The Guild Master Whose Hobby Was Helping People Found Himself Surrounded by the Strongest, Overly Attached Members - 14

Chapter 14: Envel Village

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“At last…This day has come…”

The sun had risen. Even though all I had done was sleep and wake up, my body already felt heavy. No wonder—right now, we had just left Felnas for that guild request.

“The air is so refreshing, Leader! I can see your glorious future as if it were right before me!”

Of course, it was Ragnar shouting that. Bathed in the morning sun, his silver armor gleamed brilliantly. Too bright. His voice was loud too.

“Ragnar, you’re full of energy today too.”

That was sarcasm.

“It’s all about spirit!”

Yes, sarcasm.

Ragnar being high-tension was expected, but this time, even Lisette looked more put together than usual. Not only was her outfit immaculate, but I could swear even her scent was different. It felt less like she was heading to a battlefield and more like she was going to a ball.

“Shin-sama. Are you in perfect health? No irregularities with your stomach? The tea I served you last night was blended to be gentle on the digestive system.”

Please don’t try to monitor the movements of my stomach.

“Master, look! The payment for this request is way higher than the usual rate! Heheh, we absolutely have to pull this off!”

Sera was brimming with energy as well. With her long hair tied in a ponytail, she carried her sword on her shoulder and bounced along as she walked.

“Yeah…”

I wasn’t in the mood.

Our destination was a large-scale exploration-type request: “Gather information on a magical beast confirmed nearby.” It wasn’t a subjugation request. We didn’t even know what it looked like yet. In other words, anything could happen.

I just hoped we would get through it safely…

The first place we headed was a small village near the forest where the magical beast had been sighted—Envel Village. It lay about half a day’s walk from Felnas, a rural settlement with fewer than three hundred people.

The moment we stepped into the village entrance, we understood at once. The air was heavy.

“…It’s too quiet.” 

Sera murmured. Indeed, there was little sign of human presence. The doors of the houses were shut, and the only things left open were laundry swaying in the wind and a dilapidated barn.

“No one to greet us either.” 

Lisette observed. She was right. The villagers should have been notified in advance that we had accepted the request. Yet, there was not a soul in sight.

“This is a village, right? It’s not abandoned… Right?”

Sera’s unease was understandable. Even Ragnar stayed quiet, perhaps reading the atmosphere. But when we reached the small church in the village center—

“Ah… Are you, perhaps, from Felnas…?”

An elderly woman appeared. Bent with age, leaning on a trembling hand clutching a staff, she hobbled toward us.

“We’re so sorry… For having you come all the way to such a forsaken village… We just don’t know what to do anymore…”

“Could you tell us everything in detail?”

Lisette stepped forward to ask, and the old woman nodded slightly, inviting us into the church. Inside, several villagers were gathered. Not a single child among them—only the elderly and adults with worn, exhausted faces.

The church interior was dim, with thin shafts of light spilling through gaps in the stone walls to faintly illuminate the floor. Near the altar, a group of old folks sat together. Once they sensed we had settled in, the woman at the center slowly opened her mouth.

“…It must have been about ten days ago when we first began hearing it.”

“Hearing what?”

Sera leaned forward, and the woman turned her gaze toward the window. In the distance, the shadow of a mist-covered forest loomed.

“The magical beast’s howls… Not like an ordinary animal—heavier, colder, a voice that lingers in your ears. At night, it echoes from deep within the forest.”

Lisette folded her arms.

“Is this village on the magical beast’s path of movement?”

“No, not before. Monsters have appeared from time to time, but never like this… Lately, though, the beast-warding fences in the fields have been torn apart, and even our watchdogs have vanished. At night, an eerie atmosphere fills the air…”

“And so, you requested aid from the capital?”

The woman’s shoulders sank.

“Yes. We sent three letters, but… Aside from the one we received yesterday, saying that you would come to our aid, we got no reply. I suppose such a small village isn’t worth their concern…”

No, the truth was that they had tried to respond. But the personnel the Guild sent hadn’t returned. From their perspective, they likely didn’t know what to do either.

And judging by how quickly that letter had reached here… Noran-san had probably sent it before even coming to the guild. From the very beginning, she had known I wouldn’t be able to refuse this request.

“And up until now, has there been any major harm?”

At Lisette’s question, the woman’s face darkened.

“…It was last night, before the letter arrived. A young brother and sister lived here. Kind, responsible children… In an effort to ease our worries, they went into the forest to see for themselves.”

“Just the two of them?”

“Yes, together. The brother knew how to use a sword, and the sister could manage a little magic… But it’s already past noon, and they still haven’t returned. It wasn’t their first time going into the forest. Never before have they been gone this long…”

The woman’s hands trembled.

“Please… Bring those children back to us. Even if only their bodies we could receive….”

A heavy silence fell over the church. I felt a presence behind me and turned.

Ragnar was nodding with a serious expression. Sera clenched her fists tightly. Lisette, her eyes already sharp, seemed to be strategizing as she stared out the window.

Of course. Even I couldn’t dismiss the plea of this old woman.

“…Understood. We’ll go. We’ll find out what’s in that forest and search for the siblings as well.”

The woman bowed her head quietly, over and over again.

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