Chapter 55: Alright, please bring this person to our rehabilitation facility

“N-no! At this rate, they’re going to break through…!”

“It’s all over the moment they enter our hamlet! Stop them at all cost!”

Shouts, screams, and roars were flying left and right in a deep part of the monster-infested forest.

At the moment, the hamlet of the elves was facing a dire situation.

The stone walls the elves built to keep out the monsters was being assaulted by a group of gigantic monsters that had pig-like heads.

“Is running our only option?”

“Run where!? They’re hungry! They’ll keep on chasing us until they’ve eaten the last of us!”

“Then what do you propose we do!? Open the gates so that they can eat us faster!?”

Elves were usually mild mannered, but even they couldn’t help but be at each other’s throats when a grave crisis was in front of them.

And then, one particular elf spoke.

“We’re getting out of here right away! To the south! Their assault is weaker in the south! The soldiers will break through their formation, and the rest will follow as soon as a path is made!”

It was Phillia, the commander of the hamlet’s soldiers.

In such emergencies, her commands carried greater weight than even the patriarch of the elves. And so, even is such chaos, they quickly followed her orders.

Almost as soon as the orcs destroyed a portion of the wall and gotten into the elves’ hamlet, the elves have managed to escape.

“Now we protect the rear! Everybody else, run!”

While letting loose an arrow that soon hit an orc’s head, Philia issued that command.

However, many wise elves could tell that it was all for naught.

In addition to the elves’ low tendency to have children, they also lived for a long time. In other words, their population was rather old. While an old elf can still move about unlike an old human, the fact remains that their strength has diminished.

This of course slowed their group down. The option to go ahead and leave the slower ones behind was always there, but all of the elves were too noble to ever take it.

No, there’s still hope…if we can get out of the forest and get to the wasteland…!

Such thoughts ran through Philia’s mind.

The village she visited just a few days ago was built in merely half a year, yet it was unbelievably pleasant, and more importantly, strong.

Elves didn’t have a good impression of the humans, but Philia was convinced already that the ones in that village were very kind, gentle, and trustworthy.

What made Philia so convinced even though she had been there only once was the toile…was its young village chief.

I feel bad for this, but we really have no other choice than to ask that village for help…!

And so, to an elf who have been to that village before, Philia issued a command.

“Lute! You run ahead and deliver a message to that village!”

“I-I will!”

Instantly recognizing what her intention was, the said elf sprinted with all haste.

After a fleeting glance at the elf’s running figure, Philia nocked another arrow and aimed her bow at an approaching orc.

◇　◇　◇

Likely because the merchants from the Kane company spread word about us, there have been an increase in people who wanted to migrate to our village.

Of course, as more people arrive, the more likely it was for a troublemaker to appear.

Name: Delt

Age: 32 years old

Village Bond Level: Rebellious

Suitable Occupation: Manual Labor

Gift: None

Because of that, I was making use of villager appraisal like this.

“It says rebellious, so it’s easy to figure out. Alright, please bring this person to our rehabilitation facility.”

“Certainly, chief.”

“Ha? What’s that rehabili-something? Oi! Let me go! Where are you people taking me!?”

The man screamed as he was being dragged away.

At that point…

((Chief, an elf-looking fellow is approaching our village from the direction of the forest.))

((An elf?))

((He seems very flustered.))

Hmm, can they perhaps have left something behind…? No, that can’t be it…

((I’ll try contacting them now.))

By the way, Satin usually stayed at the top of the observation tower built in the center of the village. Like that, he could see the signals sent by the other former bandits stationed in the other observation towers and gates. He would then relay those reports to me.

After a minute, Satin contacted me again.

((The elf’s apparently asking for our village’s assistance.))

((Eh?))