Shirou stirred as golden rays of sunlight poured through the cracks in the wooden window, casting soft patterns on the floor. He squinted and raised an arm to shield his eyes, groaning slightly as he sat up on the simple bed. His body still felt sore, not from battle, but from the strange peacefulness that filled this quiet village. It was unfamiliar… yet oddly comforting.
Muffled sounds echoed in the distance. Voices, movement, something stirring. Curious, Shirou pushed the blanket off and stood up, stretching his arms over his head before walking toward the hallway.
The two children were already awake, sitting near the hearth, playing with small wooden toys. One of them glanced at Shirou and grinned.
"Mommy and Daddy went out," the boy said cheerfully.
"Oh, I see," Shirou nodded, brushing his fingers through his messy hair. "What's all that noise outside?"
"Don't know," the other child replied, shrugging. "That's where Mommy and Daddy went."
Shirou tilted his head slightly, his brows furrowed. Something felt off. He activated mana detection. Instantly, a wave of mana signatures lit up in his senses, clustered tightly around one location.
"That's a lot of people… all gathered near the centre," he muttered to himself. "And most of the mana from the nearby houses is gone. Looks like everyone's there… Must be some kind of meeting."
He cracked his neck and turned back toward his room, thinking of staying in. But after a moment's hesitation, he stopped mid-step.
"It's not like I've got anything better to do," he murmured. "Might as well see what's going on."
With that, he grabbed his cloak and stepped outside, the warm morning air greeting him as he walked toward the village centre.
"If this really is their meeting… am I even supposed to be here, watching or listening?" Shirou wondered as he approached.
Then Shirou began to sense the tension in the air. People were gathered in tight clusters, some whispering, others raising their voices. Panic, confusion, and frustration laced their tones.
"Do you mean to say that we're supposed to just sit in our homes?" someone yelled.
"Yes, until the problem is solved," came a firm reply. Shirou recognised the voice. It belonged to Guden.
"But it's been too long already!" another villager shouted. "It never takes this much time!"
"This time's different," a new, unfamiliar voice responded. It was calm, yet carried a weight of authority.
Shirou reached the edge of the crowd and tapped the shoulder of a man standing at the back. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Oh, it's the beasts," the man said grimly. "Another squad hasn't returned yet. We think they ran into the beasts."
"Beasts?" Shirou raised an eyebrow. "You mean the wild ones from the forest?"
"Yes," the man nodded.
"But... they're weak and barely a threat, right?" Shirou asked, slightly confused.
"For someone strong, they're not much of a threat", the man replied "But for most people in the village, they can be dangerous. Still, we manage. We go out in scouting teams, and wild ones aren't all that intelligent."
From deeper within the crowd, that same unfamiliar voice echoed out, louder this time. "I assure you, these beasts will be completely eliminated within five days."
Shirou stood on his toes to get a better look.
The village head was standing on the steps of his home, his expression stern. Beside him stood two people. A man in a dark uniform, clearly someone of rank, and a woman dressed in plain village clothes.
The village head raised his hand, calling for silence. "This will be my final decision," he declared. "We will wait for five more days. During this time, everyone must remain inside their homes. If the issue isn't resolved by then, we'll request further aid from the kingdom."
He let the words sink in before adding, "This meeting is over."
With that, the village head turned and walked into his house, ignoring the murmur of frustration that rippled through the villagers.
The woman stepped forward, her voice firm yet gentle. "Please, everyone. Return to your homes for now. If there are any new developments, I will personally inform all of you."
Her words seemed to calm the crowd. Slowly, people began to disperse, though uneasy expressions lingered on their faces.
Shirou turned to leave as well, but then heard a familiar voice behind him.
"Shirou!"
Shirou turned around and saw Math waving at him, walking over with his wife by his side.
As they approached, Math said, "Something important just came up."
"Oh, it's fine," Shirou replied.
The three of them began walking back together.
"So… are the wild beasts really that big of a problem?" Shirou asked. He had encountered a few while walking through the forest, but none had seemed aggressive. In fact, they had mostly ignored him.
Math glanced at him, then nodded. "Actually, most of the time, they're harmless. They don't attack us unless something's wrong. But sometimes… they get infected."
"Infected?" Shirou frowned.
Thena answered this time. "It's a kind of corruption. Makes them violent. That's when they start killing people."
"It's illegal to kill the beasts unless they're infected," Math added. "They're important to the forest's balance. But very rarely, these infected ones may mutate…" He paused, his expression darkening. "That's when it becomes serious. A mutated beast is unpredictable and a real threat."
"So that man in uniform must be from the kingdom?" Shirou asked.
"You're right," Math replied. "His name's Oswyn. He's one of the kingdom's officers."
"And the woman with the village head?" Shirou asked, recalling her calm presence.
"Oh, that's Hayla," Thena said with a small smile. "She's the village head's assistant. Honestly, she's the one keeping everything running smoothly."
She leaned in slightly and whispered, "The village head gives orders, but Hayla's the one who actually does the work."
Shirou chuckled lightly, then asked, "So… an entire squad went missing?"
"Actually, three," Math corrected. "This was the third one. It usually doesn't happen like this. The beast would've been killed long before now. In fact, the officer already took it down a few days ago. That's why another squad was sent out to collect essential items from the forest. But…" He paused for a moment, his expression darkening. "We only found one of the squad members."
"So this must be a mutated one," Shirou guessed.
"Yeah… That's the only explanation we've got."
"Oswyn mentioned something about this time being different," Shirou said, his brows furrowed. "What did he mean by that?"
Math hesitated for a moment before answering. His tone was serious. "Usually, when a mutation happens, it's just one beast. But from what Oswyn said… There are multiple this time. Maybe even more dangerous than anything we've dealt with before."
Shirou's eyes narrowed slightly. "You said mutated beasts are strong. How strong are we talking?"
"Up until now," Math said as his tone became more serious, "the strongest one we've seen was about a late Apprentice-level threat."
Shirou blinked, his serious expression briefly fading. Late Apprentice? Really? I was expecting at least an early Adept…
With that they continued walking, the weight of the news hanging heavily between the husband and wife like a silent fog of doom. Meanwhile, Shirou just strolled along casually, hands in his pockets, as if they were discussing weather patterns instead of deadly beasts.