Arnold met up with Lucri after he buried the portal by destroying the cave completely. The people who he saved were waiting for him at the entrance. He couldn't fathom how all of them looked so happy even after the things they went through.
It was necessary for him to use a portion of the demon lord power since he wasn't confident in defeating Imps. Regular villagers wouldn't know what the power was so he equipped the demon sword without any worries.
The leader of the Imp group was level 26 while the rest were under level 15. Since Arnold was level 32, taking on multiple monsters of the same levels was a bad match. Their number was also worrisome since they were literally an army's worth of monsters.
If the people who saw that power were to tell others then it was fine since his appearance as Nova didn't affect his reputation as Arnold in any way. Nova was already known as a Transcendent so other adventurers shouldn't be surprised.
'Well, Flord knows but he wouldn't care about it.'
Flord was a simple man after all. Don't mess with him then he won't mess with you.
"Sir Nova!" A little boy of about nine years old ran up to Arnold and hugged him.
The eyes gazing up at him were so full of sparkles and admiration that it could blind a person.
"Can we return to the village yet, sir?" One of the women came up to him and asked.
'Why are you blushing?'
"We should, yes. Now that everything has been taken care of, we can send people out to see if there are any remaining imps left." He looked back at the cave that he destroyed by collapsing the mountain, "Once that's finished then we can rest easy."
All of them sighed in relief.
Some of them were so happy that they couldn't stop hugging each other. The children were having a race to see who could get back to the village first and the women were comforting each other.
"I heard there was another person with you. It was someone from the hunters unit. Where is he?"
The boy who was walking next to Arnold and holding his hand lowered his head as a dark shadow cast over his face. The same went for the others.
"I see…"
He didn't need to hear anything else after seeing their expressions.
'I wanted to at least bring back the remains of the ones who were eaten alive but…'
There was no way any of them were recognizable so he decided to bury them by destroying the cave.
Arnold's list of things he wanted Liumiala to do had suddenly increased after seeing those imps. If possible, he wanted to know what area had such a high amount of demonic energy that portals would form randomly in this world.
He wanted to destroy the source since it wasn't time yet for the world to meet a demon lord or the Demon King itself.
After walking for ten minutes, the village came into view, along with the relieved faces of villagers who were impatiently waiting for any good news.
The boy who was holding Arnold's hand ran towards the village with his sister. The other women and children followed.
Smiles emerged on the faces of the people who were reunited with their loved ones.
Lucri came towards Arnold while watching the warm scene of everyone reuniting with their families.
"Is everything taken care of, sir Nova?"
"Yeah. I'd like to think so at least…" Arnold exhaled deeply as if to release all his fatigue, "How about the woman we found earlier today? Is she alright?"
"It's better if we go straight to the woman's house."
"….Right."
◇◇
"She had been in there ever since miss Teresa came back." Lilia said to Arnold and Lucri after checking up on Norn and her sister. Norn had never left her sister's side once ever since she came back.
Lilia explained that she was worried so she decided to look after the two for the time being.
"Has the village chief received a reply of when the Adventurer Guild would send reinforcements?"
Lilia shook her head.
"Gut has been gone ever since this afternoon. It's already nighttime. The village won't be safe with him gone. Even if they are hunters, those people wouldn't function unless there was someone to lead them."
Nothing was going as planned, it seemed. The Adventurer Guild might've been delaying the emergency request for reinforcements on purpose or the people just didn't believe them.
"Then how will we convince them if that is the case?"
Arnold had spoken to Gut before he left, addressing that same problem.
"Simple, you show them this corpse. Then they'll have to believe what you say. Even if it's a new monster, it still has a core filled with demonic aura. A priest might be able to confirm your words so you should ask someone with that class to check first."
"I see! That's a great idea!"
The demon's body would serve as the evidence of new monsters that appeared in the forest. There was the worry of other new species lurking in the many other settlements around the empire. That was why Arnold needed to write a letter to the guildmaster to explain to him how serious this issue was.
Again, he wasn't looking forward to meeting any of the demon lords this early.
"It is decided then…" Arnold looked at Lucri, "We will stay here until morning. It will do you no good to stay here caring for two grown women. You should also go and rest. I'm sure no one has been able to sleep these past two days."
"Ah, that's true. Now that the danger has ceased, my body is slowly losing energy. I'll have to come back after taking a nap at home."
"Okay."
Before Lilia left the living room, the door that led to the room Norn and Teresa were in, opened up.
"Oh, Norn!" Lilia hurriedly ran over. "Do you need something to eat? I'll make porridge before I go. It'll be finished in awhile."
"…." Norn wordlessly nodded.
Lilia, although worried about Norn's mental state, headed towards the kitchen. The pots and pans began clinking a few moments later.
"I will go and see to her injuries." Lucri stealthily passed by Norn and closed the room's door behind him.
Norn seemed to trust him since she made no particular movement after he entered the room.
'…..This is so awkward. Should I say something first?'
Arnold wasn't the kind of person who knew how to initiate a conversation with someone who was brooding.
"She kept asking where you were before she finally fell asleep." Norn began speaking as she looked into Arnold's eyes. "She's like a housewife waiting for her husband to return from war. She said that she never got to thank you for what you did."
"All I did was order my companion to heal her after bringing her to the village. It was nothing much."
"No." Norn firmly denied it. She stepped forward and lifted up her hands.
Arnold was confused for a moment before she wrapped her arms around him.
"Thank you for saving her… Thank you…" Norn tightened her hug. "If not for you…"
"There is nothing to be thankful for," Arnold said nonchalantly, "As an adventurer it is my duty to fight for the people."
"…I almost forgot that we have no way to pay sir Nova… All our crops have been destroyed so we can't sell it to pay the fee." Norn smiled bitterly.
Arnold shook his head. At this point it didn't matter whether they could pay him or not.
'Since I'll be milking the guild dry~'
He was laughing evilly on the inside but his face was expressionless on the outside.
"…You are really kind."
Those words made him speechless.
Kind? Arnold von Berkley was kind? If the girl knew who he really was then she would've vomited blood.
'I guess what I did was out of kindness…from their perspective at least… But it was still something I had to do regardless if this village was in danger or not.'
They were just there so it couldn't be helped.
Norn released the hug and wiped her eyes which were filled with tears.
She smiled lovingly, her expression loose and happy.
"The villagers came to offer their gratitude."
"Eh?"
She took his hand and pulled him towards the door. The two then left the house and Arnold was left speechless when he saw what awaited them outside.
All the villagers, including the village chief, were standing outside the house.
The village chief stepped forward.
"We were just about to knock but that seems unnecessary," Rod laughed heartily as he gestured towards the people, "Each of them came to express their gratitude for everything you and your companion have done for us. Were it not for you then none of us would've been able to see tomorrow."
"You are our hero." A familiar young boy stepped forward as well as he gazed up at Arnold with a smile.
'His name is Nait if I remember correctly.'
"That's right. We have lost many things like our crops but those can be rebuild. The lives that were lost, however, cannot." There was a shadow that loomed over everyone's faces at the ones they lost. "Once again, we are truly grateful."
Saying so, the old man put down his cane and attempted to bow his head.
Arnold was speechless when he saw the other people do the same thing. It was like they looked up to him after what he did.
Before long, the entire village was bowing to Misteltein.
When he looked to his right, he could see Lucri smiling at him.
'Is this what it feels like to be a hero?'
…
◇◇◇
The castle was once again filled with chaos at the sight of a Dark Elf walking in the hallway. The servants shrieked and backed away when they caught sight of the man Luke was leading into the castle.
There were about two more men behind them who were carrying another unconscious man.
'What's going on?' Olivia, noticing the heavy atmosphere, came into the castle from the courtyard. 'Is that a dark elf!? I haven't seen one in a long time…'
She was speechless.
'What is the young master doing? I thought he left already?'
"Does that unconscious man not look familiar, Elna?" Olivia pointed to the man they were carrying up the stairs.
Elna, who was standing like a statue upon seeing them, responded:
"Yes, he does. He was with another man who took sir Arnold to the capital."
"Then what is he doing back here alone? With a Dark Elf, no less?"
In an attempt to find out what was going on, Olivia followed the four people. They were heading to the head's office by the looks of it.
Adrianna was in the process of teaching magic to servants who possess mana. It was a delicate time that she found extremely important so no one was allowed near the office while she was busy with her students.
Mere servants could act as the last defense of this household which was why it was so important.
Despite all this, Olivia could see that the Dark Elf wasn't being considerate as he banged on the door which made the knights, including Luke, speechless.
"Open up the door and come out! This is urgent!"
"H-Hey! Are you crazy!?" The captain of the Imperial Force unit grabbed the man's shoulder with a firm grip.
The dark elf only pushed the captain away.
He continued banging on the door.
Before he could yell again, a cold voice came from inside the room, followed by a powerful surge of mana.
--What is the meaning for this? I told everyone not to bother me when I have classes with my students.
"Tch." The dark elf man pulled his right arm back in an attempt to punch the door. "Huuup--!"
However, the scenery suddenly changed.
'Eh!? I was caught up in the teleportation spell!' Olivia opened up her eyes and realized that they were now standing inside a spacious office that was the size of two bedrooms of this castle.
Adrianna took off her glasses and gazed coldly at the dark elf man. "The four of you should wait in the adjutant room."
"Y-Yes." The four servants stood up and each of them entered the door that was connected to another room.
The office had four big red couches which were filled with learning material and magic books. There was also a big desk with two chairs which the patriarch usually sat on. A painting of the first hero hanged on the wall to the right of the desk while a portrait of the duke was on the left side of the desk.
"Who are you and what are you looking for?" After standing up and approaching the five of them, Adrianna asked.
"Um, this man was looking for you and he said it's something important." Luke explained.
"I hope it is important otherwise this man is in deep trouble."
In response to Adrianna, thee man harrumphed.
"I am Ziom and I've come with a message." He grabbed the head of the unconscious Imperial Force knight. "This man, along with the one we already killed, were planning to assassinate your son."
"Huh?" Adrianna's expression shifted to that of disbelief. "But they are the Imperial Force. A unit primarily focused on protecting the people and upholding justice. Surely there is a mistake?"
She didn't seem to believe the elf.
Olivia was the same. Who would so brazenly try to hurt Arnold again after the last attempt? The duke went on a rampage and slaughtered ten men along with hundreds of soldiers who stood in his way.
After knowing the power of the duke, there had never been anyone who dared to hurt Arnold or any of the family members.
Until now, it seemed.
"I know about your empire's Imperial Force. They are similar to the Imperial Army in some ways but on a smaller scale. But this guy is not part of such a force."
A frown emerged on Adrianna's face.
"T-Then where is big brother now?" Luke anxiously asked the dark elf.
"That is confidential. Until the leader has found out who the suspects are, he will remain undercover and not approach the castle."
"You say leader…What do you mean by that?" Adrianna shook her head. "No, that is not important. Is Arnold at least safe?"
"He is."
She sighed in relief.
"What about the prince. Is he also in the same situation as my son?"
"I can't say for sure if he is."
"Dammit." Adrianna looked at Olivia, "Why are you here as well?"
"Ah, I just happened to see young master Luke heading to the office…with this…" Olivia looked at the towering Dark Elf and chose her words. "—gentleman, so I was curious."
"I see. Well, there is no need to chase you out. You should stay and listen as well."
"Yes."
Adrianna then turned back to Ziom.
"Where is the body of the other man who was with him?"
"We disposed of it, per our client's request."
"So my son is this client, is he?"
"That's correct. Why else would we involve ourselves with someone who was a potential threat to us? Instead of making him our enemy, we made him an ally. Well, my leader views him as someone who can make her rise in rank."
"How long have you known my son? And what made you interested in him? What is this rank related to?"
"Can't say. That is confidential."
Adrianna pointed her hand at the man.
"I can utter one chant to blow your brains out. If you are the cause of my son being in danger…"
Ziom's entire face filled with sweat as he gulped hard.
"I can assure you we are only involved with him because of his use to us. I-I apologize that I cannot answer all your questions. B-But I can ask my leader if you can meet up with her."
Adrianna lowered her hand.
"No. That is unnecessary. I would much rather not get myself involved with criminals like my son does."
The man sighed in relief when Adrianna's killing intent vanished.
"Must I ask for reinforcements from the imperial army?" The captain stepped forward to ask. "If the young master is in danger then chances are that the other members of the family will also be in danger."
Olivia's eyes widened.
'Isn't miss Claudia and Grace still out shopping?'
Olivia noticed that Luke's eyes were also widened as if he realized the same thing.
"Hey, Luke!?"
Luke suddenly ran out of the office which startled Adrianna as she called out to him.
"What's going on…?" Olivia wondered as she kept gazing at the door.
"I will appreciate it if you ask for reinforcements, captain. Please have them ready as soon as you can," Adrianna ordered. "We will need to reinforce the castle's defense—"
When Adrianna was about to continue talking, a loud boom interrupted her. Screams of agony broke out almost immediately after.
What they had feared came to pass as soon as they were about to prepare for the worst. Left with no choice, Adrianna ordered:
"Ready the defenses we currently have."