After flying for a couple hours and Galene wasting way more time than I would have liked on side quests, we finally arrived at a village.

  We were finally in Darumith, one of two countries that border Ebrilyon to the north. We arrived at the village we were told was being attacked. But it was surprisingly peaceful. Maybe I should say unsurprisingly, considering I know what kind of game is being played here.

  “Mhmmm!” Sarasa stretched as the gryphons we used to fly disappeared. “Just like my hometown…”

  “Is it? Hmm…?!” I instantly turned my head. “Wait, is it really? How?”

  “Nyahahaha! Just joking! It’s nothing like it.” She laughed and raised her arms in the shape of an X. Sigh… Of course they’re different.

  How is a village or town or whatever she’s from in a fantasy Egypt-themed desert going to be similar to a humble farming village in some grassy plains?

  Putting that aside, for a village being ‘attacked,’ there’s not a hint of it in sight. The small, sparse houses were all in good condition, the fields with crops looked ready for harvest, and all the animals were peacefully grazing.

  The only thing out of the ordinary was the villagers, startled after seeing four girls arrive from the sky and riding on gryphons. A small crowd of onlookers gathered near the front of the village.

  “The village’s still standing. Looks like we’re on time.” Galene took a look around before spotting someone who stood out from the crowd. A robust-looking man getting up there in age stood in front of the crowd. Might be a mayor or an elder… “Let’s talk to them and learn about the situation.” Galene quickly set things in motion, and we headed toward them.

  “You’re not wobbling anymore… You got used to it fast.” Abby peeked up from under her hat at me and Sarasa. Giving us credit without really giving it.

  “Nyahahaha! Of course. I’m actually pretty good with heights.” Sarasa puffed out her chest. “Just, not as good with ones that definitely kill…”

  “Oh…!” Abby’s mouth opened in admiration. “As expected… Famous adventurers really are in a league of their own! Right?” She looked at me with a bright look.

  “Yeah… Sarasa’s pretty amazing…” Amazingly chaotic, amazingly stupid, amazingly reckless… I could go on and on… But she’s mine now. So all I’ll say is that she’s amazingly adorable!

  “Ehh? You really think I’m amazing? Thanks a lot, Iroha!” She shook my shoulder with an indulgent smile on her face. “What else? Praise me more! Come on!”

  “Don’t get carried away!” I’ll kiss you.

  While we were messing around, we eventually got close to the villagers. “Greetings! I was sent here to help with the problems this village has been going through. My name is…” Galene introduced herself and put the villagers at ease before explaining our mission.

  The man in the front introduced himself as the village’s elder, and the two talked for a while. Galene told him about the wolf-type monsters and how we were there to exterminate them. Galene wanted to know about the attacks, when the elder gave her an unexpected response.

  “I’m afraid we don’t know much about the attacks.” The man rubbed his beard while speaking. “We’ve recently helped some people who got injured, but… They weren’t villagers. They worked for the lord of the land. As far as I’m aware, none of the villagers have been attacked.”

  The man looked to his people behind him, and they murmured in a way that more or less confirmed his story. Galene was surprised, unsure of how to deal with the situation.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “I see… At least your people haven’t been hurt. That’s good.” The man nodded to Galene.

  The villagers haven’t been attacked. The ones who were injured were outsiders, probably sent by Thivadi… So far, things are still developing as I remember… He sent people to expand into the wolves’ territory, and they were attacked. He’s tricking Galene into dealing with the problem for him, nothing more.

  “Do you at least know where the monsters we’re looking for are? Any dangerous locations nearby? We’d like to take a look at it regardless.” Galene insisted, and the elder answered right away.

  There was a small forest nearby that led to a pass near some cliffs. The villagers never went there, but they all knew it was dangerous.

  “That’s probably where the monsters are.” It sounded like what I remembered, so I chimed in.

  Galene nodded and turned to the man again. “Thank you for your help. We’ll be going now.” The villagers wished us luck and said we could come to them for help if anything went wrong. After Galene told them who she was, there was no way they would turn her away. After all, she’s the hero sent to save them.

  …

  “What’s wrong, Iroha? Need someone to cheer you up?”

  “It’s nothing… I’m just thinking…”

  We entered the forest the villagers told us about with the same goal as before. Exterminating the monsters. Sarasa walked backwards in front of me while peering into my face.

  “Really? The trees here are pretty tall, aren’t they? I bet I can get to the top before you do.”

  “Geez… Is that your best attempt at cheering me up?” I smiled. “Trust me, though. I’m fine.” It’s just… What do I do here?

  If things go like they do in game, the wolves are exterminated, only for Galene to learn at the end that they were just defending their nest. She’ll feel hurt and used, and it only makes her life harder going forward. She continues fighting to fulfill her duty, always suffering from the knowledge that among the people she’s fighting for, there are some very terrible people. People willing to exploit everyone and everything for their own gain. Yet she presses forward anyway.

  If I tell her in advance, we might be able to avoid a massacre. But if I screw it up, she’ll be very suspicious of me… Worst-case scenario, I might even put Sarasa in danger…

  Is it fine for me to let things play out? Do I say something? If that’s the path I wanna take, I have to do it now! “Galene!” I called out to her.

  “Hmm?” She turned around. “What’s wrong?”

  “Uhmm… You see…” Should I…? Argh! Screw it! Even if something goes wrong, I’ll do something about it. If she considers us her enemy somehow and tries to pick a fight, let her. I like to see her try. “The wolves we’re looking for—don’t kill them right away.”

  “Don’t kill them? What do you mean?” Galene and the other two stopped, stunned.

  “Didn’t you notice something weird back then?” This makes sense… There’s nothing she can suspect me of. “If there really was a pack of aggressive monsters in this forest, this close to that village, there is no way that village would still be standing.”

  That’s not all.

  “At least not without some guards stationed there, but there were none. It was just the villagers there. Even worse, they said they haven’t been attacked… Something fishy is going on here…”

  “Hmm…” Galene stopped and thought about it. “You think so too? I found it strange how the ones who had been injured were outsiders… Why outsiders?”

  “Probably people who came into this forest and got attacked. Either way, this story of monsters attacking the village is really fishy. We should make sure of what’s happening before we start killing anything.”

  Galene nodded. Wow… It seems like we’re on the same page… She also noticed something was wrong…

  “What are you thinking then? Territorial disputes? The outsiders entered the forest and got attacked by monsters? Cause if that’s the case, we’re dealing with normal animals rather than monsters.” Galene said it, and I couldn’t agree more.

  The difference between the two, from what I can remember and what I picked up, is that the monsters are way more aggressive towards people. It has something to do with the way they are wired. With a village this close, if there were monsters nearby, there’s no way they wouldn’t have attacked already.

  Even with all the changes, this world is still that of a game. Monsters attack people. That’s the rule they play by.

  “Animals. That’s what I was thinking. It’s a good idea not to attack until we’re sure.”

  “Let’s do that.” Galene listened, then giggled. “You’re worried about the animals, huh? You have a good heart, Iroha.” Do I? The one I’m worried about here is you.

  With that decision made, we started walking again. Our goal was the cliffs on the other side, so we wanted to make it through the forest as soon as possible. For some reason, it felt like there were more footsteps nearby other than just ours.

  “Still, we should be cautious. Monsters can act in unpredictable ways sometimes. Whether they’re monsters or animals, there’s a chance that whatever is here is under the control of a smarter monster or even a person.” Galene added.

  Under control… I never thought of that before… It’s definitely possible… Someone controlling things to bring Galene here… But for what purpose…?

  “That’s really cool. I support the idea, but what do we do if we get attacked first?” Sarasa asked with a casual tone, reaching for one of her daggers with one hand. “We’ve come to their territory, so we need a decision fast.”

  “Wait! You mean those noises were…” Abby grabbed her staff with both hands and hid behind Galene. The safest place for a ‘sorceress’ like her.

  “Nyahahaha! Yep! You nailed it. We’re completely surrounded!” Sarasa lowered her stance. “What now?”

  As Sarasa got into position, Galene readied her sword. I did the same, clicking the button that extended mine. The wolves were here… Hiding in bushes, observing us from afar. Not even visible, but we all knew they were there. Ready to pounce.

  “Just do what Iroha said. Fend them off without killing.” Galene answered. “Surely fighters of your caliber have no problem driving away wild animals without killing them, right?”

  Hm? Is she challenging us? “Nope! Of course not! We can even do it better than you. Right, Iroha?” Sarasa takes the bait.

  “Y- yeah? Sure…”

  “Get ready then! Whoever’s the last to scare them off loses!” With one last grin, Sarasa ran forward and disappeared into some bushes.

  Are we really doing this? Loses? Loses what? Don’t I have a skill I can buy that scares monsters? Is it too late to regret not getting it now?