The Novice Village Under Attack

I am the Hero.

Now, trouble had befallen Newbie Village, the very place I had called home for as long as I could remember.

“Let’s go! The faster, the better. Those people won’t show us mercy just because we’re the Hero’s party.”

“Why are they doing this? The Demon King has revived! Why are they still instigating war?”

“The Demon King has revived—do you truly believe that everyone on the streets is aware of such a thing? Don’t be foolish! There are no signs of demonic activity yet; what nation would even concern itself with such rumors? Come on, let’s go!” Aironi urged, patting my shoulder.

“If you want to go, go alone.” I shoved Aironi aside with force. “I cannot simply abandon Newbie Village now that it’s in trouble! This is the only place I’ve ever known as home, for as long as I can remember!”

“Ow! Ow, ow, ow… Why so much trouble! You’re… mmmph!” Aironi barely hit the ground before Naya’s foot pressed down on his mouth.

“This one shall heed the Hero’s command. Please, issue your orders.”

“I, too, as a squire swordsman, will obey the Hero’s commands.” Helter deftly cast his luggage aside, then hoisted his greatsword onto his shoulder.

“Mmmph, mmmph! [Why won’t you let me speak again! Also, this old loli isn’t wearing anything under her clothes…]”

“You cannot all go. Aironi would be in danger if left alone. Key is unable to manifest and protect him right now.”

Naya and Helter exchanged glances.

“I’ll go; they’ll stay!”

There was still disagreement at a time like this.

“Sir Swordsman, you have endured enough battles these past two days. It would be better if this one went.”

Indeed, Helter had endured quite enough these past few days. It truly wasn’t appropriate for him to come along.

“Miss Twilight, if I’m not mistaken, this marks your first venture outside the forest in over two centuries. Your combat experience is insufficient; it is more fitting for me to go.”

Naya possessed a youthful disposition, and being thrust into real combat so soon after joining was simply too much for her. Furthermore, abandoning her divine position meant she had lost many of her abilities.

Perhaps it was best to reconsider.

“Naya, you’ve only just joined the team. I’m still unclear on your strength. What exactly can you do?”

Naya smiled. “Hero, although my abilities have been somewhat curtailed, I can still control beasts, manipulate plants, cast elemental magic, or use illusion spells on enemies. While the range and target scope are smaller, it is still effective~”

So that was it. Her magical abilities remained, but their range had been significantly reduced.

“What is the range of your elemental magic?”

“Roughly twenty meters from me,” Naya said, extending a finger to draw a triangle in the air. “Spell – Wood: Frenzied Growth!” Instantly, a vine shot up in the distance. “This is the limit. Originally, I could cast this throughout the entire forest.”

This level was sufficient. Ranged combat was quicker and more convenient than close combat.

“Then Helter should stay…”

“Wait, wait.” Helter unhappily plunged his greatsword into the earth. “Regarding fighting, I’ve suddenly had a thought.”

“Huh?” I looked at him, bewildered.

“When I fought in the arena back then, I suffered a loss during an indiscriminate one-on-one match. I failed to properly understand my opponent’s weapon, which resulted in my beloved sword being smashed into two pieces. In the end, I only just managed to win with my bare hands.”

Bare hands… A swordsman abandoning their dignity? What could have driven him to such an extent?

“Miss Twilight just mentioned she can control animals, right?”

“Indeed,” Naya nodded.

“Can you continuously control a single animal?”

“Yes. Targeting a single subject is still well within my capabilities.”

“That settles it, Hero. I propose we first have Miss Twilight control a bird, just as she used ravens to monitor our movements in the forest, and send it back to the village to scout.”

A genius! I almost doubted this was the same foolish Helter I knew! He truly lived up to his title as the “Fallen Great Swordsman” who had fought tooth and nail to survive in the royal capital!

“Excellent!” I gave a thumbs-up. “This might be the best plan right now!”

“Understood!” Naya removed her foot from Aironi’s mouth, then lay on the ground and closed her eyes.

“Ahhhhh!” A red-eyed raven soared from the nearest tree, flying towards Newbie Village, which was ablaze with fire.

“Holy crap! I nearly suffocated!” Aironi gasped for air. “Hey! Do you really think you can save this village? There are only four of us!”

“Whether we can save it or not, I don’t know, but if we don’t try, we definitely won’t succeed! That’s my village, my home! What would you do if your hometown faced a crisis?” I said, sitting down to observe Naya’s expression.

“Hmm… fine.” Aironi obediently shut up and sat properly.

Helter also sat cross-legged on the grass, placing his greatsword horizontally in front of him.

The three of us gathered around Naya, anxiously awaiting news.

Roughly ten minutes later.

“Reconnaissance complete!” Naya immediately sprang up.

“What happened? Are the Village Chief and the others alright?” I asked her.

“This one… does not recognize the villagers. I shall display what I saw earlier for you.” With that, Naya drew a small circle on the ground. “Spell – Water: Memory Projection.”

A mass of water surged from the earth, spreading flat across the ground like a television screen—though what a television was, I had no idea.

Naya then projected the situation she had observed from above Newbie Village, showing us everything in vivid detail.

The village was anything but quiet. Screams echoed, and figures ran frantically through the streets.

Men clad in black uniforms, each bearing a unified ‘Demon’ character on their backs, wielded various weapons as they relentlessly pursued the villagers. The guards stationed by the royal capital had been completely annihilated.

Those who dared to resist were executed on the spot, while those who did not were seized and taken captive. In an instant, Newbie Village was strewn with corpses.

What was once a thriving community of over a hundred people now harbored fewer than fifty survivors.

“Good news!” Aironi suddenly shouted.

“Enough!” I angrily punched Aironi in the face. “What are you talking about? Do you know how long I’ve put up with you? To see this scene and still say ‘good news’!”

I was truly enraged! This insufferable Aironi! How could he be so utterly callous?

“Don’t hit me! Wait! Hero! Let me explain!”

“Explain what? I knew I shouldn’t have allowed someone as useless as you to join this team! You only ever utter disheartening words! You are utterly worthless!”

“Calm down, Hero sister…” Naya, seeing my emotional breakdown, immediately came to persuade me.

“Get out of my way! Today, he must learn the consequences of speaking carelessly!” I raised my fist high, ready to strike.

“Lu Ren!” Helter called out my name… my… original name.

“Ah…” I turned to look at him. He was pinching his arm, clearly suppressing his displeasure.

“Let him speak! What ‘good news’?”

I took a deep breath and slowly moved back a bit.

“Lu Ren? What ‘Lu Ren’? Is that a code word to calm people down?” Aironi asked.

“Speak quickly!” Helter yelled.

“Oh, oh, oh! What I meant to say is, the good news is, this village can still be saved.”

“Saved? Why do you say that?”

“Be glad that it’s not another nation’s army attacking this village. You can tell by their lack of armor that they’re just bandits. Their numbers aren’t a big threat to us, so this village can still be saved!”

“But their attire is very uniform! Bandits wouldn’t be like that!” I retorted.

“You have to understand, it’s common for nations to raze villages and cities during war. However, these people are keeping survivors, capturing villagers. Clearly, they’re doing this to extract all the valuables from the village. So, they can only be bandits, or rather, disciplined and organized bandits.”

The three of us listened in silence.

I never thought Aironi would be so skilled at analysis.

“Big oaf, I remember you used to roam the royal capital, right?”

“That’s right!” Helter nodded.

“Then do you remember a bandit organization that fell into decline a few years ago—the Four Bandits?”

Upon hearing this, Helter’s eyes nearly popped out. “Impossible! The Four Bandits are all in prison now! I even caught one of them, named Evil Wind!”

Huh? Helter did that too?

“You caught him?” Aironi froze. “The… the Fallen Great Swordsman?” He stammered, repeating Helter’s title.

“Eh? You didn’t know?” I exclaimed in surprise.

“Incredible, truly incredible! The village really can be saved!” Aironi immediately slumped down. “My apologies, my apologies. Compared to my title of ‘Shattered Anus Long-Spear King,’ you’re far more famous in the royal capital. To think you took down Evil Wind with just a team of four!”

“Don’t mention it. That was a bloody lesson…” Helter lowered his head, a pained expression on his face.

“Since you’re such a distinguished figure, you must know about another member of the Four Bandits—Demonic Fire, correct?”

Evil Wind… Demonic Fire…

“I’ve heard of him! That guy was an arsonist! He loved to burn down half a village before robbing it! No way… Could it really be him? ‘To burn first, then rob—that bandit leader must have a screw loose…””

“Yes! That uniform attire! A ‘Demon’ character on their backs, leaving a village in flames!”

“Since they’re bandits, we need to rescue the villagers quickly! They’ll still kill everyone after they get all the valuables!” Helter raised his greatsword, poised and ready for action.

“Indeed, we must act fast! All four of us together!” I declared.

“Mhm!” Naya nodded.

And so, Helter hoisted Aironi onto his shoulder, and the group of four, brimming with morale, prepared to begin their village rescue operation!

“By the way, why are you bringing me along? Do you even have a plan? So confident…” Aironi grumbled.

“Eh?! You don’t?” I, Helter, and Naya exclaimed in unison, astonished.

“What plan? I just said the village could be saved, not that I had a plan…”

Thus, the Hero’s party of four decided to discuss a plan before taking action.