Chapter 44: The Blocked Path

‘The defenses are solid.’

Eugene looked at the village and thought so.

Ten-meter-high wooden palisades surrounded the village’s edges, and beyond the outer walls, a deep moat was dug.

‘They must have worked hard digging this.’

The moat was at least twenty meters deep, so it was likely meant as a defense against monsters burrowing underground.

This defense was designed by someone knowledgeable about monsters.

Well, this village was built on flat land.

With defenses like this, people could gather and live here safely.

“Wow… look at that moat.”

“This is practically a fortress.”

“There weren’t any villages like this on the map.”

“If you accidentally fall in there, you’d get seriously injured at the very least…”

“But there’s no bridge over the moat?”

The children admired the village’s outskirts.

There were no villages like this anymore within the peaceful Imperial territory.

Even a hundred years ago, when monsters roamed around, this was considered a secure place.

“Stop!”

Beyond the moat, guards standing at the village entrance stopped them.

But those guards were also hunters dressed in monster hides.

When the group halted, the hunter girl presented something hanging around her neck.

“Here!”

What she held out was a medal inlaid with jewels.

More precisely, it was a jewel radiating magical energy—a gemstone known as a magic stone.

Seeing the medal, the guards said, “Pass.”

They showed the same medals themselves.

Wuuuuh…

When the identical medals faced each other, they began to resonate.

As the two magic stones started resonating, light illuminated them, forming a bridge of light connecting the guards and their group.

“Whoa! Amazing!”

“A bridge like this…”

“What kind of magic is this, Memilia?”

“I- I don’t know all the magic either…”

Once again, the children marveled at the sight.

To be honest, even they were surprised by the method used to create this bridge.

This wasn’t a conventional physical bridge made visible, but a ‘bridge conjured by magic.’

It was a spell that only activated when the two magic stones resonated together, and creating such a large magical bridge wasn’t easy.

That medal must have been crafted with the involvement of a high-ranking mage.

“Alright!”

When the hunter girl returned to the cart, the group moved again.

After everyone crossed the moat and reached the village’s outer wall, the guards saw them and asked the girl.

“Who are these people?”

“They’re my guests!”

The girl smiled brightly and answered innocently.

Though her reply was inadequate for identification, the guards nodded, trusting her credibility.

“Pass!”

Thanks to that, they were allowed inside the outer wall without any complicated questioning.

The outer gate slowly opened, permitting entry to outsiders, and the hunters who had finished their hunt finally returned home.

‘Is this a village entirely for professional hunters?’

That impression came immediately upon entering.

Every house displayed monster hides drying outside, and everyone walking around carried hunting equipment.

“This is a village I’ve never seen before—did it just appear recently?”

Needle, or rather Glen, looked around and asked the girl.

Was this a village that hadn’t existed when he left the demon realm?

If so, it was less than fifteen years old.

“Yes! We first drove the stakes thirteen years ago!”

The hunter girl smiled cheerfully.

If it was first established thirteen years ago, then just how old was she?

“How old are you?”

Finally, he asked.

“Huh? My age?”

The girl looked puzzled by the unexpected question.

“Um…”

She hesitated for a moment, seemingly reluctant to answer.

Though she looked very hesitant, instead of replying verbally, she held up all ten fingers.

“I’m ten years old…”

“Oh.”

What was a little baby doing running around with hunters?

No matter how dangerous the demon realm was, there had to be limits. Did they really hand guns to an ignorant ten-year-old?

‘What are her parents doing, letting a kid this young do this kind of work?’

Just as Eugene thought this, the girl shot him a sharp glance.

“You just thought, ‘Why is this little kid doing this?’ didn’t you?”

For the first time, she showed signs of displeasure.

“No? No way.”

Without showing any expression, he denied her suspicion.

Maybe the kid was just too perceptive.

Meanwhile, Eugene met Memilia’s gaze, and she silently sent a reproachful glare with narrowed eyes.

“How shameless… You definitely thought that.”

None of your business, he thought.

Ignoring Memilia’s accusing look, Eugene changed the subject to divert the hunter girl’s suspicion.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“My name?”

“Yeah, we can’t keep calling you ‘Hey you’ forever.”

Since they planned to stay here at least a day, it was better for everyone’s convenience to learn each other’s names.

Of course, to know her name, they had to introduce themselves first.

“I’m Eugene Stride.”

“Eu-Eugene?”

The girl raised her eyebrows upon hearing his name.

‘Uh-oh, no way…’

Just as she had guessed Needle’s identity earlier, Eugene wondered if this girl had recognized them as well.

He tightened his facial muscles to hide his unease.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh! S-sorry…”

The girl snapped out of it and shook her head.

“Oh, it’s nothing… your name just reminded me of the hero from a childhood folktale…”

“Folktale?”

“Yes! The adventures of Hero Ian!”

Of course, the one who showed the most interest in the girl’s answer was—

“Really!? The hero’s adventures are known here too?”

Memilia’s eyes sparkled as she asked.

Her enthusiastic reaction could be due to admiration for the hero, or pride in her lineage.

Maybe both.

“Hey, you!”

Someone interrupted the adult’s question.

Ouch!

Memilia rubbed her aching crown where she had been flicked.

While she was soothing her pain and unable to speak, Eugene shifted his gaze back to the hunter girl and asked again.

“So, your name?”

“Agatha Hamsworth. Please call me Agatha.”

“Alright.”

Agatha then turned her gaze to Needle.

Her eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at him.

In a way, Needle was a local legend.

“… Why?”

Needle looked uncomfortable under her gaze and finally spoke.

Then the girl cautiously asked.

“Um, could I ask you for a favor?”

“What is it?”

Needle frowned at the word ‘favor.’

He must have been troubled by such requests ever since gaining fame.

People tried to get him to do things under the pretense of favors, being a hero and all.

“It’s nothing big…!”

Agatha held out the stock of her flintlock musket.

“Please sign this!”

“Sign?”

Confused, Needle looked at the girl, who shone with anticipation.

“This will be a family heirloom someday! It’s been signed by the Fang of the South!”

“Ah…”

Needle grimaced.

He probably didn’t like excessive worship either.

But not being a bad person who’d disappoint a little girl, he said, “Alright.”

He signed his name on Agatha’s gun.

‘Glen Lennox (Needle),’ that is.

Agatha happily took back the gun.

“Thank you so much, Glen! Really!”

“You’re welcome.”

“Phew…”

Once Agatha calmed down again, she spoke to them.

“Now that’s settled! Everyone, I’ll be your guide!”

With enthusiastic eyes, she took the lead.

Her house was quite far from the village center, a remote cabin on the edge where the outer wall was still visible.

‘That’s a pretty big cabin.’

Though called a cabin, it was larger than the others.

There was a separate stable for horses and a warehouse for storing tools.

‘She must be the daughter of a prominent village figure.’

That explained why she was leading hunters at such a young age.

“Wait a moment.”

Agatha asked them to wait and stood in front of the cabin’s main door.

Grasping the ring used to knock on the door, she knocked three times.

“Dad—I’m home!”

‘Eh.’

The father just stays home while sending his daughter out?

An uncomfortable feeling began to rise inside Eugene, and he almost considered turning back.

Creak…

The misunderstanding was cleared when the door opened.

“My daughter… you’re home? cough cough!”

A pale middle-aged man greeted the girl.

His skin was pale, and he coughed frequently—it looked like he was ill.

Considering that Agatha only called for her father, ‘Is the widowed father sick and the daughter managing the household?’

If that was the case, it made sense why a ten-year-old was leading hunters.

Agatha was quite clever for her age, but she was probably temporarily taking over the leader’s role.

“Ah… guests…”

Agatha’s father bowed his head upon seeing them.

“Sorry… cough… as you can see…”

“It’s alright. As long as you have a place to rest your feet, it’s fine.”

Needle responded to him.

He was usually the representative of their group, but here, it was appropriate to leave things to a native of the demon realm.

“No, it’s shabby, but… please have some food… cough cough!”

“Let’s go inside first.”

Needle led everyone into the cabin.

‘This family has been hunters for generations.’

Mounted monster heads hung on the wall, along with old flintlock guns and various tools, revealing their history.

They were likely a family who settled here after working as hunters elsewhere.

“Please, have a seat.”

The head of the household gestured to the two guest chairs.

Since there were only two chairs, Eugene gave Memilia a look.

‘Go somewhere else.’

Memilia caught his meaning and asked Agatha.

“Agatha, where can we sleep?”

“Oh, follow me!”

Agatha took the children away.

Now only the responsible adults remained.

After sitting in silence for a while, Needle spoke first.

“You’re cursed.”

It was sudden, but mentioning a curse made sense.

If it were an ordinary illness, a cleric would have already treated it.

‘If it had been cured earlier but worsened this much, it’s a curse that’s difficult to remove by normal means.’

Moreover, hunters frequently dealt with monsters, so it wasn’t uncommon to be afflicted by a curse or two.

“Yes… cough… exactly as you say… cough…”

Every time he spoke, the man coughed.

Since the frequent coughing made conversation difficult, Eugene discreetly pulled out a Sinru Stone from Memilia.

Flick!

“Here.”

He tossed the gem to the man.

“Uh…!”

The man caught the glowing blue stone awkwardly.

The moment the gem entered his palm, it sensed the impurity inside his body and shone brightly.

Wuuuung..!

“Hah, haah…”

As the stone’s power activated, the man’s expression began to ease.

It was clear the curse and illness inside him were being purified.

Just as it seemed he was healing, cough cough!

‘Hmm?’

His coughing didn’t stop.

The Sinru Stone, which normally cured even curses, couldn’t heal this man’s affliction.

‘It’s a very rare case, but not impossible.’

“This illness is a side effect of a curse the caster cast on himself.”

In other words, the man’s illness wasn’t a curse inflicted by others, but a secondary effect caused by self-imposed dark magic.

Because it’s not a curse in the traditional sense, it couldn’t be removed, and the symptoms quickly returned even if treated.

“Whoever that is, he’s a nasty piece of work.”

“Yes… cough… exactly… This gem… cough… thank you…”

The man returned the Sinru Stone.

His hands were red from covering his mouth whenever he coughed.

If he was coughing up blood, his condition was serious.

“Don’t worry about dirtying the gem.”

Eugene accepted his apology and asked.

“Is the caster nearby?”

If someone this nasty was nearby, their journey after leaving the village would become dangerous.

They wanted to eliminate risks while they could.

“Where…?”

“I’ll bring the map…”

The man stood and opened a drawer.

He took out a rolled-up map and spread it so they could all see.

“This place… cough…”

When Eugene saw the spot the man pointed to,

“Damn.”

“Damn it.”

Needle cursed simultaneously.

“Of all places, it’s right on the shortcut.”

The caster’s location was four kilometers northeast of the village,

at the entrance of the direct road to Kalkerash, their next destination.

If he was positioned at the narrow pass formed by two mountains meeting,

“Needle, what if we detour here?”

“That’d add two weeks. It’s twice the time and danger without the direct route.”

Needle clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“Then how do you handle the distribution of hides?”

“To be honest… we also go around the detour…”

It seemed the caster had blocked the passage.

Since he was an enemy they had to eliminate for their journey, they asked the man about him.

“What kind of person is this caster?”

“He is…”

The man revealed the enemy’s identity.

“He’s a practitioner of Forbidden Arts.”