The timid proposal created a huge uproar among the crowd.

Ata didn't need to strain to hear what the villagers were saying; he could tell that they were totally against the idea.

Though his judgment couldn't be called accurate, as the vast majority (99%) of the villagers clearly opposed the proposal for the two to stay overnight.

But their opposition was in vain because the ultimate decision-maker was just one person.

That person was the village chief. If he had been killed by the thieves during the previous chaos, then the villagers' opinion would have been majority rules;

but since the chief was alive, the surviving villagers had no choice but to follow his lead.

Both travelers naturally assumed the chief's hospitality was a gesture of goodwill.

After all, older folks are usually more benevolent...

As Ata and Musa thought about this, they followed the chief to their lodging for the night, sharing the same roof.

Believing in each other's kindness, Musa would soon regret her decision and regret it for the rest of her life.

In the dead of night, Ata, who was deep in slumber, suddenly felt the temperature rising.

Groggily, he kicked off his blanket, but the heat kept rushing in from all directions;

He felt like he was engulfed in flames, drenched in sweat.

"So hot..."

Muttered Ata in discomfort in his dream.

"Wake up, my dear, wake up!"

Suddenly, Ata seemed to hear his wife's voice.

So he groaned, turned over, and muttered softly, "Don't disturb me, let me sleep a bit more..."

"Wake up quickly!"

Thud!

What woke Ata from his deep sleep was an elbow jab right into his stomach, successfully pulling him from his dream to reality.

In pain, Ata let out a "ouch" and immediately woke up.

Sitting up abruptly, he saw his wife leaning over him, her face filled with anxiety in a bent position.

Instinctively after waking up, Ata turned his head to look around and was horrified at the sight.

With the last traces of drowsiness vanished instantly, he realized that the old house was on fire!

Ata jumped out of bed, spun around, and saw the whole house ablaze;

Fire burning all around him;

No wonder he felt so hot earlier, he was already in the midst of the flames!

Given the weather conditions from last night, the spontaneous combustion of the house was absolutely impossible;

Even with the dampness from the heavy rain, it was unlikely that this wooden house would catch fire, at least not in a conventional way.

So, how did this fire start blazing?

Trapped in the flames, Ata searched for an escape route while pondering this question seriously.

It was at that moment, not being particularly skilled in magic, he suddenly sensed a hint of magical energy in the air.

"That's it, it's magic! If fire magic was used to ignite the house, even after last night's heavy rain, it could still evaporate the water and start this massive fire..."

Ata instantly understood the true cause of the fire and at the same time thought about the arsonist.

In this remote village, there are only two opposing forces that hold hostility towards Ata and Musa. First is the band of thieves who were defeated last night. Though many thieves fled during the battle, some even possessing basic magic skills, those cowards were lucky to escape with their lives and are unlikely to return to the village for revenge by setting fires.

Alright, the possibility of the arsonists being the thieves is basically ruled out. The remaining force is a possibility that even the kind-hearted couldn't imagine. Considering himself not particularly kind, it didn't take long for Ata to figure out - the villagers who showed clear hostility towards him and his wife last night are most likely the arsonists!

This isn't entirely improbable as the fire magic used is not advanced, just basic first or second-tier magic. Even a professional warrior like Ata can release this low-level fire magic without using a wand. Among the hundreds of beastkin villagers, finding one or two individuals capable of using this magic shouldn't be too difficult.

Furthermore, only the conclusion that the villagers are the arsonists can explain why the couple didn't hear any commotion in the village until they woke up. If it were the thieves or anyone else suddenly setting fires in the village, the shouting from the villagers would have startled the couple awake before the heat of the flames would.

The motivation behind the villagers' actions is not hard to guess either; it's revenge against the couple for their delayed rescue. Only this explanation can provide a reasonable basis for the village chief's decision to accommodate the couple yesterday. The village chief's so-called "kindness" was not due to "the loyalty of the elders," but rather as preparation for the arson conspiracy.

Recalling the meaningful smiles from last night, Ata roughly figured out the entire process of the arson: after he and his wife rested, the village chief went door to door to reveal his true plan to the villagers. With his status and the villagers' pent-up anger, the chief could easily accomplish this. However, persuasion was one thing, and execution was another. The amateur magicians in the village spent a considerable amount of time releasing the magic.

If they had released the magic a little earlier, Musa might not have had time to wake her husband up before both were engulfed in flames while still deep in sleep. They were lucky not to have died in confusion. The only current problem facing the couple was how to escape from the fire. Relying on Ata was not an option since he had no knowledge of water magic and his limited use of fire magic would only worsen the situation.

Musa was of no help either, as she couldn't use any magic at the moment, merely being a professional melee combatant. Unless a heavy rain fell from the sky to extinguish the raging fire, the couple had only one choice left: stop overthinking and escape to save their lives! Musa hastily led Ata, forgetting everything else, she kicked open the bedroom door and made a dash for the entrance in rapid strides.

At this moment, the two of them were solely focused on escaping, completely unaware that the scythe of death was about to fall!

Perhaps due to being burnt for a long time, the already precarious ceiling beam suddenly crashed down, showering the ground with sparks.

Due to this sudden turn of events, the unsuspecting Musa got caught in the aftermath, her instinctively raised arm getting burnt, turning a large patch of her skin red with blackening edges.

The collapse of the ceiling beam triggered a series of chain reactions.

The old house was on the verge of collapsing in the raging fire;

Even at this critical moment, with only one or two steps left to escape, the grim reality remained unchanged.

Following the beam, several crossbeams crashed down one after another, on the brink of hitting Musa.

Just then, Ata surged forward from the side, knocking his wife away to a safe zone;

Before he could lift his sword to strike, a flaming beam hit his back, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Subsequent beams fell mercilessly, ultimately burying most of his body, with copious amounts of blood further staining the flames, accompanied by the sizzling sound of burning flesh.

Parts of Ata's exposed body were engulfed by the flames, yet his gaze remained eerily calm.

He simply stayed there quietly, without struggling, as if the flames hadn’t even touched him.

"My dear!"

Musa tried to rush over, only to be stopped by Ata pointing his sword at her.

With blood soaking his forehead and eyes, Ata managed to conjure his usual smile amidst the chaos:

"You must live, not for me, but for yourself..."

That was his final parting words.

With his last ounce of strength, Ata swung his sword, creating a wave of force that propelled his wife towards the door in her petrified gaze.

With a loud boom, assisted by the force, Musa crashed into the wooden door, sending herself flying backward.

At the moment she hit the ground, freeing herself to the outside, the house engulfed in flames collapsed entirely not far away.

Superficially, it appeared that one person perished in that moment.

However, in reality, another person was also lost in the flames...

The villagers watching from afar now sprang into action.

Their motivation for acting was not out of gentlemanly compassion to aid the fallen lady;

They merely intended to escort her, to reunite her with her husband.

Initially, the villagers didn't have the courage to challenge adversaries much stronger than themselves.

Yet, the fury of losing their homes and the anguish of their loved ones being killed drove them to focus their anger, which should have been directed at thieves, onto Musa.

Their anger overwhelmed their reason, causing these weak beastkin to forget a crucial principle:

If they must act, they must ensure success;

Otherwise, even if only half of the plan succeeds, even if only one person escapes, it could completely alter their fate.