"I see. I have a good handle on the situation now. Thank you for the information."
"I really am sorry... Luminous Academy is going through so much right now, yet here we are, dragging you out for something like this..."
"Please, don't worry about it. Helping people in need is the duty of a Magic Knight—a Hero's Duty, after all!"
Yugo had gone to the Village Chief’s House to confirm the specifics of the Request. He offered the man a reassuring thumbs-up, sensing the elder’s concern for his well-being.
Since Dogma’s Group had vanished, reports of increased Magic Armor Beast activity had been flooding in from across the region.
Whether this was a direct result of something Lost’s faction was orchestrating, or if the departed Masterminds had been suppressing a threat that was now being unleashed in their absence, Yugo couldn't say. Regardless, if people were in trouble, helping them was the only natural response.
Driven by that conviction—unwavering whether he acted as a hero or a Magic Knight—Yugo had come to the aid of this village. However, he also had a secondary motive.
"Besides... this actually worked out quite well for me. A Request to hunt Arachlaws is exactly what I needed."
"Pardon?" The Village Chief tilted his head, unable to comprehend why Yugo would be so keen on a menial extermination task.
But for Yugo, who was currently rediscovering his true self, crossing paths with the Arachlaws again—the very monsters he had faced during his first Request in this world—was the perfect way to return to his roots.
The circumstances are different now, but this is where it all started for me, he thought. Finding this Request feels like a stroke of fate.
Saving lives while reflecting on his own path—this mission provided the dual purpose Yugo craved.
After reassuring the Village Chief that Luminous Academy was faring much better than the rumors suggested, a sudden thought struck Yugo.
"On a different note, I met a young man earlier who gave me directions to this house. He mentioned he was the brother of a girl named Jasmine—"
"Gamba!? Good heavens, did that boy do something rude to you!?"
"Ah, well... I wouldn’t necessarily call it 'rude,' exactly."
The Village Chief's eyes had widened the moment Gamba’s name was mentioned. His sudden, intense focus made Yugo’s answer come out somewhat tentatively.
To any observer, Yugo’s hesitation practically screamed that he had indeed been mistreated. The Village Chief let out a long, weary sigh and lowered his head.
"I am truly sorry. To think he would be so insolent to someone who came all this way to protect our village..."
"No, really, it’s fine... So, his name is Gamba? I just got the impression that he has a real problem with outsiders."
Recalling the young man’s expression—which carried a weight of resentment far beyond simple dislike—Yugo waited for a response. The Village Chief sighed again.
"I can't go into the details, but he’s been through a lot. He isn't a bad person at heart, but he tends to lash out at anyone from beyond our borders. Please, forgive him."
"Don’t worry about it. I’m the one who should apologize for prying into such a delicate situation."
Clearly, there were deep-seated reasons for Gamba’s hostility. It wasn’t right for a passerby like Yugo to dig too deep into the village’s private affairs.
While being a busybody was in a hero’s nature, Yugo knew that meddling without empathy for another’s feelings was nothing but self-indulgence. He decided not to push any further and rose from his seat.
"In any case, I'll go check out the locations where the Arachlaws were spotted. Maybe I can get a sense of their numbers or nesting habits."
"We would be most grateful. We’ve already prepared a room for you at the village inn, so please make yourself at home there for the night. We'll provide all your meals as well, of course."
Yugo thanked the bowing Village Chief once more and stepped out of the house into the cool village air.