The old village chief replied, "We have prepared half the amount, and if you give us one more week, we will prepare the rest."
The face of the army commander darkened, and he said with contempt, "You senile old man, what nonsense are you spouting? If you don't pay what you owe, how do you expect us to protect you?"
The old man said bitterly, "But we don't have enough money…"
The commander shouted, "I don't care! If you want protection, you have to pay. I'm the one holding that man back, and if I weren't here, you wouldn't be standing in front of me right now."
The old man pleaded, trying to appeal to the lieutenant, but some people stepped forward angrily and began to grumble behind him. A man approached the old chief, but the chief waved at him agitatedly, saying, "Leave!"
The man stepped back without arguing, out of respect for the village chief.
The old man said, "Please… grant us a little more time. I promise, within a week we will have everything ready."
At that moment, the voice of a small child rang out — it was the same boy who had previously thrown stones at Mihon — and he said boldly, "We don't need your protection! We can protect ourselves, just… stay away from us!"
A woman stepped forward from behind the boy and covered his mouth with her hand, saying, "Be quiet!"
The army commander walked forward with heavy steps, looked down at the boy, and said, "It seems you want to die, little one."
The woman dropped to her knees in front of him, fear showing clearly on her face: "Please… he's just a child…"
The commander replied coldly, "I don't care if he's young or old. Anyone who disrespects me… will be taught a lesson."
He then motioned to one of his soldiers, and the soldier kicked the woman in the stomach.
She collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The child screamed, "Mother!"
Then the boy lunged at the soldier and struck him with his fists, but the soldier raised his leg and viciously kicked him in the face.
The child was flung backward and crashed into the crowd behind him.
A dreadful silence fell. The villagers' faces darkened.
One of them shouted, "How can you strike a child?! Are you truly protectors?"
The soldier who had hit the woman laughed and said, "Didn't like that? I'm ready to beat all of you!"
Then he added with a smirk, "You should be thanking me I didn't kill him."
The commander raised his hand to signal his soldiers.
"Enough. I'll give you one day only. I'll return tomorrow — and if I don't find my money… you don't want to know what will happen."
He withdrew with part of his troops, then turned back and said, "You, and you, and you… stay here in the village. Watch everything. Report immediately if they try anything suspicious."
The soldiers responded, "Yes, sir."
Mihon and his companions had been watching everything from afar.
Youray broke the silence, saying, "How vile… How can we live in the same world as scum like them?"
Mihon replied in a cold tone, "I told you before… This world is full of people like them… Just as it's full of victims, like these villagers… and there are those who suffer even more."
Amis said angrily, "Why don't we just kill them and be done with it?"
Mihon said, "First, we need to know who's helping them in this crime… Didn't you hear? They claim they're protecting the village from someone else."
The "Mute" was staring at them in shock, thinking: Are they insane? Do they plan to kill army soldiers?!
Youray said, "If we kill even one of them, we'll be in real trouble…"
Mihon turned to Amis. "Did you record everything that was said?"
"Yes, don't worry."
Mihon said, "Good. Send the recording to that person… and get ready. We're about to commit a crime that hasn't happened in twenty-five years."
Youray smiled, "So, it's decided."
The Mute was stunned, speaking to herself: What are these lunatics trying to do? Are they really going to kill them?!
Youray turned to her. "What's wrong? Nervous?"
She gestured with her hands: You're insane…
Youray replied coldly, "Didn't you see how they treated the people? They don't deserve to live."
Before Mihon could say another word, a sudden scream rang out.
It was the boy, shouting, "Mom! Mom, wake up!!"
The woman who had defended him was still unconscious, violet foam now spilling from her mouth.
People gathered around her, worry etched on their faces.
They quickly carried her to the doctor, and the child followed them, weeping as if his soul had been torn away.
They entered the clinic, and the doctor greeted them, saying, "Bring her in quickly!"
The child kept crying bitterly, then looked at the doctor pleadingly:
"Please, help my mother... I have no one but her. If she dies… how will I live? Where will I go?"
The doctor replied with a sympathetic tone, "Don't worry... I'll do everything I can."
He examined her and administered several injections, but the purple foam increased, and the woman did not regain consciousness.
The doctor said worriedly, "It seems she was severely poisoned."
The child asked through tears, "Will... will my mother die?"
The doctor, patting his head, said, "Don't cry... your mother will live, but she needs rest. Would you want her to be sad if she saw you crying? Come on, wipe your tears."
The child wiped his tears, but his sorrow remained clearly on his face.
The doctor kindly said, "Could you step outside for a moment? Give your mother some peace."
The boy looked at him, then said, "Okay."
He stepped out and slowly walked until he reached a tree behind the clinic, then sat on its trunk and whispered in a choked voice:
"When will the man you told us about come? Father… oh father, where are you? Where did you go? Why did you leave us alone?"
At that moment, Mihon came and sat beside him. He said gently, "Hello, boy… how are you?"
The boy looked at him cautiously and asked, "What do you want?"
Mihon replied, "How is your mother?"
The boy said, "I don't know… the doctor said she'll recover, but I don't believe him…"
Mihon smiled and said, "I can help you…"
The boy looked at him with suspicion. "Really? How?"
"I can… help you heal your mother."
The boy's eyes filled with hope as he said, "Can… can you really do that?"
...
Elsewhere, Youray, Amis, and the "Mute" were watching from a distance when the old village chief approached them and said, "Looks like you're passing through here, friends."
Youray answered, "Yes, we came to restock some supplies."
The old man said, "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. The village currently has nothing."
Amis asked, "Why is that?"
The old man replied, "Have you seen the army soldiers here?"
Youray said, "Yes… we saw everything."
The old man shook his head sorrowfully and said, "That boy there lost his father years ago, and now his mother is sick… we don't know if she will survive. It's a sad sight… but he's not the only one. The world is full of children like that boy."