Under the guard of knights, a scar-faced male officer, wearing boots suitable for movement, calmly arrived at the village entrance.

It was nighttime, so the iron gate that protected the village from disturbance was naturally closed.

When the knights saw the obstructing iron gate, their expressions visibly soured;

One of them placed his right hand on his left shoulder and nodded towards the officer, saying:

"Should we break down this gate for you?"

"No need!"

The officer inserted his hands into the pockets of his coat, without even furrowing his brow, and continued forward with a natural expression.

"It's just a return to familiar grounds. It wouldn't be fun if you guys ruined it. I'll handle the remaining tasks..."

Thud!

The officer lifted his foot and heavily kicked the recently repaired iron gate, causing it to dent and rise from the ground.

No one expected such a heavy object to trace any complex trajectory in the air before it fell;

Without any flamboyant movements, the gate simply switched its orientation mid-air and followed the loud bang as it submerged into the village's soil, descending further into the ground.

"You guys don't need to come along. I'll personally handle the next task, while everyone else stays outside on standby."

Clang!

The knights responded to the officer's instructions by quickly aligning their feet, causing their metal boots to collide with each other.

Standing straight with determined gazes, they escorted the officer deeper into the village.

The abnormal sound coming from the village entrance caught the attention of the villagers.

In almost every household, a young man emerged from their houses, holding weapons such as shovels and pickaxes, and approached the source of the sound.

Although the village chief was an elderly person, he was not slow in his actions when necessary.

When the village chief joined the group of men inside the village and noticed the destroyed iron gate at the entrance, he also took notice of the approaching officer.

The elderly man had a sharp gaze;

Even though the officer's demeanor resembled that of a thug rather than a knight, the village chief determined that the officer was not an ordinary villain.

Currently, there were only two types of villains on the entire continent that could act so brazenly.

One was a bandit from a large-scale bandit group, and the other was a kingdom lackey dressed in military uniform.

The village chief couldn't determine whether the officer was a well-dressed soldier or a stylish bandit based on his clothes alone;

However, both possibilities indicated that the officer was not someone to offend in a small village!

In order to protect himself, the village chief halted the villagers with a flattering expression, instructing them not to lower their weapons;

At the same time, he quickened his unsteady pace and approached the officer, bowing his head, and spoke with a gentle tone as if he was a charitable person:

"Sir, may I ask who you are? Why have you come to our village in the middle of the night?"

A humble attitude was an important secret to guaranteeing one's longevity, especially for someone like the village chief.

The officer saw that the village chief remained the same, still barking softly like a weak dog, and immediately raised the corners of his mouth, saying:

"Old man, didn't you send someone to call me here? It's only been a few days, and you've already forgotten what you've done?"

"I called you here?"

The village chief wore a face of confusion, but the officer anticipated this reaction and handed him the medal he carried with him.

The medal was a pale yellow color. In addition to a few lines of "new text," it also bore a symbol resembling a totem.

Don't say the village chief, almost no one in the Western Continent doesn't recognize this totem.

"The pattern of the double sickles... It's you!"

Suddenly, the village chief realized something and opened his mouth in astonishment.

"Just as the old man thought. In terms that the common people can understand, I am the grand envoy that you all wanted to see!"

The officer reached out his hand, but didn't really shake hands with the village chief, only extending one hand for show.

After hearing the other person's self-claimed identity, including the village chief, the expressions of all the villagers were filled with joy.

When the man sent to deliver the letter to the village returned, the village chief and the others were still worried if the kingdom would send troops.

After all, there are certain words in this world called"social etiquette".

Even if according to the man:

The knights belonging to the kingdom solemnly promised to provide protection!

But who can say that the word "promise" isn't just empty words?

It was only when the officer appeared tonight that the people in the village let go of their suspensions and believed that the village was saved.

The officer's sweeping gaze did not miss the subconscious reactions of the villagers;

After those people cheered, he added:

"My knights are stationed outside the village. After eliminating that group of demons, they will enter the village according to the proper procedure to show that the village is incorporated into the kingdom!"

"That's great, truly the nobles from a great nation..."

"Enough with the pleasantries!"

The officer rudely interrupted the village chief's flattery. His deep gaze swept around, and then he uttered a perplexed shout for the first time:

"Where is my sister? Why haven't I seen her come out?"

Now it was the villagers who were puzzled.

As the representative of the group, although the village chief didn't understand the sudden question and what it meant, he had to gather up his courage and ask:

"Sir, who do you mean by 'sister'? Why is she in our small village?"

Along with the village chief's confusion, the officer's face, which seemed familiar, appeared;

At this moment, a cruel curve became increasingly apparent at the corner of his mouth:

"You old fart! You really don't recognize who I am?"

In order to stimulate that useless brain, so that it could quickly recall the past, the officer reached into the pocket of his coat and took out something.

"If you don't recognize my face, then the old fart should at least have some impression of this, right?"

Presented before the village chief's eyes was a glowing red cross pendant.

This small accessory, which was not mass-produced, caused the village chief's vague brain to suddenly flood with clear memories.

Eleven years ago, only four people in this village wore crosses.

They were a family of four who didn't fit in with the rest of the village!

Only a small portion of the money I earned was used for things related to the girl.

After being raised cheaply, the villagers used her as a servant and treated her as their own maid under the pretense of "repaying kindness."

Fast forward to five days ago, to protect themselves, the villagers sacrificed the girl and forced her to go to the gathering place of the demon tribe...

The girl who had always been bullied was none other than the middle-aged officer's only sister!

Impacted by fear, many older villagers shouted out the name of the "resurrected one" before them:

"Yu... You're Yu, the only son of the priest couple, right?"

"Surprising that you ignorant people can still remember!"

Yu smiled as the cold moonlight shining from above made his body exude a chilling presence.

With his dark pupils devoid of cruelty or unpleasantness, he swept his gaze over everyone in his line of sight.

After eleven years of not seeing each other, prior to entering the village, Yu had been imagining:

After all this time, what kind of changes have occurred in the place where he was born?

But the result didn't excite him; the village remained the same.

Dark and hideous, like a gathering place for insects, he couldn't think of any feelings other than disgust.

Yu couldn't help but be glad about what happened in the past.

On the day he left the village, his parents took him, under the pretense of training, to participate in the mission to eliminate demons;

And what followed was roughly what the villagers expected: the kind-hearted couple ultimately lost their lives in the wilderness.

Indeed, many demons lurking outside the village were completely wiped out, at the cost of two lives;

And also:

The scar on Yu's face!

Soon after his parents' death, Yu himself fell unconscious in a desolate place where few people passed by due to his severe injuries;

If it hadn't been for the kingdom's knights responsible for hunting demons arriving there on the same day, the number of fatalities would have gone from two to three.

The previous captain of the knights, astonished by Yu's strong vitality, brought him back to the border for care;

The reason the old captain chose to save him was to see if such a person who had cheated death could be of value to the kingdom in the future.

After being saved, Yu had no choice but to come to that country. Limited in opportunity to venture outside, he underwent rigorous training akin to hell until now.

Two years ago, the old captain passed away while on duty;

Through the recommendation of this old man, Yu became the captain of the First Knight Order and was able to enter the core power of the country.

This time, it was Yu himself who was responsible for leading troops to exterminate the demon tribe and to accept the thousands of people from the village.

In the moment he was given this task, he also felt surprised.

After all, this was his first opportunity in many years to return to his hometown!

During this revisit to his old stomping grounds, Yu not only wanted to see the ugly side of his hometown;

Bringing his sister back to him was also something that needed to be accomplished.

"Where is my sister?"

Once again faced with inquiries, the villagers didn't know how to answer.

At a critical moment, the village chief, showing his cunning nature, fabricated a seemingly reasonable lie.