Chapter 25: A Village with a Wolf Problem
Chapter 25: A Village with a Wolf Problem
After escaping the formation, which vanished the moment we left, Lynn and I continued flying in search of a place to rest.
My condition made the pause necessary, and Lynn’s concern pushed her to increase her speed. The wind’s pressure did not touch me at all, as if her buff-like power wrapped me in a protective layer.
Earlier, I had even been able to walk slowly despite my weakness because her adaptive buff was still active.
It was the same enhancement that had allowed me to stroll and retrieve that monster core.
Now that we had left that place, several details struck me at once. The sun’s warmth felt normal again.
The wind was gentle.
The chaos of the massive battle inside the formation was gone, as if it had never existed.
The natural energy here was almost nonexistent, so faint it felt like a single drop of water compared to the vast ocean in Grandpa Zach’s territory. Only spirit energy and mana remained abundant.
The complete absence of natural energy puzzled me enough that I decided to ask Lynn while we crossed the open sky.
“Um, Lynn, why can’t I feel any natural energy here? What happened?”
“You noticed that, young miss?” she asked.
“Yes.”
How could I not? I had been surrounded by natural energy every day and night in the grand mansion.
It was only natural to notice when something I had grown used to vanished all at once.
Even a child might have sensed the change.
For someone like me, who could see it clearly, it was impossible to ignore.
Tsk. Lynn still underestimated me. I could understand why. She had never seen me train.
In her eyes, all I ever did was quietly control mana in secret, drink, and eat. To her, I must have seemed unremarkable.
Yet for someone so strong, she could be surprisingly stupid at times. Perhaps that was the result of not feeling emotions.
I could not tell.
While I appeared to be listening closely, my mind wandered until her voice pulled me back.
“Indeed, but the reason is simple, young miss. We are no longer in His Highness’s domain where his formation was set. That formation gathered natural energy within its range. Outside of it, the energy is naturally absent.”
Really? So that massive formation had such a function? If so, it was an ideal training ground. Abundant natural energy and powerful monsters made it perfect for people obsessed with growing stronger.
But that was not my passion.
My goal was not simply strength. I trained for survival, for revenge, and for the hope of returning home.
Training in a place where death loomed was not my style.
I preferred a safe, steady environment, even if progress was slower.
Life-and-death experiences could be more efficient, but they were not worth the risk.
I was here for a reason, and dying before achieving it was not an option.
Even if it meant missing a chance, I would never gamble my life without necessity.
Mana and spirit energy were still plentiful here, so it was not truly a problem. My system was with me as well, though I was still testing its limits.
If I ever found a weakness, I would exploit it without hesitation, but I doubted it would be that simple.
If there were no limits, there would be no balance. While I waited for its stock to build, I would focus on solving my most urgent problem, my pregnancy.
With my thoughts settled, I gave Lynn a deliberately surprised response.
“Really? Then wouldn’t that be bad?”
“Not really, young miss. Mana is abundant here, and there are places all over the world with strong concentrations of mana, spirit energy, or demonic energy. The faint natural energy here is not an issue, so there is no need to worry.”
“I see. Thank you, Lynn.”
“You are welcome, young miss.”
After teasing her about something I already understood, we continued flying, putting more than twenty miles between us and Grandpa Zach’s territory.
Far below, unfamiliar monsters came into view: horned rabbits, massive snakes, and groups of pig-like creatures walking upright, forming a village.
The sight made me pause.
Pigs with a hierarchy? Was this a new race?
When I asked, Lynn explained that they were not pigs but orcs, mutated swine corrupted by demonic energy, dangerous enough to be considered a C-Rank threat to humans.
I understood immediately, though I could not explain why these monsters seemed so restless. I had a few guesses, but none of them fit.
I decided to set the thought aside. Too much had happened, and I was mentally drained.
Sleepiness crept in as Lynn carried me steadily through the open sky, the rhythm of her flight easing me toward rest.
Hours passed before she spotted a distant village.
She gently woke me, her calm voice waiting for my decision on whether we should approach.
I opened my eyes to the lights shimmering in the distance. The night air was cool against my skin, and a faint smile tugged at my lips. We had finally arrived.
The flight had taken far longer than I expected.
I had slept for many hours and awoke in the late afternoon.
By my estimation, it was close to four o’clock when I opened my eyes. The sun was already low, and shadows stretched across the land.
Night was settling in, which worked to our advantage.
Fewer people roamed after dark, giving us time to find a place to stay without attracting attention.
I motioned for Lynn to set me down near the entrance. Guards stood at their posts, and I assumed they might require a permit.
To avoid suspicion, we landed some distance away and approached on foot along the uneven dirt road.
After only a short walk, two guards noticed us and came forward.
“My god, she is pregnant,” the younger one whispered.
“Be quiet,” the older man replied.
“I understand.”
The younger guard was probably a teenager, his curiosity written plainly on his face. His words had been thoughtless but not malicious.
The man beside him was older, clad in worn leather armor.
His appearance was plain, but his manner was courteous.
“Excuse me, miss. Do you need assistance?”
“Yes,” I answered with a polite smile. “We plan to stay for one night in this village, if that is all right.”
“We have no objection. Allow us to guide you inside.”
“All right.”
I acted as though I knew nothing, though I already suspected there was no permit fee. Their expressions gave them away; they looked genuinely pleased to see us, as if the village had gained something valuable.
It made me wonder if they were short on people. To be certain, I asked, “May I ask something?”
“Yes, go ahead, ma’am.”
“Do we need to pay for a permit here?”
The young guard stifled a laugh.
“What is so amusing?” I tilted my head in confusion, feigning innocence.
The older guard, who had remained quiet until then, gave me a thoughtful look.
“Miss, have you heard anything about this village? Is that why you have come seeking refuge?”
“No,” I replied honestly. “We are simply here for a short rest. Why?”
“I see.”
His earlier enthusiasm made me curious. There was clearly more to the story.
“So, what exactly is the problem?”
The older guard’s tone shifted.
“It is like this.”
He explained as we walked toward the gates.
By the time we arrived, his tale was complete, and my head ached from the absurd truth.
“So you are telling me the baron abandoned the village because a Demonic Wolf has targeted it?”
“Yes. That is the truth.”
The man’s weary eyes revealed his strain. I understood. No sane person would willingly face a Demonic Wolf, a B-Rank monster. If I were an ordinary human, I would have fled too.
“What abilities does it have?”
“It commands lightning, infused with demonic energy. It is arrogant and prefers to hunt alone. If it truly intends to attack, none of us will survive. However, almost a month has passed without incident. We decided we could not live in constant fear, so to keep the village alive, we began recruiting new citizens.”
“I understand.”
“That is why we welcome people like you.”
So that was the real reason.
We had stumbled upon a place that was actively recruiting. They likely had housing prepared and work available, enough for us to live quietly. Considering my pregnancy, it was an ideal situation.
“Then may I become a permanent villager here?”
The guards froze, their surprise quickly replaced by joy.
Even Lynn, who had been silent until now, stared at me in disbelief as if she could not comprehend me anymore, but I ignored her reaction.
“Truly? You wish to live here?” the older guard asked.
“Yes. We have not had a proper home for some time, and this will suit us well.”
“That is the best decision you could have made. You have my gratitude.”
He turned to the younger guard. “Tan, inform the village head that we have gained another resident.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
The boy hurried away to deliver the news while the older man stayed to escort us into the village without asking for a single coin.
Although the situation seemed settled, my thoughts wandered elsewhere. The guards’ description of the wolf gnawed at me. At first, I had assumed they were speaking of some unknown creature.
Now I realized they were talking about the same arrogant beast I had already killed.
It had hunted alone, just as they described, and in its overconfidence it had tried to devour me. It died for that mistake, its body torn apart in a gruesome end.
I had not expected there to be others of its kind.
The villagers feared its name, and to them, a B-Rank monster was a nightmare. To me, it was nothing worth worrying over.
My focus was on my own plans.
Thinking about it any further would only waste my energy.
