“We need to talk” those words keep repeating in his mind. ‘We need to talk’. As far as he knows, he has done nothing that will warrant any questioning. Though what brought this upon?

“Yuuto!” Osgord keeps saying. “Ah… “ He knocks out of his dazed. Yuuto shook his head and asked, “What do you mean we need to talk?”

Osgord peeks at his side. “It’s not that important, but I think you need to know about it”

“?”

“I guess we can continue this conversation while talking”

They continue their conversation while heading to Shyla’s house. The little girl holding his hands, happily taking her time while strolling around the town. Meanwhile, Alice seems to vigilantly watching Yuuto, her gaze practically saying, “I feel he will do something reckless again”

He turns and faces Osgord. “So, what do you want to say earlier? “

“This is about what keeps protecting the village”

“What do you mean by ‘protecting’? Is that what hunters are for?” he asked.

“Well… you can say that, but they are just one of the things that protect this village.”

“I see.. So who is the other one protecting this village?” Yuuto asks, having a slight interest.

“I need to tell you first about the Ca- “Osgord’s words suddenly halted. He turned his head, and he widened.

Just beyond the houses, a tall dark smoke was emerging. There is no need for any magic or genius to know what that smoke means.

“Yuuto, Alice came with me. Questions later,” he said. His tone is in full seriousness.

“Alysha, go with your mother first. We will follow later,” he said, patting head. She swiftly obliged, sensing that something must have happened. She didn’t ask any question.

The three of them quickly run towards the source of the smoke. With the help of Osgord, they didn’t have any hard time finding where it was coming from. To Osgord’s horror, his thoughts were correct. Multiple houses are burning. A pack of crimson hounds are also attacking the villagers. A few hounds having odd behavior also greeted them. They carry torches in their mouths, throwing it inside the houses.

Shocked by the scene, they halted for a moment, but soon enough regained their composure. Instantly, Osgord dash forward, slicing one hound in his way. Soon after, Yuuto and Alice followed his lead, finding themselves fighting. His eyes darted in every direction, scanning the hounds.

He moves forward, then slashes the hound holding a torch. In order to minimize the collateral damage, Yuuto targets the hounds holding torches first. Thankfully, he didn’t need to focus too much on the torch-bearing hounds as the hunters already taken care of the few.

As for Alice, she was using a water spell to push back the hounds and simultaneously putting out the fire. Hounds kept flying in the sky as a multiple ball shape water hit them. While she uses a spell called ‘Amnis‘, a spell that generates a stream of water to put out the fire.

The hunters, Osgord, and Yuuto kept fighting the incoming hounds, dwindling their foes one by one. Meanwhile, Alice put out the fire using her two water spells and some of the Elf using similar water spells, albeit bigger and output. Before they notice it, the hounds are all defeated, and the fire is also gone.

“Finally… “ Yuuto said underneath his breath, trying to catch some air.

All of them feel relief. They safely and successfully protect the village, even with the unexpected attack. Though how the monsters invaded the village? There is only one path to enter the village, and it is the gate and if the monsters use that way, surely the guards in there will notify the hunters. However, at what Yuuto saw, the hunters are also equally shocked by the attack.

As the hunters dispersed around, accounting the damage done and if there is a villager got attack. The sight of the chief suddenly greeted them, running towards them, gripping hard his sword. He called one hunter, asking what happen. His face contorted as the hunter recalled what had happened.

Now that Yuuto thinks about it, where is the chief when the attack happened? And why does the chief have bruises and cuts around his body, blood still fresh from his wounds? If he didn’t fight in here, where does he get it from? What is the chief doing?

Soon after, Osgord called him again, this time having more urgency than before. His face was full of worry.

“Follow me… “he said in a sad tone.

He looked at him suspiciously. Why would Osgord say that to him? If he is with other people and doesn’t know him. Yuuto would probably think that Osgord was escorting him to some secluded place before killing him. It’s not like he can’t do that with his scrawny figure, right?

He looked at Alice. She nodded, knowing what it meant.

Before they know it, they are already standing in front of a cave, grown over by vines and littered with a lot of fireflies? No, they were are like the lights that Yuuto saw yesterday.

“I need your help… “he said in a worried tone.

If it’s about fighting, he should really not be the one that he should be asking. Surely the hunters are more experienced and powerful than him. Though, he should not assume that maybe the one Osgord is asking is Alice, as she is more powerful than him.

“What do you need our help for?” Alice squinted her eyes. “Is it something that your village cannot fix, or is it just you?”

An unfamiliar voice comes out of the tree answering her “We need your help to restore the barrier around the village”

The voice came from the chief himself. His body was still battered with wounds and bruises.

“The barrier?” she ask “Aren’t you supposed to be the one fixing this kind of problem”

“Yes… “his voice is small “However, that cave won’t let us enter it anymore” he pointed at the cave in front of them, his eyes full of anger suddenly turning to sadness.

“Then why won’t you just enter it again?” Yuuto asked, finally having the chance.

The chief took a remorseful sigh “If it’s that the case I will be not standing her in front of you” he explained “That cave would purposely lose you in its labyrinth, only a handful of my men reached the end however even with that as soon as the cave deem you not worthy you will be Sent in the entrance instantly.” He clenched his fist tight, visible enough that you can see his knuckles become white. “and if you enter it again, not only did it not send you in the entrance again, but it will also inflict you with injury”

The reason that the chief is not earlier during the raid and covered in wounds is because he is trying to enter that cave in order to restore the barrier. It was just the wrong timing that when he planned to enter that cave, the crimson hounds attacked.

“Then why only you? Where are the other elves?”

“All the elves already trying to enter that cave,” he said, not a question or a statement, but a fact. “So, please help us… “he begged.

There was silence before them. Yuuto wanted to talk, but he didn’t know what he should say or do. Do he need to help him and risk his life in unknown danger or just let them defend themselves without out of their protection?

“We can help with the price, of course, “Alice declared.

Yuuto looked at her in shock. But he can’t really blame her if she was going to risk her life, then she should have just the right to compensate. Now that he thinks about it, adventurers risk their lives for money.

“Tell us what we need to do”