Flames danced in the girl's eyes. Against the red and black inferno, there were hunters and the hunted. The men who had attacked without warning swung their blades and bellowed like savages.
They surrounded the village and forced their way into every home. Screams rose as villagers were dragged out without exception.
Women, children, the elderly, the sick—none were spared.
They laughed when people wept, tormented those who begged. They pressed blades against anyone who resisted, clapped their hands as they set homes on fire. And then they laughed again.
No mercy, no compassion. Not even the gods were present. Only fear.
The men herded the villagers toward a wagon loaded with cages. Defeated by despair, the villagers followed in silence. Among them were the girl's parents.
The girl had been watching from a distance, separated by chance. Even clutching her own hands, she couldn't stop trembling. Though her parents were being taken, she could neither cry nor summon the courage to act.
Someone grabbed her arm.
Her face twisted in terror—but the hand belonged to her younger brother, who had been playing with her earlier. He was clawing at his chest, breathing in ragged, agonized gasps. The girl realized it was one of his attacks.
But the medicine was only at home, and that home was already on fire.
All she could do was burn that image into her small eyes.
With the villagers loaded aboard, the men departed the village. Only the whinny of horses whipped onward echoed hollowly through the ruins.
"Wolf-sama, I've come to bid you farewell, though it is rather sudden."
It was midday. When Wolf returned from the fields, Anri was waiting for him with her two attendants. Her eyes glistened with tears—and then came that opening line. Even Wolf was taken aback.
"Whatever is the matter?"
"A matter has arisen that requires my presence at the royal capital. Might I impose upon you for some time away?"
"Time away" was hardly the issue. Anri was the Grand Duke's daughter. She was not, after all, Wolf's servant.
After hearing the full story, it seemed a grand celebration was to be held at the palace. She'd received a letter from Hairyl commanding her attendance.
"A celebration? Has something joyous occurred?"
"You haven't heard? Humanity has triumphed at the northern magic beast front."
He hadn't known. Nikaras was a frontier region, slow to receive news. Even for major events, there was a lag of four or five days.
Wolf worried about Reminia. She'd only just arrived in the capital—surely they wouldn't have thrown her straight into a war zone, but he couldn't help worrying.
"Right. Perhaps I'll write Reminia a letter as well."
"Come to think of it, you do have a child in the capital, don't you?"
"Lady Anri, if I may impose—would you be willing to deliver a letter to Reminia? Only if you have time to spare, of course."
"I would be delighted. I must also pay my respects to Lady Reminia. Ah... what exactly should I say? Dear lover? Fiancée?"
"Please just say 'acquaintance.'"
Wolf smiled wryly.
He set about writing the letter at once. Not wanting to keep Anri waiting too long, he kept it brief—updating Reminia on his situation. Just in case, he added a few details about Anri and her attendants.
"I entrust this to you, then."
"I shall keep it safe. And Wolf-sama, I do apologize, but there is one favor I would ask."
While Anri and her party were away in the capital, she wanted someone to handle any visitors to the Blue Brigade.
"If any quests or magic beast subjugation requests come through, please direct them to report to the Guild."
"If you don't mind me handling it—"
"I appreciate the sentiment, truly. But you have your own life to live, Wolf-sama. I cannot have you troubling yourself on our behalf. This is but a brief parting. Though it has grown warmer, please do not sleep with your belly exposed."
(How does this girl know I sleep with my gut hanging out?)
"Also, it might be wise to change your undergarments daily. Well then—"
She sounded just like Reminia. Though she'd only been living in the village for a short time, she seemed to have Wolf's entire routine memorized.
Anri waved, then kicked her horse's flank. The animal wheeled about and galloped toward the capital. Wolf watched until the dust had settled, then turned on his heel.
Somehow, the village felt strangely silent.
After seeing Anri off, Wolf went out to gather herbs as usual. As he trudged through the forest, he heard a commotion.
"Stop! Stop it!"
A girl's voice came from the forest—a child's, in fact. Wolf ran at full speed.
A girl was being attacked by a small goblin—a Rank F trash mob, but for a child, it was a real threat.
"HEY!!!!!!"
Wolf raised his voice, shouting at the top of his lungs to intimidate the creature—but what came out was more a beast's roar. It echoed through every corner of the forest.
The small goblin fled in a panic, and the girl nearly fainted from shock. Wolf, equally startled, rubbed his own throat.
(That Reminia... she enhanced my voice too.)
Probably some safety measure, so he could call for help if he was in danger. She was always so thorough—overprotective, really.
That didn't matter now. He needed to help the girl. Fortunately, she'd only skinned her knee—no serious injuries.
Small goblins were weak magic beasts; they barely had the strength to tug at a person's hair or clothes. Even so, it must have been terrifying. The girl wiped tears from her eyes again and again.
"You did well. There's nothing to be afraid of now."
He gently patted her head. Looking at the crying girl brought back memories of Reminia as a child. She used to come home crying whenever she got hurt playing in the woods. Back then, calming a child was quite the ordeal—but now, they were fond memories.
"Who are you, mister?"
"I'm Wolf from Nikaras."
"From Nikaras village?! Neri came all this way to ask Anri-sama for help!"
Wolf furrowed his brow and asked for the full story.
The village Neri lived in had been attacked by bandits, and all the villagers had been carried off. Neri and her younger brother, who had been playing hide-and-seek in the forest, had managed to escape.
"Papa and Mama said, if anything happened to them, we should go to Anri-sama in Nikaras."
It seemed they'd been instructed to rely on the Blue Brigade beforehand. Wolf had heard that Anri and her group not only defended villages but also taught them crime prevention measures.
What to do... Wolf hesitated. Anri had said to promptly report any incidents to the nearest Guild while they were away. The Guild in the nearest town was half a day's ride by horse. And it was far from certain that there would be adventurers available to save the village.
Besides, this was a bandit group large enough to carry off an entire village. Ten or twenty men wouldn't be enough. Hiring one or two adventurers wouldn't solve the problem.
Still, he couldn't ignore the girl's plea.
According to her, the village was half a day's journey from here. She had crossed plains and forests teeming with magic beasts—alone—to reach him. He didn't want her determination to be in vain.
"And I have to get back quickly. Yarl is sick, and I need to give him his medicine soon. But the village doctor got taken too."
The girl, who introduced herself as Neri, looked down. Her shoes were tattered, and her legs were covered in countless cuts. The scrape on her knee was likely from falling. She had clearly come in great haste.
Wolf's mind was made up.
Carrying Neri under one arm, Wolf arrived at the village.
It was a terrible sight. Thoroughly ransacked. Some buildings had been set on fire, and the smell of charred wood still lingered in the air.
"Yarl!"
Neri leaped from Wolf's arms and ran into a dilapidated house. The windows and walls had holes, but the interior was relatively intact. Following her inside, Wolf found a boy lying in a bed. He was breathing with difficulty.
"Yarl, I brought a doctor!"
"Neri... sister..."
Yarl opened his eyes halfway. He seemed genuinely relieved to see his sister's face. Even as he struggled to breathe, the boy smiled.
Wolf took Neri's place and examined the boy. He wasn't a specialist, but after fifteen years of staying in cheap inns with adventurers, he'd seen his share of illnesses. Yarl likely had some kind of respiratory condition. According to Neri, he'd always been frail.
Wolf spread out his medicines. He tried medicine to open up the airways first. It seemed to ease Yarl's breathing somewhat, but the boy was still struggling.
That was about all he had on hand that might help. As he rummaged through his medicine satchel, he found an unfamiliar bottle. Inside was a beautiful purple liquid. It clicked immediately.
(Reminia...)
She must have prepared it secretly, in case her father fell ill.
He didn't know what it contained, but Reminia—the Great Hero—had made it. It was probably no ordinary medicine.
Wolf tried a small sip himself. It wasn't poison. In fact, his body felt instantly refreshed—the fatigue from all that running vanished in an instant. The only downside was the bitterness.
It's a gamble, then...
He gave Yarl a tiny amount of Reminia's medicine. The boy's small throat bobbed as he swallowed. In an instant, Yarl shot up, sending his blanket flying.
"Bleh!!"
He spat and spat, trying to get the horrible taste out of his mouth.
Wolf and Neri stared in stunned amazement.
"Yarl, are you okay?"
"Yeah. Huh? I don't feel sick at all."
Yarl was in perfect health, as if he hadn't been hovering between life and death moments before. He did squats on the bed, looking ready to bolt outside at full speed.
Neri threw her arms around Yarl. Half-crying, she rejoiced at her brother's recovery.
"Th-that's amazing! Yarl's all better! Mister, you're amazing!"
"Well, this is, ah..."
Neri bowed to Wolf. Meanwhile, Yarl apparently couldn't stand the bitterness—he was frantically trying to spit out whatever remained in his throat, begging his sister for water.
Wolf breathed a sigh of relief. He stared at the bottle of medicine.
"This stuff really works wonders. Just what kind of medicine did that girl leave behind?"
Wolf never learned the truth. But what Reminia had left behind was a replica of "Soma"—a panacea of which only five bottles existed in the world.
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Summary:
Wolf learns of Anri's departure to the capital for a celebration of humanity's victory, then encounters a desperate girl named Neri who fled a bandit attack on her village to seek help. He decides to aid her, and upon arriving, uses an unknown medicine left by Reminia to miraculously cure the girl's sick brother, Yarl.
Trivia:
Anri's formal speech pattern shifts to British RP to reflect her refined Keigo.
Wolf's internal thoughts use parentheses to preserve the original Japanese structure.
The "Soma" medicine is a replica of a panacea—only five bottles exist in the world.
Reminia enhanced Wolf's voice as a safety measure for calling for help.
Nikaras is a frontier region with a 4-5 day information lag from the capital.
The Blue Brigade not only defends villages but also teaches crime prevention.
Rank F small goblins are weak monsters barely able to tug hair or clothes.
Yarl's recovery is instantaneous, highlighting the extraordinary nature of Reminia's medicine.
Neri traveled half a day through dangerous wilderness alone to seek help.
Wolf spent fifteen years as an adventurer, gaining medical knowledge from staying in cheap inns.
Notes:
• Wolf - A 42-year-old former A-rank adventurer now operating at SSS-rank levels, he retired to Nicalas Village to raise his daughter, Reminia, as a humble farmer and craftsman. Though soot-stained and calm, this protective, curly-haired father possesses immense, beyond-human strength. A pragmatic, understated mentor, he leads by example, balancing quiet devotion with the quiet authority of a seasoned guardian.
• Anri - A beautiful half-elf princess knight and daughter of Grand Duke Hairyl, she is a B-rank adventurer, Captain of the Blue Brigade, and frontier vigilante. With blonde hair, pale skin, and a slender, muscular frame, she carries an aristocratic bearing. Recently rescued after being carried off by a dragon, she is Wolf’s devoted fiancée, possessing absolute confidence in his strength.
• Hairyl - Grand Duke and Lord of Rifalas, older brother to King Murad and a powerful mine operator ruling 15% of Lexenil. A formal, extremely busy royal, he is the devoted father of Henri and Anri. Driven by genuine concern for his daughter’s safety, he arrives with private soldiers to execute a desperate rescue mission, balancing his heavy political responsibilities with deep paternal instincts.
• Reminia - Fifteen-year-old Great Hero of Straval and researcher of the Double World Theory, this willful, intelligent girl sports striking red hair, amethyst eyes, and a slender build. A dedicated protector of her father, Wolf, she balances a tomboyish exterior with immense, limited-use magic—including holy relics and teleportation. Her speech shifts between analytical precision and deep devotion to him.
• Neri - A young girl from a nearby village that was raided by bandits. Traveled alone through dangerous wilderness to seek help from Anri. Brave, determined, and deeply caring toward her sick younger brother, Yarl.
• Yarl - Neri's younger brother. Suffers from a chronic respiratory illness and was left behind when the village was raided. Weak and frail, but shows remarkable resilience after receiving Reminia's medicine.