(Verc’s POV)
’What the hell happened here?’
I asked that question in my head as I walked slowly toward the center of the ruined village. I kept a firm grip on Bong’s leash with my left hand, while Onyx remained tucked against my right arm. The little guy was unusually quiet, his nose twitching as he took in the heavy scents of the area.
I looked around with a grim expression as I stepped under a burnt wooden arch that seemed to have been the main entrance of the village at some point. The wood was charred black, and thin trails of smoke were still rising from the heavier beams nearby. The evidence of the fire was very recent.
’A few days had passed at most.’
I thought to myself as I looked down at the dirt road. I could see several dark, crusty traces of dry blood staining the ground.
But still, even though it was obvious that a total massacre had happened here, I noticed something that didn’t make sense. I couldn’t see any corpses.
Usually, in a village this size, there would be bodies everywhere after an attack like this. Even if people had died in the fires, the skeletons and charred remains would still be visible among the ruins. But the streets were empty of bodies.
Meaning...
’Someone moved the bodies.’
And those who did it— they were still in this village, currently surrounding me.
My senses sharpened instantly. I didn’t reach for my sword yet, but I secretly scanned every corner of the ruins. [Danger Sense] wasn’t sending me any warnings, so that meant I was likely much stronger than everyone currently hiding.
I closed my eyes for a second, using [Echolocation] and [Vibration Awareness]. And after a quick scan at the vicinity, I figured out that there were exactly seven people near me. They were huddled together inside one of the larger burnt-out houses a few meters ahead.
"..."
I stopped in my tracks right in the middle of the road. I had to think about my next move carefully.
Should I be vigilant and pull out my sword right now to show them I’m ready? Or should I just keep pretending I hadn’t noticed them and wait to see what they would do next?
My brows furrowed in confusion as I looked at the destruction.
But after a while... the silence became too much.
"Haaah..."
I let out a long, heavy sigh. I turned my head toward the burnt house where the seven of them were hiding.
"I mean no harm. I’m just passing through."
Then I declared that in a loud, clear voice. My face remained straight, showing no emotion at all.
"..."
My words were met with absolute silence. I wasn’t really expecting an answer, but the lack of movement was starting to make the air feel heavy.
"I will take the silence as a good sign and go on my way."
I said, starting to turn Bong around.
But after a short pause— SWOOSH~!
"Try anything funny, and you will all have a reunion in heaven with the other villagers."
I decided to give them a warning, activating [Dominion Aura].
I didn’t use it at full potential, just enough to make the air around me vibrate and feel cold. I wanted to scare them just enough to avoid any more troublesome situations.
I turned my head away from the house as soon as I was done talking, ready to leave this depressing place behind.
TAP!
But just as I was about to walk away, I heard a loud, heavy footstep coming from where they were hiding. My attention snapped back to the house immediately.
And there— A young man stepped out from the shadows of the doorway.
He looked like he had been through a meat grinder. He was covered with deep sword wounds, and his clothes were soaked in old, dark blood. He looked like he was only inches away from dying, his face pale and his breathing shallow.
But even with all those injuries...
"..."
He was still glaring at me with eyes full of rage, his hands trembling as he gripped his sides. He looked ready to fight me to the death.
"Uhh, what?"
I asked him, genuinely confused by his reaction.
"Are you with the bastards that did this to our village?!"
Then the young man shouted that at me, his voice cracking with emotion.
"Huh? No. I just got here."
I answered calmly.
The young man looked at me straight in the eyes after that, searching for any sign that I was lying. I didn’t say anything, and I didn’t move from my spot. I just let him look.
Then, after a while...
THUD!
"Huh...?"
He just collapsed onto the ground like a ragdoll, his strength finally giving out.
"TATUM!!!"
Seeing him fall like that, the other six who were hiding in the house rushed out to his side. Their whole group consisted of five young men and two young women.
As they knelt beside the young man named Tatum, they all looked up at me with wide, terrified eyes.
"I didn’t do anything. He fell on his own."
I told them that, holding my hands up slightly.
Though, instead of accusing me of being the one who hurt him—
"Please! Help him!"
They all bowed their heads toward me at once and begged for help.
"..."
I was silent. I honestly didn’t know how to respond to that.
Heck, even if I wanted to help them, I had no idea how I would actually do that. I’m not a doctor.
’It’s not like I have a skill to heal someone, nor do I know how to patch people up properly.’
I thought to myself, feeling the weight of the situation. I was about to tell them that I couldn’t help and that they should look for a real medic, but before I could even say a word—
"Please... Help him... I beg you..."
One of the young women pleaded, her voice trembling and weak.
I took a long, hard look at the whole group... and I noticed for the first time that all of them were covered in bruises and cuts, they were just as battered as the guy named Tatum. They were all in bad condition, probably starving and dehydrated too.
"..."
I went silent again for a while, stuck in my own thoughts.
I reached up and scratched the back of my head, feeling annoyed by how bothersome this was becoming. I didn’t want to get involved, but leaving them like this felt wrong.
And so, opening my mouth—
"Wait. I’ll try to figure out something."
I told them that.
Their heads immediately rose to look at me, and the expressions on their faces were so thankful it made me feel awkward.
It bothered me because I wasn’t even sure if I could actually help them with anything.
But ignoring that for now, I walked over to Bong and reached into the bags strapped to his sides. These were the bags given to me by Edgar. I knew I didn’t have anything useful with me personally, but Edgar was a smart guy— he might have put something in there for emergencies.
And so, I searched through them thoroughly, tossing aside my spare clothes and whatever.
... ... ...
*****
After searching the two bags for a few minutes, I finally found something useful. There were several rolls of clean bandages tucked away at the bottom. I immediately grabbed them and gave everything to the group.
They didn’t waste any time; they started patching up the unconscious Tatum first, wrapping his wounds tightly before they even thought about putting bandages on their own bodies.
It looked like they actually knew what they were doing. They worked quickly, their hands shaking but their movements practiced.
After they were done with the bandages, I reached back into the bags and pulled out some of the bunny meat and fruits I had stored for Onyx and Bong.
"Here. Eat this."
I said, handing the food over. They forcefully fed some of the meat to the young man named Tatum first. Once he had swallowed some, they started devouring the remaining food themselves.
They ate like animals, barely chewing before swallowing. It seemed like they truly hadn’t eaten for days.
Anyway, it seemed like the others regained some of their energy after getting some food in their stomachs. Their faces weren’t as pale as before, though they still looked exhausted. I decided to call them over to search my bag for anything else useful, because honestly, I didn’t know what I was looking for.
"Look through this. See if there’s anything else you can use."
I told them.
And it was actually a good decision to call them over. As soon as they started looking, one of the young women spotted a specific herb tucked in a side pocket.
"Is this... a Sun-Leaf herb?"
She asked, picking it up. It looked like a normal piece of grass to me, just with a weird, jagged leaf. I had actually picked it up off the ground yesterday because I thought Bong might want to eat it later.
Moving on, they asked me if they could use it— and I just gave them my permission without much thought.
"Go ahead. I don’t need it."
I said. They all rushed back to the passed-out young man and forcefully fed him the herb, mashing it up first with a bit of water.
Speaking of water, I handed them a leather pouch I had filled earlier. I had taken the water from a clean river for Onyx and Bong to drink during our travels.
The group thanked me over and over again before taking the pouch and shoving it into the mouth of the young man.
"..."
I just stood there and stared at them while they worked. I had nothing else with me, and I didn’t know what to do now.
The sun was starting to set, and the ruined village was getting even creepier in the twilight.
I looked at Onyx, who was now sitting on the ground near my feet, and then at the group of survivors.
’Now what?’
I asked myself. I had helped them as much as I could, but I couldn’t just leave them here in a graveyard. This whole thing was becoming a much bigger problem than I had anticipated.