Chapter 26: Catch the Villain!

The village was in danger.

The moment we realized it, we sprinted toward the village with everything we had.

We had to ensure everyone’s safety as soon as possible—Alex, Mrs. Gordon, Ellie, and the others.

“Just a little further! Hang in there, Teacher!”

“Huff, huff…!”

Fueled by that one thought alone, I kept running, pushing my legs far past their limit.

Every step burned, and my lungs felt like they were about to burst.

“We’re here!”

Finally, we arrived at the village, but there was no time to catch our breath.

Without pausing, we dashed deeper into the village.

“Teacher, over there!”

“Yeah, I see it!”

Up ahead, a crowd had gathered.

I recognized familiar faces—Ellie, Mrs. Gordon, even the woman who had sold us slime milk yesterday.

“Thank goodness, it looks like they’re okay.”

“Teacher, it’s not time to relax yet!”

“Huh?”

She was right.

Just beside the gathered villagers stood men in gleaming white armor, identical to Leon’s.

The inquisitors.

“Harp…”

“Yes, Teacher.”

We exchanged a glance, and without a word, nodded to each other in silent agreement.

“Huff, huff…”

“Wow, so much for the fearsome inquisitors.”

“This… this doesn’t make sense!”

“Oh, it makes perfect sense.”

Commander Shia of the inquisitors was visibly shaken.

All of her subordinates lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious.

“How could we—how could all of us be defeated by just one man?!”

“That’s what I’m saying. Getting wiped out by one guy? Really shows the level of your so-called Holy Nation.”

“If you insult our nation any further, I’ll make you regret it.”

“Oh yeah? And what exactly are you gonna do about it?”

“…”

It was bizarre.

The inquisitors of the Holy Nation were no ordinary group.

Each member had been handpicked from the elite, capable of taking down B-rank monsters solo.

Commander Shia herself had defeated an A-rank monster single-handedly in the past.

Every one of her knights had been personally selected by her, and they’d fought alongside her in countless battles to cleanse heretics and witches.

They weren’t just some amateur squad sitting comfortably in the backlines.

And yet, here they were, completely outmatched by a single man—armed with nothing but his bare hands.

“Even after unleashing the power of the Holy Light… why can’t we touch him?”

“Holy Light… Ohhh, right. That’s what you guys call it. I almost forgot.”

“Shut your mouth! What could you possibly know about our Holy Nation?”

Shia’s voice was raw with fury, her rage spilling over as she glared at Alex, who simply shrugged in response.

“Oh, nothing much. Just that I lived there for about three years.”

“…Who are you?”

“Me? I told you, I’m Alex.”

“Don’t joke with me! Reveal your true identity! Someone as skilled as you—I would’ve heard of you!”

“Man… you’re really putting me on the spot here.”

Alex scratched his bald head with a look of discomfort.

At the same time, the inquisitors who had fallen unconscious began to stir and rise one by one.

“The servants of God never lose.”

“We will not stop until death itself judges us.”

“As long as heresy exists, it must be cleansed.”

They rose like zombies, their unwavering determination and fanatical devotion eerily evident.

Alex glanced at them and smirked.

“Man, you’re making me feel like the bad guy here.”

“Stop dodging the question! Who are you?!”

“You really wanna know?”

“Yes!”

In the blink of an eye, Alex vanished from where he stood.

Commander Shia’s eyes instinctively blinked, and when they reopened, Alex’s massive figure was suddenly right in front of her.

“Wha—”

Before she could react, a heavy impact struck her abdomen, forcing her to stumble back as Alex returned to his original position in a blur.

Several inquisitors who had just risen collapsed once more, groaning in pain.

All of this happened in a single second.

It was a mere moment—a fleeting instant.

“W-what… what just happened…?”

“You really want to know, huh? Fine, I’ll tell you. It’s not like it’ll wear me out.”

Shia’s expression twisted in confusion and frustration.

Just a moment ago, she had felt they were somewhat evenly matched. Now, the gap between them felt insurmountable.

It was as if Alex had transformed into an entirely different person. His movements were now so fast they couldn’t even be tracked by the naked eye.

“Well, let’s start with my name—it’s Alex. Full name, Alexander.”

“A-Alexander?!”

In that moment, a fragment of Shia’s memories surfaced—something she hadn’t thought about in years.

It was a memory from long ago, back when she was still a rookie. She recalled a single sheet of parchment she had seen in the cathedral.

On it was written…

“Yeah, I’m that Alexander. Former S-rank adventurer and tank of the Hero’s Party.”

The parchment had detailed the achievements of the Hero’s Party, legends of their time.

Shia froze, stunned.

“…So it was you.”

“‘It was you’? No, it is me.”

Why had she forgotten?

How could she not have realized?

This man before her was a member of the Hero’s Party—the same one she had idolized.

He had once saved the Holy Nation from disaster by vanquishing the Succubus Queen.

This towering, gallant tank had been her hero.

“…Ahem.”

“The Hero’s Party, huh? Yeah, that was a long time ago. Now I’m just an old guy with a sore back.”

“Wait, why are you acting like you’re done? Weren’t you all fired up? Weren’t you vowing to ‘purify heresy’ until your last breath?”

The other inquisitors, who had been brimming with zeal just moments ago, began dropping back to the ground, pretending to be unconscious.

What in the world?

Were these “faithful servants” selectively devoted?

“Well, what do you think, Commander? Wanna keep going?”

“…Ngh…”

The fire in Shia’s eyes began to dim.

It was clear the tide of battle had turned.

At that moment, Ellie popped out from her hiding spot, as if she had been waiting for the battle to end.

“Seriously, doesn’t the Holy Nation have anything better to do? Attacking some backwater village like this, of all places.”

“Is it over, Alex?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Ellie. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Oh, stop.”

“Setting up a decoy fire to lure me, leading the inquisitors to an empty hut to make them easier to handle… that was brilliant.”

“There’s no need for all the praise, Alex. It’s nothing.”

“Well, I owe you one.”

Clink.

Alex carefully handed Ellie a coin—a gleaming gold coin that sparkled in the sunlight.

“I don’t need it.”

“What? The Ellie I know turning down money? What’s gotten into you?”

“Use that to buy something nice for Eve. I’ve already saved more than enough, so I don’t need it.”

“Impressive.”

“You mean Eve, not me, right?”

“Of course.”

“I figured.”

As the two exchanged their usual banter, the previously cowering villagers began to emerge cautiously from their hiding spots.

Among them was Hekson, who had been bleeding earlier.

“It’s over? Whew… what a relief.”

“Yes, it’s all over now. Hekson, you were amazing.”

“If it weren’t for you buying us time, things might’ve turned out differently.”

“Oh, this? It’s all for Eve’s sake.”

“Of course.”

“…Eve, you say? Who’s that?”

The unfamiliar name sparked curiosity among the villagers, their attention suddenly focused.

“Doesn’t matter if you don’t know—or if you do, you’ll regret it.”

“Wait, Alexander! Please, tell us! Is this Eve person some vile witch by any chance—”

Thwack!

Before Shia could finish her sentence, Ellie struck her neck with a sharp chop.

Caught completely off guard, Shia collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

“There are things you can say, and things you definitely shouldn’t.”

“…Sigh, I knew this might happen, so I didn’t want to say anything.”

“My bad.”

“It’s fine. Whether they know or not, it doesn’t change anything.”

Just as the tension began to ease, the silence was broken.

“Waaaaah!”

“…What’s that noise?”

“Catch the villain!!”

The voice was soft, yet firm and oddly familiar.

“Eve?!”

“Harp’s with her too!”

“What on earth are they doing here?”

Sure enough, it was Eve and Harp, both sprinting toward them with determined expressions.

Their faces were scrunched in frustration as they approached at full speed.

Spotting a fallen inquisitor lying ahead of them, the two children skidded to a stop.

“A villain! It’s a villain!”

“Evil villain!”

With their cheeks puffed out in fury, the two children began enthusiastically pummeling the fallen inquisitor with kicks and punches.

“Ugh…”

“Villains need to be punished!”

The inquisitor, who had been pretending to be unconscious, broke into a cold sweat, completely bewildered by the situation.

Who are these kids?

If I get up now, it’ll probably make things awkward.

Should I just keep pretending to be unconscious?

…Wow, they actually hit pretty hard for kids.

Various thoughts raced through his mind, all while enduring the flurry of tiny fists and kicks.

“Nyah!”

“Teacher?!”

“…Ugh…”

“Bad villain! How dare you attack Teacher!”

In the midst of her spirited assault, Eve suddenly lost her balance, tripping over her own feet—or perhaps missing her step—and toppled to the ground with a small thud.

“…Well, they’re certainly having fun,” Alex commented, amused.

“Right? Watching them reminds me of when we were kids,” Ellie added with a nostalgic chuckle.

Alex, Ellie, and the other villagers, watching the adorable scene unfold, all arrived at the same conclusion in unison:

“There’s no way those two are witches.”