The villagers rushed to attack Laguna armed with simple weapons. They had scythes, hoes, knives, and other sharp tools. Their eyes looked blank, but they were filled with unnatural anger.
Laguna watched them with intense focus, directing his gaze.
[Status screens appeared one by one above their heads]
"Nothing special... their traits are even below average for normal people," Laguna thought. He heaved a sigh of relief but remained vigilant. Although weak, their numbers were overwhelming, and they charged into battle without fear. Like puppets controlled by a mysterious power.
They rushed forward, swinging their weapons with a lack of clear technique. Laguna twisted his body, avoiding the scythe swung from the right. He deflected the hoe that came from the left with precise timing. Then, he stepped forward with skill.
'Their movements are slow… too slow,' Laguna muttered to himself. He ducked to avoid the knife swing that almost hit his head. In a low position, his leg swept past his opponent's leg with speed.
Thud!
The old man with the knife lost his balance and fell hard. Laguna made sure he landed on his back, keeping his body away from his weapon so as not to hurt himself further.
The other two villagers tried to stab Laguna with a pitchfork and a wooden spear. Laguna stepped back, letting the tips of their weapons miss his chest. Before they could pull their weapons back, Laguna moved forward with incredible speed. His right elbow hit a villager's chest, making him gasp for air and fall limp.
The other villager swung his wooden spear without aiming at a specific target. Laguna twisted his body, avoiding the attack and twisting his wrist to catch the tip of the spear. He applied pressure and twisted with speed. He pulled the spear back and pushed his opponent's shoulder. This helped him reach the ground without injury.
Laguna focused on avoiding vital points. His goal was to disable without causing serious injury. He avoided the next attack by jumping to the side, then turned with a low kick to the attacker's knee.
Thud!
The villager fell, his legs shaking, and he could not stand again. A kick to the inner thigh, often used in martial arts, could take him down without serious harm.
'They have no technique… their attacks are chaotic. "What made them like this?" Laguna wondered while he wove through the villagers who filled the square.
With a swift movement, he struck a man in the stomach who tried to attack him from behind. The blow was precise and measured, like a counterpunch that was aimed. The villager gasped and fell. He struggled to breathe, hoping to avoid any internal injuries.
Laguna moved like a shadow, gliding without making a sound. She dodged each attack and took them down one by one. He tried to hold back his strength. He knew they were ordinary villagers who had lost their sense of self.
'Is this a curse? "Or mind-controlling magic?" he muttered, watching the villagers arrive without fear.'
Laguna got ready again, his stance perfect. His eyes were sharp, observing every movement of the enemy. He would not kill them, but he would not let himself be injured by them either.
'Very well… if you want to die, then come forward!'
He moved fast, blocking attacks. He took down his opponents one by one with his martial arts.
Laguna defeated all the attacking villagers. Then, he looked for one person who was still aware among the pile of helpless villagers. He grabbed the man by the collar roughly, his face cold and his eyes radiating an intimidating aura.
"Who sent you guys?" Laguna's voice was low but sharp, his tone full of pressure.
"What do you mean?" the man stuttered, cold sweat running down his forehead.
"Why did you attack us?" Laguna gritted his teeth, his grip on the man's collar tightening.
"It's because... because you killed our god!" the man shouted, his eyes filled with hatred and fear.
"God?" Laguna narrowed his eyes, "Do you consider that worm a god? You're crazy!" His voice was full of disbelief.
"You don't understand!" the man struggled, his voice trembling, "That worm will bring fertility to our land! We've been waiting for it for months and when it comes... you... you kill it!"
"Then I should stand by and let it eat us? Huh?!" Laguna's voice began to rise, his eyes burning with suppressed anger.
"Isn't it… shouldn't it be like that? Everything requires sacrifice…?" The man began to sob, confusion evident on his face, as if he himself were unsure of his words.
"You're all crazy!" Laguna shoved the man roughly until he fell to the ground. He took a deep breath to calm his emotions.
Laguna approached Julia and Mulan, who lay unconscious. He looked worried. "Is Mulan awake yet, Julia? We need to get information from her soon."
"Not yet, Master. She's still unconscious… maybe we should rest at home first." Julia looked at Mulan with a frown.
"No, Julia." Laguna shook his head quickly, his face looking tense. "I feel like there will be another attack if we go back. Moreover, this is the work of that fat Harvey."
A black shadow shot out from behind Laguna with startling speed. An assassin rushed forward, dagger in hand. He made a quick swipe at Laguna's neck.
However, without looking back, Laguna caught the assassin's wrist with terrifying speed. Laguna's eyes narrowed, filled with suppressed anger. "You coward... ambushing from behind, huh?"
With a firm movement, Laguna twisted the assassin's hand. Crack! The sound of bones breaking was heard. The assassin screamed in pain; his dagger clattered to the ground.
Laguna grabbed the dagger. Then, without thinking, he stabbed it into the assassin's thigh. It went deep and hurt a lot. Fresh blood flowed enough to wet the ground beneath him.
"Sob… W-why… why did you know?!" The assassin groaned in pain, his face pale.
"That doesn't matter to you." Laguna's tone was as cold as ice, his eyes staring without mercy. "Now, you're the one who has to answer my question."
"W-Why did Harvey tell you to do this?" Laguna pressed the dagger deeper, making the assassin howl in pain.
"I… I won't tell you!" The assassin bit his lip, trying to fight the pain that was tormenting him.
Laguna pulled the dagger out roughly and stabbed it again, this time into his other thigh. He twisted the dagger, causing severe damage to the muscle fibers.
The assassin struggled, tears streaming down his face. "Arrgh! Cruel… how could a noble be this cruel?"
"Hoo? You know I'm a noble?" Laguna grinned, his smile full of hatred. "And you must have known what kind of noble I am."
The assassin's face grew paler; he began to tremble in fear. "I-I… alright! Alright! I'll talk!"
"Say it now," Laguna said. He yanked the dagger out, blood spraying on his clothes. He didn't mind.
"Harvey… Harvey said… to kill you… because he wants that woman…" The assassin looked at Julia. She stood far behind Laguna, looking terrified.
Laguna's eyes narrowed, revealing her intense anger. "Cunning bastard…" she muttered in a low voice.
"Okay… then what happened to this village? Why are they acting like mindless puppets?"
"I… I don't know…" The assassin began to sob, his face full of pain and fear. "I… am an outsider hired by Harvey… when I came… this village was already like this…"
Laguna stared, searching for a lie in the assassin's words. After a while, he took a deep breath. "Then, is there anything else you know? Something that Harvey is hiding?"
"I-I don't know… really… only our Leader is always with Harvey… we… just follow his orders…"
"Your leader?" Laguna's eyes narrowed, suspicion starting to grow in his mind.
"I-I've said everything… please… let me go… as you promised…" the assassin sobbed, his face pleading with hope.
"Promise? Did I ever promise to let you go if you answer my question?" A cold smile formed on Laguna's lips. "But… don't worry… I'll kill you quickly as a reward."
"Y-you… crazy bastard!" The assassin glared with hatred, but his eyes revealed a clear fear.
Laguna approached and closed the assassin's eyes with a soft touch. "Farewell…"
In one swift and precise movement, Laguna cut the assassin's neck. Blood gushed from the assassin's body, which lay limp on the ground.
Laguna stood with an expressionless face, only a cold gaze remaining in his eyes.
Laguna took a deep breath, staring at the lifeless body of the assassin. He wiped the blood off his hands, his heart heavy. He had no regrets, but a small part of him felt that things were getting complicated.
He then turned to Julia, who was standing not far from him. Julia's gaze remained calm, although there was a slight glimmer of sadness in her eyes. Laguna realized he had revealed something harsh. A girl her age shouldn't have to see that.
"I'm sorry, Julia... for showing you all this." Laguna's voice sounded heavy, filled with regret.
However, Julia managed a faint smile, trying to calm Laguna's heart. "It's okay, Master. This isn't the first time I've seen something like this. It seems like I should start getting used to it."
Laguna was silent for a moment before a slight smile appeared on her face. "Good then. It seems like I should start teaching you some magic so that you can protect yourself."
Julia frowned and approached with a teasing gaze. "Someone who can't use magic wants to teach me magic?" She stuck out her tongue with a mischievous expression.
Laguna took a breath and immediately flicked Julia's forehead with her index finger. "What do you mean? Even though I can't use magic, I never stop learning. You'd be surprised at what I can do."
Julia chuckled while rubbing her forehead, which had a faint redness. Before they could continue their conversation, a soft voice came from behind.
"Uhh..."
They both turned to Mulan, who slowly opened her eyes. Her face still looked pale, but her consciousness was starting to return.
"Julia, she's starting to wake up. Let's find a safer place first," Laguna said.
Julia nodded, and they rushed to the nearest house. The house looked shabby. The paint was peeling, and the furniture was dusty. Still, it could serve as a temporary place to rest. Julia placed Mulan on an old bed in the corner of the room with great attention.
Mulan, who slowly opened her eyes, blinked in confusion. Her breath was ragged, and her face looked pale. She surveyed the room illuminated by a faint light, and a tension spread through her body. "Where… am I? What happened…?"
Julia took out her waterskin and opened it with care, then positioned the lip of the bag at Mulan's mouth.
"Drink first, child," she said softly, helping her to take a sip of water.
Mulan took a few sips, enjoying the flavor of each one, and then drew in a deep breath. Her face looked fresher even though she still looked tired. After a while, she finally asked in a weak voice, "What happened to the monster?"
Julia smiled and patted Mulan's head with a soft touch. "Don't worry, Master has killed it."
Mulan's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" Her face transformed with an expression of awe and happiness.
Laguna, who was standing by the window, offered a faint smile before turning to Mulan. "Now, can you tell me what happened to this village?"
Mulan looked at the two of them, her eyes filled with sadness and fear. She took a deep breath, as if gathering the courage to speak.
"I... I will tell you everything..."