Hanji's Shadowed Village
"Aah! Thank you! Those merciful words from you, Captain... I'll prepare the finest carriage right away—no, immediately!"
Really, it's impossible to keep a straight face in front of Astra.
It's like some irresistible pull.
The sight of him extending mercy even to a worthless worm like me... that pure, gentle dignity enveloping everything around him...
'Even if you don't ride the carriage, I'll keep it spotless to the very end.'
That was my resolve as I prepared to hitch up the carriage.
A sudden jolt—
Astra's aura shifted in an instant.
He wasn't unleashing his power. The pressure he'd exuded while eyeing the wolf had felt like it dominated all creation, but now... he was still cloaking his presence in that soft dignity that wrapped around us.
Yet within that gentleness lurked something chilling, a shiver-inducing undercurrent.
'Is he angry at me?'
The thought barely crossed my mind before Astra's words replayed in my head like a looping video.
"Rowen, you have nothing to worry about. I do not doubt your loyalty, so rest easy."
Yes... Astra is infinitely merciful, and precisely because of that, he radiates an suffocating dignity toward those of us at his side.
This... this is Astra's true essence.
He's speaking to me now.
'Foolish mistakes like yours are less than dust in my eyes. Just focus on what you must do.'
Astra... thanks to you, my narrow vision is melting away like snow, expanding before me.
For centuries, I'd foolishly believed true strength was shown only through actions.
But you, Astra...
You exude such overwhelming dignity simply by existing, by breathing.
Embracing all things without ever faltering, that lofty poise... infinitely merciful, yet untouchable in your majesty...
This is the true form of a ruler.
I mounted Fenrir and turned my gaze to Hanji.
"Hanji, let's depart."
"Y-yes, sir! Right away!"
The tension that had eased from Hanji moments ago returned in full, his voice trembling once more.
'So the Charisma stat has some effect after all?'
Hanji's shaggy hair bobbed as the pig spirit beast took the lead.
"We're off!"
And so we set out for Hanji's village.
Fenrir's back was surprisingly comfortable—no jolting like a carriage, just the sensation of gliding over clouds.
Time dragged in the silence. More than that, curiosity stirred about Hanji, a character I'd created myself. I wanted to know him deeper.
After a moment's thought, I spoke.
"Hanji, how are things in your village?"
In truth, villages not recognized as territories in Haven fared poorly.
Monster attacks never ceased.
But they could expect no aid or rescue. That was life in a non-territory village in Haven.
Monsters...
Goblins and orcs were the lesser evils, common fantasy fodder. Deeper in the forests lurked far more powerful, dangerous beasts.
To them, villages like these were mere living storehouses—plentiful prey with negligible resistance.
"Haha, we're better off than most other villages, thankfully."
"No powerful monsters nearby?"
Hanji's face grew somber, shadows weighing heavy in his eyes.
"There are strong ones, but... luckily, Greenwood Territory provides a lot of help."
"Greenwood?"
Greenwood Territory...
The Lord's direct domain, the mid-sized city where that fateful opportunity awaited, as I'd mentioned.
What reason could they have for aiding villages?
In this world, a strong one's "kindness" to the weak always came with a price—usually far steeper than the favor.
Balderic probably didn't even know what the Greenwood lord was up to... and if she did, she'd ignore it.
It was just a minor territory to them.
Captains and the Lord held many territories beyond their main ones but couldn't manage them all directly, so they appointed lords for each.
As long as those lords didn't cause trouble for them, no one cared what they did.
Lords without a captain or the monarch often played king in their domains.
And Hanji's dark expression confirmed it—this wasn't simple goodwill.
"What's the price for their help?"
My position as Jin Gang Regiment captain allowed such blunt questions.
"W-well..."
Hanji stammered.
"You can tell me without fear. Nothing will happen to your village because of it."
Hanji hesitated, then continued in a quavering voice.
"Once a week... they take the village's adult men. They return after three days, but strangely, no one remembers what happened there. And when they come back..."
His voice trailed off.
"They all return utterly drained. Like... they've been bewitched or something."
Erasing memories and siphoning energy...
Too sinister for mere labor exploitation.
In the game, such tactics were common: wiping memories and harvesting life force for secret rituals or forbidden magic experiments...
A chill seeped into my fingertips. Dread crawled up my spine.
"How many are taken each time?"
I lowered my voice. While waiting for his answer, worst-case scenarios flooded my mind. If Greenwood was doing what I suspected... this was no small matter.
Hanji paused, then whispered shakily.
"Up to ten at most, five at least."
'Ha... no way.'
My premonition hit home, a cold sweat prickling my back. Icy fear gripped me.
Among the characters I'd raised, some were pure villains. One in particular—a reaper type who harvested life force to grow stronger. Just like this.
Regular memory wipes and vitality drain... the pattern matched her ability's signature exactly.
This was no coincidence.
It mirrored her methods from the game perfectly.
'But something's off.'
She wasn't fully harvesting life force yet, so if she was like Hanji—early stages of her power—how was she manipulating a Greenwood lord?
Territory lords, appointed by the monarch or captains, were powerhouses fitting Haven's standards. Controlling one at starter power levels...
'Am I wrong?'
Doubts piled up. But the pattern was too perfect to dismiss as chance.
'Partners, maybe...'
"Hanji, we'll enter the village without revealing I'm the captain."
"Pardon? But why..."
"Simple."
I stated firmly.
"If I show up as captain, the Greenwood lord will cover all traces. We'd learn nothing. And if I return with you to the territory, they'll just shift operations elsewhere. That doesn't solve the root."
Understanding dawned in Hanji's eyes.
'I haven't even held my official inauguration, so other lords won't recognize my face precisely. Time to assess properly.'
If I entered as captain, they'd erase evidence—the rituals harvesting souls from villagers.
If she got serious about hiding...
Impossible to find.
'Her ability could grow strong without this...'
As her creator, I knew her potential best. Plenty of paths to power without life harvesting.
The thought of people suffering because of my character weighed heavy. A mere game setup turning into real tragedy.
'Responsibility...'
A bitter smile escaped me. A villain I'd made for an intriguing story now threatened real lives.
If I'd chosen differently back then, this wouldn't have happened.
And she wasn't alone. My other villain characters were likely tormenting this world in their own ways...
'But regretting the past changes nothing.'
I steeled myself. Focus on the problem at hand. The past was set, but the future I could shape.
'If I can persuade her well, she might even return the life force.'
If not...
My eyes darkened.
No matter that they were like my creations, if they persisted in such cruelty, it had to stop.
Even if by death.