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The village chief took the badge, his hands trembling slightly. He stared down at it for a long time.

“It's the Demon Race's Seventh Legion.” The chief sighed and bowed deeply to Leopold. “I am the chief of Cabin Village, Job Sullivan.”

“I am Leopold, and these are my companions. We have just emerged from the underground and need a temporary place to stay. As for this badge—”

The chief looked up, a heavy weariness filling his cloudy, gray-green eyes. He took a deep breath, as if making a decision.

“Everyone, please come inside and have a seat. This is no place to talk.”

The chief led them through the village entrance, turning down a gravel path, and stopped in front of a small cottage built of gray stone and rammed earth.

“Please, come in.” The chief pushed open the wooden door and stepped aside. The interior was slightly more spacious than it appeared from the outside.

The chief walked over to the table, pulled out a few wooden chairs, and gestured for them to sit. Blake plonked himself down, while Oliver sat beside him with utmost caution.

“This badge... where did you find it?”

“In the forest,” Leopold said. “Inside the belly of a rock python.”

The chief's hand trembled slightly, then slowly clenched. “...A rock python. That means the patrol has already passed through this area.”

“Chief,” Leopold leaned forward slightly. “Oliver told us a bit about the situation—the demons come to the village every so often to take people.”

The chief fell silent for a long time. He sat at the table, his hands clasped in front of him.

“The situation is complicated. The main reason the demon army is returning so soon is... one of the villages has defected to the enemy.”

Leopold leaned forward a bit more, looking intently at the chief. “Defected? Chief, could you be more specific?”

The chief rubbed his face, his voice raspy as he continued, “In this Eastern Border region... Cabin Village isn't the only settlement. From this forest eastward to the foot of the mountains, there are five or six villages. Originally, everyone minded their own fields, and there wasn't much contact between us.”

The chief sighed. “But in this past year, things have changed.”

He paused and looked at Oliver.

“Ever since the demons started operating along the border, everything changed. At first, we thought they were just passing through, but later we realized they were systematically capturing people.”

“And then?” Leopold didn't rush him, simply waiting quietly.

“Then, some villages started looking for ways out,” the chief said. “Some wanted to hide, some wanted to flee, and others sold out their fellow humans to buy themselves temporary peace.”

Blake frowned. “You mean some villages are acting as informants for the demons?”

“...They did more than just act as informants.” The chief stood up and turned his back to them.

“About a year ago, the demons found a new route that bypassed the original patrol lines and snuck right up to the southern side of Cabin Village. Eleven of our people were abducted that time.”

“I couldn't figure out back then how the demons knew about that path,” the chief said, looking up. “But later, I found a scrap of cloth in the forest. It was stained with pine resin and a specific mixture of dye—a recipe unique to Rockwood Village.”

“You suspect someone from Rockwood Village led them?”

The chief didn't answer directly. “I have no proof. But after that incident, I started paying closer attention to our surroundings. Over the next few times the demons came, they bypassed certain villages entirely and headed straight for others.”

“In other words, the demons know which villages have people to capture and which don't,” Leopold picked up the thread. “And the only person who could provide that kind of information would have to be an insider.”

The chief did not deny it. He turned around, his face etched with heavy exhaustion.

“It's not just information. Over the past three months, the frequency of the demons' visits has increased. It used to be once every six months, then it became every three months, and now... they've returned in less than two...”

After the chief finished speaking, a long silence fell over the room. Outside the window, a few birds chirped, mingling with the faint sound of voices from the distant fields—life in Cabin Village was still carrying on.

Leopold was the first to break the silence. “...Chief, the few of us are newcomers, and we originally only intended to stay for a short while. But since we've run into this matter, we would also like to know—what do you plan to do next?”

“Then I won't beat around the bush. Since you handled the Guard so easily, I assume you are the dragon students Oliver has been teaching?”

“Since you've guessed it,” Leopold said, “we don't need to beat around the bush either. We are indeed no ordinary folk, and we are willing to help Cabin Village deal with the demon threat.”

The chief didn't answer immediately. He looked down at the serpent emblem on the table, silent for a moment.

“Speak. What is it that you want?”

Leopold was in no hurry to answer. He glanced back at Blake, then at Isabella, before finally resting his gaze on the chief.

“We need a place to settle down,” Leopold said. “Somewhere safe, quiet, and undisturbed.”

A forty-year slumber was no laughing matter; they had to make thorough preparations. The first step was to gather enough food, and the second was to find a sufficiently hidden and secure location.

Leopold planned to stay temporarily in the village, using it as a base to slowly map out the secrets of the eastern forest. Of course, if possible, he also wanted to integrate the neighboring human villages, prop up a few proxies, and build a future stronghold.

“...I can arrange a place for you to stay. There's an abandoned hunter's cabin north of the village. It's a bit of a distance away, near the forest. You can stay there as long as you like.”

“However, regarding the demon army, I must ask you to please refrain from harming them unless absolutely necessary.”

“I understand,” Leopold said. “As for the cabin...”

“I can take you to see it right now.” The chief stood up, took an oil lamp from a hook in the corner, and pushed open the wooden door.

There was indeed an abandoned hunter's cabin on the northern side of Cabin Village, and it was slightly more dilapidated than the chief had described.

“This place has been empty for several years,” the chief said, stopping in front of the cabin. “An old hunter used to live here, and it hasn't been used since he passed away.”

Blake had already stepped forward and pushed the door open, the hinges letting out a harsh screech. He poked his head inside, only for a cloud of dust to billow into his face, forcing him half a step back as he coughed.

“We will have food and tools delivered to you over time,” the chief said. “Tomorrow, I'll have Oliver show you the village's supply points.”

“Thank you, Chief,” Leopold said.

“No need for thanks. It's just... are you truly dragons?”

Leopold neither denied nor admitted it. He simply smiled. “Chief, sometimes knowing too much is unsafe.”

The chief waved his hand and said no more, turning back with his oil lamp.

Blake stood in front of the cabin with his hands on his hips, sizing up the collapsed roof before turning to look at Leopold.

“Not bad. We just reached the surface and already secured a base. It's a bit run-down, but it's better than nothing.”

“There are three rooms in total: a main room, a side room, and a storage room,” Isabella said as she walked in, patting the dust off her hands.

Blake had already walked into the center of the main room, kicking aside the debris and dead leaves on the floor. “Let's get one thing straight: if there aren't enough beds to go around, I'm not sleeping on the floor.”

“Then you and Leopold can stay in the main room. I'll take the side room,” Isabella said, adjusting her shawl as she walked toward the side room without looking back.

Leopold watched her back as she walked toward the side room. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he only gave a soft chuckle.

“Let's make do for tonight. I'll go gather some dry straw.” Leopold stood up and walked out of the cabin.