Life didn't get easier, even in another world.

Sitting on the chair with a stiff and uncomfortable posture, he stared out of the window with a nervous face.

"Hey, are you really sure it is okay for us to stay here without doing anything?"

He asked his friend who was also staring out of the other window with a similar face to his.

"They told us to stay still. It's not like we can disobey the orders."

Even though he said that his face gave out how worried he was about the others.

Juan, the first one to talk, bit his lip and hardened his grip on the sword in his hand.

"What about the ones out there? Will they be fine? If the people we saw earlier are really Philomns, then..."

"N-nothing will happen to them! They are trained hunters! They won't go down so easily."

"SHHH! You two! Stop it. There is no use in talking about this issue now. Just be quiet and wait for the orders."

The two people turned their heads and looked at the other person in the room. 

"Dewey, how can you be so calm? Isn't one of those people who are keeping watch your cousin?"

Dewey sighed and sat down on the chair. 

"He is, and I'm worried about him. But what can I do? We are only hunters. Our job is to kill monsters, not deal with terrorist groups! We should only stay hidden as we were ordered to if we don't want to make matters worse. So stop the useless talk and keep watch!"

Juan sighed and turned towards the window again.

"I guess you are right."

Indeed, Dewey was right. They were only a bunch of hunters who were sent to this small village to keep it safe from monster attacks until the construction of their guild's branch was done.

Even though they were here to fight against the monsters, they were told to keep an eye on the situation around that place. They were told to keep observing the destroyed ruin because there was the possibility of Philomns visiting that place, and they have been doing so since the first moment they set foot here.

And a few hours ago, while they were having their regular walk around this plain, they noticed some suspicious individuals. Looking closer at them, they could spot the terrorist group's symbol on their clothes. 

They hurried to report the situation, and the orders came back almost immediately.

They were told to secretly keep an eye on them while making sure that they wouldn't be found out. They agreed to divide into two groups, one would observe the terrorists while the other would make sure that the village was safe.

Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap

Juan nervously tapped the ground with his foot while gazing out of the window. The people in the village didn't seem to have noticed anything, they were all doing their daily chores without any worry in the world.

The outside was peaceful.

It was at that moment.

BEEEP BEEP BEEEP BEEP

All three of them jumped up at the sound of the alarms.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEPP

"W- What?"

"Monsters?"

BEEEP BEEP BEEP BEPP

The alarms, belonging to the devices that detected monsters' presence nearby, kept ranging. They would start glowing as the monster got close and then start making noises the closer the monsters got.

"Where are they-"

BAAAANGGG

Juan's voice was drowned by the loud sound of an explosion.

They didn't need to search for the cause because they all could see a bunch of creatures rushing towards the village just by looking out of the window.

"MONSTERS!!!"

"KYAAA!!!"

The villagers started screaming and running away. The peace in the village shattered in an instant. 

There wasn't anything to think about. 

The next moment, the three people in the house rushed out while grabbing their weapons.

. . . . .

"W-what? What is going on here?"

As soon as deputy team leader Bray opened her eyes after the teleport, she found herself in the midst of chaos.

"KYAAAA!"

"Help!!"

"M-mom!"

The scene that welcomed her and the others was the sight of a village on fire.

"HELPP!"

"Where is my daughter!"

"WAAHH!"

She was so shocked that she couldn't move for a second. Standing in her place, she looked around in a daze.

"...What is this..."

The others who were accompanying her also looked at the scene with sheer shock.

Villagers were running around, screaming at the top of their lungs. The buildings were burning. The road was destroyed. There was blood splashed on the ground and some bodies lying unmoving.

"They are here!"

She quickly snapped out of it after noticing someone in the distance. She could see the Philomns symbol on that person's clothes. 

The masked individual was holding someone by the neck while being surrounded by a bunch of other masked individuals. She could recognize that person who was being choked by that masked man as well. He was the village chief. 

Without any hesitation, she took out her sword and rushed towards that masked individual.

"Who-"

"Halt!"

The others surrounding them tried to stop her, but they were too slow to do anything.

SLASH

The person was beheaded without even noticing where the enemy came from.

"Heyk!"

The old man gasped and plopped down to the ground. 

"Cough cough!"

He grabbed his neck and started to cough.

"W-who?"

"Get her!"

The other enemies rushed at her, but they had no chance against her ruthless attacks.

SLASH

BOMMM

"Argh!"

"Gasp!"

With a single swing of her sword, three people were cut in half. Not even batting an eye, she turned to the other side and moved her arms.

SLASH

BANGG

Another swing and two people's heads went flying.

"A-AH!"

The last remaining person staggered and moved back while looking at his sliced friends.

"D-don't kill me! P-please! I-I'm- Euck!"

He toppled over and fell on top of the corpse of another Philomns member.

"EEKKK!"

He gasped and shuddered upon seeing the blade of the great sword pointed at his neck. The blade slightly moved up and down, and the next moment his mask was torn to pieces. 

He looked up at the woman who was holding the sword and opened his mouth to plead for mercy again, but someone else started talking before him.

"What is going on here?"

The deputy team leader's question was directed to the village chief. The old man coughed a few more times to catch his breath before raising his head. His eyes were filled with anger and anxiety, yet he looked at the deputy team leader with gratitude. 

He looked at the woman who had saved his life. He knew this woman. He had seen her not too long ago but didn't know why she was here. Nonetheless, he answered her question, hoping that she would help him and his fellow villagers.

"Less than half an hour ago, we saw monsters heading towards the village. The hunters left the village and went to battle. As soon as those sirs left, a bunch of people attacked the village and started destroying everything. T-they... They..."

The old man hesitated for a moment, but shook his head and kept telling the whole story.

"They asked me about the location of the painting and the book..."

Deputy team leader Bray frowned and looked away from the village chief. She pushed her sword forward, putting the tip of the blade on the trembling Philomns members' neck.

"Was the monster drawn here by you?"

"T-that... Th-that w-was... I- I can't..."

The man trembled and stuttered with tears welled up in his eyes.

"Talk!"

The deputy team leader pushed the blade a little bit more. 

Drip Drip Drip

The tip of the blade grazed the man's neck, creating a small wound on it.

"EEK!"

The man closed his eyes, his whole body shaking.

"T-that was u-us. W-we did it. W-we called t-the monsters!"

"How?"

The man shook his head.

"I-I don't know. I r-really don't k-know!"

"Are there more of you?"

"Y-yes!"

"Where are they?"

Tears fell down as the man started to cry. He shook his head again, but he couldn't resist anymore as the tip of the sword dug down deeper on his neck.

"T-they headed that way!"

The man looked in one direction, pointing to the end of the road with his gaze.

By now, the others who had come with the deputy team leader had scattered throughout the village and were fighting against the Philomns members, so she didn't need to worry about the rest of the attackers. She moved his sword closer again and lowered her voice in a threatening way.

"What are you guys after?"

The man bit his lips and looked at the deputy team leader with pleading eyes.

"Please! I-I can't tell you! P-please- Ugh!"

With a kick on the stomach, deputy team leader Bray knocked the man unconscious.

"Bastard!"

She tied up the unconscious man, helped the village chief up, and walked towards the inner parts of the village with him.

"Team leader, do you hear me?"

-What is the situation?

She heaved a deep breath.

"The village is under attack."

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