The Legend

Over the next few hours, the two continued to search the village for clues, even visiting the families of the deceased to question them.

However, they came up completely empty-handed.

It was only to be expected. According to the villagers, all of the deceased had been living completely ordinary lives, showing no changes in their daily routines, only to suddenly pass away in their sleep one night.

“Ugh! Not a single clue. This is so annoying!”

The elf flopped onto the bed, her pale golden hair scattering across the sheets. She carelessly kicked off her boots, revealing her snow-white feet, and buried herself under the covers.

But upon feeling a certain gaze on her, she suddenly snapped out of it. She hurriedly sat up, kneeling on the bed as steam practically rose from her head in embarrassment.

“I-I-I was just checking to see if the bed was safe for you first! It’s not... it’s not because I was too tired and wanted to rest on the bed or anything!”

Ignoring the girl's bashful display, Xia De walked over and sat down on the other bed, looking at her calmly.

“Get some rest. We'll look for clues again tomorrow. If we still can't find anything, I'll search the entire area within a dozen miles of the village to see if there's any trace.”

Hearing Xia De speak of such a daunting task so casually, Hilia didn't know what to say. She could only grumble silently in her heart before nodding.

The lights went out, and the room fell silent.

Lying in their respective beds, both of them had different thoughts running through their minds.

Xia De rested his head on his arms, staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

On the other bed, the elf lay with her back to Xia De. She had wrapped herself tightly in the blanket like an egg roll, burying her face completely and leaving only a few stray strands of hair visible.

She felt her body temperature rapidly rising, her heart beating much faster than usual.

As an adventurer, she usually undertook quests alone. Even when she did party up with others, she always sought out female adventurers. Whenever they needed lodging, she would always rent a separate room for herself.

She had never shared a room with anyone else!

After all, elves were extremely rare in human territories, and every single elf possessed extraordinary beauty.

Many greedy individuals would take immense risks to capture elves, treating them as slaves to sell to the nobility.

Those nobles would pay exorbitant prices for elven slaves just to show off their status.

Thus, caution had been engraved into Hilia's very bones.

But there was really no other choice this time. Who would have thought the village chief would only prepare a single double room!

Besides, she could sense that Xia De didn't seem to have any improper intentions toward her. Coupled with a tiny bit of her own secret wishes, she didn't mind sharing a room with him at all.

In the darkness, the girl wrapped like an egg roll rolled around shyly on the bed, her heart practically leaping into her throat.

The sound of a wooden door scraping open echoed through the darkness.

In the blink of an eye, two figures rose from their beds. Slipping into combat stances, they cast cold gazes around the room, radiating the pressure of Tier Three experts.

A faint light flickered in Xia De's eyes in the dark. He tapped Hilia's forearm, signaling for her to relax.

Then, an amused voice rang out in the darkness, leaving Hilia utterly bewildered.

“Well, looks like our clue has delivered itself right to our doorstep.”

In the dim light, a small figure carefully shut the door. His movements were incredibly light, as if he were terrified of being discovered. He looked left and right, and only after making sure no one was around did he let out a sigh of relief and prepare to head out of the village.

“Hey there, kiddo. Where are you off to so late at night?”

The sudden voice made the boy flinch. He lost his footing and fell flat on his face, quickly turning his head toward the source of the sound.

There, he saw two figures slowly stepping out from the shadows of the house. As the moonlight washed over them, two stunningly attractive faces came into view.

The woman's face was mostly hidden beneath a large hood, obscuring her expression, but the man wore a warm, gentle smile.

“If I remember correctly, you're the village chief's grandson. Where are you going so late? Aren't you afraid your grandfather will find out?”

Xia De asked, looking at the child who was creeping around like a thief, his face still carrying that gentle smile.

He knew this kid was the village chief's grandson. His parents were adventurers who were away from the village year-round, so he and his grandfather only had each other to rely on.

He had heard that the boy was usually very well-behaved, though he had recently had some disagreements with the chief. Still, he was by no means a disobedient child.

So, what was he doing sneaking out of the house behind his grandfather's back tonight?

Or was he really doing it behind his grandfather's back?

Xia De narrowed his eyes as various thoughts flashed through his mind.

“Hmph! It's not like telling you would do any good anyway! I'm not telling you anything!”

To his surprise, the little boy yelled like a cornered rat the moment Xia De asked.

Pushing himself up off the ground, he ignored his scraped knees and bolted.

But before he could take more than two steps, his feet left the ground. No matter how hard he flailed his legs, he couldn't move forward an inch.

Hilia had grabbed the boy by his collar and lifted him up. Without a word, she gently tossed him right back to Xia De's feet.

“Ouch!”

The boy's face turned pale as he clutched his backside, a fine sweat breaking out on his forehead. He watched the two of them slowly approach him. Although they were smiling, for some reason, he couldn't feel a shred of warmth from them.

“Waaah!”

Tears of despair welled up in his eyes and streamed down his cheeks, flowing straight into his mouth.

“You're bullying a kid! Waaah!”

A fist of justice lightly bonked him on the head. Strangely enough, a cool, refreshing sensation washed over his mind, even though his head throbbed and a small bump began to form.

Pulling his fist back, Xia De handed the boy a piece of bread. “I'm not a very patient guy, so don't try running away again. Besides, I know you didn't eat dinner, so have something to eat first.”

“Hmph!”

The little boy turned his face away, refusing to look at Xia De. He muttered a quiet, “No, I didn't,” only for his stomach to let out a loud, traitorous growl right on cue.

As if a flock of crows had flown overhead, the boy looked incredibly embarrassed. He snatched the bread, took a massive bite, and began to wolf it down.

Xia De and Hilia exchanged a glance and burst out laughing at the same time.

“Alright, now that you've eaten, can you tell me why you snuck out so late at night? Does it have something to do with what's been happening in the village lately?” Xia De asked after the boy finished his bread.

Sensing no malice from the two of them, the boy didn't try to resist this time. He merely gave a small nod.

“Yeah. I'm going to find the legendary Holy Sword, defeat the monsters, and protect the village.”

“The Holy Sword?”

Xia De asked in confusion, “The Hero's Holy Sword? Do you want to become a Hero?”

The boy immediately barked back in protest:

“Not a Hero! The Holy Sword is the one from our village's legend, not the Hero's Holy Sword. I'd never want to become a Hero anyway—they just run around everywhere and abandon their families!”

Ignoring the boy's heated accusations against Heroes, Xia De zeroed in on the key phrase.

“Can you tell me about this village legend?”

The boy nodded. He pinched his own cheeks to make himself look as serious as possible, then lowered his voice to begin his tale.

“A long, long time ago, these mountains were ruled by a tyrannical dragon. Every day, the dragon would hunt, taking hundreds of lives with each outing.

“The humans and monsters living in the mountains were plagued by its reign, constantly living in fear of becoming the dragon's next meal.

“The beasts and birds tried to flee from the dragon's domain, but how could a cruel dragon ever let its food escape?

“So, from the highest peak of the mountains, it breathed a beam of light into the sky. The light spread out, forming a barrier that enveloped the entire mountain range.

“From then on, the Kurosoto Mountain Range became a forbidden land—one where you could enter, but never leave!

“Until one day, a falling star descended upon this land, landing right before an adventurer who had wandered in from the outside world.

“For some reason, a thought bloomed in the adventurer's mind: the power of this star could slay the dragon.

“And so, after decades of forging, the adventurer fashioned the star into a razor-sharp sword.

“Armed with the sword, the adventurer pinned the dragon down, rendering it completely immobile. With a flash of the blade, the dragon's terrifying head fell, and the barrier enveloping the mountains instantly dissolved.

“Sunlight graced the land once more.

“Fearing that the forces of evil would return after his grand battle with the dragon, the adventurer hid his all-powerful sword deep within the mountains, leaving behind these words:

“‘The darkness of evil can never overcome the light of justice. Today, I hide this peerless sword here, praying it will suppress the lurking evils in the shadows.

“Should the claws of evil ever return, O successors, the sword will aid you. When that day comes, please use the sword in your hands to carve out a path of light.’

“After leaving those words, the legendary adventurer vanished, and no one knew where he went.

“More and more people came, drawn by the legend. In their search for the fabled sword, they settled here, gradually forming villages and towns.

“This is the origin of our Riri Village, and the legend that has been passed down to this day.”