Winter is coming, and it will be difficult to find food in the mountains. For this reason, Kikyo went hunting in the mountains, hoping to find some food for her sister and the other villagers who were not full. After all, the location of this village is remote, which can be described as a very poor mountain village.
Kikyo cares deeply about her sister. Even though she strongly requests to go to the mountains with her, her sister is worried that Kikyo will encounter wild beasts and monsters, so she does not agree.
At this moment, Kaede's eyes were filled with concern because she saw that Kikyo's arm was tied with rags, and blood was oozing from it, meaning she was injured. The rags wrapped around her arm had been torn from Kikyo's clothes and used as a makeshift bandage.
"Sister, are you okay?!" Kaede said hurriedly. This kind of injury is not minor.
"Nothing happened. I just stumbled while walking the mountain trail," Kikyo replied with a smile. Although the pain in her arm had not subsided, she did not show any signs of pain.
"No, next time I don't think I can let my sister go out alone. It's too dangerous!" Kaede said. "You must have encountered a monster!"
"I did encounter a monster," Kikyo admitted. "But this time, thanks to Sir Sebastian, I was not in any real danger."
With a smile on her face, Kikyo turned to look at Sebastian and the others beside him.
Kaede followed Kikyo's gaze and saw Sebastian and the others outside the house. With his handsome smile and unique, commanding presence, Sebastian was unlike any villager she had ever seen, and she was unconsciously amazed.
"Kaede, it's impolite to keep staring at others," Kikyo gently chided.
"Sorry!" Kaede hurriedly bowed to Sebastian. "My name is Kaede, and I am Kikyo's younger sister. Thank you, Mr. Sebastian, for saving my sister."
"It's nothing," Sebastian replied calmly, a relaxed smile on his face.
"Please come in, Mr. Sebastian. We have seats, and I will arrange a place for you to stay immediately," Kikyo said quickly.
Although she and her sister are the only two living together, their house is small. It would be cramped to accommodate Sebastian and the others. So she planned to vacate a room for them to stay in while she and her sister made do on the floor. As winter approaches, the ground is very cold, but Kikyo will never treat her savior poorly.
Sebastian smiled faintly. With his Teigu, he could read people's thoughts and understand what Kikyo was thinking.
"Don't trouble yourself. I'll arrange the place myself," Sebastian said with a slight smile. Instantly, he used his system to conjure a Battle Lab, including the log cabin where Kikyo lived.
"What?!" Kikyo and Kaede were stunned, this was beyond their comprehension. One moment, they saw the familiar cabin; the next, it had transformed into a towering building. Such a change was unprecedented for them.
"It's just a bit of our group's special technology," Sebastian explained with a smile, leaving the two girls in shock.
The next day, news of Sebastian's arrival spread quickly throughout the village. Anyone not blind could see that a massive building had suddenly appeared overnight, its style quite different from the surrounding structures.
Furthermore, they learned from Kikyo that Sebastian had rescued her from a giant toad monster. In this world, demons are everywhere, and ordinary humans have little choice but to be slaughtered by powerful monsters. Anyone who can eliminate demons commands great respect. These monster hunters are vital for the survival of ordinary people, allowing them to live under the threat of monsters' sharp claws and fangs.
After hearing that Sebastian was in the village, the villagers became quite enthusiastic and offered him some of their food. Not only because the local customs are simple, but also because Sebastian had the power to eliminate demons. With him around, the villagers felt safer.
Because this mountain village is quite remote, it's vulnerable to monster attacks. They also wanted to take a closer look at the Battle Lab Sebastian had built. Soon, the villagers gathered around the gate of Kikyo's house. As night fell, they gradually dispersed.
"Finally gone," Sebastian sighed inwardly. The villagers' chatter was inevitable, and it was a little noisy, but he understood their gratitude. After all, they had been saved from monsters, and they accepted his gifts graciously.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Sebastian," Kikyo said bowing. "I know you must be tired and need rest, but the villagers' enthusiasm disturbed you. Please forgive us."
"It's no problem," Sebastian replied lightly with a shake of his head.
"Let me go prepare some tea for you, Mr. Sebastian," Kikyo added, hurrying to the kitchen.
At that moment, Sebastian sensed a faint, fiery gaze watching him. He turned to look behind him. "Kaede, what's wrong?"
Kaede had been observing Sebastian from a distance. Curious about him but shy to approach, she hesitated.
"Mr. Sebastian, are you from a distant country?" Kaede asked, summoning her courage and stepping forward. Her agate-like eyes were full of curiosity.
"That's right," Sebastian nodded.
"Have you traveled to many countries?"
"Yes."
"Can you tell me about the countries you've visited? Please?"
Kaede leaned forward, her breath nearly brushing Sebastian's face.
"There's a country full of monsters, those monsters can only be killed by destroying their heads. People injured by monsters sometimes turn into monsters themselves. There's another country where monsters are called demons, they can't stand sunlight and only act at night..."