CLIP-CLOP-CLIP-CLOP-CLIP-CLOP.

  The overseer from the mountain awoke to find himself ying in the middle of an unfamiliar road. His body was still ag from the mob justice he had been served, and his head still had steaming lumps, but his body was whole.

  Visibly relieved, he pushed to feet with a nasty grin and vowed his revenge. He couldn’t tain the joy he felt at the thought of what the Mhaledictus would do to the Beastfolk vilge ohey got wind of what had transpired.

  CLIP-CLOP-CLIP-CLOP- CLIP-CLOP.

  The man was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the arrival of a carriage.

  “Well, look what we’ve got here,” said the an with a mischievous grin. “Free merdise.”

  In respoo the ridiculous decration, a group of sve traders exited the carriage with their equipment. Their expressions were jaded as they stalked their newly acquired prey with a fidehat hi years of experien the field.

  The former overseer took a cowardly step back, his face growing pale at the sight of the cuffs aers. Each rattle of the s made his heart skip a beat. “I-I work for the Mhaledictus! They’re the most powerful anization in the western hemisphere! If you mess with me, you mess with them! And don’t think that the guilds will be enough to protect you from their wrath!”

  The man regurgitated the same line he had used on Daisuke and the others, but the threat fell on deaf ears. He squealed like a pig as his battered and bruised form was engulfed in the shadows of the encroag men.

  Just until a few minutes ago, he was among them—a predator perceiving the world from their perspective—but, at the flip of a , the roles were now revered. Now he rey; now he would have to ehe pain and suffering he had inflicted on tless people without remorse. Now, in an ironid tragic twist of gate, he had bee a sve.

  ***

  Much to the astonishment of Daisuke, Whindel, and the others, Elmridge vilge came into clear view from a siderable distance away, indig the current inactivity of the barrier. This discovery left them perplexed, especially sidering Timartha’s steadfast itment to maintaining the vilge’s cealment at all times.

  Filled with for the vilgers’ safety, a palpable sense ency propelled the group forward. As they approached the mound-shaped houses, they he path leading into the vilge was littered with the charred, smoking remains of numerous demons, painting a grim picture of ret events.

  Beyond the age, a tiny wolf pup could be seen ying on its ba the grass that hadn’t been scorched by fire. The e was receiving the royal treatment from the children—being fanned, hand-fed, and indulged with belly rubs, a privilege usually reserved fnitaries and kings.

  This spectacle left the approag group dumbfounded. Against the backdrop of widespread destru, a man, his face pale and panicked, shouted, “It’s the Demon King! He’s holding our children hostage!”

  The mere mention of such a formidable and sinister figure sent the group spiraling into a ical, hopeless frenzy.

  “Oh, that’s actually—”

  Daisuke, trying to dispel the misuanding, couldn’t get a word in before Whindel intervened. “We ’t possibly ask you to do any more for us,” the man insisted, sp a bitter yet grateful smile. “Men!” he bellowed to the group, “Prepare for bat! While we were in s, our people defended our home alone! Now is our ce to atone for that disgrace!”

  Despite Elena, Rexar, and Milo’s attempts to quell the misuanding that had engulfed their kin, the fmes of fusion had grown se they were practically visible, adding a touch of absurdity to the dire situation.

  The group erupted in battle cries as their enthusiasm grew. However, when Zephyr began charging toward them with exuberaheir bravado swiftly crumbled, and their fident roars morphed into timid squeals of fear.

  A hushed silence desded over the group as the pup affeately leaped into Daisuke’s arms. Overwhelmed by a sense of shame, Rexar, Milo, and Elena strolled away, leaving the disheartened group behind.

  “…”

  “…”

  Whindel hesitantly extended his arm. “W-Why didn’t you tell us the wolf was an ally?”

  The careless warriors, caught in a moment of refle on their ht, were swiftly interrupted by the entire vilge surging forward to wele them. Weeping wives, husbands, children, and other retives threw themselves into the embrace of their loved ones, overing the fear that they might never see them again.

  Daisuke observed the heartfelt reunion with a warm smile. For the first time in a while, he felt that his existence clearly held meaning; that his as had positively impacted the lives of others—unfortunate folk like him who were shunned and cast aside by the rest of the world.

  “Big Brother! You’re back!”

  While April joyfully peted with Zephyr for affe, Timartha and the reeted Daisuke and the trio with heartfelt smiles.

  “Wele back, everyone,” said Mia. “We were all worried.”

  “I wasn’t worried,” admitted Aldric while stig out his unimpressive chest. “I knew you’d all e back safely, especially since Haxks was there!”

  “I’m happy you all came ba one piece,” Sylvia breathed a sigh of relief. “Did you all mao aplish what you set out to do?”

  “Uh, for the most part,” replied Daisuke.

  Feng heaved a ile and shook his head. “I gotta admit, you kids are as tough as nails. And you were right about him,” Feured at Zephyr. “He’s a monster, just like you.”

  Daisuke ughed awkwardly, w if the man’s words were a pliment or venom.

  “These are all the mana crystals left behind by the demons,” said one of the elder’s aides as she rested a sizable sa the ground. “Zephyr is the one who defeated them, so it’s only fitting that you cim them.”

  Astonished, Rexar, Elena, and Milo sighed at the glimmering crystals within the open sack.

  Daisuke, more focused on uanding the situation than personal gain, inquired, “Why did you lower the barrier?”

  Timartha, her staff always in hand, opened one eye. “As Feiohe wolf proved highly effective against the demons. So we collectively decided to deactivate the barrier to draw out and eliminate all the remaining demons lurking in the forest.”

  “So l the barrier essentially made it easier for the demons to trad find the vilge,” Milo expined.

  “Like moths to a fme,” Rexar added.

  “…That was a risky gamble,” Elena chimed in. “But I’m relieved it all worked out in the end.”

  Daisuke wasn’t quite sure how to feel about Zephyr being regarded as a mere tool, or a means to an end in his absence. But all’s well that ends well, I guess.

  ***

  “…So that’s what happened,” Timartha said slowly once Daisuke had finished rehashing the events that transpired in the mountain. “To think such a vile operation was taking pce so close to Elmridge Vilge.”

  “Which is once again the result of our passive nature,” challenged Sylvia, her eyes cold and daring as she held her grandmaze.

  The woman could only lower her head ptively at the btant allegation, and while Daisuke sympathized with her, he couldn’t quite find the right words to say.

  “Tch!” Feng clicked his tongue, peeved by one particur fact. “It’s great that those two bastards croaked in the end, but I ’t help but feel that they got off way too easy.”

  A muscle tensed in Rexar’s jaw, then he cast an acg gaze toward Milo who lowered his head repentantly. Elena caught a glimpse of the sour exge, but she felt as though it roblem that could only be solved by the both of them.

  Mia gnced up from where she sat, gauging Daisuke’s expression. “So, in the end we didn’t learn anything about the demons or the Mhaledictus.”

  An almost tangible disfort settled over the group, easing only when Daisuke ied a glimmer of hope.

  “About the demons… yuesses are as good as mine, but I’m positive I’ll learn about them if I tiraveling. As for the Mhaledictus… I may have a lead… I just o firm it.”

  Elena iently stole a g Rexar, fearing the look she would garner from him, but she mustered the ce to speak her mind. “Haxks… I know you mean well, and I’m sure everyone is more than grateful for all you’ve done… but to pick a fight with the Mhaledictus—”

  “It’s personal,” interjected Daisuke, his perfectly sculpted mask momentarily crushed beh the weight of his disdain. “Zephyr and I have a boo pick with a few of their guys.”

  For a moment, the room fell into a silence so thick it seemed to echo with a blend of emotions—anger, fear, frustration, doubt, guilt. However, in the face of Daisuke’s unwavering vi, no one dared to voice criticism or speak.

  “Big Brother! Mia!” April called out joyfully, her exuberating through the tension as she, Aldrid Zephyr burst into the mound-like abode. “The celebrations are about to start! Let’s go! What’re you waiting for?!”

  “Kyuu~”

  “We ’t have a party without uests of honor!” cheered Aldric with an obnoxiously wide grin. “Haxks, ’on already—let’s go!”

  “Whoa~” Daisuke excimed with a ugh as they both pulled him to his feet. “Alright, alright, hold your horses, I’m going!”

  “Celebration?” Timartha asked with a fused frown. “But where did we get the food and—”

  Daisuke tousled his hair embarrassingly. “It… kinda may have been my idea,” he admitted shamefully. “So I volunteered to provide all the food we need.”

  Timartha sighed.

  Sylvia chuckled. “So much for doing far too much already.”

  Elena giggled at the thought of that.

  Suddenly, Whindel was the uninvited guest to storm into the already gested house. “Sorry to interrupt your stuffy meeting, but the morale of the vilgers is more important right now.”

  Timartha sighed again, but louder.

  With his rge, callused hand, Whindel grabbed Daisuke by the hood of his cloak and began dragging him outside like a rag doll. “Aldric, what took you so long? You’ve failed at your first task! It looks like I’ll o up the difficulty of your training!”

  “Y-Yes, master!” he saluted sternly.

  “When did they develop a student-master retionship?” Mia leaned in to ask Elena who raised her shoulders in bewilderment.

  April skipped ily behind Whindel and Aldric while Zephyr hitched a ride on Daisuke’s head.

  “Don’t think this will be enough to cushion the blow,” Feng whispered briefly to Daisuke before walking away.

  Daisuke ughed awkwardly.