Guardian: Derek Walker 7

Sometimes the truth stabs into your chest like a shard of sharp glass. That's why speaking nothing but the truth isn't always the best way to navigate the world. This was exactly one of those times.

Hargen's condition was so dire that anyone could see the end was near. His face was deathly pale, and he showed no signs of consciousness. He was clearly wandering on the brink in his mental world. Even if they stanched the bleeding right now, he'd lost too much blood—he probably wouldn't make it.

Bianca knew this all too ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠well, but she couldn't just stand there with a straight face while Walker casually pronounced Hargen's death sentence. Baring her teeth like a lioness issuing a threat, she unleashed a sharp aura and a shrill voice on him.

"What the hell do you mean!? Hargen oppa isn't going to die!"

"Bianca!"

Drobin scolded her sharply. The village's fate could hinge on Walker's mood. He understood her reaction, but they weren't in a position to raise their voices in front of him.

But Bianca didn't back down an inch from Drobin's rebuke. She pressed on.

"Hargen oppa isn't hopeless! He's not! Take that back!"

Walker quickly scanned Bianca from head to toe as she stood there, veins bulging in her neck right in front of him. Her furious expression was damn alluring. With her neck held stiff like a stray cat and those fierce eyes glaring daggers, she was exactly the type of woman you just had to knock down a peg.

Unlike her sister, her hair was cut short to just around her nape, dyed a light brown. Her left eye was half-hidden by her bangs, a hairstyle that perfectly matched the sultry vibe she gave off.

If her sister Rita had sapphire-blue eyes, then the younger Bianca had ruby-red ones. She might not exude quite as much mature allure as her older sister due to her age, but she was still a winning lottery ticket—at least second prize. It was a shame to see such a gem stuck in this backwater village.

'I want to fuck her.'

That was the thought running through ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Walker's head. When it came to women, he was the type to think it and then do it.

"There's no taking it back or not. This guy's gonna die soon."

Walker said it deliberately to provoke her. It wasn't a lie either—and Bianca knew it wasn't.

She stomped her feet in rage, but Rita held her back. Bianca snapped at her sister in a sharp voice.

"Sis! Why are you stopping me!?"

"Drobin already told you. It's not right to be rude to the man who saved our village. Bianca, go stand over there for now."

"No way! Hargen oppa isn't dying! That guy's just wrong!"

Rita gave her fuming little sister a troubled look. She understood her feelings, but this behavior could harm the village's future.

"Bianca, calm down first. We'll do everything we can."

Drobin soothed her in a gentle voice. But Bianca still glared at Walker with eyes sharp as a cat with its tail up. She didn't even like that he was here.

Walker, who had watched the whole scene unfold, finally spoke once Drobin had calmed her down.

"He'll die if things stay like this, but this changes everything."

Walker pulled a small vial from his pocket. It was a glass bottle crafted with exquisite delicacy, like a work of art. In the middle was an engraved pattern shaped like the sun. With a hunter's keen eye, Drobin immediately recognized it as a potion.

"A potion!?"

Drobin blurted it out unwittingly, drawing shocked gazes from Rita and Bianca to the vial in Walker's hand. They could instinctively tell it was leagues beyond the cheap potions they were used to.

"An essential for any traveler. This is a pretty high-grade one, so it should handle wounds like these just fine."

Walker handed the potion to the still-furious Bianca. She took it with a dazed expression.

"Th-thank you…."

After passing it off, Walker left the village hall with an indifferent look. He made no demands and accepted nothing beyond that brief thanks. It was as if he'd come here solely to give away the potion from the start. Staring blankly at the door he'd exited, Bianca murmured to herself.

"Why…?"

Rita stared at the potion in Bianca's hand, equally baffled. Was this the real deal?

"Let's use it, at least!"

Drobin was the first to snap out of it. At his words, Rita and Bianca came to their senses one after another.

Real or fake, it was the only thing they could rely on now. Clutching her pounding chest, Bianca uncorked the vial. A fragrant herbal scent wafted out—nothing like the bitter, acrid stench of low-grade potions.

She slowly poured the contents onto Hargen's wound, then gently wiped it clean with a fresh cloth.

Then, a miracle happened. Fresh flesh began regenerating at a rapid pace from Hargen's side, where the gash had been deep enough to expose bone. It was like magic rewinding time.

"My god. This is on another level from the potions we usually use. This thing… has to be worth at least one gold."

Rita's words hit Bianca like a lightning bolt to the head.

"One gold!?"

Bianca's hand trembled around the potion vial. Even combining her family's entire yearly earnings, they wouldn't scrape together one gold.

That rude-looking man had just handed her something that priceless. Shame washed over her for her words and actions. She'd judged him solely on his appearance.

"Ugh…!"

But those thoughts vanished with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hargen's groan. The man who'd been on death's door in a coma just moments ago was regaining consciousness. Bianca shook his shoulder in shock, rousing him fully.

"Hargen oppa!? Are you awake!?"

*-*-*

I took a lap around Allen Village with Luna and Kelly, getting a good look at the place. The battle had just ended, so the villagers were busy repairing facilities and paid no mind to us outsiders.

"Their movements look awfully practiced. Look at how they're fixing that palisade—spare materials are coming straight from the warehouse. This village must see fights like this all the time."

Kelly remarked, watching the villagers mend the fence. A fine insight worthy of a kingdom's second princess.

Sure enough, they said orc attacks were frequent here. Not exactly a great neighborhood to live in. And from what I remembered of the original story, it didn't even produce any notable specialties.

"Still, farming seems to go well. I peeked in a warehouse earlier—tons of wheat stacked up. Makes sense they'd stick around in a monster hotspot like this."

"Just not starving to death is probably a blessing for them. Though the fertile soil probably attracts the monsters too."

Luna had been silently taking in every corner of the village since earlier. Because I'd ordered her to search for the moon shadow.

As a member of the moon tribe, Luna could instinctively sense moon shadow energy. But since she hadn't fully awakened her talents as one, pinpointing its exact location was still beyond her.

What I was observing wasn't the moon shadow—it was the village women. Aside from that stunning pair of sisters I'd seen earlier, there weren't any other standouts. Of course, snagging two decent women in a rural dump like this was already a miracle. Asking for more would be tempting fate.

'So now I need to figure out how to fuck those two.'

Plenty of options. Hypnosis, blackmail, or maybe bribe ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them with cash. But with the current quest in play, I couldn't afford to rack up too much infamy, so nothing too reckless.

Checking the quest window, my fame had gone up by 1. Probably from giving that short-haired girl the potion earlier. Village damage at 0 means it starts counting from when I accepted the quest. For now, my goal is clearing all the sub-quests.

'A pure rural maiden like that deserves romance!'

Maybe because I'd had so much intense sex lately, I was craving romance this time. Not a genre that suits this pig of a body, but when I set my mind to something, I get it done. I want to take those sisters romantically. Of course, by my standards of romance—might be different for others.

'Laid the groundwork perfectly. I must've looked fucking cool back there.'

The potion I gave that bobbed-hair girl? Worth one gold.

A man casually dropping a fortune on a girl he likes with a straight face.

How romantic is that!? Wait, is that even romance?

"Mr. Walker!"

As I toured the village, Drobin came running up to me, panting.

"I'll show you to the house where you'll be staying during your time here."

He was basically doing the whole village head's job. Seemed like he was suffering the most from this mess.