"Huh? My relationship with my husband?"
"Yes, if you had to rate it on a scale of ten being very good, five being unsatisfactory, and one being on the verge of divorce, what number would you give it?"
"Wait!, Cazzy, what are you doing?"
"Just a moment, Luna, this is important. Beautiful lady, can you answer?"
"Well, I guess ten, Since it's very good. Fufufu, even though so many years have passed, I love him just like when we were young. Oh, sorry, that wasn't what you asked, I just get a little emotional remembering how much I love him."
"(/_\)I see... so there's no chance that—hmmpmhmh..."
"Wait!, there, Cazzy, before you continue talking, answer me something."
Cassian was back in attack mode. The woman in front of him might lag behind the spider woman in beauty, but it didn't matter; she was a MILF with a glamorous body, she laughed with a "fufufu," and most importantly, she didn't seem afraid of him, which had always been the main obstacle.
Cassian thought about giving it a try. He didn't think that in just two days he had found two such good opportunities. Now that he was faced with this opportunity, he wasn't going to waste it.
He didn't understand why Naelune intervened and jumped on him to cover his mouth, but he would answer her question to continue trying with this MILF.
"You're not trying to do the same thing you did with the woman yesterday, are you?"
"Mmph!."
"What the hell was that 'of course I am' nod? You really lose control with what you like. Look, she has three children and a husband."
"Mmmnph!!."
"And now what the hell was that 'I can handle it' nod?"
"Mmmph?"
"I don't know what you said, but you better stop. We still don't know what's going on. Besides, she seems very much in love with her husband, and unlike yesterday, she's completely out of the question... so don't even try. If you understand, nod."
"Hmph,/_ \"
"Good, I'm glad you understand. Maybe later you'll see one who's single. I mean, look how many there are; some are even more beautiful."
"Puhaa!... Well, what you said is reasonable, hmmm, so when it's a 'ten' it's better not to pursue it, I understand."
"Cazzy, adjust it from seven, not six. Minimum."
"Really? Well, that seems reasonable too."
"This... I don't understand what's going on. Did I say something wrong?"
"No, don't worry. It's just that my friend here is a little curious about happy marriages, and sometimes he asks awkward questions."
"Oh, I see. Well, it's a strange interest, but our saviors must be unique. Oh, right, my name is Nisha. This is my eldest daughter, Nahara, our second child, Azrion, and our youngest, Ignaros."
"Nice to meet you, my name is Naelune. By the way, where were you last night?"
"Eh, well, as usual, I went to bed with my husband, although he came home a little late because he had a meeting with the village chief."
"So you slept as usual, right?"
"Well, not quite. Things haven't been peaceful lately because the village hunters noticed something dangerous in the vicinity of the village, and with their arrival, we understand that it is no longer a latent danger. It seems that even extinguishing our sacred fire was in vain."
"Sacred fire? What is that?"
"Oh, well, why explain it to you when I can show you? Look, there's our sacred fire."
Before they knew it, they had reached the central part of the village, where the bonfire that had been extinguished the night before was located.
There, the fire could be seen burning intensely, reaching several meters in height.
"This is the sacred fire of our village. It is said to have been burning since it was created, and no storm has ever been able to extinguish it. It is said that this fire is our origin and reflects our burning will as warriors."
"Oh! If it is inextinguishable, how did you extinguish it?"
"Yes. Only the Town leader and his lineage are capable of doing such a thing. As for why we extinguished it, it's... well, the same reason you came here, or so we believe. That's why we took you to the leader , who should understand everything better."
She explained the same thing as Yefaziel. She seemed to be telling Ria and the rest of the group who were a little further ahead.
"I see. By the way, they say they see something on our foreheads. What exactly does it look like?"
"Oh, it's the stigma of our god. How come you don't know that?"
"Well, you know, Chosen stuff. What exactly does it look like?"
"Well, it's a crossed snake, eating its own tail."
"Huh? Snake? Ugh!"
"Hey, Cazzy, what's wrong all of a sudden? Besides, there's no point in scratching your face if we can't see it."
"Ugh, I just don't like snakes very much. Do I really have that on my forehead?"
"Well, we can't see anything, so technically we don't have anything. Or do you see a snake on my forehead?"
"Well, that's true... even if I did, it would just be a tattoo. But I really feel like I've been seeing a lot of them lately."
"Hee~ so you don't like snakes."
"Huh? What's so funny about that?"
"Hehe~ Nothing."
"Ah!...Sorry to interrupt, but it looks like we're almost there. The leader will explain the rest to you in detail."
Interrupting them, Nisha pointed to a large house near the fire. In fact, Valeriane had thought about that house last night, and other places, but finally chose one that was not so centralized, that was easy to defend with few entrances, and yet large enough. And Yefaziel and Nisha's house fit all of those criteria.
It was time to find out what situation they were in and what kind of test Plouthys had in store for them.
...
.
Once they arrived at the Town leader house and Yefaziel led them only to the entrance of a room, from then on they were alone and came face to face with an elderly man.
Curiously, he was—as far as Cassian could see—the only person in the village with a hair color different from the three colors: it was white, a common color in older people, but one he had not seen anywhere else here.
But his eyes were red, and he had a very bushy beard and a physique that surpassed even Cassian in robustness and size.
He was someone with a naturally intimidating face, and to top it all off, he had scars all over him. There was a brief silence, but before Valeriane could begin to question him, he was the first to speak.
"This day has finally come, haah~ I suppose... it's called 'inevitable' for a reason. Well, I suppose you don't want to waste time here, right? Let's get to the point. This test is simple: you have to help this town survive tonight, and that's it. Then the rewards will come, and you can be on your way."
"..."
"What? Didn't you think I would know what was going on? Well, in this town, only I know that we are a test made by... Plouthys? That was his name, right?....But honestly, I wouldn't recommend it, and I would advise you to go back the way you came and choose the other path."
He sighed and began to speak calmly and directly about the situation, confirming that they were indeed in a test, although no one expected him to be so direct and clear.
Valeriane, being the leader, took in his words and, after a brief pause, asked her own question.
"...Is there a specific reason why you are telling us this? From what I've heard and what you're implying... your town is in danger, right? And if it's a test in which we are the solution, I don't think you should be telling us this."
"Well, you're right. But honestly, I feel that you are too young. I didn't expect it to be like this, and I wouldn't recommend that you stay and risk your lives. There should be more less dangerous tests on your way to the center of the valley."
"What happens if we follow what you say?"
"You should know the answer. It's the same as if you failed the test. Technically, the test hasn't started yet, so there are no penalties for you or anything to prevent you from leaving this place."
"But that means you would....."
"You don't have to feel sorry for us. We're not a normal town, and we're prepared for whatever comes, no matter what happens...haahh~ but you're not. And as someone who has lived his life, I would recommend that you leave because, as I said, you're too young, and it's not worth risking your lives for strangers."
"..."
"Haah~, that's just my opinion as a person. But as the leader of this town, I would truly appreciate your help. After all, you're the ones who bring the possibility — even if I can't imagine how you'll pull it off. Realistically, seven white-ranks shouldn't make a difference. I don't know what Plouthys thinks, but it's true that he sent them."
"..."
"Anyway, now that I've made things clear, go ahead and decide. I have to prepare a few things. Keep in mind that we are a warrior town and we will fight to the end. Everything may seem lost, but we will still fight. And I expect the same resolve if you decide to stay. There will be no turning back once you decide."
Saying that, the Town leader left the room, leaving the group alone.
"…First of all, Miss Celestine, could you activate your artifact?"
"Yes."
"thank you, well you all heard how he said it, as we surmised earlier, we are in a test, and as the chief said, we have to make a decision. We're all one group, so we'll talk it over and make a decision. First of all, I personally think we should stay."
"Pff, I expected that from you little knight. hee~ It's really true that saying that knights would even jump head first into a hole if they heard someone calling for help at the bottom..."
"...Do you have something else in mind?"
"Hey, don't look at me like that, I didn't mean it as an insult. I just find them interesting. Well, honestly, I'm too lazy to decide, so I'll go with whatever you guys choose. If it's a tie, I'll choose the opposite of the little dragon."
"Are you looking for a fight, fish woman?"
"Me? I was just saying. It's obvious to go to the opposite of the unreasonable."
"Hmph!, annoying woman, I won't stoop to your level."
"Well, okay, I'll take that as your decision....By the way, Miss Ellys, Sir Yefeng, have you noticed or felt anything? Anything is fine."
"they are normal people... hmm... but their mana is constantly burning. It shouldn't be possible..., hmm, but that's what I see... perhaps a peculiar art?"
"I... when he told us to stay and protect his village, I sensed danger."
"Hmm... can you say how dangerous it is?"
...I think the same as the previous tests."
"Hua haha~ if that's the case, it's no big deal. It might be dangerous for your low standards, but for me, whose lineage is superior, it will be an easy test."
".../_ \"
"Hey, that was cruel to Yefi. Hmm, but it's true that the trials so far haven't been impossible or that hard, and the rewards have been really good. Hmm... and it's also true that Yefi is one of the weaker ones in our group, and what he considers dangerous wouldn't be the same for the little knight and Cazzy. Yeah, staying doesn't sound so bad if I think about it that way."
"...So, Sir Cassian, what do you think about this?"
"Ah!?...I, well..."
Cassian was half paying attention because, for some time now, he had had a strange feeling; rather, he felt that his skill was alerting him to something. He felt that there was something beneath the village, and the closer he got to the center of the village, the more he felt it.
Especially now, he felt that was right underneath him.
He was wondering what it was, but now it seemed like it was his turn to speak up. Focusing his full attention on the conversation, he thought. The initial plan for all this was to take advantage of the situation and get everything he could before returning to help Nora, and then move on to another world.
Ever since he heard what the boss said, it may have been his imagination, but he felt that the situation here would not be as easy as before.
But, as they said, it's not like the previous tests were that difficult either.
But aside from the test itself, and what completing it would entail, Cassian felt that there was something wrong with that boss.
It was a vague feeling he couldn't explain, nor could he say whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. But there was something strange about it.
In the end, all his feelings were vague and unclear, so he didn't really think about it much.
And when Valeriane asked him, the answer was simple...
"I think it's okay to do it."