We only realized the sky had turned crimson as we emerged from the forest.
Stepping out from the dim woods, a cold wind blew against us harder than usual.
Covered in blood and mud, all we wanted was to get back and wash up.
Shouldering the bag stuffed with materials again, I started walking, with Miranda, Aria, and Eva following behind.
I looked at everyone's expressions.
Eva was worn out from guiding us through the forest, since we weren't accustomed to it.
Miranda and Aria were also completely exhausted from being in the unfamiliar woods.
(Maybe I should give everyone a day off tomorrow. Once we finish hunting the Grey Wolf on the next run, we need to leave this village.)
I decided to spend a day letting everyone recover their stamina and checking our equipment, with a break in between.
But the truth was, the break wasn't just for my companions' sake.
(Honestly, I'm wiped too.)
An unfamiliar environment is brutally draining.
Our movements had improved on the first and second days, but our clothes were in tatters.
Tramping through the forest, pushing along pathless trails — it was grueling work.
Sweaty, sticky with mud and blood, we hurried our aching bodies toward the building where we'd been lodging in the village, eager to wash our clothes and ourselves.
Just then, Eva spoke up.
"Hey, make sure you report this properly. If you don't, this place is going to overflow with Monsters before long."
Eva had noticed the strange scarcity of beasts in the forest, and she pressed me to report it to the village chief.
I couldn't very well tell her to go report it herself.
The village chief would be fine, but I couldn't see the villagers listening to Eva's opinion. Elves were a race with a weaker standing compared to humans.
And this was my job as the leader.
"I know, I know. I'll head to the village chief's place once I've changed. But come along too. If it's just me, I won't be able to explain it properly, and I'd like your advice."
Eva was the one who had noticed the strangeness in the forest. But even when she explained it to me, it didn't really click. And I was worried whether I could explain it properly myself.
Depending on how things went, the village notables might all gather for a discussion. I was anxious about whether I could convey things well when that happened.
"I'm tired and want to lie down, but I guess that's not an option... Fine."
Since Eva was satisfied with that, I left it at that.
"I'll take tomorrow off. Two days in a row is rough on the body. I'll see how things are and take a day or two to rest. Actually, should I just do the report tomorrow?"
Eva glared at me.
"I'd like you to hurry this along, you know?"
She seemed more serious about it than I'd realized, so I apologized.
Aria spoke up.
"Then I'll get changed and finish checking my equipment today. I want to take it easy tomorrow."
Miranda, for her part—
"It'd be nice if there were somewhere to look around. Come to think of it, Eva, you sang on the first day, didn't you? Are you going to do it again?"
Eva made a troubled expression and pressed her hand to her forehead.
"Because I got told off after that, I'll need to get permission from the village chief and the notables this time. Apparently some villagers had ditched their work to come listen. That was my failure too."
She'd been pestered by the children into singing, and it seemed the adults had gathered as well.
Thanks to that, Eva had apparently been reprimanded.
I hadn't heard any report about that.
Maybe someone had spoken to Eva about it privately.
"Then, while we're at it, let's get permission when we visit the village chief."
At that, Eva's face lit up with a smile.
"Really?"
"Well, as long as you don't push yourself too hard. If you get your equipment inspected and rest up, I won't have any complaints."
From within the Jewel, the Fourth Generation's voice rang out.
"He's finally come this far. In the beginning, Laiel had absolutely no interest in others and was nothing but a nuisance to Novem — but he's grown."
He said it in a deliberately tearful voice.
The Third Generation, in contrast, laughed.
"But even so, there are still plenty of areas where he falls short. His initial evaluation was so low that even small improvements feel like real growth."
The Fifth Generation spoke up.
"...Personally, I think it would be best not to get too deeply involved. Got it? Make sure you casually check in on everyone — strike up a conversation, ask about their well-being. Don't forget to do that."
They were really worried about me.
Thinking it was unexpected, I headed toward the building where we were staying.
When I set off for the village chief's house with Eva, it seemed they had just finished eating.
I had intentionally timed our visit to avoid mealtime and preparations, thinking it would be a bother otherwise — and it seemed my timing was spot on.
Once inside the house, the village chief asked his wife to prepare some drinks and agreed to hear us out.
"So, what brings you here? Did some fool try peeping or thieving again?"
I explained the situation together with Eva.
"Actually—"
The village chief was listening with a serious expression.
Just as if they had been waiting for us to finish, his wife came out and offered us hot drinks.
I thanked her and accepted, then took small sips of the hot liquid to soothe my mouth, tired from all the talking.
Eva, was it too hot? She was blowing on it and puffing her cheeks.
"...You did well to inform us. It makes sense why the Grey Wolves are increasing. It wasn't like this before, though."
It seemed Eva wasn't the only one sensitive to changes in the forest.
For the villagers living near the forest as well, it appeared to be a significant matter.
"The number of beasts is low? Now that you mention it, you're right, we haven't run into as many lately."
The chief, looking convinced, seemed to have something in mind.
He stroked his chin and nodded several times.
"Do you have any idea what's going on?"
"...There were those fools after your equipment, right? They've been going into the forest a lot recently. That itself isn't unusual, but lately, they've even been bringing weapons along. There aren't any nobles around here, so as long as we pay the city its allotted grain tax, we're fine. We're relatively well-off, so many of them use that money to buy weapons. They probably took out the weapons they had at home..."
The farmers of Baim were well-off, and that they possessed weapons was something I had confirmed when we entered the village.
The chief made a disgusted face.
"Traps... I told them to remove them when not used for catching prey... Damn it!"
Listening to the chief's explanation, it seemed they had tried to kill Monsters in order to level up.
In Baim, it was believed that defeating Monsters made you stronger. With so many adventurers, it was probably evidence that many had experienced this firsthand.
And then—
"They targeted beasts, not Monsters! I told them not to interfere when the forest's balance is upset, but... Can't they tell the difference?"
—What's the difference between a living creature and a Monster?
When asked this, most people would say it comes down to the presence or absence of Magic Stones.
If there's a Magic Stone, it's a Monster.
Otherwise, it's a living creature.
If you want to verify, just kill it and extract the Magic Stone.
As a result, they must have ended up killing far more beasts than Monsters.
Living near the forest, they happened to be knowledgeable about setting traps in the wilderness, and that expertise proved to be their undoing.
They probably captured wolves and the like, then swarmed and killed them in groups.
If they extracted a Magic Stone, they'd take it home; otherwise, they'd leave the carcass where it fell.
From appearances, it might have looked like they'd been defeating Monsters all along.
The village chief looked frustrated.
"It's my mistake. My apologies—you saved me by pointing that out. Still, the Guild sure sent us some fine adventurers, I'll give them that."
With the conversation reaching a natural pause, I tried to ask permission for Eva to perform her song. But the village chief shook his head.
"Sorry, but tomorrow won't work. Not because I don't like you or anything like that—tomorrow we're gathering the notable citizens and villagers to put those fools on public display. We have to make sure no one else does the same thing."
(They're going that far?)
While I was thinking that, the Third Generation seemed to notice my doubts.
The Third Generation's voice came from inside the Jewel.
"...It's unavoidable that fools will show up, but if you mishandle what comes after, villages can be wiped out in an instant. The methods might differ from village to village, but they'd all try to make sure the same kind of foolery doesn't happen again."
The Sixth Generation spoke.
"And yet, even after suffering terribly for it, once the generation changes, they do the same thing all over again. Because people who are foolish will be foolish, no matter how much you teach them."
At those words from the Sixth Generation, the Fifth Generation muttered quietly.
"…Coming from the one who ran away from home, that's hardly convincing. How many times do I have to say it?"
While letting the conversation among the Successive Heads drift past my ears, I stole a glance at Eva.
She seemed to accept it as inevitable and didn't appear particularly bothered. If anything, the fact that they were taking it that seriously seemed to please her as an elf.
"Sorry. This is my livelihood—or rather, my life on the line—so give me a break."
After being told that by the village chief, we headed back to join our companions.
The next day.
For the first time in a while, I'd gotten a solid night's sleep without having to face off against the Successive Heads in a serious match. When I woke, the sun was already high and I could hear my companions' voices all around me.
I got up and stretched, but my body still felt a little heavy—maybe from fatigue.
"I wonder if the village meeting is over?"
As I murmured that and stepped outside, Monica spotted me and came over.
"To think you'd wake up before noon—what a hopeless master you are. Please think about me, the one who has to cook and clean! Having such a useless master, I'm so happy that tears are streaming down my face."
Was she angry, or was she happy?
Monica held out the bundle she'd been carrying.
"What's this?"
"There's still time before lunch, so I made a light meal. After you eat, hand it to that little brat hiding inside Porter and tell her to wash it."
I took it and opened the lid to find sandwiches inside.
I picked one up and took a bite—a little soggy, but delicious.
"Huh, Shannon was hiding?"
"Hmph! There are no days off for housework, and she thinks it's unfair that she's the only one who can't rest... Well, I'll do my best for the Chicken at lunch!"
Thinking that the usual treatment would have been perfectly fine, I thanked Monica as she finished up the sandwiches.
I took the container I had and headed to where Porter was.
Looking around, it seemed Novem and the others had gone out.
The door to Porter's cargo area was open, and Clara was sitting there reading a book.
It was one of the many books she had bought up to read during travel.
But Clara had already finished every single one of them.
"Rereading?"
When I called out to her, Clara nodded.
Then she looked at the container in my hand, and her gaze shifted to Shannon, who was wrapped in a blanket at the back of the cargo area.
"She's sleeping. Miranda invited her to go look around the village, but she came back partway through and has been like this ever since."
She had come back alone and was hiding, fast asleep.
I climbed into Porter's cargo area and went over to Shannon.
Just then, Aria came running back.
She headed straight for Monica and called out in a loud voice.
"Monica, is Rael up yet?"
Monica took in Aria's state and must have figured it was something urgent.
"He went into Porter's cargo area. What's going on?"
Aria approached the spot where Porter had been stopped. Monica was with her.
Despite the chill in the air, Aria was drenched in sweat as she spoke to me.
"Rael, those guys you mentioned yesterday apparently broke loose. And they headed into the forest, or so I heard. The village chief says he needs to talk to you."
I climbed down from Porter's cargo area.
"The village chief? What business does he have with me?"
I was heading to the village chief's house with Aria and told Clara and Monica to stand by.
As the two of us made our way toward the chief's house, the adults in the village seemed to be in a panic as well.
Upon arriving at the village chief's house, I met up with Novem, Miranda, and Eva, who were already there, and listened in on the conversation.
The spacious village chief's house was packed with local notables, making it feel cramped.
The village chief, looking exhausted, addressed me.
"I'm sorry for dragging you here. Actually, I'd like to request an additional job."
At the word "job," I looked around.
The notables looked indignant, while Novem and the others wore complicated expressions.
"What's the content?"
I had to know what the job entailed before I could accept it.
The content was as follows.
"I want you to bring back those idiots who escaped. I saw them run into the forest, but it'd be difficult for the villagers to go in and search."
The notables raised their voices.
"With Monsters on the rise, what were they thinking?"
"Chief, you've been too lenient, haven't you? That's exactly why I said they should have been banished."
"They ran off with the village's money… Managing that was the chief's responsibility, after all."
Complaints directed at the village chief kept coming, and the notables looked me over as if sizing me up.
"Are these adventurers going to be enough? They're just women and children, aren't they?"
"Back in the previous chief's time, they sent far more capable adventurers."
Our ages and appearances certainly didn't make us look like seasoned adventurers.
But being told that didn't exactly put me in a good mood.
The village chief sighed.
"I'll prepare the additional rewards myself. I'll handle the rest, so just head back for today."
The notables filed out of the village chief's house, grumbling complaints as they went.
A few of them kept glancing at his wife.
Left behind were a man slightly younger than the village chief, and us—
The village chief slammed his fist on the desk and glared toward the door.
"Damn it! They never lift a finger normally, but when something happens they band together! Who the hell were those sons of bitches ogling?!"
He looked frustrated, and what irritated him most seemed to be that those men had been eyeing his wife.
The man who stayed behind looked to be in his thirties.
"Chief, we need to move things along. I'll listen to your gripes tonight if you want."
"S-Sorry about that. I hate to ask, but can you handle this? At the very least, I'd like to recover the village's money they stole. If you can't manage that, it's fine—but if anything comes to mind when you head into the forest, try looking for them."
Searching for young men who had ventured deep into the vast forest would be a tall order even for adults, especially with the number of Monsters on the rise.
The reward offered was more than the amount they had stolen—it had to be, or no one would come back.
On top of that, bringing back the young men who had fled would earn an additional bonus.
I accepted the job and spoke to the village chief.
"You've got it tough too, Chief."
"Hm? Oh, it's always like this. They know perfectly well they can't put up proper requests themselves, and they know no adventurers will be dispatched for them... but when something like this happens, they gang up on me—the former adventurer. The way they treat me like an idiot—they figure they can push an outsider around, but push too hard and the outsider might actually fight back. That's why I didn't want this job."
I found myself sympathizing with someone stuck in an environment where you drew complaints no matter what you did.
Why had I decided to settle permanently in this village?
It was something I'd wondered about myself, but then I recalled my conversation with the village chief.
He'd gone on about how earning more would let me afford a nice estate somewhere, and told me I needed to learn to make real money.
"Were none of the other villages any good?"
Whether he understood what I was really asking, I wasn't sure, but the village chief shook his head.
"They're all the same. Popular places cost money too. Some of them demand huge sums just to let you live there. So I picked a village that wouldn't cost anything... damn it, knowing all that doesn't stop me from getting angry."
A man in his thirties.
"If you're an adventurer too, you'd better learn to start earning."
We confirmed the contents of the request and headed outside.
That was when we heard the village chief shouting.