But the granny refused to speak and merely glared into Luz's eyes.
Luz, annoyed by her behavior, tried to grab her arm, but as he was about to touch her, the parasites inside him screamed, 'DANGER DANGER DANGER,' stopping him in his tracks.
'What the fuck is going on? From what danger are they warning me!?' Luz thought in confusion, and after sighing loudly, he withdrew his hand before commenting casually, "Fine. You don't have to cooperate with us at all. However, someone else in your pesky village is definitely willing to sell you all out for a few pennies."
But the elderly woman merely giggled in amusement before choking on something.
Knowing that the latter might die, Luz slapped her back while whispering, "We cannot allow you to die yet. After all, you might even spill out the beans for us.~"
After spitting out a few flies, the granny revealed her rotting teeth to Luz. "Thanks, lad… However, here is some advice from me. Leave and never return. You have no idea what the fuck is going on here, hehhehehe."
The flies on the ground confirmed Luz's suspicion. 'This village has fallen as a victim as well.' However, unlike what she might have hoped for, Luz was not swayed by her words in the slightest and merely chuckled, "I know what the fuck is going on, and we are here for that thing."
Upon hearing his voice, the granny burst into laughter, only to choke on another few flies that sought to leave her body. After calming herself down… she answered with a croaked voice, "None of you stand a chance against that thing."
"What do you mean by that thing?" Luz asked curiously, but the granny did not answer. Instead, she displayed her rotting teeth as flies crept out between the gaps.
Irritated by her antics, Luz shifted his gaze to Francis, who only sighed, "Fine. I will take care of it," before grabbing the granny's arm.
The latter immediately tried to resist Francis's grip, but no matter how much she tried, Francis did not bulge and only sighed, "Please give up. Your arm is more likely to break before I loosen my grip."
After struggling for quite some time, the elderly woman gave up and led them into the village.
As one might expect, the residents there were not so enthusiastic about welcoming their visitors. Most of them stood in front of their houses, staring at them in distrust while holding any equipment they owned, ranging from farm equipment such as shovels and pitchforks to weapons.
"They don't seem to be so eager to see us," Tony mumbled quietly as the group moved through the village toward the village center, where a man sat on a wooden chair.
"Oh really?" Lewis cursed. "Of course they are not. Have you forgotten what kind of chaos is happening in the forest and that we killed one of them."
Francis chuckled at his comrades' words, and the group only stopped in front of a man in his mid-forties, surrounded by five men equipped with crossbows next to a well.
These five men aimed at the group, and Francis snickered loudly in displeasure.
After standing for a few seconds in silence, the man sitting on the wooden chair demanded lazily, "Put your weapon down, and we can discuss. Otherwise, I, Elias, will order them to fire."
"That's outrag-," But before Luz could finish his sentence, Francis coldly answered, "Fine. We are willing to comply if your men comply as well."
"They will. Don't worry," the leader, Elias, yawned, and Francis merely glared at Luz, stating, "Do as he commands," before dropping his battleax.
Lewis was the first of the rest who dropped his short sword and shield, and after Luz saw that even Tony complied, he cursed, "Y'all have lost your minds," before dropping his weapons as well.
However, as one might expect, Elias did not comply, and his men did not even lower their weapons.
'We are doomed,' shot through Luz's head as he moved his gaze towards Francis. "WHY THE FUCK IS THAT BASTARD SO CALM AND UNFAZED AFTER JUST SURRENDERING OUR WEAPONS!? HOW THE FUCK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT NOW.'
The village leader nodded satisfactorily before stating, "I'm not sure if you are brave or stupid to surrender your weapons to me. Anyway, what brings you here?"
Francis chuckled at his words before asking casually with a forced smile, "Shouldn't you show some hospitality to us, outsiders?" But before the man in his forties could even respond to his question, Francis turned serious and pointed his finger towards Elias before coldly demanding, "Keep your words, or you will regret it."
However, the latter burst into laughter, interpreting Francis's demands as empty threats. "You are in no state to demand anything from me. And why the fuck should I even show some courtesy after you killed one of my men…."
Knowing that the discussion with Elias would lead to nowhere, Francis unleashed a stream of fire that engulfed the men in front of him in an instant before they could react.
Screams followed through the village as those men tried to escape the fire. However, the fire stuck to them, and even after the burning men tried rolling on the ground, the fire did not grow weaker. Instead, Francis casually picked his battleax from the ground before reminding them, "I told you. You all would regret it."
After stating that, he shifted his attention towards the shocked villagers and asked loudly, "VILLAGERS. TELL US. WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING. I OFFER THOSE WHO CAN ANSWER MY QUESTION ONE GOLD COIN."
Hearing his offer, some of the villagers hesitated. But those whose greed was greater than their fear immediately rushed toward Luz to answer his question.