Daisuke and Timartha exged smiles, their eyes capturing the heartfelt reciliatioween Milo and Rexar in the distance. With a subtle grace, Timartha lifted her gaze, following the path of the staff she held aloft in her hand.

  “Now, if only this staff could weave a tangible barrier… shielding the vilge from the outside world. It would allow me to safeguard the people and preserve the bonds they’ve fed.”

  Suddenly, without warning, Daisuke flicked her forehead. Timartha cried out in pain, dropping her cherished staff to the ground as she clutched her steaming forehead with both hands.

  “Y-You brute!” she hissed. “How could you do such a thing to a decrepit old woman! Don’t you have a heart?”

  Ign her protest with a wan smile, Daisuke turo lean against the wooden fence again. Then his eyes softened. “…The earliest memories of my life are of the dark, rundown hut that I lived in with my mother. I still recall every detail: the bats in the roof, the standing mirrainst the stained old bathtub, the lopsided table with the single dle we had to use servatively, and the curtain that separated the front and bedroom door from the dining room and kit.”

  Timartha lowered her arms, listening attentively.

  “Like you, my mother was very overprotective… but now that I think about it, it really was just a nice way to say that she was a coward. I spent many years in isotioo the fear she instilled in me—no, I was genuinely afraid of the unknowns of the world. That ivity left me without drive or dire.

  But when circumstances finally forced me to step out into the world, I immediately uood what I o do. I learhe harsh reality that, without power and influence, life would be a living hell.”

  Daisuke turned, his gaze log with the elder’s. “If I hadn’t found the ce to embark on this path, I wouldn’t have met Elena and the others—meaning the vilge would still likely be brag for another invasion.”

  Timartha’s lips pressed into a line as she pondered his words.

  “When we were trapped ihe dungeon, instead of just guiding those three out, I chose to make them stronger instead. Based on my own experiences, I khey were bound to face more adversities, and I wouldn’t always be there to save them.

  My dad used to say, ‘If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. But teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.’”

  Daisuke gestured at the staff as Timartha reached down to retrieve it. “This thing merely ceals the vilge fr eyes, which isn’t very effective against the demon’s keen sense of smell. It’s not impossible for the vilge to be attacked again—and in the event that it ever is, everyone o build up their strength.

  Running away,” he shifted his gaze to Sylvia who had just arrived on the se, “and hiding,” he reverted his gaze back to the elder, “aren’t the true paths to pead happiness in this world. I know it’s harsh, but it’s imperative that Elmridge gathers the strength to drive away its enemies.”

  ***

  The day at noon, the entire vilge assembled at the front gates, a collective grogginess lingering from the festivities that stretched well into the wee hours of the m.

  Some whathered had sagging ears and bushy tails—a visible sign of sleep-deprivation. At the forefront stood the vilge’s key figures, their bittersweet gazes expressing gratitude for Daisuke’s deeds yet tinged with sadness for his impendiure.

  April, the only one seemingly unaware of the gathering’s somber uoood amidst the crowd. Her wide-eyed innoce trasted with the bittersweet gazes around her. She looked from left tht, her hair swaying with each ovement, uo prehend the weight of the moment.

  “Big Brother?” she said questioningly. “Why is everyohered here? Did something happen?”

  “They’re… here to see me off,” expined Daisuke. “I’m getting ready to leave the vilge.”

  “Oh. Then I’ll get my things,” she said while turning, but Daisuke caught her hand in a gentle grip, the telling gleam in his eyes making her heart tighten. “No… I don’t want that,” she shook her head in denial, her once cheerful expression ging to grief.

  Daisuke crouched aed his hand atop her head, but she swept it aouted as tears welled up in her eyes. “No! I don’t want us to be separated again! It’s not fair!”

  Noting her distress, Zephyr approached and began rubbing his body against her leg with a whimper, but she ignored him. Mia, Aldric, Sylvia, Feng, the trio, and the elder looked on morosely, but they kheir words wouldn’t be enough to sole the little girl.

  “April… I know my deay seem selfish, but y Brother’s just trying to keep you and everyone else safe,” said Daisuke, then he began projeg his voice. “It may not seem like it, but I don’t currently have what it takes to keep you and everyone else safe. To properly do that, I o amass a lot of strength and power. And in the process of doing so, I may not always be able to protect you.”

  April sniffled, clumsily using the back of her small hands to wipe away her tears. But like a leaking faucet, the stream just kept on flowing untrolbly.

  As heartbroken and dissatisfied as she was, April was no fool. Other kids her age could hardly distinguish fantasy from reality, but she grew up in the slums; she uood that life wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies. Street smarts and sharp observational skills were a recipe for survival.

  The world was harsh and unfiving, and those who were poor and underprivileged were always caught between a rod a hard pce. If you couldn’t roll with the punches, you’d just be knocked down and trampled.

  The reality that her big brother couldn’t prevent his mother’s death, nor could he shield them from being forcibly taken away by sve traders, highlighted his imperfes and the challenges he still faced.

  Without a word, April nodded, her head huedly.

  “I have something for you,” Daisuke whispered, lifting his ched fist.

  April looked up in time to witness as a ring fell and dangled from his finger, ected by a delicate string. For a moment, she found herself captivated by the russet-cemstohat closely mirrored the hue of her own hair.

  “It’s an invisibility ring,” Daisuke informed in a soft uone as he gently pced it around her neck. “Should anything ever happen to the vilge and you’re left alone, use it to escape to the own.”

  April traced her finger along the smooth silver band of the accessory, her eyes gleaming in awe.

  “Once you’re in a town,” Daisuke tinued, “find the guild and give my o the clerk; she should be able to tact me remotely and I’ll e running to get you.”

  April nodded exuberantly. She articurly excited that her brother was willing to drop everything and ‘run to her’.

  “Are you ready for your ift?”

  “There’s more?” she beamed, her eyes widening endearingly.

  Daisuke chuckled and stroked her head. Wherieved his hand, it was suddenly clutg a stuffed bear—a parlor trick that was made possible by his digital iory.

  “M-Mr. Honeykins?!” excimed April as she clutched the toy. Unlike her previous stuffed bear, this one had a lighter brown plexion and it wore a small top hat and a monocle. “But… he looks a bit different.”

  “That’s right,” responded Daisuke. “While you both were apart, Mr. Honeykins decided to go to medical school. He spent so much time studying indoors that he got a bit lighter.”

  Aldriickered. “Mr. Honeykins,” he said mogly, only to be karate-chopped in the head by Mia.

  Daisuke stood and passed a gnce over the people he was happy to call his friends. “Elena, Rexar, Milo, and Feng… you four are the only true batants in the vilge and the sole defenders of the people. You guys are strong, so don’t bee pt—tinue building your strength, and sider training the kids,” he said as he looked to April, Mia, and Aldric.

  “M-May I also take part in this training?” asked Whindel hesitantly as he approached. “I ’t stand idly by and allow myself to be protected by children.”

  All the men who were kidnapped and itted to manual bor stepped forward in agreement, their eyes burning with patriotism and a desperate need for redemption.

  “The more the merrier I say,” replied Feng with a ile.

  Everyone else nodded.

  Milo took a step toward Daisuke and politely bowed. “Thank you for everything. I’ll work hard to live up to your expectations.”

  Rexar was the o approach. He outstretched his arm, resting his fist on Daisuke’s chest. “I would’ve long surpassed you by the time we meet again. Ensure you don’t kick the bucket before we get the ce to face off against—”

  April kicked him in the shin. “Shut up! Big Brother’s not going to die!”

  “AHHH!” Rexar cried out, hopping around ically and rubbing his leg as if it were on fire.

  Elena giggled, then she sheepishly approached and pressed a light kiss to Daisuke’s cheek. “We’ll take good care of April. Just be sure to e back to us safely, okay.”

  April’s cheeks infted like a balloon at the sight of that, and Daisuke smiled awkwardly in response. Wheooped down and allowed her to kiss his other cheek to cool the fires of her jealousy, Elena’s own cheeks swelled up like a pufferfish and everyone ughed.

  Sylvia, Timartha, and Feng aowledged Daisuke with a nod. Ined towards a more reserved demeanor in public gatherings, each of them had individually taken Daisuke aside earlier and expressed their heartfelt gratitude for all he had done.

  As the vilgers waved and shouted words of gratitude and farewell, Daisuke began to depart, only to pause abruptly.

  “Oh, that reminds me.”

  With a casual wave of his hand, the substantial pile of mana crystals, metal ores, and assorted materials looted from the mountain maed on a rge red carpet.

  Stunned gasps rippled through the onlookers as the ued dispy unfolded. While everyone was still reeling from shock, Daisuke activated the Eye of Verity to assess the grade of the crystals, only to be suddenly assaulted by the dark and malevolent energy it exuded.

  For a moment, his expression crumpled, and his stance faltered uhe weight of the sensation. It was akin to being in a small, fined space that was gradually being filled with carbon dioxide and shrinking in size—a frighteningly suffog and traumatic experience.

  How then did people incorporate mana crystals into their homes without experieng any measure of disfiven the brutal ordeal he just endured, Daisuke pondered whether extended exposure to mana crystals might pose some form of medical harm to the body.

  “Haxks, are you alright?” Elena inquired on behalf of everyone who noticed his peculiar behavior. “You look a bit pale.”

  Daisuke raised his hand as he took a moment to find his breath. “I’m fine,” he replied with a reassuring smile, “I guess I’ve just been overexerting my abilities a bit.”

  “In that case,” Mia suggested, “wouldn’t it be better if you rested a bit more before you left?”

  April clutched Mr. Honeykins worrisomely, but her embrace loosened a tad when Daisuke began stroking her hair tenderly, all traces of his previous disfone. “A tempting offer, but the durability of the Warden’s Staff won’t st forever; I o leave so that I start figuring out a solution.”

  Feng approached the glittering horde of riches and plucked a single gold from the heap to i. “Care to expin why you just dumped thousands of gold worth of materials at our feet?”

  “It’s yours,” Daisuke simply said.

  In the midst of astonished whispers and the cocked ears of her kin, Elely parted her lips to speak. “Huh? But we couldn’t… you’re the one who saved our vilge.”

  “She’s right,” Timartha chimed in. “We’re a poor vilge; we couldn’t offer you anything for all you’ve done for us. Surely you wouldn’t make us any more ied to you than we already are.”

  Frustrated, Daisuke shifted his attention to Feng and Sylvia, whom he sidered more transparent and down-to-earth than anyone else. “Use this gold to build yourselves a proper vilge,” he decred robustly. “Leave no expense spared in strug a sturdy wall around it. If you’re looking for a way to repay me, then ensure your well-being and take care of Mia and April until I return.”

  “sider it done,” Feng responded with an equally determined expression.

  “Ehhh?” Everyone burst out in chorus, their collective surprise resonating through the gathered assembly.

  “One more thing,” said Daisuke.

  Timartha sighed and shook her head in a mixture of exasperation and fondness as their determined savior bestowed upohe Jet-bck Boots and Garment he had received from Keith. Not stopping there, Rexar, Elena, and Milo, in addition to Feng, were also each gifted with a Perseverance Ring.

  “Just some added prote,” Daisuke expined, his voice carrying a weight of siy. “You only get one barrier, so make it t. By the way,” he said while waving around the map he had found in the mountain. “I’ll be keeping this.”

  They all took a moment to admire the rings, their eyes lingering on the subtle glint of resiliehen they lifted their gazes to thank Daisuke, who had already set forth on his journey. An unspoken sadness settled over them as they watched his figure gradually disappearing from view.

  “Kyuu~”

  April’s touch was tender as she reached down, her eyes shimmering with uears as she caressed the whimpering Zephyr. “I’ll miss you too,” she murmured softly, her voice filled with heartfelt emotion.

  Mia’s smile radiated warmth as she wi the pup, her affe for him evident in the curve of her lips. “Look after Haxks for me,” she said, her voice tender and sincere. “Ensure you both e back to us safely.”

  “Arf!” Zephyr’s bark echoed with reassurance, carrying a promise of loyalty as he dashed off.

  “Sell those mana crystals as soon as you ,” were the st words Daisuke imparted onto the Beastfolk of Elmridge Vilge before he vanished from both sight and sound.

  DING!

  [The quest ?Demonisequences? has been pleted!]

  [23,700 Experience Points have been acquired.]

  [Affinity with the vilge folk is now 100%.]

  [Level Up!]