It was a group of villagers. It felt like every resident of this small village had gathered here. They had hostile expressions and were armed with shovels, skewers, butcher knives, and even pots and pans.
As countless possibilities flashed through my mind, the middle-aged man standing in front shouted, "Release the village chief right now!"
Could it be that all the residents of this village were church members? I speculated briefly, but concluded that was unlikely in the end. Those who called themselves church members wouldn't have such bad equipment. If they'd really come with the intent to attack or threaten us, they wouldn't have appeared in such a sloppy way.
The door of the building opened, revealing Ramon. He called out, "What is going on?"
Ramon sounded flustered, but the reaction of the villagers was cold.
I could feel an atmosphere that I had experienced once before. It was reminiscent of the vague, heavy gazes cast by several people in the merchant guild just before leaving Teper.
Ramon's shoulders tensed slightly when the middle-aged man in front said again, "It is as I said. You are currently holding Chief Snero illegally. Release him immediately. Don't bother pretending you don't know what I'm talking about. We heard that some barbaric woman barged into his house, broke the door, and dragged him away."
The "barbaric woman" was probably referring to Sandra.
Ramon replied with a stiff expression, "The situation should've already been explained during the day. Chief Snero is currently suspected to be a Dark Church member. As heroes, we have the right to detain and interrogate suspects."
"You are a mere lesser race," another villager remarked.
Ramon showed no reaction to the disparaging words as he finished speaking. "I am aware of that."
The middle-aged man replied, "You are speaking nonsense. You don't know how much Chief Snero has devoted to this village. It is all thanks to his efforts that the village grew enough for the Hero Society to even come here. When he was young, he made connections with key figures in the trading company, gained their favor, and revitalized the dying village!"
"Exactly!"
"But you mere outsiders treat him as a church member? Honestly, you must've bullied the weak Chief Snero into making a false confession!" the man continued. It was phrased as a question, but his expression and tone showed he was absolutely convinced he was right.
"T-that isn't true! We followed due process—" Ramon began.
"What due process?! You just want to take revenge on the chief for blocking your entry into the village! You are taking advantage of the rights given to the Hero Society!" the man exclaimed in agitation. He looked back at the crowd and called out, "Am I wrong?"
"Yes! Exactly!"
The man received thunderous replies and spat fiercely, "Do you understand? You wicked lesser races who don't know gratitude! If you understand, free the village chief right away! In addition, get out of this village!"
Get lost! Get lost! Jeers filled the air.
Ramon took a step back, but soon said through gritted teeth, "I can't accept your demands. It wasn't a hero of the Hero Society who judged the village chief to be a heretic—"
His words suddenly turned into a short scream. There was a loud noise and Ramon's head jerked backward.
The middle-aged man had thrown the stone he was holding.
Dark green blood flowed from Ramon's wounded forehead. A woman saw it and pretended to be nauseated.
"Why is the color of his blood like that? It's just like a snow troll's."
"Ugh, it's gross."
"Disgusting monster!"
"Get lost! Get out of our village!"
The angry crowd shouted. I couldn't stand it any longer and was about to jump out the window when the door burst open and Araxad appeared, to the crowd's surprise.
He had a very different appearance from the small goblin. There were unnatural white scales and countless scars all over his body. Large muscles were visible beneath his scales and he had numerous weapons strapped to him.
The arrival of the lizardman warrior was enough to momentarily silence the angry crowd.
"B-brother Araxad."
"Ramon, go inside."
"But this role was originally mine—"
"Your role is over."
I seemed to hear Araxad's unspoken words: There is no point trying to reason with them any longer.
"I'm sorry." Ramon returned to the mansion with his head hung low.
Around the same time, I went down to the first floor and bumped into Mir on the stairs.
"Luan!"
"Did you see the situation outside?"
"I-I saw it! What's going on?"
"Let's go downstairs first."
We went down to the first floor together. I saw Ramon pressing a handkerchief firmly to his injured forehead.
"Senior, what exactly happened?" I asked.
"Ah... Young Master, it is nothing serious. You can stay here. Araxad will take care of it."
"I-is your forehead okay?"
"It is just a slight scratch. I'm fine."
Ramon smiled, but the handkerchief he used to stop the bleeding was already soaked in blood.
"That doesn't look okay to me," I said.
"I'm really fine. This type of bleeding stops quickly. I am a goblin after all." Ramon seemed to be used to this sort of thing.
I watched him quietly for a moment before saying, "I guess this happens often."
Ramon laughed. It wasn't a particularly pleasant laugh. He staggered while walking toward us, and Mir hurriedly supported him.
"Thank you."
At this moment, I heard another shout from outside.
"After the goblin, it's now a lizard? You disgusting lesser race bastard! Do you think we're afraid?"
Araxad told them, "I didn't mean to scare you."
"Bah! Now you can't even understand people's simple words? Do you find it so hard to grasp the meaning of releasing the village chief and getting out of this village?"
I went to the window and looked at the situation outside.
Araxad said, "We have already explained that matter thoroughly. Currently, Chief Snero is suspected of being a Dark Church member and we have concrete evidence. There might be other church members hiding somewhere in this village, so for your own safety, you can't leave for the time being. Please understand."
"W-what? Not only did you capture the village chief, but now you're suspecting us of being church members?"
"This search is also for your own good. No one wants church members living in their home—"
"Oh my! Fellow villagers! Listen to what this walking lizard is saying! It's treating us like church members!"
The atmosphere became even more heated due to the instigation of the middle-aged man.
"Get out of our village!"
"We shouldn't have accepted you in the first place!"
Along with those agitated voices, stones started being thrown again. It was as if hatred had overcome their fear of Araxad.
Araxad's tough skin couldn't be fully pierced by mere stones, but it didn't prevent scratches. As evidence of that, the stones rolling across the ground were stained with blood.
Mir gritted her teeth and strode over to open the door.
Ramon called out to stop her. "W-wait a minute! Calm down."
"Calm down? Didn't they hurt the two of you?"
"This type of thing has happened many times before. We are really fine..."
"B-but! It's wrong!" Mir shouted. Even though she wasn't the one hurt, she scowled at Ramon with an expression full of resentment. "Seniors, you didn't do anything wrong! On the contrary, you're working harder than anyone else for this village! Yet these people attack without even knowing, or perhaps despite knowing the truth? This..."
"Yes. It is unreasonable." Ramon laughed bitterly, and Mir's head drooped.
There was a brief silence that I broke. "Hasn't Corrupted stayed in this village and helped the villagers many times? It must have been at least a few years. I think that should have been enough time to clear up misunderstandings."
"We hunted the snow trolls acting rampant nearby, swam across the frozen lake in the middle of winter to repair a broken bridge, and even brought the pharmacist from the next village to help a child who was suffering from a fever."
"They're like this even after all of that?"
"Yes, they are. It seems that it still wasn't enough to completely get rid of their prejudices. It can't be helped. Chief Snero was the most respected person in the village before he was a church member."
"There's nothing in the world that can't be helped."
I was about to open the door and leave when Ramon hurriedly grabbed my arm and said, "Wait a moment, Young Master."
"Why?"
"Please calm down a bit and leave it to Brother Araxad for now."
"I have to just watch the lizardman senior keep being hit by stones?"
"Yes. Please do so."
I was speechless.
"Don't you understand? The villages are acting like this because they are scared. To relieve that fear, they are coming at us aggressively."
I replied, "They're just timid bastards barking. But I know the difference between human beings and barking dogs. People can be reasoned with. If not, they'l get the message after a few beatings."
Of course, I didn't plan to beat them all. I just remembered the faces of the middle-aged man in charge and the ones throwing stones.
"So that is what you intend to do?" Ramon's voice suddenly sharpened, causing me to stop. "Are you going to threaten them and intimidate them? If that doesn't work, you will use violence to drive them away? Do you think that is the right way to deal with it?"
I remained silent.
"That won't work. This is different from the situation in Teper. They aren't in a sane state. They might've been instigated by some hidden church members," Ramon said.
I could usually leave it to Verita to identify the church members. However, I knew that Verita's power wasn't absolute. Her ability to identify church members could only weed out those who had officially joined the church.
However, in this world, there were many people who weren't members but cooperated with the church. It was a damn shame, but it was the truth.
I asked, "Aren't you frustrated about this?"
"I am. Of course, I am frustrated. It is incredibly unfair to the point of bringing me to tears. But Young Master, I believe that the ultimate goal of a hero of the Hero Society is to ease the fears of the empire's people."
I listened quietly.
"I know it isn't easy. Please endure it. I am fine. We have become accustomed to being patient. I am also happy to see the two of you so angry. It is to the point where the pain of this injured forehead is nothing." Ramon chuckled before continuing, "How should I put it? It feels like my family has grown."
"Family?"
"Ah, was that rude of me?"
It wasn't really rude. However, I wanted to hear more of Ramon's true feelings, so I stared at him without saying a word.
Then Ramon smiled awkwardly and said, "Honestly, I never had a family. I never even had a home. I survived by scavenging food waste until Brother Lanfero took me in. Then I joined Corrupted. At first, I was scared. Everyone looked scary, and we weren't even of the same race. At the very least, no one seemed more pitiful than a goblin like me."
I was a bit dumbfounded by Ramon's words, but then I spoke for him. "But after seeing them a few times and spending time with them, you found them more and more likable?"
"Exactly. They were rude, unruly and aggressive, but none of them were truly bad people. They just had strong personalities and were strange."
Strange. I heard that and looked at Araxad again. The way he endured the crowd's malice and hatred and took the stones with his bare skin could be described as strange.
"So that is why you refer to the boss as brother?"
"It is a secret from the boss, but yes. He is like a father figure, but it would be a bit weird to call him that," Ramon said with a chuckle. " Haha. A clan being a family. Isn't it strange?"
It wasn't strange at all. I found myself reflected in Ramon; I'd been a kid who could never accept the Badnikers or the Iron-Blooded Lord as my family. I'd wandered away from my home until I finally arrived at a place.
A grumpy old man had taken me away to a mountain that was surrounded by fog. In that place, there were people who were more like my family than my own blood.
I never gave it much thought when I joined the clan.
The reason I'd joined Corrupted wasn't because I liked the clan leader or was curious about a talking goblin. It was simply because their territory was the area closest to the impending disaster. That had been the extent of my feelings toward Corrupted. In truth, I'd only used the clan as a means to an end.
Now my thoughts were changing.
I thought of the image of a hero that I'd once admired. A hero was someone who could endure without being swayed by the flow of the world, the standards imposed by the majority, and the criticism of the ignorant. Someone who wouldn't falter or waver despite overwhelming persecution, and who ultimately achieved their goal.
Ironically, I'd ended up witnessing a hero here when I never once saw one at the Hero Society headquarters. That hero was a small, humble, green-skinned goblin with a spirit that was grander than anyone else's.
"Senior, I am seeing you in a new light."
"Huh?"
I smiled, walked past Ramon and once again headed toward the door.
"W-wait a minute. Violence..."
"I won't use it, I won't use it."
If someone had made an effort, then they ought to be acknowledged. This was especially true when it came from goodwill and the desire to save others. If such a natural thing couldn't be achieved in this world, then something was truly wrong.
My belief was that wrong things ought to be corrected immediately.
I opened the door and looked up at the sky. The cold northern sky was shining brightly, and there were exceptionally few clouds.
Suddenly, I found myself with a strange, new purpose. I hoped that Corrupted's hard work would be recognized one day. I hoped that not just the Hero Society, but all the empire's people, would one day get rid of their prejudices and fully regard Corrupted as heroes.
As I thought this, a new breeze blew through my heart. I soon understood why. Today, for the first time, I set a goal that had nothing to do with my master's orders.
"You..." the bleeding Araxad trailed off as he looked back at me.
I just walked past him with a slight smile. Then I looked at the man standing in front of me.
"Who are you?" the middle-aged man shouted.
I slapped his cheek.
Slap!
The noisy surroundings fell silent.
Ramon called out hesitantly, "You said you wouldn't use violence..."
"Yes."
I nudged the man on the ground with the tip of my foot.
"But let me hit this guy just once."