"Ouch…"
Sleeping in an awkward position on the chair left my joints aching all over.
For a moment I forgot why I was here, but it quickly came back to me.
I had carried the wolf-eared beastkin woman to this back-alley shop, then fallen asleep myself.
The shopkeeper, who had been sleeping alongside me, was already gone.
Wondering if he had gone to check, I walked to the bedroom.
"Morning."
When I opened the door, the shopkeeper stood there with arms crossed, and the wolf-eared woman was still asleep on the bed.
"Nn…"
Perhaps stirred by our voices, the woman slowly opened her eyes.
She had finally woken up.
"Wh-where…?"
"Hey, you're finally awake. This is the town of Boltana. How're you feeling?"
She blinked several times, then slowly sat up.
"You okay?"
"Y-yes. Thank you so much for saving me back there. Um, my name is Fatima. And…"
"Ark."
"Ark-sama, thank you truly for saving my life."
The woman named Fatima bowed her head deeply, her beast ears twitching slightly.
Her long silver hair—common among wolfkin—shone dazzlingly in the sunlight streaming through the window.
Judging by her features, she seemed about the same age as me.
"Good to see you're all right."
The shopkeeper looked relieved now that she had woken.
"Sorry to jump right in, but could you tell us what happened?"
At the shopkeeper's question, Fatima lowered her gaze slightly and began to speak.
"I live in a village a little south of the dungeon."
"Yeah, there is a village around there. Pretty close to here."
I did not know the local geography well, but since she had managed to flee all the way to where I found her, the village could not be too far from Boltana.
"Last night, that monster suddenly appeared in our village. I ran into the forest to escape…"
The shopkeeper rubbed his chin as if to say, "As expected."
"The monster you mean—the one that chased you into the forest?"
"Yes. Goblins and orcs sometimes show up, but the soldiers or the village magician always handle them. But yesterday's monster was something I'd never seen before. No one could touch it."
The shopkeeper's expression turned grave at her words.
"If that's true, this is bad… Even high-level adventurers or knights would struggle."
"Was there only one monster? I thought there were multiple."
"No, I think it was just one. But it was dark, and I only saw it from a distance while running, so I'm not completely sure…"
Then what was it that fled after I used "Quadruple Death"?
"Also, magic had no effect on that monster at all."
"No effect?"
"Yes. The village magician's spells all vanished before they could hit it. We kept getting pushed back…"
Some monsters had the ability to nullify magic entirely.
In those cases, swordsmen and frontline fighters would close in while mages switched to support.
But for me, who could only use Instant Death Magic, that meant an opponent I could never defeat.
Unlike the Skeleton Ogre, where the effect was simply weakened, this was complete nullification.
"The villagers fought at first, but once we realized we couldn't win, everyone scattered and fled. I don't know what happened after that."
If the villagers fled, they would likely head to the nearest town—Boltana.
"I have to go find everyone—ah!"
As Fatima tried to get out of bed, her body swayed.
I caught her.
"You're still not fully recovered. Rest a bit longer."
"Th-thank you… but I have to go."
She forced herself to stand on unsteady legs.
"I will never forget this kindness. Excuse me."
With that, Fatima began walking unsteadily toward the door.
The shopkeeper hurriedly stopped her.
"Hey, hold on, miss! You can't go out looking like that—clothes in tatters. I've got some old women's clothes in stock. Change into those. And eat something too. You'll need strength to search for people."
"But I couldn't possibly impose that much…"
"Look, honestly—if someone saw you leave my shop in that state, it'd ruin my reputation."
At his words, Fatima fell silent and followed him without further protest.
When she returned from the bedroom, she was finally dressed in decent everyday clothes.
The shopkeeper's words were half true, half excuse.
Despite his rough appearance, he seemed surprisingly caring.
After that, the three of us had a late breakfast together before heading into town to search for survivors.
Some villagers might have made it to Boltana.
When we reached the central plaza, Fatima suddenly broke into a run.
"Everyone!"
"Fatima! You're safe!"
Another wolf-eared woman called out to her.
The plaza was filled with injured people and soldiers.
The soldiers appeared to be gathering information about the monster that attacked the village.
Word of the incident had clearly reached Boltana.
Not everyone may have escaped, but at least some had made it to town.
"Good thing they're found."
Her wish had been granted. There was no longer any reason for me to stay.
With that thought, I started to walk away.
"Um—!"
Suddenly, Fatima called out from behind.
"Please! I beg you—lend me your strength to defeat that monster! I'll do anything I can!"
She stared at me with an intensity I had not seen before—completely serious.
"I lost my parents to illness early on. The villagers raised me. I want to repay their kindness however I can. So please! I beg you!"
"Fatima… you care that much about us…"
She had been so worried because of the debt she felt toward her village.
That monster was indeed a threat.
As long as it existed, no one would dare return to the village.
They would have to find somewhere else to live.
With soldiers already stretched thin in Cretia, there was no telling when—or if—a subjugation force would be sent.
"Sorry, but I'm a magician. I can't defeat an opponent immune to magic."
Unfortunately, that was the only answer I could give.
Without Instant Death Magic, I would have to rely on my current stats from Soul Collection and fight with a weapon.
But the problem was my skills.
I had only Instant Death Magic.
I lacked any skill for effectively wielding weapons like a swordsman would.
Even with overwhelming stats, I could do little more than swing wildly.
Against an opponent like that, could I really win?
Probably not—it was unlikely to be so lenient.
"Hey, I've got a good idea."
The shopkeeper suddenly grinned.
"An idea?"
"Yeah. Team up with the girl and train together. If you two reach roughly the same strength, your chances skyrocket. You already repelled that monster once. Two people at equal power should be able to take it down."
"That's ridiculous—"
"You're still going solo, right? Must be some reason you can't party up. So why not give it a shot?"
"I don't mind at all. Please! Let me fight alongside you!"
"…"
She truly cared about the villagers from the bottom of her heart.
Otherwise, she would never volunteer to fight.
Indeed, I probably could not defeat it alone.
But if Fatima had a physical attack skill, together we might stand a chance.
"…Fine. But only if the appraisal shows you have the necessary skills."
"Done deal."
"Yes! Thank you so much!"
And so the two of us headed toward the Adventurers' Guild.