It was discovered that the cause of the illness was a corpse that had fallen into the river.
The village chief, woken by this suddenness, was bewildered.
“Huh? A bear? What about a bear?”
“There were many animal corpses upstream. Near the waterfall.”
“The waterfall? There was nothing there when I went yesterday.”
The village chief yawned and started to head back home.
“A bear with long claws appeared.”
“What? Did it have golden fur on its head?”
“No, it was shorter than me. But its claws were this long…”
“What the hell,” the village chief said, his face turning pale. I put Noah, whom I was carrying on my back, down. My whole body ached from running while carrying something heavy. The wounds from my fight with Cedric still hadn’t healed. Speaking of which, were the three people I left behind okay? The young escort who accompanied me is familiar with the land, so they’ll surely be able to escape.
He hurriedly ran out of his house and rang the gong that was set up nearby. A low “gong” sound echoed throughout the village. Then, as if hearing it, people began to gather one after another.
“What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
“Don’t tell me the village chief’s kid peed the bed again?”
“Please listen quietly! A King Bear is near this village. It’s as close as the waterfall nearby.”
The voices that had been joking and laughing suddenly stopped. Was the King Bear that dangerous? It sounded fearsome from its name, but was it enough to gather people in the middle of the night?
“My brother said he saw a child. He also said there was a pile of corpses.”
“Is it planning to make this its base? Is it going to raise its young here where there’s plenty of water and food?”
Raising young, that means the one I encountered was still a child. It’s true it wasn’t that big, but even that alone was a sufficient threat. A mother bear with cubs, this is an emergency.
“Let’s talk inside for the time being. Everyone come in. Brother, you bring the boy sitting there on his backside.”
I followed the village chief’s instructions and carried Noah, who was cowering behind me, into the village chief’s house. I set him down on a nearby sofa. His already pale face was now like that of a dead person.
“Are you alright?”
“W-what, a monster like that… It was nearby. I shouldn’t have come here.”
Poor thing. I took off my cloak and put it on Noah, who was trembling. Meanwhile, the village chief seemed to be making a plan with the escorts. For now, I need to confirm the safety of my companions.
“Hey, brother, where are you going?”
As I was about to leave, I was called back by the village chief.
“I still have companions.”
“You mean you’re going back? No, that’s too dangerous. Leave the rescue of your companions to us. You two, go.”
The two escorts who received the order immediately disappeared out the window. They were like ninjas.
“This is bad, a King Bear with cubs. With the epidemic, there are fewer people who can participate in the battle.”
“Yes, it seems like everyone here is all we have.”
Come to think of it, I thought there would be many people, but there were only enough to fit inside the house.
“And we can’t ask the neighboring village for help either.”
“Speaking of which, the Hunter Harpies said something about a bear appearing last month. They said they managed to drive it away, but could it be that one?”
A wounded mother bear, this is the worst-case scenario. We don’t know when it might attack the village. Then, one of the escorts pushed aside his companion and stepped forward.
“It must be them. They must have deliberately driven it towards us.”
“Emmett, calm down. This is a coincidence. Nature is full of unexpected things.”
A man named Emmett appeared with a grim expression. He glared at the wooden statue, a symbol of friendship, with sharp eyes.
“Hmph, I don’t know about that. They act friendly on the surface, but who knows what they’re thinking inside.”
“This is a coincidence. Don’t get so angry.”
“Knowing it has cubs, they angered it halfway. Is this a coincidence? And they know we’re weakened by the illness.”
He looked around at his companions as if to say, “You all think so too, right?” They all looked half-convinced.
“I don’t trust them. No matter how well they present themselves, they’re laughing at us in their hearts. Arrogant hawks. I’ll send the bear back to them.”
“Emmett, wait. This is not the time for that. It’s time for everyone to combine their strength.”
“Yes, come with me. I’ll show them.”
With that, he left the room. A heavy atmosphere hung in the air.
“Sigh, what a predicament, what a predicament. That Emmett, well, it can’t be helped. Let’s think of another plan. First, we’ll build a fence to keep the bear out. Brother, you stay in the room.”
The escorts nodded and each began their assigned tasks. I went outside with them and saw the figures of the three people in the distance. They had returned with the two escorts who had gone to help.
“Philiana, Sharin, Veronica, are you alright?!”
“Ah, that bear left quickly. We were cleaning up the fallen corpses. What an incredible monster there was.”
I was relieved that everyone was safe. For now, I told Noah, who had lost his composure, to go back to the room.
