"I guess we won't be staying here for a night and a nice bath?" Fin commented on the burning settlement in the valley below them. Taoyuan Village was surrounded by peach trees, giving it its name, and Mina said it was renowned for the view of peach blossoms around this time of the year.
The promised peach blossoms had gone up in flames, and so had the bathhouse and everything else. Houses, carts, people, and even the surrounding forest were swallowed by blazing fire. A pillar of black smoke was rising to the sky, visible from miles away.
Seth clicked his tongue in disappointment. He had actually been looking forward to a night with the girls in an open-air hot spring... With a sigh, he waved his hand. Using
However, their view didn't improve. Once flames and black smoke, they gave a view of the charred ruins of the former village. Every single structure was close to completely burned down. The only thing still moving in the village was the sparse residents who had tried to escape the fires until now.
"Someone really torched this place thoroughly," Abeja commented on her assessment. Seth nodded. There was no way for the village to burn down to this degree unless someone set all the houses on fire around the same time.
"Maybe there was a fight here?" Fin commented, pointing at one of the slopes of the valley. There were distinct marks of battle, like freshly cut and crushed trees, earth craters, and what looked like cut marks across the rock face. It was quite obvious, but the others had been distracted by the fire.
"Good eye. If they set the village on fire during a fight of that scale, it could make sense," Mina commented, knowing the problems a fight between mages could cause in an urban environment.
"Do you think this has anything to do with the business of the three stooges earlier?" Mina asked suspiciously. It seemed like too big of a coincidence that the place they were supposed to meet their young lady had "suddenly" caught fire, only hours after things went south for them.
"The chance these things aren't related is minuscule," the blacksmith agreed with a nod. This meant those guys were at fault for ruining their stay here, and they had 100% deserved that beating. Of course, it was not them alone, but they were the party Seth knew.
"I bet it wasn't just the three we met. They probably had comrades waiting here for them. Maybe those guys were the ones fighting whoever their enemy is?" Fin gave another astute theory. Right, if their plans were leaked, the chance that they were ambushed here, too, was not small.
"How unpleasant..." the blacksmith commented at the sight of the village and sighed again. "I guess we should see whether we can help any survivors?" the blacksmith suggested, seeing how a nice stay had turned into a disaster relief operation. The girls nodded without hesitation.
"Abeja, get us into the village."
The carriage began driving again, and a moment later they entered the main street of the burned-down village. They could see people already busy trying to help each other or save what was left of their livelihoods. Those needing the most help were either covered in burns or collapsed from smoke poisoning.
The gate of Legion opened again beside the carriage, and at Seth's signal, a host of golem knights of all kinds of sizes exited it. There were almost 40 of them, wearing various distinct styles of armor, making them all as unique as their names.
Not all were from Seth directly; most were made by Cerberus, but a big part was the work of Wedan and Hoen. They differed from Seth's first-generation golem knight in that these armors were not part of their bodies and not bound to their soul. Most of them were part of the forces looted from Kozdam, but had shown great potential and growth, gaining special support.
"Go look for survivors and bring them here."
The moment the blacksmith finished the sentence, the flock of knights spread across the whole village, nimbly jumping between the ruins to survey and search for signs of life. Since their vision resembled that of the undead, they had no problems finding survivors hidden in ruins and under rubble.
But not all spread out to collect what could be saved. Two golems and Abeja stayed back with Seth and the girls. The two golems that stayed behind were Ciervo and Carnero, clerical golem knight that were able to use healing spells, as well as fight. This was the moment Seth relinquished command of the situation to a more experienced professional.
"Alright, everyone. Abeja, Mina, start sorting through the patients and rank them based on the severity of their injuries, and mark those that need immediate attention. Seth and I will take care of the heavily wounded. The golems can give first aid," Fin started giving orders with a firm voice.
Although the fairy brute was a princess and a battle maniac, she was also the oldest one with the greatest experience as a medic among all of them. Under her guidance they people on the street and the new patients brought by golems were quickly sorted and treated.
Since Seth could use a measure of healing thanks to his Golden Fleece and
For two hours, the team of golem kept bringing survivors in various conditions, but thanks to the use of system skills and potions, the party from Minas Mar was able to save all of them; many probably ended up in a better physical state than before the fire.
However, their mental states were in shambles. Their whole village, their homes and their livelihoods had gone up in smoke, and there was nothing Seth and the others could do about that. Well, maybe there was...
"But I'm not sure whether I should," Seth said, looking at the bleak mood. Although wounds were healed, people, even children, looked hopeless and downtrodden. However, what he could do was closer to manipulation than proper help. It even felt a little inappropriate...
"Does it really matter if it can help them go on?" Mina asked. In their current state, they would probably lack the energy to try and survive after this great misfortune.
"What is the Tower Master about to do?" Abeja asked Fin in a whisper.
"Just watch."
The burned-down ruins of Taoyuan Village were suddenly filled with an upbeat melody wafting through the broken lives of the residents. The bard had started whistling. Soon after, Oz and Gleobem joined in, giving the melody more body.
"Here′s a little song I wrote. You might want to sing it note for note..." the
"Don't worry be happy."
The smooth music slowly soaked into the listeners marred by the day's loss and softened their expressions. It was no terrifying, memetic ballad that somehow changed their state of being; it was simply a soothing peace, lessening the stress.
Some people caught in shock and denial started crying at their losses, still swaying with the music, as the healing process was simply accelerated by the power of Buer. People already crying were crying harder as they accepted their loss, but also inched closer to being able to move on.
Accompanied by the happy tune, they went through a healthy process of overcoming loss. The first to heal were the few children among the survivors, who started dancing and smiling after bawling their eyes out.
By the time the song ended, most adults were still crying, but the atmosphere in the streets had improved tremendously. Now, they were in a state that gave them at least a chance of survival.
"There, I did it. Can we go now?"