Three weeks had passed since J and his friends began their training. Today, they were called by Lina for their first mission.
Haruto walked in front, clad in iron armor with golden edges, a sword hung from his waist. Star moved beside him, draped in a purple robe. Next to her walked Nita, wearing a white, flexible dress. And as always, J followed behind, covered in black.
Haruto slid open the wooden door of the throne room.
Haruto walked forward, his voice firm. "Lina, you needed something from us?"
Concern written across her face, Lina nodded. "Yes, I have. The Karagami Village is under attack by goblins, and they've taken many captives."
Haruto crossed his arms. "So, you want us to save those captives, right?"
Lina nodded. "Precisely."
Haruto gave a confident smile. "Don't worry, Lina. We'll take care of those goblins and save the captives."
"So… how are we supposed to get there?" Star asked.
Lina clasped her hands together. "By a carriage, of course. It's waiting outside the castle."
J and his friends left the castle walls. A white carriage with golden flower-like designs waited outside, pulled by two beautiful horses.
The carriage rider bowed. "Good morning, heroes. It's an honor to meet you. I'll be taking you to Karagami Village."
Nita bowed as well. "It's an honor to meet you too, mister. I'm Nita, and I'll be counting on you, okay?"
"I shall not disappoint," the rider said.
One by one, they got on the carriage. It started moving and strolled through the vibrant capital.
Nita looked at J, tilting her head. "J, you've been really silent lately. Is something bothering you?"
J shook his head as he leaned back. "Yeah… it's just that my powers — they're weird. Even though I learned how to summon and unsummon Eclipse and Miro, I still don't know what that voice means."
J looked out the window. "Well, I'm afraid. This is our first mission as heroes, and many lives are resting in our hands. So, of course I'm worried."
Nita gave a faint smile. "I know where you're coming from, because I'm the same. I'm afraid we'll fail and never go back to our world."
With a calm expression, Haruto said, "Why are you guys being so pessimistic? We'll succeed and we'll go back to our world, so don't worry."
"Haruto is right. We'll succeed in this mission and defeat that demon," Star said.
Then Star looked at J, narrowing her eyes. "Hey J, can you tell me why you always bring up gloomy topics?"
J shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe because I think about important things, unlike you."
Star placed her hands on her waist. "Oh yeah? Then who do you think taught you how to unsummon Eclipse, huh?! Me! I was the one who thought about it."
J rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."
J and Star argued for quite some time, while Haruto and Nita tried their best to calm them down. After an hour, they finally reached Karagami Village. Haruto slid open the door. Haruto and his friends crossed a wooden bridge. Fish danced below them, birds flew over their heads. The village itself was truly beautiful, with small houses on every corner and a giant cornfield on the other side of the village stretching far.
A few villagers stood in front of the village gate. They welcomed them with great joy and hopeful eyes. An old man with a white beard led them to a small wooden house. The man was the chief.
Haruto, with a slight smile, said, "Sir, I'm Haruto, and these are my friends J, Star, and Nita. As you know, we came to your village to rescue the captives and eradicate the goblins." Haruto paused before speaking again. "So, can you tell me what happened and when the goblins attacked?"
Tears began to stream down the chief's face as he spoke in a shaky voice. "It… it happened two weeks ago, during preparations for the Harvest Festival. The adults gathered everything while the children played around the village. Then… then a group of goblins attacked us out of nowhere. Some of them were gigantic. A few young men tried fighting them, while the rest either hid or fled the village." The chief's voice cracked. "Th-those goblins ravaged our village and… and took our chil…dren and d-daughters with them."
The chief fell to the ground, tears flowing uncontrollably. "Dear heroes... please save our children and daughters. We… we don't know what state they're in… we don't even know if they're alive. Please, please bring them back… even if it's just their bodies. Please, bring them home."
Haruto held the chief by his shoulders, helping him up, his voice soft and confident. "Please, don't lower yourself. I, Haruto, swear by my name — we'll bring them back."
After the chief calmed down, Nita asked him, "Why do goblins kidnap people? And why didn't you inform Princess Lina sooner?"
The chief looked down, his voice trembling. "Goblins are some of the most savage creatures. They attack weak and small villages like ours. They… kidnap children either to devour or toy with." He paused. "The women suffer more. They're used as…" He covered his mouth as his stomach clenched. "The women… are used for violent breeding, sometimes tortured, before being killed." The chief looked up, his voice heavy. "It's not that we didn't reach out to the Princess, but the truth is our village is really insignificant compared to other villages and cities suffering the same fate. As a result, villages like ours are ignored or receive help much, much later — often too late."
A pin-drop silence fell upon the room as the chief's words echoed. Nita stepped back, horrified. Star covered her mouth, eyes widened. Haruto smiled nervously.
J shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head. "As I expected, huh? But I wished it was different."
Star turned toward J, narrowing her eyes. "J! What are you talking about? Aren't you unsettled by this?"
J scratched his head. "I am, but I expected as much. I never thought anything good or half-decent would come out of this mission, and that's why I was on edge before we came here."
"You're heartless as ever, I see," Star said.
J tilted his head and then turned toward the chief. "Chief, can you tell us where the goblins live and stuff? Like, a cave or something?"
The chief nodded, his voice calm. "Yes, I'll lead you there, so please follow me."
J smiled. "Thanks." Then he turned toward Nita. "Nita, do you think you can join us or do you need some rest?"
Nita steadied herself and shook her head. "You don't have to worry about me. We must go now to save those kids and women. Who knows what they're going through right now?"
"True. Chief, please lead the way. We need to save those captives ASAP," Haruto said urgently.
The chief led the party through the dense forest. Sunlight shimmered through the vibrant leaves. Birds soared through the sky. With every step closer, the stench grew unbearable. When they reached the goblin cave, the ground was painted in blood, and the air was thick with rot.