Amidst the chaotic days, Sharti failed to notice the farewell greetings of autumn, and early winter arrived. The first snow, which she thought would be a brief greeting, fell incessantly, and the sound of footsteps was accompanied by a soft crunch at every step.

Before she knew it, on the cloudiest and coldest day, Sharti left the Sephia Village.

“It’s cold, Grandma. Please come inside.”

The send-off party for Sharti and Ren was modest, with only Karun and Biretta of the Crople Mercenaries and Shukadi present.

It was all because of the bombshell statement from the former doctor who shamelessly returned to the village the day before.

[Well, when did I run away? I went out to seek help! Even if it’s a hidden village, we still have to save people. I’m a doctor, after all. Isn’t that obvious?] [Hehe, I really begged the noble folks in front of me. I threw away my pride, my utensils, everything, and begged in front of the noble folks. Touched by my sacrifice, those noble folks decided to help me.] [Tomorrow! The esteemed noble folks who have generously decided to inspect the villagers themselves will come! So you don’t have to worry anymore, hehe!]

The former doctor used excessive gestures and speech, dripping with sweat. Even in front of the Matabju, he stubbornly held his chin high.

His attitude resembled that of an envoy leading an imperial delegation, and Matabju’s mouth twitched as if she were suppressing laughter.

[Those noble folks up there must already know. This village, the entire mountain, has been Matabju’s property for quite some time.]

Matabju was the owner of Sephia Village. Without her permission, no other nobles dared to set foot in the village.

However, the former doctor seemed to have anticipated Matabju’s reaction, whispering discreetly while awkwardly looking around.

[If it’s a village owned by Matabju, shouldn’t we clean up the dirty things even more?] [Oh, did the noble folks with the scorpion pattern say that?] [Yes, yes?]

What else could he say?

It was expected that the noble faction led by Dalthan Bridend would make a move.

[No matter what you do, you can’t investigate the situation inside the village, so it will burn inside, right?]

Even if that were the case, using the treatment of mana-addicted patients as an excuse was an excuse without sincerity.

Of course, even if Dalthan Bridend wanted to quickly confirm Matabju’s intentions and the village’s situation, as a shameless envoy, he had no choice but to come out with a brazen attitude.

And upon hearing the news of the procession of nobles from the Newton Empire, Biretta changed her mind about returning with Sharti.

[Sha, it seems I can’t go with you. I’ll have to stay a bit longer.]

Biretta, like Sharti, couldn’t afford to be recognized, but considering that the enemy was coming to her, she had to see his face.
The desire to slap that face and beat the body still felt like a chimney, but since it couldn’t cause harm to the Crople Mercenaries’ base, the resentment would be concealed.

The assassination attempt was enough with one failure.

“Then, starting tomorrow, I will temporarily entrust the position of village chief to my son and step back.”

Ashu’s father, the current village chief, quickly took action. It was a decision to sever the connection between Sephia Village and Viscount Bridend as much as possible.

Even though Ashu wasn’t very trustworthy, since the changes in the village were also brought about by Ashu’s courage, the residents unanimously agreed to the chief’s decision.

“Don’t give them any opportunity.”

The situation, which felt like being struck by lightning under the dry sky, only increased the solidarity of the Sephia Village residents.

-For these reasons, the current village residents couldn’t sleep, and the village leader was in full swing. In addition, the magic users affiliated with Matab were inspecting the barrier spread over the village, and the mercenaries were monitoring the former doctor.

Certainly, since nobles would invade Sephia Village at dawn, Sharti had to leave in a hurry.

“Sending you away in the early morning as if chasing away a pest, but I should at least bid you farewell.”

Knowing the situation, Biretta, while looking toward the village beyond Karun, clicked her tongue.

Sharti smiled awkwardly. Despite the displeasing tone, the wrinkled hands that held onto her tightly to leave some warmth were too affectionate.

With the hood off, the blush on Sharti’s cheek was clearly revealed.

“…You look beautiful when you smile, dear.”

Even though she was wearing a face recognition interference magical device, making it impossible to see properly, Biretta smiled as if she saw everything.

Biretta knew better than anyone what kind of despair a 15-year-old girl had experienced, covering her face with a hood and living. Therefore, how could Biretta’s heart not be overwhelmed by the courage of the small and young girl who took off her hood?

Biretta’s eyes were moist.

“I’m sorry for being so inadequate.”

“Don’t say that, Grandma.”