The female knight asked about the orcs.

She was gathering information about the enemy before setting out to subjugate them.

“It’s been quite some time since the orcs appeared.”

“Haven’t you tried to catch them?”

“We have. But the protagonists run away if they think they’re at a disadvantage.”

The village chief hung his head low. His expression was bleak.

Conversely, the female knight’s expression became serious.

Orcs that only fight when the protagonists have the advantage. It was a rare case. The villagers fighting on the way had been ambushed after recklessly chasing the orcs.

“Those orcs have settled in the mountains near the village and are plundering, so the suffering is immense.”

“Do you happen to have a map?”

The Village Chief brought out a map. It made sense that Hunters would have a map. The mountain where the Orcs were located was marked in red.

The female Knight’s expression wasn’t good as she looked at it.

“They’ve set up camp in an annoying spot.”

“Is that so?”

“There are only three ways up, and even then, it’s too disadvantageous for the attacking side.”

Rael leaned in to look at the map.

She couldn’t properly make it out.

But seeing the female Knight say that, it seemed truly difficult.

She remembered the time they faced Orcs in a large Village.

The Village was much weaker in terms of military strength, but the battle itself was evenly matched. The advantage of the terrain was that significant. She understood why the female Knight was hesitant.

“Please, I beg you!”

The Village Chief bowed his head.

As her attitude changed, it was the Village Chief who grew anxious. He had nothing else to say, so he began to appeal to her emotions.

With the Orcs entrenched in the mountain, blocking all paths leading up, there was no solution. The Village was going crazy because they would just raid and leave.

They lived by hunting. They had to move around the Forest. But because of the Orcs, they couldn’t hunt at all. They were on the verge of starving to death.

“We can only last a day or two with dried meat. Our Village is on the verge of ruin. Please help us!”

The female Knight fell into thought.

“How many Orcs are there?”

“Not many. Not even fifty.”

Her expression brightened slightly.

“What about trees nearby?”

“Well, it’s a mountain with a lot of rocks and boulders…”

The Village Chief said that even the few trees that were there had been cut down by the Orcs. It was obvious what they had been used for.

The female Knight frowned. If all the trees had been cut down, the tactic of setting a fire to force them down, which the Capital City might use, was unusable.

“You should have just built the Village there instead.”

It wasn’t a village that farmed. Since they were Hunters, it didn’t matter where the village was. The Village Chief spoke in a subdued voice.

“That’s how it originally was, but I heard an epidemic once broke out there and they moved it here. That was decades ago.”

The conversation stopped. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air.

Everyone awaited the Lady Knight’s words.

Rael was no different.

But he thought the answer was predetermined.

She had power. She had justification. Most importantly, her convictions mattered.

The Lady Knight sought to save the suffering. There was no way she would pass by a village on the brink of annihilation by Orcs.

He naturally assumed she would agree. But contrary to his expectations, the Lady Knight’s expression seemed displeased.

An unbelievable answer came from her lips.

“It will be difficult for me to help.”

“Is that so…”

The Village Chief did not beg piteously.

His expression showed he had expected it.

“Who might the Mage be?”

“That would be me.”

The Village Chief stared intently in this direction. As soon as his gaze fell upon the boy holding the staff, he showed a look of surprise.

He looked around cautiously. It seemed he was wondering if it was a lie. But the expressions of the surrounding Knights showed no wavering.

At their matter-of-fact attitude, a look of wonder spread across the Village Chief’s face. He erased the way he was looking at the child and bowed his head.

“It is an honor to meet you, Mage. I should have greeted you sooner, but I failed to recognize you.”

“It’s nothing.”

“I heard it was also you, Mage, who helped us by using a Golem, but to be so young… I am truly astonished.”

The Village Chief flattered him.

It was flattery he had never heard in his life. It felt like a dream that just two years ago, he had been bullied by Dorian.

He felt strange. While there had been many who wanted a Protagonist before, none had flattered him like this.

His tone and gestures were as polite as when addressing the Lady Knight. It was even excessive.

Rael keenly felt the importance of skill once again.

Just moments ago, the Village Chief hadn’t even given him a glance. But as soon as he learned that Rael was a Mage who controlled Golems, he became completely subservient.

The Village Chief spoke at length. As Rael listened, he subtly turned his head. He had been curious about the beautiful woman sitting next to the Village Chief for a while.

Seeing the woman reminded him of Lorina. Lorina would probably look like that woman in five or six years. She was pretty for a village maiden.

“Who is that?”

“She is my wife.”

Rael was disappointed.

The Village Chief introduced his wife. Rael greeted her back, though he didn’t show his feelings.

“My wife and I grew up together in this village. We got married two years ago, and she became pregnant about half a year ago. We were eagerly awaiting the birth of our child, but then those guys came, and everything went wrong.”

The Village Chief clenched his teeth and made a fist. He was visibly swallowing his anger.

“My parents died during that time.”

The Village Chief grabbed his hand. He spoke in a solemn tone.

“Mage. Please… I beg you. Help us.”

“I don’t think I can do it alone.”

“No, Mage. I clearly saw the Golem you command with my own two eyes. With that power, it’s definitely possible.”

The Village Chief pleaded.

“We won’t let you be in danger, Mage. You just need to clear a path with the Golem you command. We’ll handle the fighting ourselves.”

“The casualties will be high, won’t they?”

“We just want a chance to protect this village.”

That was the end of his plea. The Village Chief bowed his head.

The Knights were speechless.

The female Knight shook her head. While she felt pity and compassion, she couldn’t willingly incur losses.

They decided to think about it for now.

They said it wasn’t dangerous, but he still didn’t know. It was a shame. If the female Knight had stepped up, he would have done so with a light heart.

But she refused. She had decided to stand by and watch the village fall.

The Knights left the Village Assembly Hall. The villagers seemed to have something to discuss among themselves. On their way out, he headed to a secluded spot with the female Knight, as she said she had something to tell him.

“Are you going to accept the proposal?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t do it. I’m telling you this for your own good.”

The female knight dissuaded him.

Rael was useful. She had reason to hold onto him. But that wasn’t a reason for Rael to give up his will.

“I have one question.”

“What is it?”

“Why aren’t you stepping up?”

“The damage would be too great. The Orcs are in a geographically superior position. Charging on horseback would be difficult, and we wouldn’t gain speed. If there are traps, it would be the worst.”

“So, the losses outweigh the gains?”

“That’s right.”

The female Knight nodded. She seemed to believe it was the obvious course of action. She was responsible for hundreds of lives. She was not in a position to make rash decisions.

But Rael was disappointed. It was a response no different from a mercenary. She was a Knight, not a mercenary.

She thought she would act like a Knight. Perhaps she had been expecting it without realizing it. She was also just an ordinary person.

“You said you would end the war in The North. But your words and actions don’t match.”

“Don’t match?”

“Look at yourself now. You’re not even talking about the war in The North; you’re afraid of a single tribe harming the Village and avoiding them.”

“Lord Rael.”

“…”

“While I treat you with respect, that does not mean you can say whatever you want.”

“…You are a hypocrite.”

She was using the lives of soldiers as an excuse to stand by and watch the people she should be protecting. It was different from what she had said. She was a hypocrite, just like Bruno.

No, she was different from him.

She was different. She had power, but she was afraid to lose it. If her beliefs were genuine, she shouldn’t be afraid to lose things in order to uphold them.

The female Knight showed her anger.

“Rael!”

She trembled as if trying to suppress her rage.

For several minutes, she glared at him with ragged breaths. Only then did the woman finally calm down and let out a sigh. He didn’t know what the sigh meant.

“Don’t do anything foolish.”

“Foolish?”

“You are an excellent Mage. There is a proper place for you to display your skills. I cannot allow you to go alone to a dangerous battlefield where you might die.”

“The Village Chief said it wasn’t dangerous.”

All Rael had to do was send the Golem to fight. The Golem was strong enough to do its part with just that.

The female Knight shook her head.

I am saying that I cannot lose you, not even in a million years. You do not understand how valuable the Protagonist is.

I know.

No, you do not. If you did, you would not have done such a foolish thing. Mages are wary of even the slightest chance. They seek complete safety. But you, on the other hand, are more like a Warrior. Perhaps because you are young, you do not know how frightening the world can be.

I…

The Lady Knight approached. There was a scent of perfume. It also smelled like fruit. A sweet scent emanated from the woman’s body.

It was strange. Amelin’s body was similar, though not as much as hers. Conversely, the Village maidens smelled foul. The woman who resembled Lorina was an exception.

Do you know about War Priests?

Lord Ratt told me about them.

Then did you also hear that they ignore even the dying until they receive payment?

No.

Rael shook his head.

The only official the Protagonist had seen was the Priest of the Church in a large Village at best. He was a decent person. He genuinely seemed to care for others. So, the Protagonist thought others were the same. It was a shock.

The Lady Knight spoke.

I heard about you treating the wounded.

“…”

Even just that is a great deed.

I did not do it with good intentions.

It does not matter. What is important is that, regardless of your intentions, you stepped forward to help others. That is a noble act worthy of people’s praise. Therefore, I do not want you to get hurt.

Hurt?

As long as you do not abandon that pathetic compassion you possess, your mind will eventually be worn out. Remember my words.

The Lady Knight’s voice deepened. It was a sad voice rather than an angry one. Rael could not speak. Her expression looked so desolate.

The Lady Knight left after saying that. Rael, left alone, stood there for a long time.

He was not sure if this was right.

It might have been cheap pity.

Perhaps it was a childish impulse, like a child who has acquired a new toy and wants to show it off.

The Protagonist’s attitude was ambiguous. He felt it himself. He did not want to take risks, but he wanted to save people. It was a contradictory feeling.

Humans were beings who endured contradictions.

Bruno was the same.

He was a mercenary who pursued profit, yet a noble who championed honor.

Bairo was no different.

He allowed others to die for the protagonist’s benefit, but readily gave up everything for his son. In the end, he even walked into a deadly situation.

Rael was the same. In some ways, it could even be called a miracle.

Night fell. Rael walked with heavy steps. He needed to sleep soundly and think things over.

He entered one of the huts. It was an empty house he had been staying in during his time in the village. Amelin was there.

She lay on the bed, hugging Rael and boasting. She had mastered basic magic. She said that from now on, the protagonist, being a proper mage, would play an active role in battles. She was also steadily growing. He buried his face in her chest.

Rael closed his eyes.

The next day, people were bustling about from morning. Men with swords at their waists and bows on their backs gathered in front of the Assembly Hall.

There was quite a number of them. It seemed there were about sixty. It looked like every able-bodied man in the village had been gathered. It was, quite literally, a battle for their fate.

Among them was the herbalist he had seen yesterday.

He approached and thanked him. Then he looked around, asking where his master was, as if for a revelation.

He seemed to think the protagonist was a mage’s assistant. He didn’t answer directly. Instead, he called the golem that was far away.

The golem stomped its feet as it ran over. The herbalist, startled, fell on his backside and looked up.

The golem knelt on one knee and held out its palm. He climbed onto it. The herbalist’s mouth merely gaped open.

He remained on its palm and walked towards where the Village Chief and the village’s able-bodied men were gathered. The expressions of the people looking up were a sight to behold. All of them looked lively. Among them, the Village Chief’s face was the brightest.

A mage appearing with a golem was no different from declaring an intention to help the village. But that wasn’t the end of it. Soldiers also appeared. At the forefront was a knight. It was the female knight who had said she wouldn’t participate in the extermination battle.

She appeared leading the knights. He didn’t know why she had changed her mind. It might have been because of what the protagonist had said.

The female knight looked at the Village Chief.

“I’ll take care of two of the three paths leading up. But you all will be the ones taking the damage. Is that acceptable?”

“It is acceptable.”

The Village Chief nodded. The battle was being prepared.

The soldiers didn’t seem to be in bad spirits. Some were holding hands with village women and wiping away tears, perhaps from what had happened the night before.

The villagers also bid farewell to their families. It might have been the last time they would see each other’s faces.

In the Village Chief’s case, it was even more special.

He had a beautiful pregnant wife. If he died, she would be at a loss as to how to survive. The Village Chief seemed to know this, his heart heavy.

I spoke to them without realizing it. Their situation was so pitiful.

“Will you be alright?”

“I’ll be fine. Father, who is newlywed, is immortal.”

The Village Chief laughed.

“More than anything… I want to protect my hometown. Even though it’s barren land where farming is impossible, it’s the land I was born and raised on.”

“Hometown…”

“It’s a bit much to say this to someone young enough to be my son, but… could you help us?”

“What about compensation?”

“We’ll give you all of our share of whatever comes out of defeating the Orcs.”

Rael nodded.

He figured at least a few dozen Silver Coins would come out of it. It wasn’t satisfying, but this was the best condition the Village Chief could offer.

All he had to do was send in the Golem anyway. The Protagonist wouldn’t have to take any risks.

The people left the Village. Each had a determined expression. Rael came down to the ground and walked on two feet.

It was so he could walk alongside Amelin. But someone on horseback approached them. It was a female Knight.

“Lord Rael.”

Amelin’s eyebrows twitched.

Rael thought her vigilance was excessive. Amelin had, after all, slept in the same bed as the Protagonist just last night. It meant they were very close. There was no need to be wary of the female Knight.

Regardless, he listened seriously to the female Knight. Her demeanor was unusual.

“Don’t get attached to people.”

“Why?”

“Because I think you’ll be the one who gets hurt the most in the end.”

“…”

“I too once mourned the deaths of the soldiers. They are all someone’s sons and parents. But those in charge must ignore such things.”

They were significant words.

Rael did not understand the words. For some reason, it felt like something terrible was about to happen. It wasn’t a threat to his life. It was a different kind of fear.

The mountain was nearby.

The villagers began to prepare to attack the Orcs’ main camp.

Rael looked up at the mountain. It was more like a hill than a mountain.

It seemed harder to attack than he thought.

He worried about how many villagers would survive.