I decided to stay in the village for a while to find a solution.
In return for our stay, we decided to help with the work. At first, they were hesitant, but since the village girls couldn’t work, they taught us how to do the jobs.
The place we were guided to was a large greenhouse that looked distant. Upon closer inspection, it was made of glass. It looked like glass windows set in a large wooden frame.
Inside, various colorful and beautiful flowers were being cultivated. There were also many bees.
“This is amazing, are you also making honey?”
“Ah, we ship flowers to many places. Honey can be harvested from specific flowers, and that’s popular too.”
The village chief smiled, his mouth creasing with wrinkles.
After tending to the flowers, we were then asked to take care of the livestock. The young man who guided me to the livestock shed was not talkative, but he was kind. He quietly helped me when I couldn’t do things right, without getting angry.
At lunchtime, he shared half of his bread with me. Then, he took out a jar of honey from his bag.
Unlike the honey I had always eaten, it had a strong floral aroma.
When I told him about my adventures, his rigid expression softened a little. He looked about my age. But he too was one of those who had been victimized. Thinking about it made me feel disheartened.
Two days later, the Hunter Harpy visited the village again. He handed a package to the village chief as before and was about to fly away immediately. I quickly called out to him.
“Wait a moment! I have something I want to ask you.”
He stopped when he heard my voice. He only moved his face and looked at me.
“Hey, why do you steal the village girls? Are they doing well?”
“Who knows? I don’t know.”
He muttered that and then tried to fly away again as if to escape.
“Please wait, tell me. You came here like this because you feel sorry too, don’t you?”
His body stiffened at Philiana’s words, who had hurried over.
“We want to help if possible. But for that, we need your cooperation…”
“Help? That’s impossible. Besides, there’s nothing I can do as a low-ranking poor person like myself.”
Saying that, he ignored us and flew away.
