All the girls suddenly asked Ein, “Do you love Alice?” This embarrassed him, and he awkwardly said he ran away to this place. However, the girls followed him anyway. Ein tried to leave, but Pina caught him and brought him back.
Aka reassured them, saying, “Don’t worry too much about Ein’s feelings. Just don’t make this a big deal.” Ein admitted that her words actually made him feel better.
As Ciro poured water over the stones, creating a lot of steam, Ein decided he needed to leave. But just as he was about to go, Alice stopped him.
Concerned, Ein asked, “Alice, are you okay?” He then gently suggested, “You should leave this place. I think you’re feeling tired.”
Alice, however, firmly replied, “No, I want to stay here. I want to stay by your side forever.”
Suddenly, Pina and Yuri appeared and hugged Alice. Ein smiled and told her, “You should stay with them as long as possible. They are your sisters, and you need them.”
At that moment, Aani muttered, “I don’t think Ein understands what Alice is really saying.”
Alice then asked Aerosol to help treat her weak body. Meanwhile, Aani approached Ein and gave him a Philosopher’s Stone, saying, “Since I’m Alice’s mother, I can help.”
Ein took the stone, and Aani told him, “You can’t transfer it to her eye directly, but you can use its power. It will help you.”
Ein visited Jasper’s house, where Meegan suddenly hugged him. To his surprise, even Jasper hugged him.
Shocked, Ein asked, “What do you two want?”
Jasper explained that he had a mission from the King and asked, “Do you know about demons?”
Remembering Falco, Ein replied, “Of course, I know them.”
Meegan then explained, “Demons were banished from the human world when our ancestors built a great barrier. But now, they’ve started appearing in the Ric area.”
Jasper added, “Your mission is to eliminate the demons causing trouble there.”
Meegan nodded, “We can’t let them continue committing crimes.”
Jasper continued, “Ordinary adventurers can’t handle this, so we’re assigning you to deal with it.”
Ein agreed, “I want to help the people of Rashik.”
At that moment, Aros appeared and questioned him, “Why should we go help strangers when we don’t have a specific goal?”
Ein confidently replied, “I was a stranger to you and Yuri when we first met, yet you helped me. I know fear and despair better than anyone—I’ve faced enemies all my life. But now, I’m here thanks to your help. So, I want to continue what you and Yuri started—helping people.”
Hearing this, Yuri stepped forward, agreeing with Ein. Soon, the others also expressed their support.
Ein turned to Aerosol and asked, “What do you think?”
She sighed and said, “If Yuri agrees, I can’t oppose you.”
With that, Ein accepted the mission, vowing to defeat the demons.
Arriving in Rashik Village, Ein saw the villagers fleeing in terror as a massive Hydra appeared.
As the monster approached, a villager nervously said, “We should offer sacrifices…”
A desperate father turned to his young daughter and said, “Go to Hydra. This way, it will protect the village.”
Tears streaming down her face, the girl agreed, “I will go.”
As she walked forward, her father cried, telling her, “Wait for me with your mother.”
She bravely reassured him, “Don’t cry… because I won’t be able to wipe your tears anymore.” Then, she left sobbing.
When she reached the Hydra, the monster scoffed, “You humans are late. Is this girl all you’re offering me?” It wanted more sacrifices.
The girl pleaded, “Please take me to my mother.”
At that moment, her father ran forward, grabbing her, “I can’t let you go!”
The villagers scolded him, saying, “This is the only way to save the village!”
But the father refused, “I can’t do this! Eat me instead, along with my daughter, so I can go with her!”
The Hydra sneered, “I don’t like men.”
Then, another Hydra spoke, “We had an agreement! You offer a maiden every month, or we destroy your village. Since you broke the deal, you’ll face punishment.”
Without warning, the Hydra released poisonous gas, choking the villagers, and prepared to devour the girl.
Suddenly, Ein appeared!
He created a magical barrier, blocking the Hydra’s attack. Using Yuri’s healing abilities, he cured the villagers and ordered them to run away.
The Hydra smirked, “What’s the point of running? What’s the point of adding another victim to their suffering?”
But Ein was ready.
With lightning-fast strikes, he unleashed his sword’s full power, slashing the Hydra into pieces. The villagers watched in awe, completely astonished.
Aro praised him, “Since Hydra’s skin is toxic, you combined your sword’s power with Yuri’s healing ability to defeat it quickly. That was impressive.”
Ein felt a sense of happiness hearing her words.
As he approached the villagers, they thanked him, but when he asked, “Where is your leader?”, their expressions darkened.
The girl’s father thanked him but avoided answering. The villagers left quickly, but the young girl turned back, crying.
She tearfully thanked Ein. He smiled, “I didn’t do much. I’m just here to make sure you all keep smiling.” He then warned her, “Be careful on your way back.”
She waved goodbye and returned to her father.
Ein arrived at the King’s Castle, amazed by its luxurious design.
Before entering, he told the girls, “Stay inside my eye. I don’t know what we’ll face in there.”
Inside, he introduced himself, “I am Ein. I was sent by The Guild.”
A man appeared, greeted him, and introduced himself as Negan.
Negan offered Ein food, but as soon as Ein took a bite, his face twisted in disgust.
“It’s too salty…” he muttered.
Negan took a bite himself and winced, realizing he had mixed up salt and sugar!
Ein approached Negan and asked about the recent demon sightings.
Negan dismissed the claim, stating, “There are no demons in Rashik—only in the nearby forest, which is full of monsters. The idea of demons is just a rumor.”
Ein asked, “Could people be mistaking monsters for demons?”
Negan nodded, admitting, “Something strange is happening in this area, but I have no proof. If you find anything, report it to the guild.”
Ein then requested permission to walk around the village and talk to the people, casually mentioning, “By the way, I killed a Hydra when I arrived.”
Negan’s face darkened, and he dropped his cup in shock. Furious, he yelled, “You killed the Hydra that PROTECTED the village?! Now we’ll face endless monster attacks! We won’t be safe anymore! That Hydra kept the monsters away from us!”
Ein stood firm and retorted, “That same Hydra demanded human sacrifices! Do you expect me to stand by and let a child die?”
Negan, still enraged, countered, “A single child’s sacrifice would have saved the whole village! That’s how survival works!”
He glared at Ein, saying, “You killed the Hydra, but you won’t be staying to protect us. What happens next is on your hands!”
Negan stormed off, muttering, “I inherited this village’s protection from my father.”
Left alone, Ein began questioning himself. “Did I do the right thing? But… I saved that child…” he whispered.
Just then, Yuri appeared beside him and softly said, “I don’t understand complicated things, but… I believe people should always follow the right path.”
Meanwhile, Negan spoke to his shadow, whispering, “The Hydra has been slain.”
A deep, eerie voice from the darkness responded, “Don’t worry. Replacing a monster is easy. The REAL problem here… is Ein.”
Negan looked confused. “Ein? What about him?”
The shadow’s voice hissed, “Do you honestly believe a mere human could kill a Hydra? He’s a demon, Negan. You must get rid of him before he destroys everything!”
Negan’s eyes widened in shock. “Kill him?”
The shadow chuckled, “Have I ever given you bad advice? Don’t you trust me?”
Negan hesitated, then sighed. “On the contrary… I trust you completely.”
Nodding to himself, he clenched his fists. “Fine. I’ll kill him.”
The shadow smirked in the darkness. “Good. Foolish, good-hearted humans are so easy to deceive… Soon, I’ll control this entire village—using YOU as my puppet.”
As Ein walked through the village, he noticed the walls were completely shattered.
Yuri, standing beside him, observed, “The watchtower is unguarded. Monsters could invade easily.”
Ein approached a villager woman and asked, “Who is the leader of this village?”
Her face paled in fear, and without a word, she ran away.
Ein sighed. “That’s the same reaction I got from the others.”
Determined to get answers, Ein approached a man sitting alone and asked, “Can I talk to you?”
The man glared at him. “You again? I have nothing to say.”
He scoffed, “Adventurers, armies—they’ve all passed through here. None of them ever helped us. You’re no different.”
Then, he angrily continued, “After the Hydra died, this place was overrun with monsters. We’re either going to die from monster attacks… or starvation. Can you do anything to change that?”
Without hesitation, Ein cast a spell on the ground, instantly restoring the land and making it fertile for crops.
Then, he walked to the broken walls and rebuilt them with magic, creating a new protective barrier around the village.
Turning to the stunned man, he said, “This barrier will prevent ground monsters from entering. If you need anything else, let me know.”
He looked the man in the eyes and added, “Wish for life, not death. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
The man stared at Ein in disbelief, then suddenly burst into laughter.
“That’s the second time I’ve heard something like that.”** he chuckled.
He then recalled, “Years ago, when we were struggling, Mr. Rashik himself told us, ‘Don’t give up on life. Let me help you.’”
Back in the present, he sighed. “You’re brave and kind. This village’s leadership changed for the worse after Negan took over. The Hydra’s appearance was no coincidence. Negan was the one who started the human sacrifices. He raised our taxes and tore down our protective walls. Anyone who questioned him… never returned.”
Then, the man looked at Ein and smiled. “But today, I believe in life again—because of you.”
Ein nodded. “Then I’ll be at your service.”
Suddenly, Ein’s expression darkened.
Yuri noticed and asked, “Ein… what’s wrong?”
He narrowed his eyes and muttered, “I sense a large group of monsters… and they’re coming this way.”
His voice hardened. “If all of them attack at once… I WON’T LET A SINGLE ONE TOUCH THIS VILLAGE.”
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