A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

The monster struggled to climb onto the riverbank, then crushed the stone into dust with a single blow.

River water dripped down the monster's sturdy shell and onto the ground.

Surprisingly, the flames behind them were not extinguished by the river.

Although faint, the flame still existed, reflecting the moonlight and adding a touch of brightness to the surroundings.

Similarly, the cold air was still circulating.

It's still so astonishing that two different powers could appear in this monster at the same time.

The ice and fire seemed to never stop, constantly pulsating as if they possessed a life of their own.

The monster got up, and the monster that stood up was almost as tall as a person.

It turned its head and looked at the river.

By the moonlight, the monster's hideous face could be clearly seen in the river.

No one would consider this monster someone they could get along with.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!!!" Suddenly, the monster let out a fierce roar.

The monster frantically clung to the river water, but no matter how much it struggled, the reality reflected in the water remained unchanged.

Ignoring whether the roar would attract the attention of the knights, the monster turned and roared at the cliff face.

"boom!!"

Without holding back, the monster slammed violently into the cliff face.

The cliff face made of rocks swayed slightly when the monster struck it, demonstrating just how terrifying its power was.

If the monster had been serious, the knights of the Knights Order would not have been able to deal with it so easily.

After the violent impact, blood oozed from beneath the monster's keratin layer.

The outer shell shattered and fell to the ground.

Even so, the monster did not stop, continuing to slam against the hard rock wall.

"Roar!" The monster's head slammed into the rock wall.

Fragments of the keratinous shell from the head fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Hard, even with an outer shell as hard as steel.

But even with such a hard shell, the monster managed to break through it itself.

The outer shell fell off, and where the flesh and blood should have been exposed... the mangled mess I had imagined didn't appear.

However, when it comes to flesh and blood, you can't see even the slightest bit of related material.

The eerie emptiness made it seem as if something was inside the shell.

Then the moonlight shone on the monster, landing on its head.

Under the moonlight, an eye can be clearly seen inside the shell.

It was a bright, expressive eye, deeply hidden beneath its outer shell.

Looking at those eyes, no one would associate them with the word "monster".

His eyes sparkled, as if they could speak.

Then came an even more frenzied ramming by the monster.

Its outer shell kept peeling off, splattering blood all over the ground.

Her fair skin was exposed, and you could even vaguely see a few strands of hair inside her skin.

Inside the outer shell is a young girl.

What lies beneath the monster's exterior is a beautiful and charming young girl.

She paused, stopping her continued ramming against the rock wall.

Then he quickly ran to the riverbank.

The moonlight shone on the river, making it sparkle.

She stared blankly at her beautiful face reflected in the river.

Those sharp claws reached for the fair skin.

Tears streamed from her exposed eye, dripping onto the river and creating ripples.

"My, my, appearance..."

"Don't let it become something so terrible again..."

Her speech became more fluent.

He was completely different from the savage, roaring monster he had been before.

“I’ve had enough…” she hugged her knees and sobbed.

Her legs were still covered by the shell, which sent a chill down her spine.

She began to hate herself, to hate the way she looked.

"Why...why am I the only one like this..." She felt deeply the injustice of the world.

"Why does everyone want to kill me?" A sense of desolation washed over her, leaving her feeling helpless.

However, before she could react, her outer shell regenerated once again.

The outer shell was visibly covered again.

"No, no, no..." Her voice was broken.

Finally, the girl's voice disappeared, replaced by the sharp roar of the monster.

If you listen carefully, you can tell that the roar came from the girl.

So clumsy and naive, it wasn't the roar of a monster, but merely the lament of a young girl.

The outer shell of the stratum corneum continuously repairs itself and closes up again.

The lively eyes disappeared once again, replaced by a glassy compound eye on the outer shell that glowed red.

It was as if the image of the girl with the broken shell had never existed.

The moon hung high, and the monster's roar echoed.

"Put down that chicken leg you're holding!" Bray slapped Naruko hard on the back of the head.

"Cough cough, I choked." Naruko's face turned red; she had choked on the chicken.

“We are here today to say goodbye,” Bray said, bowing slightly to Marus’s mother.

"I apologize for disturbing you during this time."

"Well, actually it's not a big problem," Marus's mother said, touching her face.

"But is a map enough for you? Or should I have someone from the village lead you out of the forest?"

"Is it also troublesome to get out of this forest?" Bray frowned.

"Actually, it's not particularly troublesome, it's just that the terrain is a bit complicated, and outsiders might get lost."

"But it wouldn't be good to trouble the people of Skane Village."

“It’s alright, Marus, why don’t you take them away from the forest?” Marus’s mother called to him as he chopped wood nearby.

After giving a few instructions, Marus didn't complain much.

"Ah, Brother Bree and Sister Naruko are leaving."

Naruko has progressed from "Miss" to "Older Sister".

The polite term "Miss" is completely unsuitable for Naruko.

"Yeah, actually I'd like to stay a few more days and experience the local customs and culture." Naruko pouted.

"But this guy is in a hurry to get to the Empire."

"What a siscon," Naruko said maliciously.

"Shut up." Bray slapped Naruko's head hard without any politeness.

“Well then, we’re leaving tomorrow. Why don’t you stay here for dinner tonight?” Marus’s mother said with a gentle smile.

“Of course.” Bray nodded.

"Great!" Naruko raised her hand and cheered.

However, just as Bray and Naruko were preparing to leave the forest the next day, some unexpected things happened in Skane Village today.

The Knights of the Knights came and brought the village.

---

The knights in full armor attracted the attention of the villagers as soon as they entered the village.

"Lady Nisha, is this our destination?" Cade asked leisurely, holding the back of his head.

“Don’t be so frivolous, Cade,” Barreka said in a low voice.

“Yes, yes, Uncle,” Cade replied casually.

Nisha frowned slightly, but didn't say much more.

Cade didn't do anything outrageous; he was just too frivolous, which made people unhappy.

“Baphomet, you can put me down now,” Messiah said softly.

“Okay,” Baphomet replied simply.

“Lady Nisha, let’s go directly to the village chief,” Sen Aiwen said with a stern face.

“Mm.” Nisha nodded slightly.

However, before the Knights could even go to the village chief...

The elderly village chief has already come to find the Knights.

"Ah...are you all the knights who helped our Skahn Village solve its problems?" the village chief said slowly.

"Old man, are you the village chief?" Nisha asked respectfully, without putting on airs.

For Nisha, this was the least she could do to show respect to the elderly.

However, the other knights found it difficult to understand Nissa's actions.

Because in their eyes, this old man was just an ordinary village chief.

“Oh, Sir Knight, there’s no need for that… By the way, come with me… Let’s talk in my room.” The village chief waved his hand.

The village chief of Skane was truly flattered that a dignified knight would treat a small village with such respect.

The village chief's house was in the center of the village, and it didn't take long to get there.

"Please make yourself at home, esteemed knights," the village chief said politely.

“Mm,” Nisha responded first, then sat down.

“Then, may I ask a few questions first?” Nisha asked.

"Of course, I will tell you all what I know."

"The monsters you're talking about, are they the kind with flames burning on their backs and emanating a chilling aura?"

"Yes, do the knights already know?"

This is the information we learned from the villagers who fled back to the village and the surviving adventurers—

An armored monster with flames burning on its back and emanating icy cold air.

“I think we’ve encountered the monster you mentioned.” Nisha frowned.

"Have we already encountered them?" The village chief was startled, quite surprised.

"However, they escaped after we severely damaged them." There was a hint of regret in Nisha's tone.

"Ah, please help our Skahn village defeat that monster."

“We have received the Emperor’s orders, so of course we will carry them out.” Nisha raised her hand, signaling the village chief not to be too nervous.