Nothing has happened to the valley yet, so Kai returns to the village of Lag. The next morning, he’s assigned to storehouse duty. While working, he finds a grain of wheat on the floor and wonders if he can use it to make rice balls—something he’s been curious about, even though he’s never eaten one.
Just then, Elsa walks up, having overheard him mention rice balls. She asks what they are, but Kai can’t really explain—he just knows they’re supposed to be tasty. A moment later, Manso interrupts and tells Kai to stop chatting and get back to work, as there are still many bags to move.
Vegin orders the team to hurry and hide the bags of food in the cellar before the inspector arrives. Orha questions whether hiding the food is really necessary, but Vegin explains that their food reserves are low, and if they don’t hide some, the villagers’ rations will shrink. Orha doesn’t care much, but Vegin is genuinely concerned about his people’s well-being.
Rumors spread among Kai and his friends that the incoming inspector is a powerful guardian bearer from the Central Plains—stronger than Vegin, but far less noble. A few hours later, the inspector arrives. Vegin greets him, but the man immediately complains about the number of demihumans in the area, claiming he had to fend off ten apes on his own.
While Jose is initially impressed by the feat, her opinion changes when she meets him. The inspector, Gandal, looks like a toad and wastes no time insulting her for being weak. He then insults Orha for not wiping out the local demihumans. Neither of them can speak back due to Gandal’s authority.
A moment later, another man enters the village—Natada, a monk from the Monastery of Ma. He’s not with Gandal, just happened to arrive via the same route. When Gandal inspects the village’s grain stores, he’s disappointed. As a tax collector, he prides himself on taking large amounts from villages and suspects they’re hiding supplies. Vegin assures him this is everything, blaming poor weather for the shortfall.
Suspicious, Gandal decides to stay in Lag for a while. Vegin has no choice but to agree, which means the village must now cater to Gandal’s luxury demands. Jose is frustrated, but Vegin reminds her that defying Gandal would be seen as rebellion against the king.
Later, Kai spots Natada tending to a grave. He thanks him, but Natada simply says it’s his duty. He’s heard rumors about Kai’s sudden growth in power after consuming many God Stones, and reveals that he also grew stronger the same way during his training. Curious, Kai asks if Natada’s strength matches a guardian bearer’s.
Natada proudly shows his divine crest, surprising Kai, who didn’t know someone could have one without divine protection. But Natada explains that with enough training, it’s possible to manifest a crest on your own.
Meanwhile, in the castle, Gandal is served a large meal, but he’s unsatisfied and demands even more food, regardless of whether the villagers starve. Because of him, the villagers’ portions shrink drastically, and resentment grows.
Elsewhere, Natada meets with Vegin to discuss troubling news: a large group of orcs has been sighted nearby—too small to be an invasion, but still a significant threat. Natada plans to pursue them and asks Vegin for escorts. Vegin agrees to arrange a squad.
That night, Kai returns to the valley to tell Aru the bad news—he’s been chosen for the squad to help Natada track down the orcs, meaning he won’t return until the mission ends. Aru is worried he won’t come back, but Kai promises that as the valley’s guardian bearer, it’s his duty to return and protect it.
Before leaving, Kai meets with Poric, who suspects the orcs might be here in retaliation for the group Kai wiped out earlier. Still, Kai is confident he can handle whatever comes his way.
The next morning, Gandal is still lazing around while a squad sets out to track the orcs that Natada is pursuing. Orha and Vegin watch them depart, but Orha worries that sending Jose might not have been a good idea. Normally, Vegin would’ve sent Olva, but he has to go after the apes that supposedly attacked Gandal. Still, Vegin trusts Kai, who’s accompanying Jose, so he’s confident she’ll be fine.
Just then, Elsa runs out of the gate with something for Kai. She did her best to recreate the rice balls he once mentioned, using wheat. Kai thanks her for the thoughtful gift. For some reason, looking at the rice balls reminds him of his mother—even though he’s been an orphan in this world. Then, Manso calls out to Kai to hurry up. Kai tucks the wheat balls into his shirt and heads off with the group.
After traveling for some time, they come across a horrifying sight: dozens of dead apes and orcs are scattered across the area. Natada concludes that the two groups must have clashed. The orcs seem to have won, but Kai wonders what provoked the battle. Jose suggests that the orcs might be chasing the same thing Natada is after, based on a conversation she overheard the previous night.
Seeing their curiosity, Natada explains the reason he’s here: a prophecy foretells the appearance of a powerful god in this region. His mission is to find this god and its gravestone before anyone else does. Whichever species claims the god will gain tremendous power—so he cannot allow demihumans to find it first.
When Kai asks what kind of god it is, Natada explains that it’s a wild spirit—an uncontrollable force with unimaginable power, impartial to good or evil. An arbitrator. This makes Kai suspicious that Natada might be talking about him, but he keeps quiet.
Eventually, the group reaches a ruined village. Kai suspects the orcs were responsible. Jose quickly rushes in, hoping to help any survivors. Natada warns her it might be dangerous, but Jose refuses to stand by while others are suffering.
Upon entering, they discover destroyed homes and several dead Usuzels—a peaceful species. Kai finds an orc axe on a fence, confirming their suspicions. The group warns Jose to retreat before more orcs show up, but she insists on searching the village for survivors. Natada agrees, mainly because he wants to examine the land god worshipped here.
Manso asks Kai to go with Natada, while the rest stay behind with Jose. As they search, the group finds it strange: the village is eerily quiet, and the damage is less severe than expected. Just then, Jose spots a trail of blood leading to a shed. She gently calls out and opens the door—only to find a dead orc inside.
Meanwhile, Kai and Natada enter the village shrine. It’s dark, so Natada lights a small flame using his spiritual energy. Kai warns him to be careful in case orcs are nearby. Natada is surprised that Kai remains so calm; most would be stunned to see someone conjure fire from nothing. He suspects Kai knows more than he lets on, but Kai just claims he heard about it in a story.
As Natada translates the words on the gravestone, Kai checks around the shrine and finds a Usuzel girl lying on the floor. They bring her back to the surface. Alongside her, they also find three orc corpses. Natada realizes this isn’t the main orc force—just a small group. Judging by the girl’s attire, she was likely the village’s guardian bearer.
The others are surprised to learn she was a guardian bearer, especially since female ones like Jose are rare. According to Natada, she single-handedly fought off the orcs to let her people escape, even though Usuzels are normally too weak to defeat even one orc. Her sacrifice gives Jose hope that she too can become stronger.
They hold a small funeral for the fallen Usuzels and their guardian bearer. However, her god stone is missing—meaning the land god’s protection has likely passed on to someone else.
Manso asks Natada if he found what he was looking for, but Natada confirms the god here is not the one from the prophecy. Based on the battlefield layout, only three orcs came this way—so the main group must have taken the other path. Kai looks at the map and realizes the path leads directly to his valley. Alarmed, he immediately volunteers to scout ahead.
Natada finds Kai’s urgency suspicious but allows it. Kai sprints ahead, determined to protect the valley.
Meanwhile, in the valley, Poric and the other Kora people learn that a group of orcs is heading their way. Without Kai, they know they stand no chance. Poric tells Kechak to gather as many villagers as possible and hide, while he prepares to face the orcs alone. As the guardian bearer, Poric knows he can’t win, but he refuses to sit back and watch his people be slaughtered—he’ll hold them off and hope Kai returns in time.
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