As the large Moss Hue was defeated, the others noticed its fall. This gave Faiz the opening he needed to defeat the remaining Moss Hues and save the hostages. The surviving Moss Hues began to retreat back into the forest to save themselves.
Faiz thought to himself, Finally, it's over.
Astrea collapsed after the fight.
Anew said, "Good to see it's finally over."
Faiz returned to Astrea and Anew.
"For a newbie, good job. Proud of you, kid," Faiz said.
Anew replied, "Sir, where did you go?"
Faiz answered, "I was checking the area and ended up helping free the hostages. These people are safe now."
Astrea said, "So our job here is done now, huh?"
Faiz shook his head. "No, it's not. We still have to help the people who evacuated the village return to their homes. That's when our work will truly be done."
Over the next few days, Faiz, Anew, and Astrea helped the evacuated villagers return. During one of these tasks, Astrea saw an old man struggling and said, "Gramps, are you sure you can carry that? If you want, I can help you."
The old man replied, "Thank you, sir."
Astrea smiled. "Sure, no problem."
After a total of seven days of work, all the villagers were finally able to return to their homes safely.
When Faiz, Anew, and Astrea were preparing to leave for HQ, the village chief called out, "Knights, please wait a second!"
Faiz said, "Yes, sir? Can we help you with anything else?"
The village chief replied, "Since you helped our village so much, please stay tonight. We want to throw a small banquet in your honor."
Faiz responded, "That's not really necessary…"
Astrea and Anew both said, "A banquet? Really? For us? Sir, can we please stay for the feast?"
Faiz smiled. "Since you want to so much, sure. We can stay."
The village chief beamed. "Thank you so much for staying!"
As the feast began, everyone started eating and drinking. Astrea ate more than anyone else.
Anew said, "Slow down! The food isn't going anywhere."
Astrea laughed, "I know, but it's so delicious! And there's so much of it. Back home, Klaus and I used to sell wood and eat from what we earned. It definitely kept us fed, but there were nights when we'd go a bit hungry."
Anew asked, "What about your parents?"
Astrea replied, "I actually don't know. Our dad adopted us, so we don't know who our birth parents are."
Anew looked confused. "If you had a dad, why did you two have to work so hard?"
Astrea's expression softened. "Well, when we were nine, he died. He was already kind of old when he adopted us. After adopting us, he retired. I know he wasn't our biological father, but to us, he was more than that. He loved us more than anyone. Even though he was old, he always helped around the house and with collecting wood. Every year, on his death anniversary, we try to visit his grave."