Rufie felt a cold yet strangely comforting sensation cover her mouth and nose, instantly suppressing the choking sobs.
She opened her eyes wide in terror, and through the tear-blurred vision, she saw a pair of eyes mere inches away — burning like molten gold!
Beneath the mask, the owner of those golden eyes — Eileen — gently shook her head and raised a slender finger to her lips, making an unmistakably clear shushing gesture.
Rufie’s heart pounded wildly, yet miraculously, her crying stopped. Her body stiffened as she nodded.
Eileen’s movements were ghostlike, silently undoing the coarse ropes binding Rufie’s hands and feet.
She took the girl’s icy-cold little hand and, using the gnarled branches of a dead tree and the howling wind and sand as cover, carefully moved outward, each step precisely avoiding dry twigs and fallen leaves on the ground.
Just as they were about to break free from the bandits’ encirclement and enter deeper shadows—
“Crack!”
A crisp, thunderous snapping sound rang out! Rufie accidentally stepped on a brittle twig!
“Who’s there?!” “Something’s moving!” “At the back!”
Scarface, Vulture, and the tall skinny man instantly became alert, spinning around sharply, their fierce eyes sweeping over the shadows where Eileen and Rufie were hiding like searchlights.
“Damn it! Someone’s trying to steal the goods!” Scarface reacted first, roaring as he drew a cheap curved blade from his waist. The blade gleamed ominously in the dim light.
Vulture and the tall skinny man immediately drew their weapons as well, grinning viciously as they closed in: “Catch them! How dare they spoil the boss’s plans!”
Eileen sighed quietly but showed no sign of panic. This distance was enough. She had infiltrated here just to rescue this girl, fearing the bandits might use her as a hostage.
Originally, she was just passing through and happened to stumble upon these bandits wreaking havoc. She couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
She quickly shielded Rufie behind her, facing the three fierce bandits who charged forward. Her voice was cold and clear, like an icy spring:
“Lillisa!”
Before she finished speaking—
“Bang––!!!”
A figure as swift as lightning shot out like a cannonball from Eileen’s side! The air was torn apart with a piercing explosion!
Vulture, at the front, hadn’t even seen what came at him, only feeling an irresistible force slam hard into his chest!
He didn’t even manage a scream before his ribs cracked with a sickening crunch, his body curling up like a shrimp. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he was blasted backward, crashing heavily against a withered tree, slipping down lifelessly—his fate unknown.
“Wha….” Scarface’s vicious smile froze instantly, turning into utter horror. All he saw was a flicker of movement—his close ally Vulture had just been wiped out!
“The second one.” Lillisa’s cold voice rang like a death sentence, her heterochromatic eyes locking onto Scarface.
Scarface’s soul seemed to leave his body as he instinctively swung his blade—only to cut through empty air.
Lillisa’s figure vanished as if dissolving into thin air, and the next moment, she appeared beside him. Her fist, wrapped in a mithril gauntlet, smashed precisely into his temple with a dull thud!
“Pft!” The impact sounded muffled. Scarface’s eyes bulged wildly, pupils dilated instantly, his body stiffened briefly before collapsing to the ground like a sack without bones.
The tall skinny man’s spirit shattered completely. Seeing two comrades instantly wiped out, he had no will to fight. He screamed and turned to flee.
“Don’t let him get away!” Eileen reminded sharply.
Scum like this alive were nothing but a curse. Eileen understood the principle of eradicating evil thoroughly! She had even killed those so-called brave heroes of the Church before—let alone these bandits.
Lillisa didn’t pursue. Instead, she swung her right leg like a battle axe in a fierce horizontal sweep! A powerful shockwave shot out instantly!
“Ugh!” The tall skinny man felt as if an iron whip struck his lower back. Pain numbed his entire body as he was sent flying, tracing an arc through the air before crashing to the ground several meters away, curling up and groaning in pain, unable to get up.
The entire encounter happened in a flash. The three vicious bandits were nothing but paper toys in front of Lillisa, utterly incapacitated without even putting up a proper fight.
Their screams and the sound of cracking bones were especially sharp amid the howling wind and wailing dry forest.
Eileen had already covered Rufie’s eyes the moment Lillisa struck.
She could feel the girl’s tiny body trembling violently in her arms.
“Don’t look.” Eileen’s voice was low and gentle, carrying an unquestionable protective tone.
Rufie squeezed her eyes shut tightly, eyelashes fluttering wildly. Her small hands clutched Eileen’s clothes tightly. All she could hear were the bandits’ agonized groans and the roaring wind.
Eileen’s warm embrace and that simple “Don’t look” became her only anchor in the storm of fear.
“Helga, take care of them.” Eileen gestured to Helga, who had just put down her staff.
Helga nodded and stepped forward. She showed no mercy, gathering icy magic at her fingertips. Flames rained down, and a piercing scream echoed once more before being swallowed by the wind and sand.
Only then did Eileen release her hold on Rufie’s eyes and lead her toward the desolate village shrouded in despair.
“Little sister, can you tell me, are you from that village?”
Though still shaken, Rufie nodded softly. The silver-haired elder’s hand was warm.
“Yes, the village belongs to Viscount Rowen. It’s called Sandwind Village. My name is Rufie. Thank you for saving me! Are you adventurers?”
At her words, her eyes seemed to brighten, carrying a flicker of hope.
Eileen smiled kindly. “Yes, we’re all very capable adventurers!”
“So, are you ladies sent by the guild to save the village? Thank you so much!”
Save the village?
Eileen frowned and asked tentatively, “What happened to the village?”
The moment the question left her lips, she immediately noticed tears welling in Rufie’s eyes before she burst into sobs, leaving Eileen momentarily at a loss.
Helga sighed softly and comforted Rufie for a while before she stopped crying.
Between sobs, the girl explained roughly what had happened. Due to the village’s remote location and the recent terror caused by monstrous “fairies,” the lord had sent private soldiers, but they were routed by the fairies.
Even tax officials had stopped coming. The entire village was abandoned!
Villagers had tried to escape, but without exception, all who fled were devoured by the fairies in brutally cruel ways.
“We wanted to ask adventurers to help exterminate them, but the guild’s price was too high, insisting that at least a B-rank team was needed. We’re poor and couldn’t afford it. So, at first, we thought you ladies were the guild’s sudden mercy…”
Rufie’s sobs grew more pitiful.
Eileen thought for a moment. Could this be Miss Catherine’s arrangement?
Having her team scout the Death Valley while also rescuing this village on the brink of destruction?
Miss Catherine seemed not so bad after all! Eileen had suspected a trap before—she really shouldn’t have!
Eileen consoled Rufie with a smile, “Heh heh, we were just teasing you earlier. We’re here to kill monsters! Leave it to us!”
“Really?” Rufie immediately stopped crying, her big eyes shining brightly as she looked at Eileen and the others.
There was no denying it, and everyone nodded. After all, they were here just for fame; the task reward was barely worth mentioning! B-rank quests barely paid anything!
Only teams like Eileen’s, who didn’t lack money, would consider doing jobs without pay. Ordinary adventurers wouldn’t.
The village looked worse under the night sky than expected.
The earthen houses teetered on collapse, and the streets overflowed with sewage, exuding decay and despair.
The villagers’ eyes were dull. Seeing strangers return with Rufie, they only glanced coldly before lowering their heads again, as if they had lost all interest in everything.
Rufie’s home was a low, dilapidated earthen hut.
When Eileen led Rufie to the door, a gaunt man with heavy eye bags suddenly shoved the door open and charged out, his face devoid of any worry, only overflowing anger and resentment:
“You damn girl! You actually came back?! Where the hell have you been? Don’t you know how hard I’ve been looking for you? I raised you all this time so you could run around like this? You should’ve died out there!”
Spittle almost sprayed Rufie’s face.
Frightened, Rufie trembled all over, her face pale, instinctively shrinking behind Eileen.
Eileen’s brows furrowed fiercely beneath her mask, a nameless rage rising. She stepped forward, completely shielding Rufie behind her. Her golden eyes glared coldly through the mask’s eyeholes at the man:
“Is this how you treat your daughter who just barely escaped from bandits?”
Her cool voice was soft but cut through the wind, carrying an invisible pressure.
Only then did the man notice Eileen and the distinguished, well-equipped Lillisa, Helga, and Rita behind her.
His furious expression froze instantly, switching in the blink of an eye to a flattering, terrified look, his waist instinctively bending:
“Ah, this… this noble lady… Who, who might you be?” He rubbed his hands nervously, his eyes greedily yet fearfully scanning their exquisite mithril gear. “It’s a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding! I, I was worried about this girl! She ran off without thinking, and I was worried sick! Thank you, noble lady, for saving her! Thank you so much! Please, please come in and have a seat!”
As he spoke, he shot a sharp glare at Rufie, signaling her not to say anything.
At that moment, a similarly haggard woman with evasive eyes peeked from behind the door. Seeing Eileen and the others, she forced a stiff smile, nodding repeatedly with exaggerated politeness:
“Yes, yes, noble ladies, please come in. The wind and sand outside are strong… Rufie, quickly thank your benefactors!”
Her tone turned “kind and gentle” as well.
Eileen sneered inwardly at such a sycophantic, cowardly façade, but she held back her anger, leading still-shaken Rufie into the dim, musty-smelling house.
“We’re adventurers sent by the guild.” Eileen introduced herself.
Sitting in the humble room, Rita quietly released a small purifying aura to dispel the stench. Eileen cut to the chase, asking Rufie about the “fairies” and the threats facing the village.
Under her mother’s anxious gaze, Rufie timidly recounted how the village was harassed by terrifying monsters that mimicked women’s cries and children’s laughter, even eating people. The villagers lived in constant fear, not daring to go outside, and some were even sacrificed as offerings for peace.
After finishing, Rufie lowered her voice, filled with a hint of relief: “Luckily, that fairy… is gone now!”
“Gone?” Eileen and the others were stunned.
“Yes! Just today!” Rufie’s mother hurried to speak, her face full of exaggerated gratitude. “Thanks to a passing swordsman! She was amazing, entering the forest where the fairies appeared all alone, and soon after, came out saying the menace was eliminated! At first, we didn’t believe it, but tonight, we haven’t heard those terrifying cries anymore! God must have sent us a savior!”
“Swordsman?” Eileen’s mind stirred. “What does he look like? Any distinguishing features?”
Rufie’s parents tried to recall, their description vague: wearing a traveler’s cloak, face unclear, but swordsmanship was superb, movements as swift as the wind, and the sword seemed to gleam faintly.
She was apparently silent, only informing them that the fairies had been eradicated before leaving without another word.
Eileen pondered. If this was a B-rank figure, the monster wouldn’t be weak. A swordsman capable of defeating it alone must be at least A-rank.