chapter_0151

The attention of the entire village was now focused on us, especially after I had used healing magic to help the injured man.

“Dad!” Leona rushed over, breaking the tense atmosphere. She checked on her father’s injuries, drawing everyone’s attention to them.

When her father pointed at me and said, “He’s the one who healed me,” the attention shifted back to me.

“It might be better to head back to the village. We should take care of these monsters as well. They’re already dead, so you don’t have to worry,” I said, trying to ease the tension.

“Yes, we’ll take care of the cleanup. You all should rest. We’ll handle the rest,” Wilhelm replied, grateful for my help.

To lighten the mood, I changed the subject. Fortunately, the villagers’ attention soon turned to the frozen kobold statues. The surviving men picked up their weapons and approached the statues, eager for a chance to strike back.

I could have easily destroyed the statues with a wave of my hand, but I let them take their time, knowing that they needed this moment of catharsis. The villagers took out their frustrations on the frozen kobolds, shattering them into pieces.

We returned to the village, and the men who had gone on the expedition with Wilhelm took turns thanking me and reuniting with their families.

I could feel the weight of the villagers’ stares as they whispered among themselves, and I knew that the news of my involvement would soon spread throughout the village.

“I want to express my deepest gratitude for saving my life and the lives of my friends. You have saved our entire village,” Wilhelm said, bowing his head as we sat down for lunch. Sylvia, sitting next to him, also bowed her head respectfully.

“I was just doing what needed to be done. Can you tell me what happened?” I asked, concerned about the unusual behavior of the kobolds.

I had seen the kobolds before they were frozen, and they were clearly different from the ones I knew. Their movements were faster, and their reaction speed far surpassed that of the original monsters.

‘I have a hunch, but…’ I had a guess, but I needed confirmation.

“I don’t know what happened. They used to be so easy to defeat, but this time, they were completely different,” Wilhelm said, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Did you sense anything unusual about them? Any different kind of energy or presence?” I pressed, knowing that my suspicions were likely correct.

“Now that you mention it, I did feel something different…” Wilhelm trailed off, deep in thought.

That was all the confirmation I needed. I had come to a conclusion: the miasma of the Demon God had somehow reached this area. Whether it had spread throughout the space between the village and the front lines or specifically targeted me and the hero was unclear, but the presence of the miasma was undeniable.

“If it’s a different energy, then…” Leona started, her eyes narrowing as she made the same connection I had.

“Yes, it’s the same as the one we encountered when we fought Mahbat,” I confirmed, remembering the black aura that had surrounded the dragon.

Leona bit her lip, her eyes flicking to the side as she recalled the incident. She had witnessed the power of the Holy Sword when she dispelled the black aura and awakened her true potential.

“Aria, I’m sorry, but we’ll have to postpone lunch for a bit,” I said, standing up.

“It’s fine, Mir Mira. This is more urgent. I understand, and I’m sure my parents will too,” Aria replied, her expression determined.

I intended to go straight to the source of the problem, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t walking into a trap. “I’ll go check something out first. I noticed a place on the way here that might be related.”

“Can I come with you? Just in case you need the Holy Sword, like last time,” Leona offered, her eyes shining with determination.

“No, you and Aria should stay here and protect the village. Those kobolds might decide to attack again,” I said, remembering the events of the original story. In the original timeline, Priscilla had been absent, and the village would have been destroyed if not for Leona and Aria’s intervention.

Leona’s face fell slightly at my refusal, but she quickly composed herself and nodded, understanding the importance of their role in protecting the village.

“Wait, Mir Mira,” Sylvia said, stepping forward as we prepared to leave. Her face was a mix of emotions, worry and concern evident in her eyes.

“Is something the matter?” I asked, curious about Sylvia’s sudden appearance.

“I wanted to express my gratitude more properly. Thank you for saving my beloved,” Sylvia said, her eyes shining with warmth.

“As I said before, I was just doing what needed to be done,” I replied, a bit embarrassed by her effusive thanks.

“There’s one more thing you need to do, isn’t there? You need to come back safely, without getting hurt. Not just for yourself, but for my daughter and Aria as well,” Sylvia said, her voice filled with concern.

“Of course, I will. I still haven’t had lunch yet,” I said, trying to lighten the mood with a joke.

Sylvia’s expression softened slightly, and she chuckled. “By the way, I heard you promised to take good care of our Leona.”

“That…” I hesitated, unsure how to respond.

Sylvia laughed, interpreting my reaction in her own way. “Don’t worry, I’ve raised her to be charming enough to captivate anyone. I’m sure you’ll change your mind soon enough.”

‘Change my mind…’ I thought, realizing that Sylvia’s words had a double meaning.

I needed to change my mind, but not in the way she intended. In order to achieve the ‘happy ending’ I desired, the four of us who were possessed had to eventually return to our original world.

The question of what would happen to the people of this world after we left was a concern, and it inevitably created a distinction in how I viewed the people here compared to the people from my original world. I didn’t consider the people of this world as fake, but the fact remained that I intended to return to my ‘home,’ and I didn’t know what would become of them. That was the difference.

“……I’ll do my best,” I said, my voice soft.

“Oh dear, if you put in too much effort, it might be over too soon,” Sylvia teased, her usual playful tone returning. The tension had mostly dissipated, and she seemed more relaxed now.

I nodded, deciding to play along with her joke. Before leaving, I quietly gave instructions to the guard at the entrance, telling him to listen to Leona and Aria if any monsters attacked the village.

By the time I stepped outside, the news had apparently spread, as the guard, who was probably old enough to be my father, saluted me with a straight back and a stern expression.

I used physical enhancement and acceleration magic to quickly reach the location described in the original story—a distinctive cliff surrounded by dense forest. According to Priscilla, it should be easy to find.

‘How did they even get in here?’ I wondered as I stood before the rocky mountain, the only cliff in the area.

In the original story, the incident was orchestrated by the Second Legion Commander, Circe, who had manipulated the Kobold King to attack the village and instill a sense of danger in the hero and the saint.

However, Circe had been killed by Astaroth, so the presence of the Evil God’s miasma here was a mystery. Perhaps it was a random occurrence, like when the Vampire Lord had suddenly awakened in the artificial dungeon.

“……Is there nothing here?” I muttered to myself as I surveyed the surroundings.

Unlike the original story, where the cave was filled with kobolds from the entrance, I had not encountered a single one on my way here. The only signs of their presence were footprints on the ground, and my detection magic didn’t pick up any traces of them.

‘Could it be somewhere else?’ I wondered, considering the possibility that I had come to the wrong place.

If that was the case, I would have to use detection magic to scan the entire mountain range, which would take some time.

Kireek?

Just as I was about to give up and try another location, I heard an odd sound coming from the depths of the cave. I stepped inside and found myself facing hundreds of kobolds, their eyes fixed on me with hostile intent.

Kereek! Kereek!

The Kobold King banged his staff on the ground, annoyed by my intrusion. The horde of kobolds charged towards me, their numbers overwhelming.

Shek!

But as soon as their king’s cry stopped, they abruptly halted and turned around, their gazes falling on the spot where their king had been sitting. In its place was a pile of bloody meat, divided into eight neat pieces.

Whether they were enhanced by the miasma of the Evil God or not, these kobolds were still kobolds, and they had no idea what had just happened to their king.

I stepped forward, my body enhanced by magic, and the kobolds, sensing my power, hesitated and backed away.

Perhaps they had blocked the only exit, thinking it would be a good trap, but now they had no escape.

.

.

.

“This is probably the culprit behind this incident, but I need to observe it a bit more to be sure,” I said, handing the Kobold King’s head to Wilhelm. Its size was unusual for a typical kobold.

“How did such a creature end up here…?” Wilhelm muttered, his eyes widening in surprise. “Thank you. I need to discuss this with the others.”

Wilhelm and Sylvia left to confer, and Leona cautiously approached me.

I could tell that Sylvia had said something to encourage her, as she smiled at us before leaving.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, noticing Leona’s nervousness.

“Um, Mira… are you hurt anywhere?” Leona asked, her eyes darting around as if searching for any signs of injury.

“No, why would I be hurt by kobolds?” I replied, a bit amused by her concern.

“Oh, good. So, um… Aria told her parents that we’d have dinner with them later… and, well, if you’re okay with it, would you like to have lunch with just the three of us… Aria, you, and me… at the Eastern Lake…” Leona trailed off, her cheeks reddening slightly.

The Eastern Lake… I knew that place.

In the original story, it was where Aria and Leona had almost kissed, caught up in the romantic atmosphere.