Sometime before....
After walking for approximately twenty minutes, we finally arrived at the village entrance. The inside of the village had a much gloomier atmosphere than the outer perimeter. The villagers wore old and rugged clothing, their body looked underfed as though they hadn't eaten in weeks and the wooded houses all looked poorly maintained. It definitely doesn't look like the work of a skillful carpenter.
"… I don't like the atmosphere here, though it seems this village is going through a tough struggle."
Alya said while gazing in a certain direction. When I looked into the same direction she was gazing at, I saw a young boy laying down on the ground. His breathing seemed irregular, and he had many wounds around his body.
"What happened to him?"
I ask curiously.
"It's probably the work of beast. Many children from our village travel through the forest in search of food in order to help their families, due to the tough environment many of the older villagers became sick due to overworking or the various diseases within the atmosphere. So, some children had to hunt food on their own."
Alice informed gazing at the young boy sadly.
(I didn't know the conditions of their village was so bad)
I slowly walked towards the boy who was laying down on the ground. I turned him around, so he would be laying on his back. His long messy hair was covering his face. I also noticed there was a unpleasant odor oozing from his body.
"Hey, Alya is there anything we can do?"
I ask looking at her with a look of expectation. Seeing that Alya sighed before stepping towards the young boy. Suddenly her body was clad in a green mythical energy. Her bright blue dressed dance with gentle breeze surrounding her, her long green hair swayed gently behind her back. She closed her eyes and the energy around her body became denser as she spread both her arms wide. The green energy wave spread from her entire body and travels through the entire proximity of the village.
Everyone within the village old and young find themselves covered in this strange energy and all their wound were completely healed. Even the villagers who were exhausted both mentally and physically were now filled with energy. After roughly three minutes everyone outside the village we're back in perfect condition, though they still looked really skinny as though they were suffering from starvation for the longest time.
"Sigh, that took almost all the mana I had, but at least now the villagers are all fine from their injuries."
Alya release a breath as she smiled cheerfully. Soon the young boy who was laying on the ground opened his eyes. He slowly raised his upper body, and gazed around his surroundings in confusion, he then hurriedly checked his wounds. But became shocked when he finds himself unharmed.
Many of the villagers who had seen Alya body wrapped in a faint light surrounded her.
"Thank you, my goddess."
"Please help me! My mother is sick."
"Blessed our village."
"It's the green goddess."
I smiled wryly seeing the villagers cheering Alya who had a proud look on her face hearing their praise.
-Haha… at least these humans know how to treat a great existence such as myself, if only Haruto was like that.
"If you're going to say that internally, why make me hear?"
I inquired rolling my eyes. I then gave the young boy who was still sitting on the ground a sandwich.
"Here, you should eat this."
"Yh-thank you."
The boy said. Alya and I started giving out sandwiches to the nearby villagers. I had received a lot of food from the Watanabe royal family before we leave, I was worried what I'm going to do about the ton of food I had which was probably going to be spoiled before I could eat it all, Alya didn't need food as a spirit since she only needed mana she received from me to function normally. So, this solved my worries about letting all the food go to waste.
Many of the villagers eat like hungry beast while some villagers went inside their home to share their food with their families.
"Sigh, at least now we can finally rest easy that the food isn't going to waste."
Alya said sighing.
"Yeah, that's one trouble taken care of."
GROWL~
Alya and I looked at each other in confusion.
"Hey, Haruto, you shouldn't starve yourself, you should eat too."
"That wasn't me, why my stomach wouldn't be so loud."
I said defending myself from Alya's scolding.
"Hmm… it's not you, then who could it be?"
She wondered before gazing into Alice's direction. Alice's face became beet red as she turned her face away awkwardly. Seeing that I instantly knew who's stomach it was.
"Here."
I said stretching my right hand that was holding a chicken sandwich. Alice accepts the sandwich with an embarrassed face.
"Thank you."
She spoke.
After allowing her to eat for twenty minutes we finally decided to go meet the village chief.
After walking for five minutes, we arrived at a small wooden house that had only a single window, the size of the house made it seem perfect for a family of three.
(Should I just call, or should I knock?)
I wondered, before deciding to knock on the door but before I could.
"Please don't hurt my grandpa anymore!"
I heard a loud scream from the inside, based on the sound of the voice it sounded like the cry of a girl. Without thinking I opened the wooden door that was slightly left opened. And looked inside.
***
(Hmm… what is this...?)
I wondered gazing at the scene inside, I saw an old man who seemed to be the village chief. He was laying on the ground and looked beaten up, a muscular man was standing before a small girl who seemed to be close to my age group, there were many other villagers prostrating in the back of the room.
"What is going on here?"
I said completely confused, I shifted my gaze towards the corner of the room and…
"Who is that?"
I ask in a low voice, my gazed was completely drawn towards a middle-aged man whose headless body was laying in the corner of the room covered with blood.
Alice looked at the man and her eyes got wet with tears falling from her eyes.
"…. I see…"
A look of understanding fell over my face as I saw her reaction. When the muscular man gazed landed on Alice a smirk was formed on his lips.
"Hahaha…. So, your finally back."
He spoke. He started walking towards Alice completely ignoring my presence beside her.
"Now where we're we?"
He said reaching out his hands towards her.
Alice glared hatefully at the man, seeing that his smile deepened. Once his hands were only a few millimeters away from reaching her.
"Gah!"
BOOM!!
My first landed in his abdomen; the man's huge body was sent flying away crashing through the wooden house.