Chapter 654
Watch How I Fight. (3)
The villagers’ reaction was only natural.
Some ragged-looking strangers had shown up, making such outrageous claims how could they not be bewildered?
‘Aren’t they just kids who barely became adults…?’
‘Did they really take down those vicious bastards?’
‘And now they’re giving away the loot? Why? Wouldn’t it be normal to keep it all for themselves?’
The villagers didn’t believe them. In a world as harsh as this, where would you find adventurers willing to share their spoils?
They were more inclined to think it was a trap to lure them in and harm them. Even Deneb, a priestess, was assumed to be an imposter.
To the skeptical villagers, Julien presented the wealth they had brought, trying to convince them.
Only then did the villagers, still half in doubt, call for their village chief. Following the chief’s orders, a few people accompanied the group to verify the situation at the bandits’ hideout.
Seeing this, Kyle pouted even more. Even when offered treasure, the villagers remained distrustful, it was only natural to feel annoyed by their attitude.
“We’re going to share it with the people from other villages who were also harmed.”
With that, Julien visited the neighboring villages as well. In total, they stopped by four villages.
Yet, none of them believed it either. Only a handful of people were sent along with Julien to check the truth for themselves.
The cautious villagers who followed the group were stunned when they discovered the bandits’ corpses.
“T-They’re really dead?”
“Then… are they really going to share the loot?”
“No way… How could something like this happen…?”
Regardless of which village they came from, everyone wore the same dumbfounded expression. And when they checked the warehouse, their jaws dropped even further.
“W-Whoa!”
“This is incredible!”
“A-Are you seriously giving all of this to us?”
Julien and Deneb nodded.
“Yes, since everyone has suffered losses, please divide it among yourselves.”
At those words, the villagers bowed their heads in joy.
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
“To think you got rid of those wretched scoundrels…”
“The blessing of the Goddess will be upon you all.”
As the villagers expressed their gratitude, Julien and Deneb smiled. This moment was more precious to them than anything else.
Only Kyle continued grumbling with a displeased look.
“Ugh, idiots.”
But what could he do? It was because they were like this that he had come to like and trust them in the first place.
With Dark perched on his shoulder, Kyle vented his frustration by mocking his friends.
The villagers, excited, hurried back to their village. A short while later, they returned with a large group to help carry the loot.
Full of enthusiasm, they climbed up with carrying frames on their backs. Upon confirming the wealth inside the warehouse, they let out cheers, repeatedly expressing their gratitude to the four of them.
"Thank you so much for getting rid of those wretched bastards!"
Though they were happy to receive the treasure, what truly delighted them was the fact that the bandits were gone.
Even the lord had been unable or unwilling to deal with them. Leaving for another place wasn’t easy either. They had nowhere suitable to go, and the lord wouldn’t permit them to relocate.
They had been surviving because they had no choice, but now that the bandits were gone, how could they not rejoice?
Julien and Deneb continued smiling. Helping these people filled them with a sense of satisfaction.
However, just when it seemed like everything would end on a positive note, the atmosphere gradually grew tense.
"Hey! Our village suffered more losses than yours!"
"What nonsense! Your village willingly handed over money and food to them!"
"Do you think we don’t know that you sent them to raid our village first?"
Before anyone realized it, the villagers had separated into their respective groups, arguing fiercely. Each side insisted they deserved a larger share of the treasure.
In the process, they began exposing each other’s shameful secrets, belittling one another. It was clear at a glance that they didn’t get along and it was no surprise.
Each village had tried to divert the bandits to other villages in order to survive.
All those pent-up emotions were now erupting at once.
"You bastards really wanna die today?"
"Oh? You think we’re weak or something?"
Some villagers grabbed clubs, while others picked up weapons scavenged from the bandits' hideout.
Back when the bandits were alive, they hadn’t dared to make a sound. But now that the threat was gone, they were ready to fight over the spoils.
"Uh, huh?"
Julien and Deneb looked flustered.
They had never encountered something like this before. Usually, when they distributed wealth to nearby villages, that was the end of it. They had never dealt with a crowd entangled in such complex self-interests.
As the situation became more dangerous, Julien glanced at Ghislain for guidance.
Ghislain simply shrugged and said:
"Why should we bother with this? They want to fight among themselves, so let them."
If this had happened in the real world, Ghislain wouldn’t have just stood by. No, he wouldn’t have even let the situation escalate to this point in the first place.
But this was different. Julien and Deneb were the ones in charge of this matter. So Ghislain merely crossed his arms and watched.
Just as the villagers were about to start fighting in earnest, Deneb stepped forward.
"Stop this! The bandits are gone now, why are you trying to fight each other? Just share everything fairly! If there isn’t enough, I’ll give you my share!"
Thud.
Deneb took off her backpack and placed it in front of them.
Kyle pressed his fingers against his forehead in frustration, while the villagers stared in wide-eyed astonishment.
The villagers exchanged uneasy glances, hesitating. If they all rushed in at once, they were confident they could overpower Deneb.
“W-What is…”
Deneb also sensed the shift in atmosphere, but she couldn’t afford to make a careless move. If she stepped back even slightly, the villagers would charge at her all at once.
It was clear to anyone that Deneb was in a dangerous situation.
Kyle lowered his stance, ready to leap into action at a moment’s notice.
Just then, a chilling voice echoed through the air.
“Do not move.”
The voice arrived at just the right moment, causing everyone to freeze and miss their chance to act.
A heavy silence followed, and in that stillness, only Julien moved.
Step, step, step.
He walked forward slowly, positioning himself in front of Deneb.
Then, he unsheathed his sword and swung it at the ground.
Slash!
A long line was etched into the earth.
With cold, piercing eyes, Julien stared at the villagers and spoke.
“If you cross this line… you will die.”
Ghislain raised an eyebrow slightly, impressed.
For the first time, Julien was starting to resemble his real-world self.
‘So, he does know how to be firm when necessary?’
It was certainly better than panicking and being unsure of what to do but Ghislain felt it still wasn’t quite enough.
As he expected, the villagers continued to hesitate. They had already been riled up, and a mere threat like that wouldn’t be enough to make them back down so easily.
A tense standoff ensued.
‘It's only natural they see us as weak.’
They hadn’t shown any real strength yet. To the villagers, Julien and his group looked young, injured, and easy to overpower. Their reaction made perfect sense.
‘In that case… maybe I should play the villain.’
As the uneasy tension lingered in the air, Ghislain suddenly began to move.
Step, step.
The only sound was the steady rhythm of his footsteps.
All eyes turned toward Ghislain.
He walked up to the man standing at the very front, flashing a sharp grin as he raised his staff.
“W-What are you doing?”
The man instinctively leaned back, his voice trembling.
But Ghislain didn’t bother answering.
He simply swung his staff.
Smack!
“Gah!”
The sudden strike sent the man crashing to the ground.
Without hesitation, Ghislain lifted his staff and brought it down on the man’s leg.
Crunch!
“AAAAAHH!!”
The sickening crack of bone echoed as the man let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Yet Ghislain didn’t stop.
He immediately turned to the next person and swung again.
Smack!
“Urgh!”
In an instant, two men were writhing on the ground in agony.
The onlookers, who had been gauging the situation, flinched and stepped back.
They were terrified not just by Ghislain’s brutality, but by how effortlessly he had walked up and attacked without a word.
And still, Ghislain said nothing.
He simply continued to swing his staff, striking down whoever was in front of him.
Smack! Smack!
“Urrgh!”
In mere moments, several people were knocked to the ground. The rest, completely terrified, immediately dropped face-first onto the dirt.
“Please, spare us!”
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?!”
Their fighting spirit was shattered in an instant. There was no way they could withstand Ghislain if he seriously decided to move against them.
Just as Ghislain was about to strike another person without a word, Deneb rushed forward and blocked him.
“Stop, stop!”
Ghislain looked at Deneb and spoke.
“Don’t get the wrong idea.”
“W-What?”
“Think about the bandits in this area. Most of them were just ordinary people. Some were even former soldiers from the kingdom’s regular army.”
“But… but still…”
“They only became bandits because they had the strength to do it. If these people had that kind of power, they would’ve turned into bandits too.”
“But… they haven’t crossed that line yet.”
“Hmph.”
“It’s a harsh world. I doubt they wanted to live that way either. That’s why… someone has to help them. Someone needs to reach out before they fall into that life.”
That ‘someone’ didn’t necessarily have to be Deneb and her group.
Ghislain swallowed back those words before they could escape his lips.
He had no intention of arguing with Deneb, nor did he care to change their way of thinking.
He had merely demonstrated one possible way to solve a problem.
But it seemed that method didn’t sit well with the so-called Saintess.
With a smirk, Ghislain rested his staff on his shoulder.
“Well then, let’s hear from the other side. Hey, you lot. If you’re gonna fight, hurry up and come at me. If not, drop whatever stupid thoughts you’re having.”
“O-Oh, it’s a misunderstanding.”
“We were just… trying to figure out how to handle this situation…”
“We had no bad intentions, truly!”
The villagers desperately tried to explain themselves, insisting that they had no ill will.
Deneb approached them and gently reassured them.
“It’s okay. I think my friend misunderstood a little. It’s really okay.”
Deneb gave them a warm, genuine smile, one that exuded kindness, as if everything truly was fine.
Seeing that, the villagers lowered their heads in shame.
Even for a brief moment, they had harbored selfish, malicious thoughts toward their saviors and yet, despite knowing that, Deneb still treated them with such compassion.
Even as they witnessed it firsthand, they found it hard to believe.
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
One after another, they bowed and expressed their gratitude.
If not for Deneb, they might have been killed by that small one (?) over there.
From Ghislain’s shoulder, Dark whispered.
“Master, you’re the only one who ended up looking like the villain.”
“Hmph, I’m used to playing the villain.”
“No, no, you’re not a villain, you're just evil! Kyaaahh!”
Dark, who had been teasing him, shrieked as Ghislain caught him in his grip.
Meanwhile, Deneb began emitting divine power toward the fallen men, healing them even in her exhausted state.
The injured men, who had been writhing in pain moments ago, teared up in gratitude.
Ghislain, watching this unfold, narrowed his eyes.
‘This divine power…’
After climbing the cliff and fighting a battle, Deneb should have used up a considerable amount of her divine power.
In fact, the total amount left didn’t seem much different from right after the battle.
However, the divine power itself… had become purer, stronger.
It was such a subtle change that even Deneb herself probably hadn’t noticed.
But Ghislain had picked up on it.
‘No way…’
A theory formed in his mind.
After all, he had seen something similar before in Fenris territory.