"Dad, why is he coming with us? Haven't you always told me that when I see someone wearing armor, I have to inform the whole village and run away?" asked Leo, confused.

"That's true, but this warrior is different, you don't have to worry about him anymore. Besides, I'm impressed that you had enough courage to try and stop him," Nok muttered.

"Hahaha." Leo scratched his back, blushing slightly, "You always said that I had to protect the people dear to me, so...I did."

"Good boy!" Nok laughed out loud, drawing the attention of all the villagers who just smiled at the sight of the duo.

"Speaking of dear friends, have you finally found the guts to confess to Layla?"

"Dad!!!" Leo cried out in embarrassment, his face turning as red as the brightest tomato.

"Everyone already knows about your feelings, son. There's no reason to hide them anymore," Nok patted his son on the head from above before adding, "So how did it go?"

"Well..." Leo lowered his head to the ground, "I confessed to her, but just as she was about to answer, this warrior showed up"

"Hahahaha" Nok burst out laughing when he heard his son's words, "How many times have you been rejected already?"

"I haven't been rejected! It's just that someone always interrupts me!"

"Yeah, yeah," Nok smiled before saying, "Anyway, Leo, you're only sixteen and your whole love life is just beginning. Now go, I have some other matters to attend to"

"Good luck!" Leo cheerfully smiled before plunging into the crowd, going straight to the place where Layla was waiting for him. With a side glance, Leo eyed the warrior, who was walking right next to his grandfather, talking about something.

'I also need to apologize for throwing rocks at him,' Leo thought before turning his gaze back to the beautiful girl. With butterflies fluttering in his stomach, Leo promptly disappeared among the group.

-

'It's been a long time since I've been to places like this.'

That was the only thought circling in Cale's head after he reached the village. Looking ahead, he could see many medium-sized huts scattered around the perimeter, smoke rising from their stone chimneys.

Several women stood outside their huts along with their children, waving to Cale and his group.

"Everyone! We have a guest from a foreign land who will be staying with us for some time. Please give him a warm welcome!" shouted Nok loudly after he stepped forward.

-"It's nice to meet you"

-"We hope you'll have a nice time here."

-"Wow, your face is fluffy"

The majority of the residents, mostly including teenagers, were the first to greet the guest. Women of the village were rather reserved when it came to talking to someone wearing such armor, they didn't want their children chatting with the stranger either. However, after the elder nodded, no one hesitated and approached Cale cordially.

'This village is quite nice,' Cale smiled inwardly. It was a rarity to meet such nice people, especially in times of war, so Cale was quite satisfied with the current situation, 'I wonder, if everyone lived in peace like this, would Margaret and Del still be alive?' Cale's soul once again lit up with the devilish fire.

"Sir Cale, since it's already quite late, I think it's better if we get down to business tomorrow. Then I'll also have enough time to prepare all the maps" Aran said and after seeing Cale's nod, smiled.

"I also want to ask about the mask..." repeated Cale after sensing Fenrir's breathing intensify. All the way to the village, Cale was feeling rather uncomfortable with the fur touching his bones inside and out. Moreover, Fenrir was also getting restless, especially after hearing multiple people around. Cale tried to suppress his movement with the help of Qi, but unfortunately, his Qi quantity was still not stalwart enough to accomplish even such a simple task.

"Of course we have it. I'll bring it right away" Aran said before glancing at Nok, "Take him to one of the free huts"

"Yes, yes" Nok chortled as he moved forward, "Follow me."

-"Good night."

All the villagers said in sync, their gazes filled with warmth. Through such a short conversation, they had all understood that this warrior was not like all the others, so they were more than content to have him residing together. The only thing that bothered some of the villagers was Cale's strange appearance, but no one dared to come up and ask about it.

"Your village is quite a charming place," Cale said after moving away from the crowd.

"Huh? Do you like it? I thought most warriors liked fancy stuff" Nok was rather startled by Cale's words.

"Well, I like peaceful and quiet places like this"

"Hahaha. Maybe you should move in here then" Nok chuckled.

"I'd love to....I just have to take care of a few things first" Cale whispered so softly that Nok couldn't even hear anything.

Thinking it was something personal, Nok silently moved towards the empty shack at the end of the path, "It may be a little dusty inside, but it's still better than most of the huts around here. That old man should come soon, I'm going back to my family now," he added as he scratched his nose.

"Thank you," Cale replied calmly while Nok almost fell to the ground in contrast. A warrior thanking a weak, simple villager... that was definitely something out of the ordinary.

'What a good man' Nok's admiration for the warrior grew as he sprinted back to the group, leaving Cale all alone.

-

"Sir Cale, here's your mask. It may not be excellent, but it should be enough to cover your face," said Aran as he extended a bizarre mask forward. Though it was oddly shaped, the material was certainly not of poor quality, reminding Cale of the lizard's skin that he had killed earlier.

"Then it will be in my care," Cale didn't mind the ceremony, taking it in his hand.

"I'll come tomorrow with the map and all the information you'll need," Aran said before a smile flitted across his face.

Without asking any more questions, Cale nodded and turned, beginning to walk towards the hut. He was extremely fatigued after such a long day, and after needing to keep Fenrir inside of his armor for so long, Cale's entire body itched in resentment.

Creek!

Opening the door, a spacious room with nothing but a bed was revealed in front of Cale's face. An acrid smell flooded Cale's nose, exhausting him even more.

"Get the hell out!" Cale roared in anger as he, using all the force he could muster, threw Fenrir onto the bed.

"Bark! Bark!" Fenrir was even more irritated, his entire upper body covered in sweat. He had to spend so much time lingering in this sticky armor, and now he's being yelled at? What kind of logic is that?

"What? You want to fight?" Cale chuckled after seeing Fenrir revealing his white teeth.

"Bark!" Fenrir leaped at Cale, trying to bite through his dark armor. Unfortunately, his teeth didn't even manage to make a dent in the target, instead, his own fangs began to ache.

"Alright, that's enough Fenrir. We need to rest before we leave the village," Cale said as he shut his vision, not even bothering to listen to Fenrir's displeased noises anymore.