"Yes! We thank you for saving us, my lord!" Another person said.

Why aren't they angry? Cary thought. Now that he got a good look at them, they did not look like thugs at all. There were ten of them, all wearing tattered furs and leathers. They were all men. Their faces looked homely, even wholesome. One could tell such a thing from gazing to their eyes, the glint of which showed goodness and hopefulness as they gazed at Cary.

I really made a mistake here. My bad. It was good of me to use something as harmless as Black Belt on them. He said in his mind.

"Uh. Y-yes. I was just...pretending to attack you so I catch those knights off guard!" Cary said, pulling out of his ass.

"So that was it!" One person said.

"I knew that was it! You were just throwing us around harmlessly. We felt it too in the end, that's why we stayed down."

"And you drove those knights away!"

It's good they believe me. Cary thought.

"Who is in charge amongst all of you?" Cary said in an authoritative tone. He thought putting up a tough front here might get them to be careful with him and perhaps make them help him.

"I am, my lord." A man stepped forward. He looked different from the others. For one, he was taller and had a magnificent posture. His body was full of muscles and his bearded, fierce face showed experience behind them.

"And you are?" Cary asked.

The man took a knee and bowed his head. "My name is Jorje, my lord. On behalf of our village, I would like to express our biggest gratitude for rescuing us."

Aren't they being too respectful with the whole 'my lord' thing? Cary thought. They think I'm a noble, but maybe it's okay for now? I can use their misconception to my advantage so they'll help me, if only for a short while before I continue my journey.

"I see. My name is Cary. I was simply traveling around here before suddenly seeing you people in trouble. It was not much, it was easy enough to get rid of those pests. Who are they anyway? Why were they attacking you? Cary inquired.

"This subject understands, my lord. We are grateful you took time off your journey to rescue us." Jorje said, "As for why those knights attacked us, I believe it's a story too long to tell out in the wilderness like this. May I implore my lord to come to our village? We would like to express our gratitude. And also, may this humble servant asks you which kingdom you are from?"

For some reason, everyone turned nervous and anxious after he asked that. It was as if some of Cary's answers could make their attitude flip. Cary noticed this and thought it may have something to do with the knights he defeated, he thought.

"I am from a faraway kingdom. It is not one you could ever visit by conventional means. I am simply traveling to these lands for leisure and adventure. May I ask where your village is? I need a place where I can stop and rest. I also need information about the surrounding lands and you can tell me about your circumstances with those knights there." Cary said.

Jorje face visibly cramped up a little from Cary's answer. "Please follow us, my lord," Jorje said as he stood up.

"Ah," Cary remembered something. "I forgot something where I camped. I will pick it up first. Please wait here,"

Before giving them any time to answer, Cary activated his Take-copter and took off into the sky.

Jorje could not believe what he saw. For one, a veteran knight of the imperial guard like him was getting tossed around like nothing. A knight of distinguished achievements recognized by the late queen no less. No matter what technique he used to attack the mysterious man who suddenly appeared in-between the villagers and the kingdom's knights, he was easily thrown off. The kingdom's martial arts and the teachings of his former master meant nothing to the man in front of him.

This man is too strong. Jorje thought at the time. But isn't he throwing us around harmlessly? Perhaps?

Noticing this, he subtly signaled his men to stay down after getting thrown off. After they did so, it was as his intuition say. The man caught the knights off guard and started throwing them around as well. But, this time, after a while, the man used something else.

Where did he pull those red gloves from? Jorje thought as he swore he saw the man retrieve those red gloves he just put on from thin air. He had only heard of such dimensional magic performed by the archmages of the past. But the man did not perform any somatic movements or verbal callings for his magic, which was impossible.

What followed could be simply called merciless beating. The mysterious man punched those knights so hard it shattered their steel armor and catapulted them into the trees at incredible force. Jorje noticed those punches weren't mere punches as well, there were some techniques and skills involved.

This man is both a mage and a warrior? Jorje said in his mind. The only way for warriors to be as powerful as the man in front of him was if they drink Ambros, the liquid nectars that grant incredible powers into your veins. Jorje had often consumed Ambros in the past, but after being exiled into this village, he was robbed of the chance to drink them again. If he had consumed some before this battle, those ten knights would not even last a second with him.

The knights finally gave up and ran away with their tails tucked between their legs. They shouted 'the village will pay for this!' before leaving.

"Jorje, isn't he a god?" Frank, one of the villages, whispered to him.

"What? Why do you think so?" Jorje said confused.

"That man descended down with that thing on his head! That must be his halo! You know the legends of how gods have halos on top of their head, right?" Frank replied.

"Right! I was praying to any gods to save us before! This is the one who replied!" A man said next to them.

"But we must pretend not to know! It's a big deal when gods descend down to the world. They will usually use a mortal vessel and if they are discovered to be a god, they will disappear immediately!" Frank said.

"Our village needs help..." The man next to them said with a grim face. "With his blessings, we can perhaps survive the winter and protect us from the kingdom. We can't let him disappear!"

What are these men talking about...Jorje thought. He was grateful that the man rescued them, but calling him a god was a stretch, especially since he only used some abilities that were in the realm of possibilities for mortals. And also, I heard him talk and he seems to not understand our language. He could just be a foreigner. He added in his mind.

The mysterious man finally turned to them. After another good look at him, Jorje was highly impressed with his outfit. Those furs he wore looked to be of the highest quality, and the steel merged with the fur almost looked almost like the expensive Mithrals from the dwarven kingdoms.

Suddenly, the man pulled something out again out of thin air. It was a gelatin-like substance that he ate straight away.

"Pretend not to know!" Frank whispered to the others and they all nodded.

"O mysterious traveler, we are extremely grateful you saved us!" Frank said to the man while bowing.

"Uh. Y-yes. I was just...pretending to attack you so I catch those knights off guard!" The mysterious man replied.

Wait, what? I thought he was a foreigner who didn't understand our language? Why doesn't he have any trace of an accent whatsoever!? Jorje exclaimed in his mind. He was starting to feel slightly suspicious that what the villagers say may have some merits to them. That thing he ate..could it had some translation effects? He thought.

The rest of the villagers pretended they did not know and express their gratitude one by one to the mysterious man.

"Who is in charge amongst all of you?" The man suddenly replied.

All the villagers subconsciously turned towards Jorje.

"I am, my lord," Jorje replied.

"And you are?"

Jorje decided to get down on his knees and bowed. "My name is Jorje, my lord. On behalf of our village, I would like to express our biggest gratitude for rescuing us." He said.

"I see. My name is Cary. I was simply traveling around here before suddenly seeing you people in trouble. It was not much, it was easy enough to get rid of those pests. Who are they anyway? Why were they attacking you?" The mysterious man asked.

I need to confirm who he is and if he might want to help us. Jorje thought. He knew that the village desperately need help right now, and the man may offer some solutions. And also, if he was a god...

"This subject understands, my lord. We are grateful you took time off your journey to rescue us." Jorje said, "As for why those knights attacked us, I believe it's a story too long to tell out in the wilderness like this. May I implore my lord to come to our village? We would like to express our gratitude. And also, may this humble servant asks you which kingdom you are from?

He was nervous asking that, hoping to not offend him. The villagers went nervous. If it was true this man was a god, then that question might have implied they discovered that he was a holy being, which will make him disappear from the mortal realm. The kingdom of the gods was a real place in the villagers' eyes, after all.

The man took some time to answer, "I am from a faraway kingdom. It is not one you could ever visit by conventional means. I am simply traveling to these lands for leisure and adventure. May I ask where your village is? I need a place where I can stop and rest. I also need information about the surrounding lands and you can tell me about your circumstances with those knights there."

Jorje's face cramped up. A kingdom we could not ever visit by conventional means? so it was true! he's from the kingdom of the gods! He thought. It was also true that he had heard that some gods would disguise themselves as mortals to have some fun and leisure in the lower realms.

"Please follow us, my lord," Jorje said as he stood up nervously. He needed the god's help in the village so he was now keen on bringing him there.

"Ah, I forgot something where I camped. I will pick it up first. Please wait here," The god said. He suddenly took off with his halo into the skies.

"It's true! It's a god!" One villager shouted.

"We're saved! We have his blessings!"

"Tell the village to prepare a feast!"

Jorje looked up amazed. Mother Yu has finally blessed us with one of her children. He thought.