Chapter 6

Rea​d ​o​n ​K​atR​eadingCa​fe

A heavy silence hung over the village.

The streets were empty, and the windows of every house were tightly shut, making the place feel like a ghost town.

Something had definitely happened.

With that thought, Lucy began to walk.

As she approached the center of the village, she noticed the only place with lights on.

Not only were the lights on, but she could also hear the noisy chatter of people.

It was the village inn.

Lucy approached the inn. Through the first-floor window, she could see several people inside.

They weren’t villagers.

It was the knight and soldiers she had seen earlier in the forest. They were gathered in the inn’s first floor, enjoying food and drinks.

They acted as if they owned the place.

Lucy quietly observed them for a moment before turning away.

At any rate, her grandfather didn’t seem to be here.

Should she check the blacksmith’s shop?

Maybe her grandfather had gone there to repair his axe.

Lucy was about to head toward the blacksmith’s shop when she heard a rustling sound nearby.

“?”

She turned her head and saw something moving slowly in the darkness.

It was too dark to make out anything more than a silhouette.

Lucy activated a skill in her mind.

‘Night Vision.’

Her eyes turned black.

Night Vision was a skill that allowed her to see clearly in the dark.

With the skill active, Lucy could now make out the figure moving in the darkness.

It was a person.

A young man in his early twenties. It was Mitchell, the son of the village chief.

From what Lucy knew, Mitchell was a very diligent young man.

He was always the first to step up and help with village matters—a kind-hearted young man.

In the darkness, Mitchell was slowly approaching the inn.

He held a sword in his hand, and his expression was grim.

“…”

Lucy had a pretty good idea of what Mitchell was planning to do.

Quietly, Lucy approached Mitchell from behind and tapped his shoulder.

Tap tap.

“!!”

Mitchell jumped in fright and collapsed to the ground. Thankfully, he didn’t scream.

“Mitchell, where are you going?”

Lucy asked. Mitchell looked at her with wide eyes.

“Ah, it’s you, Lucy…”

He spoke with relief.

“You scared me… Lucy, what are you doing here? It’s late.”

“What are you planning to do?”

Lucy pointed to the sword in Mitchell’s hand.

“Are you going to attack those knights and soldiers?”

“…”

Mitchell quickly hid the sword behind his back.

“Y-You don’t need to know. You should go home….”

He stopped mid-sentence.

As if realizing something, he nodded.

“Ah, you came out because your grandfather hasn’t returned, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Your grandfather… is at my house right now. He’s a bit injured.”

“Injured?”

Lucy’s brow furrowed slightly. Mitchell waved his hand as if to reassure her.

“It’s not too serious. His life isn’t in danger. He won’t be able to work for a while, though…”

“Mitchell.”

Lucy stared straight at Mitchell.

“What happened?”

Her voice was calm—so calm it felt cold.

“Tell me honestly. Why is my grandfather hurt? And what are you planning to do?”

“…”

Mitchell stared at Lucy with wavering eyes.

Then he sighed and began to speak.

“…It’s because of those knights and soldiers.”

Mitchell started explaining what had happened in the village.

◈

According to Mitchell, the knights and soldiers had suddenly arrived in the village and demanded food, drinks, and a place to stay.

With over twenty soldiers, it was a huge burden, but the villagers had no choice but to comply.

Refusing could cost them their lives.

Moreover, they couldn’t afford to mistreat the knights and soldiers who had come under the lord’s orders to subjugate the bandits.

The villagers offered the entire inn and brought food and drinks from their homes to serve them.

The knights and soldiers were very pleased.

They assured the villagers that as long as they stayed, the village would be safe from the bandits.

Of course, that was just their way of thinking. The villagers hoped they would leave as soon as possible.

Feeding and housing over twenty people for free wasn’t easy for a small village.

A few more days of this, and the village’s resources would be in danger.

At any rate, the villagers handed over the inn and served food and drinks to keep them happy.

But then, a problem arose.

One of the soldiers assaulted Hailey, the innkeeper’s daughter, in a secluded area behind the inn.

And the one who happened to witness this was…

“Your grandfather.”

Mitchell said.

“Your grandfather pushed the soldier to save Hailey. The soldier fell and injured his face. He was furious and beat your grandfather badly. It didn’t end there. The knight came out, saw what was happening, and drew his sword, threatening to cut your grandfather’s throat.”

Lucy’s face showed no change in expression. But if you looked closely, her eyebrows were trembling.

Mitchell continued.

“That’s when Hailey got on her knees and begged. She pleaded for your grandfather’s life. She said she’d do anything if they spared him….”

Mitchell’s voice was filled with anger and sorrow.

Come to think of it, Lucy knew that Mitchell and Hailey, the innkeeper’s daughter, were lovers.

“Thankfully, the knight sheathed his sword, but there was a condition. It was…”

Mitchell hesitated before speaking.

“The condition was that Hailey would serve the knights and soldiers at night.”

“…”

Lucy silently looked toward the inn. The noisy chatter from inside could still be heard.

“I… I can’t just stand by and watch this… I’ll kill them all if I have to….”

“Mitchell.”

Lucy grabbed Mitchell’s hand. She wanted to calm him down.

His hand was trembling.

“Where is Hailey right now?”

“Hailey is… washing up at the village bathhouse for them…”

“I see.”

Lucy nodded and stood up.

“Stay here, Mitchell. I’ll handle this.”

“…Huh?”

Mitchell looked at her in disbelief.

“L-Lucy… what are you talking about? How can you…?”

Mitchell tried to stand up and follow her.

“?”

But Mitchell couldn’t move.

Lucy had already bound his body with a skill.

The same Shadow Bind she had used on Amon earlier.

As she walked away, Lucy said to Mitchell,

“I’ll be back soon.”

Inside the inn, the soldiers’ rough laughter continued without pause.

“Haha! Did you see the villagers’ faces earlier? They were so scared in front of the knight, they didn’t know what to do.”

“Yeah, when would these country bumpkins ever meet someone as great as our knight?”

“By the way, that old man earlier… is he going to be okay? He looked pretty bad.”

“He’s an old man who doesn’t have much time left anyway. Besides, he had the nerve to attack us, so he deserves to die. If it weren’t for the innkeeper’s daughter, his head would’ve been cut off already.”

“That innkeeper’s daughter is quite pretty. Too pretty to be stuck in a place like this.”

“She’s washing up for us right now. Hehe, I’m looking forward to it…”

“The knight gets her first. We’ll have our turn later.”

“Hehe, but it’s still something to look forward to. Tonight’s going to be fun.”

Sinister laughter spread among the soldiers.

At that moment, Knight Baldric stood up and raised his glass.

“Alright, men, you’ve worked hard to get here. Tonight, let’s relax to our hearts’ content, subjugate the bandits in style, and return safely to the castle. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“Now, a toast!”

“Cheers!!”

Baldric and the soldiers all downed their drinks in unison.

“Ah~ This tastes good~”

It was then.

Creak—

The inn door slid open, and someone entered.

“Oh, is she here?”

The soldiers, thinking it was Hailey, turned their expectant gazes toward the door.

But the person who entered the inn wasn’t Hailey.

“Huh?”

“What?”

“It’s that kid from earlier.”

Lucy confidently met the gazes directed at her and closed the inn door behind her.

“What’s this, kid? You’re a bit too young to be serving us at night, aren’t you?”

“Kehaha.”

The soldiers burst into laughter, clearly amused.

Only Knight Baldric wore a slightly uneasy expression.

One of the soldiers stood up and strode toward Lucy.

“But hey, you’re cute, so I’ll make an exception…”

It was then that Lucy’s mouth opened.

“Bone Spear.”

Thud!

A white, spike-like object pierced through the soldier’s back.

“…?”

The soldiers froze, staring blankly at the scene.

They hadn’t yet processed what had happened.

Thud.

The soldier who had approached Lucy collapsed. Blood spilled from his body, staining the floor.

“W-What the hell!”

Finally, the soldiers jumped to their feet. They all grabbed the spears they had leaned against the wall.

“W-What did you just do!”

“You damn brat!”

Lucy walked toward the soldiers, a cold smile on her face.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
That’s a straightforward way of dealing with problems…

Don’t try it though.