Chapter 20: Who is it targeting?
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Pairs of dimly glowing eyes observed the village from the darkness. These uninvited guests seemed to be waiting for the moment when everyone had fallen asleep, making it easier for them to take action.
However, Ash, who had been staying up late, felt that something was off. The atmosphere tonight was too abnormal. Without hesitation, he walked out of his room and—bang!—kicked open Frieren's door.
The door, which had been in disrepair for a long time, or perhaps weakened by him previously, fell down with a single kick, sending dust scattering across the ground.
"What now?!" Frieren, who had been lying in bed, sat up suddenly, glaring at him fiercely. "I tried my best tonight, didn't I? Why are you tearing my door down?"
"This isn't the time to talk about that."
"No! If you don't explain clearly, I won't let this go!"
"There's danger, likely an enemy attack."
"Enemy attack? At this hour? Here??"
Frieren had never heard such words in all her years in the village. She was suspicious for a moment, wondering if Ash had been on the battlefield for too long and was becoming overly nervous—just like those old soldiers who grew paranoid, always thinking danger was lurking around.
In this world, there was no official term like "post-traumatic stress disorder," just as there hadn't been in ancient times. But that didn't mean such a condition didn't exist, it simply hadn't been diagnosed yet. Frieren, who had read about similar situations in books, couldn't help but look at Ash with sympathy. "...Should I cast a sleep spell on you?"
"You... forget it. Just come with me."
"Huh? Wait...!"
Before Frieren had a chance to refuse, Ash gave up on explaining and grabbed her by the ankles, dragging her off the bed.
Effortlessly lifting her upside down, he walked out of the room with her in tow.
Ash had performed this maneuver at least five times in the past two years, so although it was the first time he'd carried her out of her room, Frieren looked almost indifferent, as if resigned to her fate.
While still trying to maintain some dignity by covering her skirt, she cast an irritated glance at him from below. "You're the legendary hooligan, right?"
"I'm not interested in children."
"I'm an elder."
"I'm not interested in old ladies either."
"Old lady... this is the second time."
Frieren hadn't cared much initially, but when she heard these words again, a subtle shift occurred in her expression, as if she mentally jotted down his remarks in a little notebook.
Ash, however, was focused elsewhere, surveying the area. "Be quiet. Listen carefully. Don't you sense something wrong?"
"You're the most suspicious person in this village right now. Put me down already. Do you even know what time it is?" Frieren, still hanging upside down, glanced around but saw nothing unusual. Frustrated, she kicked his wrist.
Her kick forced him to let go, and her head hit the ground with a thud. She immediately yelped in pain.
"Ow! How dare you...! I've already... mmf?!"
"Quiet."
Before Frieren could finish her complaints, Ash thrust his hand over her mouth, silencing her instantly.
She was so confused that she forgot the pain and just stared blankly, looking at the bastard in front of her who had his fingers in her mouth.
But it was then, as neither of them made any sound, that she finally noticed something unusual: the surroundings were much quieter than normal.
...
In the village, deep within the forest, the absence of insects or birds singing at night was extremely rare. Even Frieren, despite her usual carefree nature, found this silence unsettling.
Though she had grown up in the peaceful and overly comfortable village far from any kind of conflict, she finally sensed that something was wrong. She quickly pulled his finger out of her mouth, scanning the area vigilantly: "What's going on?"
"I don't know. But it seems like there might be an enemy nearby, lying in wait."
"...Are they here for you?"
"Me?" He looked genuinely surprised as he pointed to himself.
Frieren gave him an expressionless stare: "Aren't you a defected general?"
"Well, yes, but if they're after me, they're about 500 years too early."
"Five hundred years too early for what?"
"More importantly, do you have any idea what's going on? This is probably something related to your people, right?"
"...Not at all."
Having stayed in the village without ever venturing out, Frieren couldn't think of any reason why someone would attack. After all, the village hadn't experienced any kind of attack for countless years.
In fact, it could be said that elves, by their very nature, rarely offended anyone when they left their village, which explained how they had survived in peace for so long.
The truth is, the elves' longevity could largely be attributed to their peaceful temperament and tendency to avoid meddling in the affairs of others, which is why...
"Are you sure it's not because of you?" After giving it more thought, Frieren turned back to him, unwilling to let the matter go: "Come on, admit it, what did you do?"
"...Did I do anything?"
"You're the only one here who could cause trouble."
"The nation I defected from is far, far away from here, so there's no way it's them. And since I've been here, I've just lived off my parents, I haven't done anything wrong."
"...Lived off your parents?"
"It means not working and relying on your elderly family members."
"...You actually do that?"
Elves, once they became adults, always lived independently. Frieren found his behavior of living off his parents distasteful, and she couldn't help but wonder aloud: "Does that mean your parents are here to visit you?"
"I seriously doubt it. Stop accusing me without reason. Clearly, this is something your people must have done."
"But we haven't offended anyone."
"Really?"
"If everyone were like you, we wouldn't live that long, would we?" Frieren gave him a sidelong glare, still keeping an eye on their surroundings.
Ash shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe someone has it out for a lazy person like you."
"I doubt it. Besides you, I can't imagine anyone hating me."
"Well, that's comforting, but maybe we should focus on how to handle the situation?"
"I don't think we have to worry too much… After all, they're already here."
As their conversation unfolded, the strange figures—or demons—that had been lurking around the village seemed to abandon their plan for a surprise attack. Instead, they emerged from the shadows, revealing themselves from all sides.
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T/N: Another week dawn's, and with it, the call for rank, Give me thy power stones, and I shall raise above all others, Grant me thy aid, and rewards Shall be thine—Extra chapter for the loyal, Glory for the bold