"We're here."
Barbara said as she pulled on the reins, bringing the carriage to a full stop.
The moment those words reached our ears, the tension inside the carriage seemed to snap. Me, Kyla, Clarissa, Noah, and Molly all climbed out of the carriage, our feet finally hitting the solid ground near our destination.
I looked straight ahead of us, and just tens of meters away, I finally saw the village.
The defensive walls were constructed of wood, much like the ones I had seen back at the goblin village, but these were on a completely different scale. They were much taller and sturdier, and they featured a large wooden arch that served as the main entrance. It was clearly well-made, showing the craftsmanship of people who actually knew how to build.
'We're finally here.'
I thought to myself as I took my first real step forward, walking with a steady pace toward the archway.
Then, as I got closer to the entrance—
"Stop right there! Who are you?"
A man, who appeared to be a guard on duty, shouted the command while approaching me with his weapon ready. I immediately halted my steps and raised my hands in the air, having no intention of causing any unnecessary suspicion or a dangerous misunderstanding.
"It's us, Lenard."
Then, from behind me, Hans suddenly stepped up and spoke with a weary voice.
"Huh?"
The guard shifted his focus away from me and turned his attention toward Hans. He clenched the spear in his hands tightly, his eyes squinting as he tried to get a proper look at the man's face through the darkness.
The guard didn't say a word at first, simply observing and processing what he was seeing. But after a few seconds of silence...
"Wha—?!"
The guard's eyes suddenly lit up, a look of pure shock and disbelief spreading across his face. Then, a massive smile broke out—
"Hans? Is that really you?!"
He exclaimed with a voice full of emotion. He practically dropped his weapon on the spot, running toward Hans and hugging him.
"Haha, I'm happy to see you too, my friend."
Hans laughed, sounding more relieved than I had ever heard him, as he hugged the guard back.
"Sir Lenard!"
"We're back too!"
Then, Molly and Noah appeared from behind the carriage and made their presence known.
Lenard, the guard, looked down at the two children. Upon seeing their faces, his expression became even more joyful, if that was even possible.
"You little brats, I'm so glad you're both safe!"
He said as he dropped to his knees, pulling the two siblings into a tight embrace.
Then, while he was still in that position, Barbara, Kyla, and Clarissa finally stepped into the light and showed themselves.
Lenard saw them clearly now. His face didn't change at first, but once the realization of who they were finally sank in—
"Sniff..."
He actually started crying right there in front of everyone.
"Is this a dream? Am I dead?"
He choked out the words, and the others couldn't help but burst into laughter after hearing his dramatic reaction.
"This is real, you're not dead. We're really back."
Barbara reassured him, her voice soft but firm.
Lenard started bawling his eyes out after hearing that, the relief clearly becoming too much to handle. But he forced himself to calm down, wiping his eyes as he looked at everyone except for me.
"What happened? How did you all get back? Weren't you guys kidnapped by the goblins? Or was that not the case?"
He asked, his head spinning with questions.
"No, we really did get kidnapped."
Hans stated, his tone turning serious for a moment as he remembered the ordeal.
"Then how?"
Lenard asked, looking completely confused.
Instead of answering him directly, Hans turned his gaze toward me. Lenard followed his lead, his eyes landing on me once again. Then, in that moment—
"That kind knight saved us. We owe him our lives."
Hans went ahead and declared that.
I didn't miss the opportunity he gave me, and with a confident smile on my face—
"Hello, my name is Verc, a wandering knight."
I introduced myself.
*****
Lenard eventually managed to calm himself down after a while, and as soon as he regained his composure— TONG! TONG! TONG!
He started ringing a bell he was carrying, the sound echoing loudly through the silent night. It was definitely enough to wake up every single person in the village. Then, using the full strength of his lungs—
"EVERYONE! NOAH, MOLLY, HANS, BARBARA, KYLA, AND CLARISSA HAVE COME BACK TO THE VILLAGE!!!"
He shouted at the top of his voice. I could actually see the veins in his neck bulging as if they were about to burst, and his face turned a deep shade of red. But it seemed like he didn't mind the strain at all; he just wanted to spread the good news to everyone.
People started coming out of their houses almost immediately after hearing his words, rushing into the streets to confirm if what they heard was actually true.
Everyone had obviously thought that Hans and the others were already dead, since they had been missing for weeks without a trace. So when they saw that the group had returned alive, it stirred up the entire village even though it was the middle of the night.
... ... ...
We eventually made our way inside the village walls.
"Honey!"
"I'm back."
A woman ran through the crowd and threw her arms around Hans. Hans embraced her back tightly as tears started falling from his eyes; it was clear that this was his wife.
"NOAH! MOLLY!"
Then, a couple who looked to be in their 40s rushed toward the two children. The couple hugged them both with desperate strength, and as soon as they did, Noah and Molly finally let go and started crying.
"Mom! Dad!"
"We were really scared...!"
It was obvious that they had finally reunited with their parents.
Meanwhile, Barbara, Kyla, and Clarissa were having their own emotional moments with their respective families as well.
"..."
A smile unconsciously appeared on my face as I stood back. Seeing this sight honestly just made me feel happy.
The surrounding villagers were all rejoicing and celebrating alongside them. This village isn't really big at all, with just over thirty residents and seven total families living here; that's why everyone seemed to know each other so well.
Anyway, just as I was standing there off to the side, watching everyone reunite with their loved ones—
"Hmm?"
Noah and Molly's father stood up and started walking directly toward me. He stopped just a step away, and then, he bowed his head deeply.
"As a father, thank you for saving my children."
He said, and before I could even manage to say a word in response—
"And as the chief of this village, I thank you for saving our people. We greatly owe you."
He followed up with that. My eyes widened in surprise; I had no idea that the two kids were the children of the village chief.
I looked around me, and I realized that everyone else had stopped what they were doing and now had their heads bowed toward me as well. I was a bit flustered by the sudden attention... but at the same time, I couldn't help but feel a bit proud of myself.
"I just did what I thought was right."
I declared, bowing my head slightly in return.
The chief stood upright again, a warm smile on his face.
"Do you need something? Our village doesn't have much to offer, but we will do our absolute best to help you."
He asked me that, his tone sincere.
This specific question was exactly what I had been waiting for this entire time. So, as soon as I heard it, I opened my mouth—
"Well, if it isn't any trouble, can I stay here for some time?"
I asked that, hoping for a positive answer.