving him open.

“Gah! Fuck!”

While I was aiming to cut off his arm, he retracted it just in time so that I simply brushed against the tips of his fingers. But I wasn’t necessarily aiming to take off his arm, but rather to free the child.

Swiping the girl into my arms, I jump back to gain some distance, batting away a knife Gallus had thrown in his retreat.

Sneaky fucker.

“Son of a bitch! Didn’t even let me finish my explanation, huh?” he glares at me.

Well, no. Of course, I wouldn’t. That’s when you let down your guard, after all.

“But it seems like you aren’t letting me go anytime soon,” he eyes his surroundings carefully as two beastfolk sneak up behind him. “Bad idea.”

In a flash, he whips out his sword, instantly beheading one of the warriors before dodging the other’s strike by turning to the side.

Now off-balance, the remaining warrior was helpless to dodge Gallus’ thrust, a sword impaling the man in the neck as he fell to the ground.

As I thought, Gallus was strong.

Saint rank, if I had to guess, with abilities on the same level as Paul.

While I had taken the kid out of his hands pretty easily, I still had to be cautious. Especially since North God practitioners often use poisons and hidden methods of attack.

“Heh. Not so funny now, is it, Guardian Wolf?” Gallus sneers, wiping the blood from his sword off his pants. “So? What are you going to do now?”

Finish him off, of course.

Not only did he now bear a grudge against me, but he would also terrorize the beastfolk if I let him go now.

But most importantly… he was a bad guy. While I couldn’t do anything to revive those who were burned and killed, the least I could do was avenge them.

“Go back to the village, girl,” I say to the kid, pushing her away.

With her running back to Gyes, I could trust that all of the villagers were safe, leaving me to deal with this guy.

Dropping the curved blade I picked up to the side, I took up a Sword God stance with my sword, holding it firmly in front of me as Gallus and I stared each other down.

The pitter-patter of rain drawing out any sound, and the scent of blood filling my nose, I felt a bead of water trail down from my drenched hair to my face, and all the way to my chin, and as soon as it dropped to the ground, we both lept forward.

Flicking my sword outward, I was slightly surprised to see his touki flow from his body into his arm in a strange manner, but ignoring that, I pressed onward, trying to end this fight in one strike.

Unfortunately for me, Gallus seemed to have predicted that, as he let his sword take the brunt of my strike before pulling out a short sword and jabbing it in my direction.

Leaning my head back, the blade skims across my forehead, shedding a few strands of hair along with it as I give Gallus a strong punch with my free hand.

Like this, we exchanged a few strikes, the clang of metal against metal echoing across the trees with the backdrop of the rain.

Eventually, though, the fight came to an abrupt end.

Gallus was swift, and he was faster than Eris, but his skills were based on pure experience from countless battles, not training or talent.

This meant that while he wasn’t necessarily predictable, he was someone within reason. Someone who was easier to read with no insurmountable moves or techniques.

And while he had experienced countless battles… he had yet to experience someone like me.

My sword locking with his, I let electricity flow through my blade, shocking him and locking his joints, and with a simple flick of the wrist, a deep gash was torn into his neck, causing him to fall to the ground, gurgling on his own blood, until he passed a moment later.

And that was the end.

No final moves, no grand speeches. We fought, and he died. That’s it.

That was the true essence of battle in this world.

Cleaning off my bloodied blade, I then take a quick glance around my surroundings.

It seemed that everyone I could see was gathered in the village, so that was good.

Now I should head back to give healing to those who need it.

Dammit. I didn’t know if the smuggler organization had anyone else, but if they did… I wouldn’t be able to head back to Zant Port for a while, lest I leave this place completely undefended.

But then again, these people, while I did want to help them, meant nothing in front of the safety of Aisha, Norn, and Eris.

Hmm…

I’d give them two days. If they haven’t returned in that time, I’d head out to Zant Port.

With that thought in mind, I walked back to the village, leaving the corpses to be dealt with by the rest of the beastfolk warriors.

I’m sure they had their own customs for death, so I wouldn’t want to intrude upon them.

—-- Leon Greyrat —--

Luckily, I didn’t have to wait too long for Ruijerd to come back, as the day after the attack, a large group came into the village, containing most of the village’s warriors, a bunch of beastfolk children, and most importantly, Eris and my sisters.

While the group was surprised by the destruction around them upon their arrival, after getting a briefing from those who were there for the attack, their expressions calmed, perhaps glad that at least one of the smuggling organizations that had terrorized their homeland had been all but destroyed.

Upon hearing my exploits, Ruijerd patted my head with a proud smile, “It seems like you acted like a true warrior, Leon. Well done.”

Well, while I wasn’t acting in order to receive his praise, it did feel quite nice.

Maybe this is why Norn always liked getting head pats from the man? It did feel oddly… comforting.

Anyway, with most of the villagers focused on rebuilding the houses, and the warriors taking the kids back to their original villages, Gustav invited me and our group into his house.

First, I gave a more detailed report on what had happened while Gyes constantly went off on a rant about ‘disgusting humans’ and ‘damn vermin’, as well as telling him about my encounter with Gallus and how he was likely the one who set everything up.

Then, they told me about what had happened, and why it had taken so long for them to return.

With the help of Ruijerd and his third eye, they were easily able to locate the children, and with Gustav and our trusty Judge’s combined power, were also able to rescue every captured child with no issues.

What held them up was what happened afterwards.

Apparently having run into a bit of trouble with the port authorities, the beastfolk got into a stand-off with them before Zant Port eventually caved under the pressure, deciding to give them ample compensation for any trouble that was caused.

I was a bit confused about why they suddenly retreated. And not only retreated, but also gave compensation, but it seemed like they were worried about a war breaking out with the tribes of the Great Forest.

If I had to guess, Gallus and his people probably bribed the authorities to keep the beastfolk occupied for the time required for their operation, and after keeping their promise, the authorities quickly caved into the pressure.

Not like it mattered now, anyway.

Having finished exchanging our stories, Gustav then went down to his knees in front of Eris, Ruijerd, and me. “Thank you for all your help. I promise that the Deldoldia tribe will not forget this debt.”

Ruijerd simply shook his head, “There is no need for that. Saving children is something every warrior should strive to achieve.”

How honourable.

“Hehe~! N-No problem!” Eris chimes in.

…She had been awfully giddy ever since I saw her. Especially when she was holding those two beastfolk children’s hands on the way in.

Must be the Boreas blood.

“It’s no problem,” I say. “After all, for the next few months, we’ll be living together, so it's only right to protect your people.”

Gustav shows a large smile, “Yes, indeed. You are welcome to stay for the rainy season, and even longer if you wish. Should you need anything, you will always have us on your side. I swear that on my name.”

Well… since he asked…

“I actually have a question,” I say. “Have you encountered any victims of the Fittoan Displacement Incident?”

Gustav nods his head seriously, “Indeed. Some of our people ended up returning to us through that turn of events, and we found some lost humans in the forest that were then guided to Zant Port. And also…”

His face then twists into a difficult smile. One belying a sense of affection and also exhaustion.

“...A human child was teleported to our village. He helped us deal with the monsters and the floods during the rainy season with his amazing magic, but his lust… it was boundless.”

A magician? A human child? Boundless lust?

Did… did Rudy teleport here?

“A child with boundless lust, you say?” Ruijerd says oddly.

“Indeed. Luckily he knew our language, so he could explain his situation, but the stench of lust filled our noses so poignantly when he looked at the girls, that we had a hard time believing him to be a child,” Gustav explains.

“And did he do anything odd?” I ask.

“Yes,” Gustav nods. “He had a particular fascination with our girls’ used loincloths.”

So Rudy was here. What a coincidence.

“...And he also enjoyed peeking during bathing times,” Gustav adds.

I couldn’t help but facepalm.

Rudy… what the hell were you doing?

I was glad he seemed to be okay right off the bat, but couldn’t he have shown a little more tact?

Haa… how was I supposed to break it that he was my brother?

“Leon? What are they saying?” Eris asks.

“Ah, my apologies, I had slipped back into my native language by mistake,” Gustav apologizes in the Human tongue. “But yes, after the rainy season ended, the boy then took it upon himself to escort my granddaughter, Linia, as well as another promising member of the Adoldia tribe, Pursena, to the Asuran Kingdom of the Central Continent.”

Oh… so those must be those girls that Rudy was feeling up when Kishirika spied on him.

“He did say he was worried about his family,” Gustav continues. “Do you know of a Rudeus? Or perhaps his family’s whereabouts?”

“Ah, that…”

“Rudeus? That’s Leon’s brother!” Eris says, interrupting me.

Both Gustav and Gyes’ eyes widen at this, “Oh… forgive me, you both have very different personalities, but I suppose you both are similarly skilled at magic.”

Yes. Please compare us with our magic abilities and not our approach to girls. I beg of you.

Rubbing her eyes, Norn then turned to me, “Brother? Can I go to sleep now?”

Now that she said it, it was getting pretty late, and even in the day, the two of them had walked through the woods nonstop.

“Of course,” patting her head, I turn to Gustav. “We can continue talking tomorrow if you wish, but for now, I think it’s time to get ourselves settled.”

He nods his head with a smile, “Indeed. You can use the residence Gyes gave you, but if you require any more room, don’t hesitate to ask.”

As I was about to get out to go, I was stopped by two girls who had joined the meeting.

Minitonia was one, the strong-willed girl I had rescued which happened to be Gyes’ daughter and Gustav’s granddaughter.

There was also Tersena, a daughter of the Adoldia tribe’s leader who was kidnapped and would have to spend the rainy season here, due to the eventual flooding of the roads.

“T-Thank you, for saving us,” Minitonia says, bending into a bow.

“No problem…”

As I was about to walk away, I felt my hand being pulled by Eris. Looking at her face, her nostrils were flared as her gaze kept shooting back and forth from the two girls to me.

Did she… want to be friends?

Right, she was kind of an awkward girl, was she?

I suppose she needed my help here, not that I minded.

“If you want to return the favour,” I continue, “then please come over for the night. I’d like you to meet Eris here.”

Getting up to leave, I’m interrupted once again, but by Gyes this time, “Wait.”

Turning to him, I see his teeth grit before looking at me, “I have to ask… Is Ghislaine… someone to be respected?”

Ghislaine? He knew Ghislaine?

Ah, now that I think about it, they do look kind of similar… did she come from this village perhaps? 

Either way… “Yes, I respect her immensely,” I say firmly.

“Ghislaine is the one who saved my life as a child, and later trained me into the Sword Saint I am today,” my eyes narrow as I glare at the man. “Do you have anything else to say about Big Sis?”

“‘Big Sis’... so it was like that, huh?” Gyes mumbles, shaking his head in exasperation. “No. It’s nothing. You can go now.”

And with that, I then made my way out, with Aisha and Norn following behind, and Eris taking the other two girls by the hand.

This time, I wasn’t interrupted.