The early morning in Cabin Village was shrouded in a thin layer of morning mist. The dew on the ridges of the fields had not yet dried, and a few wisps of smoke slowly rose from the chimneys of the cottages.
When Leopold's group appeared at the entrance of the village, the first to notice them were several farmwomen drawing water by the well, hoisting wooden buckets from the wellhead.
One farmwoman straightened up, her hand still resting on the well rope, her gaze staring blankly toward the village entrance. The younger woman beside her followed her gaze, and the ceramic bowl in her hand dropped to the ground with a shatter.
“...D-Demons!” the young farmwoman finally shrieked, her voice piercing the morning silence. “The demons are here!”
“Where are the demons?”
“Quick, close the doors! Call the children back!”
“Where is the village chief? Go get the chief, quickly—”
The chaos rapidly spread outward from the village entrance. In less than a few seconds, the entirety of Cabin Village erupted like a disturbed hornet's nest.
Wooden doors slammed shut with a bang, chickens fluttered about in a panic, and several villagers who had been idling on the street threw down whatever they were holding and bolted. Some stumbled as they rushed deeper into the village.
Leopold stood at the village entrance. Before he even had a chance to explain, the scene before him was already in complete disarray.
The axe-wielding demon stood behind Blake, his expression incredibly complex. He could only cough dryly and whisper to Blake, “Boss... should we back off to the edge of the forest and wait a bit?”
Blake also showed a rare hint of embarrassment. He scratched the back of his head and turned to Leopold. “...I say, did your plan take into account that the villagers would run away upon seeing demons?”
“I did,” Leopold said calmly. “But I didn't expect them to run so fast.”
“Then why are you still standing here?”
“I'm waiting for the village chief.” Leopold looked deeper into the village. “He will come.”
Before his words could fully settle, a flurry of hurried footsteps indeed echoed from the end of the village path. The village chief, Job Sullivan, ran over panting heavily, his coat only half-buttoned and his hair a disheveled mess.
“Mr. Leopold!” He ran up to them, leaning on his knees as he gasped for breath. “What is going on? I heard the demons—”
He choked mid-sentence. His gaze bypassed Leopold and landed on the five dark-red-skinned figures behind him.
The village chief's mouth opened, closed, and opened again, before he finally turned to Leopold. “...Who are they?”
“You can think of them as... Blake's followers,” Leopold said nonchalantly.
“Followers?” The chief's eyes widened larger than copper bells. “Demons? Followers?”
“Basically, they listen to Blake now,” Leopold said, stepping aside. “Whatever Blake says, they do. Right?”
The axe-wielding demon immediately nodded like a chicken pecking at grain. “Yes, yes, yes! Whatever Boss says goes!”
“Whatever Boss says is law!”
“We will follow Boss Blake to the death!”
“...Mr. Leopold, please let me catch my breath,” the chief said, looking like he was about to suffocate.
“Take your time,” Leopold said. “We are in no hurry.”
The village chief took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. He then turned around, raised his voice, and shouted toward the tightly shut wooden doors and windows in the village, “Everyone, come out! They aren't here to capture anyone!”
No one opened their door.
The chief shouted again, “These are guests brought back by Mr. Oliver! Those demons... they are here to help!”
After a long moment, a wooden door was carefully pried open a crack. A middle-aged man peeked out with half his face.
“...Chief, is what you're saying true?”
“It's true,” the chief said, rubbing his temples. “Would I lie to you?”
The wooden door opened a bit wider, followed by a second, and a third. The villagers stepped out from behind their doors one after another, some still clutching hoes and wood-chopping knives.
“The chief is right!” Oliver also rushed over in a hurry, panting continuously. “These are... they're all friends! They won't hurt anyone!”
“Mr. Oliver, are you sure?” someone in the crowd asked. “Those are demons...”
“I'm sure,” Oliver's voice was a bit firmer than usual. “And without them, the people captured by the demons wouldn't have made it back.”
Only then did the villagers' gazes pass over Leopold and Blake, landing on the three figures who were supporting each other as they walked over from behind.
“That's Karl from Hexi Village!” someone recognized the boy. “And the blacksmith from Kanu Village!”
“It really is them!”
“They're back!”
The tense atmosphere finally began to ease. A few brave villagers set down their hoes and went forward to help support them.
Karl was supported by a middle-aged woman. He turned his head and gave a slight nod in Leopold's direction, as if saying thank you.
The villagers were finally no longer afraid.
Some went forward to support the two middle-aged men, some surrounded Karl to ask questions, and a few brave children even peeked their heads out from behind their parents' legs to steal glances at the five dark-red-skinned demons.
Stared at by a four-or-five-year-old little girl for quite a while, the axe-wielding demon shifted half a step behind Blake uncomfortably.
“...Boss, that kid keeps looking at me.”
“Are you afraid of kids?” Blake cast a sidelong glance at him.
“No... it's just... she doesn't run or scream, she just stares straight at me. It's quite creepy.”
Blake couldn't help but chuckle, then cleared his throat. “Stand up straight, don't embarrass me.”
“Yes! Boss!”
The five demons immediately straightened their backs in unison. Seeing this, some nearby villagers couldn't help but look at each other.
“Alright, let's not all stand around at the village entrance,” the chief said, finally catching his breath as he waved his hand. “Go on back to whatever you were doing. Don't delay your morning chores.”
Although the villagers were still somewhat hesitant, the crowd finally dispersed slowly after the chief spoke.
“Mr. Leopold, let these—friends you brought with you—” The chief paused, seemingly weighing his words. “...Let these friends stay outside the village for now.”
“No problem.” Leopold nodded, then turned to Blake. “Take them back to the hunter's cabin first. I'll have a quick chat with the chief.”
Before Blake could say anything, the five demons turned to him in unison. “Boss, are we leaving?”
“Let's go!” Blake perked up. He could finally go hunting in the forest.
Blake turned around excitedly and walked toward the north of the village. The five demons lined up behind him, marching in step like a well-trained guard of honor.
The chief watched Blake lead the five demons away and couldn't help but sigh.
“Chief, let's speak in private,” Leopold said, adjusting his clothes.
“I understand.” The chief turned and walked toward the village office. Leopold followed behind him, while Isabella walked quietly beside them.
“Chief, do you know what a sorcerer is?”
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