Kaiser reached the western village after running for not long at an adjusted speed.
Part of the sun had already begun to be seen rising. They had arrived at the village and were welcomed well by all the residents there.
The chief let Kaiser use his house temporarily and helped to treat the two young children Kaiser brought, along with the village elder who was skilled in medicine to check any injury or illness Kaiser can't cure.
Kaiser took a rest during that spare time by sitting in the chief's house's living room.
Just as he closed his eyes, Sol-yure's voice was heard inside his head.
[This place is suspicious.]
Kaiser let out a heavy sigh.
"Sol… I just closed my eyes."
But he couldn't deny Sol-yure's statement.
Even if he wanted to rest, it would have to wait until he knew whether they were friend or foe. He knew too much to ignore this matter. If it's only him and Sol-yure, Kaiser didn't worry too much, but he couldn't care less for the children he took.
When Kaiser arrived at the village, in Kaiser's eyes almost everyone in the village was able to utilize Ether. Not only that, there were no children or pregnant women at all, even though there were many adults. It was enough to suspect even if the village itself was not too far from a city.
He got up from his chair, going out of the chief's house to ask about the next settlement.
[We will wait until they become aggressive. If not, then no need to.]
Sol-yure did not reply. She only walked into the room where the two children were being treated—
"… You are…?"
—Right when the older kid, the inn employee, Alicent, already woke up.
The child remembered clearly, Sol-yure was her customer yesterday. A woman as beautiful as a noble who was traveling with a foreign-looking knight.
Several servants from the Baron's residence took the belongings of Sol-yure and her companion not long after they were escorted by two soldiers.
Alicent remembered clearly because that incident occurred right before Tomavel turned into hell that night.
"Did you save us? What about Mr. Johan… Where is Mr. Johan?" Alicent got up from the bed. When she supported her body with her right foot, an unbearable sharp pain made Alicent flinch and fall forward.
Fortunately, Sol-yure's darkness caught the child before she kissed the floor.
"Ah…?!"
Alicent looked at the darkness holding her. Curiosity overcame fear, and she touched the darkness that weirdly felt comfortable. To her, it felt like the darkness you always see when closing your eyes before falling asleep.
"Unfortunately, it was already too late for him." Sol-yure's calm voice slipped into Alicent's ears. The young girl raised her head. Her eyes met the woman's calm gaze.
"... Is that so…?" Alicent lowered her head in grief. Her nose grew hot and her eyes began to tear up. "Thank you… Lady…" her voice trembled without her realizing it. "thank you… for saving my brother and me…"
Sol-yure smiled faintly. "It is still too early to thank me, little girl. We must get out of here before—"
Before Sol-yure could finish her words, a village youth appeared from behind the door holding a sickle enveloped in Aura.
"FOR FOMORACH—!!!" The youth shouted.
Sol-yure did not turn around, not even looking toward the man when the darkness spread below the youth's feet and devour him. The surroundings returned to silence, as if the presence of the youth carrying a sickle was merely a wind.
"—the situation becomes more dangerous," Sol-yure continued, still with a smile.
Alicent's jaw dropped.
"... W–where did that person just go…?"
"To the place where he belongs." Sol-yure answered, still with a smile on her face. "Don't worry, just think of it as the wind."
Shadows enveloped Alicent and also the child who was still unconscious, even after the loud shout earlier.
Remembering the youth devoured by the shadows, Alicent closed her eyes very tightly, afraid to see what the smiling witch was going to do to her.
…
"Ahriman, huh…" Kaiser said lightly. His hand gripped the arm of a young man who was lying limp like a sack. His arm was bent into an angle.
"How do you know about us?"
An old man, the chief, asked Kaiser. His hand tightly gripped a scythe, ready to cut Kaiser at any time. Around him, men and women surrounded them, carrying sharp weapons from axes to knives.
"Honestly, I don't really know. What I know is that you are Ether users, either knights or wizards."
"Who would have thought that I would meet this cult again." Kaiser shrugged his shoulders jokingly.
Initially, Kaiser planned not to do anything because they had helped him. However, because they attacked first, Kaiser did not need to hesitate fighting them back.
"He is the one who thwarted the resurrection of the Great Chaos! Kill him!" The village chief used Aura and darted toward Kaiser. From his speed, he was on the same level as Cines.
"FOR FOMORACH—!!!"
They shout and rush without hesitations.
These people were all on the same level as Cines.
"Are you here to catch the people who fled?" Kaiser asked as he dodged a sickle aiming for his neck.
With a hand enveloped in Aura, Kaiser parried an aura-coated pitchfork directed at his stomach. Kaiser's parry made the pitchfork's owner stagger and opened a gap, but another follower carrying an axe immediately stepped forward to cover the weakness.
They were not as strong as a single Grand Knight, or even touching Sol-yure's realm at all but they were clever and reliable in cooperation.
Even without using the God Fragment, with just the people in this village, Tomavel would collapse without leaving anyone behind.
[Warrior, we are ready.]
[Can you help me interrogate them?] Kaiser asked.
[Like the person last night? Only if you don't stall for more time.]
"Alright." Kaiser stopped playing around. The Aura inside his body exploded violently, creating a domain that pressed all the surrounding villagers to the ground. They were pressed down forcefully as if crushed by a mountain. Very crude but effective for these people.
"Done, Sol. Go ahead." Kaiser turned to the right, approaching Sol-yure and the children at her side. The boy was holding Sol-yure's dress and the older girl's hand tightly. While the girl was standing on her own with a simple crutch from a piece of wood supporting her injured right side.
"They are already fine." Sol-yure answered, noticing Kaiser's gaze at the two children beside her.
Kaiser smiled faintly. "That's good."
Kaiser realized they also recognized him. He knelt down and leveled himself to the children. "We meet again," he greeted them. "You can call me Kaiser. I am the Wandering Knight who previously visited Tomavel to rest. What should I call you?"
"I am Alice, Mr. Kaiser. I used the name Alicent in disguise. This is my younger brother… Ares." Alicent—or Alice—turned toward her brother.
"A-Ares…" Ares, the younger brother, greeted nervously.
"Is that so?" Kaiser glanced toward the younger brother. His eyes were calm as a lake but the boy couldn't look at him directly.
[Are you afraid I will tell your sister about what you did?]
Ares flinched hearing the voice inside his head like before, but he immediately nodded quickly.
"Yes… M-Mr. Kaiser!"
[Don't worry, I won't say anything.]
Kaiser looked at the children before him closely. "Except for the wound on the older sister's leg, you seem to be doing fine."
"Yes, thanks to you." Alice smiled widely, even while being in the middle of this problematic situation, she could still think positively. This was the quality one needed to survive.
Kaiser smiled along because of that.
In the next moment, Kaiser looked at them seriously.
"Alice, Ares. Johan, who protected you, is dead, and Tomavel is already in a state of ruin and chaos. I don't know whether you have other guardians or not, but I want to give you a choice. Return to Tomavel, or follow me."
Alice looked toward her younger brother, and Ares met his sister's brown eyes.
A decision was completely formed in her heart upon seeing the only remaining family of hers.
"We… will follow you, Mr. Kaiser."