join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr
At the village entrance.
The little girl with light pink hair was smiling, standing on her tiptoes in front of Yulian.
"Is that you, the Hero?"
Although it was a question, it carried a tone of certainty.
"Yes, it's me."
Yulian looked at the somewhat familiar little girl in front of him, and a figure flashed through his mind.
A beautiful young woman with long pink hair.
"Are you the chief of the village?"
"I am the 49th chief of the Village of the Sword, Kohara Konomi[¹]."
Kohara Konomi lowered her tiptoes, her eyes sparkling with stars as she looked at Yulian.
"So you really are the legendary Hero who can defeat the world-ending catastrophe, aren't you!"
"Hero or whatever, I'm not that..."
Yulian annoyedly supported his forehead with his hand.
"But you pulled out the Hero's Sword!"
"Grandma told me you are the one our Sword Village has been waiting for!"
Kohara Konomi said firmly.
"Alright, alright, I am, is that enough?"
Yulian nodded helplessly.
Yulian had heard about the legend of the Hero's Sword.
But every time Yulian mentioned it to Lilian, Lilian always seemed very confused and perplexed.
As if the matter didn't exist at all... so Yulian didn't know what was going on.
As for why the Hero's Sword was pulled out by him, Yulian was even more clueless.
Many years ago, he just happened to pass by the Sword Village, occasionally saw the Hero's Sword stuck in the Holy Domain Cave, and casually tried to pull it out, and who knew, it actually came out... "Hero, are you here to protect the village!"
Seeing Yulian admit it, Kohara Konomi rubbed her hands together expectantly.
"Protect... the village...?"
Yulian looked around in confusion.
It seemed there was no danger present...
"It's the Lord of the Mountain!"
Kohara Konomi reached out her small hand and turned Yulian's head to face her.
Their eyes met.
Light shone in Kohara Konomi's eyes.
"In the past few decades, a Lord of the Mountain has emerged among the monsters."
"The villagers haven't entered the mountain for a long time."
"Oh, you're talking about that!"
Yulian slapped his head, realizing.
Come to think of it, Kohara Konomi had mentioned clearing out monsters to him before.
Since the Hero's Sword was also a possession of the Sword Village, Yulian, who had gotten the Hero's Sword for free, readily agreed.
But when Yulian asked how often they needed to be cleared, Kohara Konomi (who was the forty-seventh village chief) said something vague.
"When the time comes, you will come."
The young woman with long pink hair stood gently beside Yulian, saying this.
Just like today's Kohara Konomi, her eyes held trust and gentleness.
"Come to think of it, everything seems to be arranged..."
Yulian belatedly felt a chill down his spine.
This kind of fated arrangement made Yulian very uncomfortable.
His own life, what he should do, should naturally be decided by him!
But this feeling of suddenly being predicted by fate's doctrine gave Yulian a sense of an unseen arrangement, which made him very uncomfortable.
"Hero?"
Seeing Yulian lost in thought, Kohara Konomi called out softly.
"Oh, oh!"
"I'll go clear out the monsters in a couple of days."
Yulian suddenly snapped back to attention and nodded.
Who cares about fate or destiny.
He just needed to make his own decisions.
Yulian didn't believe in fate; his own future was naturally for him to control!
"With your assurance, I'm relieved."
Kohara Konomi said seriously, then added.
"This is what Grandma told me to tell you..."
"She said the Hero would definitely return here at the right time."
"The right time?"
Yulian nodded with a headache, acknowledging Kohara Konomi's words, and prepared to leave with the herbs he bought from the village.
"I have things to do, so I'll be going now. I should be back in the village tomorrow."
"Is the Hero's companion injured?"
Kohara Konomi asked curiously.
Then, without waiting for Yulian to answer, the petite Kohara Konomi had already placed a prepared basket in front of Yulian.
"What is this..."
Cold sweat trickled down Yulian's forehead.
It wouldn't be another one of those annoying fated arrangements, would it?
"Herbs, for external application."
Kohara Konomi showed an innocent smile.
"How did you think to prepare herbs?"
Yulian sighed in relief.
He just felt that the Sword Village was very strange.
Fortunately, it wasn't medicine for Frieren's fever, otherwise Yulian would really call the police.
"Grandma said it would be around this time, and told me to remember to prepare herbs."
Kohara Konomi scratched her head, giggling.
"See, aren't they being used now?"
"No, my companion is sick, not injured."
Yulian smiled triumphantly.
He felt a sense of accomplishment for having turned the tables.
"Anyway, Hero, please take them."
Kohara Konomi bit her finger, hesitated for a moment, but still stopped Yulian.
And Kohara Konomi had already handed the basket to Yulian while stopping him.
"This... alright..."
It was a gesture of goodwill, no harm in accepting it!
Looking at the gradually darkening sky, Yulian knew time was running out.
So Yulian quickened his pace, heading towards the wooden house.
If he had known the village was so close to the wooden house, Yulian wouldn't have considered resting there for the day...
"Fern, did you hear any strange sounds?"
Stark, who was dozing by the wooden table, suddenly woke up with a start, looking nervously towards outside the house.
"Sounds?"
Fern was napping beside Frieren, and immediately woke up when she heard Stark's words.
"Yes, there are footsteps!"
"Very faint footsteps!"
Stark lay down on the ground, listening carefully with his ear to the surface.
"How is it?"
Fern also lowered her voice, asking nervously.
"Is Mr. Yulian back?"
"Probably not."
Stark nervously got up and stood by the window, cautiously looking outside.
"!"
That sight gave Stark quite a scare!
"What's wrong?"
Fern frowned and also crept to the window to look outside, and her face instantly changed dramatically!
Outside the wooden house, in the open space, three wolf-like monsters the size of calves were now crawling closer to the wooden house!
The wolf monsters had long purple manes, but their forelegs had grown hands, like human forelegs!
Their appearance, neither quite human nor quite wolf, coupled with their current stealthy approach to the wooden house, scared Fern and Stark half to death!
"What should we do, Mr. Stark!"
Fern cautiously took a few steps back to Stark's side.
"How about..."
Stark gritted his teeth, looking outside.
"Let's run!"
In Stark's opinion, those terrifying monsters were clearly not something he and Fern could defeat!
His body trembled uncontrollably!
Run, run!
The voice in his mind kept urging Stark!
Kohara Konomi is the unnamed pink hair chief's Japanese VA.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr