Can Someone (Anyone!) Please Turn Off the Auto-Skill Setting?! - Chapter 60
VI.
The alleyways of Verus City. Tiny figures, too small to be considered human, were frantically fleeing from the sight of people.
“Dad! Mom!”
The daughter, who was being carried by Chuck, saw her mother had fallen and called out to her father. Chuck hurried to his wife and examined her injuries. She had scraped herself so badly against the hard brick floor that her clothes were torn.
“Come here for a moment.”
Chuck set his daughter down on the ground and helped his wife over to a corner. Other little demons nearby asked if they were okay, each showing their concern.
As Chuck’s wife thanked them for their worry and reassured them that she was fine, a large shadow appeared in the alley. The little demons instantly darted into cracks and hidden spaces upon sensing it.
A moment later, a large, burly man wandered through the narrow alley, glancing around. The little demons held their breath, watching him closely.
“I thought I saw something strange… but maybe not?”
He tilted his head in confusion and left the alley.
“Did you see something?”
“No, nothing.”
“See? I told you it was just your imagination.”
The man chatted with his companion and moved away.
Even as the sound of heavy footsteps faded, none of the little demons dared to peek out. Chuck’s daughter tried to poke her head out, but her mother quickly pulled her back.
If the man who had just passed by was of the Ferron race, no matter how much they disguised themselves as humans, their sense of smell would still give them away. It was possible they were pretending to leave, trying to lure them out.
The little demons held their breath and waited until no more footsteps could be heard. Fortunately, it seemed they weren’t Ferron after all. Once the coast was clear, the little demons began to cautiously emerge, one by one.
“I thought my heart was going to stop, thinking it was one of those Ferron bastards.”
“Thank goodness. Looks like they’re not closing in on us just yet.”
“We can’t keep running forever. They’ll find us soon enough!”
Relieved for a moment, a little demons raised their voice, causing the others to fall silent before agreeing with the sentiment.
Voices rose, urging the elder to come up with a solution before the Ferron found them. The elder, looking weary, pointed his cane at Chuck.
“This is all because of him! That so-called hero he trusted abandoned us and went off to the Demon King’s castle without a second thought!”
Chuck, deeply stung by the accusation, clenched his fists and remained silent when the word “hero” was mentioned.
“If I had known this would happen, I would have sold that diamond ring! We might have had enough money by now!”
“We were too slow to realize.”
“I knew it.”
“You knew and kept quiet?”
“Chuck was so sure the hero would save us!”
Chuck could feel the whispers and sideways glances directed at him from all around. Once held up as the savior of his people, he was now treated like a criminal.
To defend himself, even he hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. The hero had made a formal promise with him. Who could have imagined she would break that promise and run away? No one had foreseen it when they were all cheering for the hero.
He was wrong to think she would be just as bad as they were for not following divine teachings. She was much worse than he had ever imagined.
“Dad, did the hero abandon us? She’s not going to save us?”
His daughter’s quivering lips tore at Chuck’s heart.
Consumed by helplessness, Chuck felt anger rising within him. And he swore to himself.
He would make sure the hero paid for breaking her promise!
***
The townspeople gathered at the village entrance to bid farewell to the hero’s party as they prepared to leave.
“Here’s some bread I baked this morning. Please take it with you for the road.”
“We’ll give you some biscuits too! The farther north you go, where the demon folk live, the less food you’ll find.”
Among the well-wishers offering food, there was also a less-than-welcome face.
“How can you charge me for staying when I was just drunk and taking a nap?”
“If you stayed at the inn, it’s only right to pay.”
The village girl, whose life force had been drained by Bije, believed she had simply fallen asleep drunk in the room. She was upset about being asked to pay, considering what had happened to her.
Nancy, however, didn’t bother to reveal the truth to her.
She kept quiet, rationalizing that it was better for her not to intervene and that she would only get dragged into trouble if she helped. There was no point in explaining that she had her own problems to deal with. No one would believe her anyway, so silence was the best option. After all, they say silence is golden.
And so, Nancy left the village, convincing herself that not knowing the truth was a blessing for the girl.
