Chapman, prompted by one of his teammates, finally tore his gaze away from Leya, letting out a self-conscious cough.
“Thorne, my old friend, long time no see. What’s this? Did the mage from your team leave?”
“Heh heh…”
‘You *introduced* him away, didn’t you?’
Though his heart seethed with hatred, his ingrained caution reminded Thorne that he had to endure. These people were not to be provoked.
With this thought, Thorne spoke cautiously, his demeanor humble and respectful. “Yes, yes… he had some family matters, so…”
“Hahahaha—” Chapman suddenly burst into an exaggerated laugh, the flab on his face jiggling. He sneered, “‘Family matters’ is a lie. He just ran off to another team, didn’t he? Hahahahahahaha—”
[Squeak—] Thorne’s grip was so forceful that the joints in his fingers audibly protested.
This was utterly audacious! It was as if Chapman had thrown Thorne’s dignity to the ground, stomped on it twice, and then, finding it still not enough, spat on it.
If looks could kill, Thorne’s eyes would have flayed Chapman alive by now.
“But it seems you’ve already found a new teammate!”
Finally, Chapman deemed the moment ripe, revealing the true purpose of his visit. His eyes scanned Leya even more brazenly.
“Uh… this…” Thorne suppressed his anger, knowing he absolutely could not lash out now. He had to help Leya through this crisis perfectly!
Yes, Thorne nodded to himself. That was it. It was all for Leya.
To Thorne’s regret and growing annoyance, however, Leya spoke up without his permission.
“Hey, don’t look at what you shouldn’t, don’t say what you shouldn’t, don’t listen to what you shouldn’t, don’t think what you shouldn’t. Has no one ever told you this?”
“Uh…”
Chapman froze, even wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him.
After a pause, seeing no reaction from Chapman, Leya couldn’t help but sigh. “You know? People like you usually don’t make it past three episodes!”
****
Instantly, the surrounding atmosphere seemed to plunge to freezing point.
Everyone was utterly taken aback by Leya’s words. What the hell were ‘three episodes’? Could you eat them? Regardless, it was clear this wasn’t a compliment, especially given Leya’s disdainful expression.
Eyes wide, staring at each other, everyone forgot to react for a long moment.
Chapman was the first to snap out of it, looking both awkward and furious.
Suppressing his rage, Chapman slowly spoke, a fake smile plastered on his face. “Heh… heh heh, this young lady is quite witty. Perhaps you’d care to introduce yourself first?”
“Introduce myself? No interest.”
“……………”
Chapman’s face darkened, looking as though water might drip from it. For the first time, a fleeting hint of ruthlessness flickered across his features.
“Young lady… don’t you think you’re being a bit excessive? After all, I came here with the intention of a friendly exchange.”
A friendly exchange? Whether true or false, Leya couldn’t care less. Just the way he looked at her made Leya want to rush forward and teach him a lesson, for her inner self was still primarily driven by male sensibilities!
‘Ugh—I’m not gay, you know! I like pretty girls! I like breasts! But I really, truly don’t like big dicks, alright, you scoundrel!’
“Is that so? Am I being excessive?” Leya maintained a faint smile. “Then that’s truly a pity, because my only inherent flaw is that I’m not very good at talking. I’m straightforward; I say what I think.”
‘If you have a problem with it, why don’t you come at me, you damn idiot!’
Of course, Chapman wasn’t going to push Leya to that extent. After all, he hadn’t come out here looking for a fight. If possible, Leya still hoped to complete this mission peacefully.
“What! You—” Seeing Leya’s attitude, a middle-aged adventurer behind Chapman, a swordsman named Daina, angrily moved to speak.
“Daina, stand down!”
“Captain, this…” Daina said, clearly unwilling.
“Idiot! Picking a fight with an Lv1 rookie adventurer? Do you have no sense of honor?” Chapman looked genuinely furious as he berated Daina.
Even Leya found this inexplicable! On the surface, he didn’t seem like the kind of person Gilbert had described. ‘Still, you can know a face but not a heart. Who knows if this is just an act? Best to ignore him.’
After chastising his teammate, Chapman cast another deep glance at Leya. “Though I don’t know if there’s been some misunderstanding, I truly wanted to make your acquaintance, young lady. Heh heh… but it seems there won’t be an opportunity today…”
Then, with a sudden fierce look, he turned to Thorne. “It seems you’ve been doing quite well lately, Thorne, my friend!”
“Uh… not at all, not at all…”
‘Damn jinx, why isn’t he leaving yet?!’ Thorne had already cursed Chapman’s ancestors countless times in his heart, all while casting a complicated glance at Leya.
“Hmph—a low-level adventurer is still a low-level adventurer. You don’t even know your own capabilities. Honestly, Thorne, my friend, for a D-rank team like yours to participate in this level of mission, aren’t you just going to be a burden?”
“……………”
“Hahahah—Alright, our team still has a mission. We won’t delay you further. Take care, Thorne, my friend…”
Before leaving, he didn’t forget to mock Thorne one last time. Then, Chapman, looking quite pleased, led his team along the path out of the village.
It was all quite inexplicable.
Just as he had inexplicably arrived and spouted a bunch of nonsensical words, he now inexplicably left after spouting more nonsense.
“Captain…” Gilbert, truly the most observant member of the team, immediately noticed their captain biting his lip in anger and glaring fiercely at Chapman’s retreating back. He quickly stepped forward to offer comfort.
Leya, however, felt it was utterly pointless. A person so bullied yet utterly lacking in spirit, whose life was as bleak as his liver-colored face, comforting him was merely harming him in disguise.
“Heh heh… no, it’s fine. Let’s keep going…” The captain waved his hand and let out a dry chuckle. “The church is just ahead. We’ll rest there first…”
Without giving anyone a chance to speak, he led the way towards the church.
Seeing this, Gilbert’s lips moved as if to speak, but his myriad words ultimately dissolved into a helpless sigh.
Angela, too, spoke with a hint of resignation. “That’s just how the Captain is. He cares a lot about appearances. This must have been quite a blow for him…”
Giles nodded in agreement.
But Leya, alone, scoffed inwardly.
‘Dignity isn’t something others bestow upon you. If you don’t fight for it yourself, what’s the difference between you and a salted fish?’
****
“This… is the church? This place emanating such an ominous black aura?”
“Huh? Miss Leya, black aura? What black aura? Why don’t I see anything?” Gilbert, an excellent archer with keen ears, heard Leya’s seemingly self-addressed words and asked curiously.
He looked at the church before them. Though somewhat dilapidated, with weeds growing everywhere, it seemed to have been neglected for a long time. But country churches were often like this; what more could one expect?
Besides that, there was nothing, right? Even if it was a bit run-down, it was still a sacred place of faith, a beacon of light, a spiritual haven for people! Wasn’t it a bit much to say it was emitting black aura from its roof?
“Oh, is that so? Perhaps I misread it…” Leya offered a perfunctory explanation.
However, no one had paid much attention in the first place, so hearing Leya’s remark, they naturally didn’t pursue the matter further.
Little did they know, Leya hadn’t lied to them! They simply couldn’t see it.
Especially when Leya’s foot touched the threshold of the church, the unpleasant aura intensified, causing Leya to frown in displeasure.
“Waaah—” A baby’s cry was the first sound to reach them.
“Alright… stop crying. Can’t you let me have some peace?” This was a cold, indifferent voice, seemingly belonging to a middle-aged woman.
Leya followed the sound, and instantly found herself disbelieving her own eyes. What was she seeing?
“Hey, look, it seems more people have arrived…” A young man sat on the ground, watching Leya and her companions, as he shook the person beside him.
“Oh, really… no interest.” The person he called only cast a lazy glance at Leya’s group before collapsing back to sleep on the ground.
Of course, none of this mattered. Whether they slept or ate, cried or slept, it had no bearing on Leya.
But, but! Leya actually saw it—the source of that black aura! It was emanating from the bodies of every single villager!
What was this? A walking, human-shaped dispenser of black aura?
And this mysteriously unsettling, baffling feeling… was this truly a church, or some base for a cult, for goodness sake?
“Oh my, oh my, heh heh heh, welcome, welcome, young adventurers from the city…”
Just as Leya stood transfixed, observing these strange scenes, the head of the church, a respected elder named Ingmar, slowly emerged from the crowd. He began to greet everyone warmly.
Leya noticed that even this so-called ‘Elder’ was not immune; a faint black aura emanated from his body as well.