A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

"Sigh." Bray sighed from the bottom of his heart.

The thing pressing down on me is a little tiger boy... This is really giving me a headache.

"I'm sorry..." Melissa struggled to get Bodra out of the car and quickly apologized to Bray.

“You’re too soft-hearted,” Bray said to Melissa after stopping her.

"Soft?" Melissa didn't understand what Bray meant for a moment.

“It’s alright.” Bray shook his head. In fact, he had no intention of letting Melissa take Bodra away.

However, Melissa seemed determined to take Bird away, perhaps because she felt that what they were doing was too impolite.

They were orphans, and Ryukdo had always taught them.

What Ryukto taught them most was not to be too rude to others and to have basic respect.

"Sister...where am I?" Bird, who had been woken up, groggily looked towards his sister.

"Anyway... let's go back first." Melissa carried her younger brother, who was smaller than her, on her back and slowly walked back towards home.

Bray sat up without stopping Melissa or saying anything, since he wasn't her guardian anyway.

More than that, he was curious about where Dorothea had gone from the cabin.

When he woke up, he found that Dorothea's presence was gone.

Although he doesn't have the ability to see clearly, he can still sense when people close to him leave.

After getting out of the car, Bray patted it and planned to wander around the village.

How should I put it? I'm kind of looking forward to it.

It might be a bit much to say, but he was genuinely curious about what this village was like at the end of the Second Era.

---

"Be careful this time," a tiger-clan man with a huge backpack on his back said to his companions with a serious expression.

"What are you talking about? We've always been on our guard," the other man said with a grin.

However, even though he was smiling, he couldn't hide the worry in his eyes.

“That…” a dejected voice rang out.

"What are you doing?" Bray leaned forward, looking around at the tiger-men.

"Who are you?!" Why is there a head next to me?!

"Calm down, I know him. He's an outsider brought in by Lord Ryukdo."

"That scared me to death..."

Bray's sudden action terrified the tense Tiger Clan members.

"Sorry." Realizing he had startled someone, Bray apologized sincerely.

Aren't felines supposed to be exceptionally perceptive? Why didn't they notice me when I walked right past them?

While Bray was thinking this, he was completely unaware that he had developed the "bad" habit of holding his breath.

"It's alright, we were just too nervous." The tiger-man who spoke first waved his hand, a polite smile appearing on his tiger face.

"So what are you doing?" Bray scrutinized the group, each carrying a huge backpack on their back.

“We’re preparing to go out and search for resources,” the tiger-tribe man began to explain to Bray.

This is no secret, and it doesn't matter if we tell Bray, an outsider.

“Searching for resources?” Bray frowned, then looked around and instantly understood.

This is underground; there are no means of obtaining resources here.

Food and other supplies all need to be obtained from the ground.

These tiger-like people must be people who go there specifically to collect resources.

"Won't you be alright?" I'm not kidding, there are many angels outside.

How can these tiger-people escape the angels' perception range after leaving the village's protection?

"Whether something happens or not is beyond our control," the tiger-man said with a helpless bitter smile.

"However, with this sacrifice given to us, we can remain undetected for several hours."

As the tiger-tribe man spoke, he pulled out a wooden plaque from his body, which was covered with red characters that Bree couldn't understand.

"A few hours should be enough for us to find what we're looking for."

"..." Bray's brows remained furrowed, because even so, these tiger men could be killed at any moment.

They are more likely to be captured by angels and interrogated.

"It seems you're quite worried about us."

“A little,” Bray said softly, his eyelids lowered.

"It seems you're quite kind, outsider."

"Not really, because even if I'm worried about you, I won't do anything to help you. At most, I'll just silently wish you all the best," Bray honestly stated his thoughts.

"There are very few people who can say that." This was the first time the tiger-clan man had seen someone speak so honestly.

That's right, most people who worry about others will ultimately do nothing.

They were just "worried," but took no action.

“Your blessing is enough.” The tiger-man laughed heartily, then patted Bray on the back.

"Looks like you're a decent fellow," the other tiger-man laughed.

The previous solemnity was instantly dispelled.

“We do this every day, and nobody knows they won’t be able to come back the next day.”

"So, all we need is your blessing; we don't need you to do anything else."

"We are mentally prepared to face misfortune."

“But the others haven’t.” The tiger-man swayed and adjusted the position of his backpack.

Goodbye. Although it was our first meeting, we all found you very interesting.

"Goodbye." Bray nodded in response. The tigers searching for resources opened the map and then gathered to set off.

They will rush back before evening, while also being wary of being followed by angels.

The backs of these guys didn't convey that sense of solemn determination.

No one saw them off, because it was their daily work, not some grand journey.

It's the same every day, without interruption.

However, it was extremely heavy, probably because they were carrying too much on their shoulders.

They carried the weight of the entire village on their shoulders, and the expectations of its people.

While a village certainly needs people to protect it, it also needs people to ensure its smooth operation.

These people are the foundation upon which the village can function properly; without resources, all construction is just empty talk.

Besides, no one goes out to find food... everyone will go hungry.

The village's own food production is not enough to feed them.

The things these men brought back are enough to feed a thousand people in the village; perhaps one loaf of bread will have to be shared among a dozen or so people.

We must keep searching every single day without a break, otherwise someone will go hungry.

---

Bray turned his gaze away from the backs of the tiger men.

“It seems you’re quite curious about the people and things in our village,” Ryukdo appeared behind Bray and said in an aged voice.

“I’m curious about everything about this era,” Bray said.

Yes, not just this village, he was curious about the entire end of the Second Age.

"That's quite arrogant of you."

"Arrogant?"

“Yes, anything that's linked to an entire era gives off an arrogant vibe,” Ryukdo said with a smile.

"However, arrogance is also another form of vitality."

"I feel like you have some kind of misunderstanding about arrogance and vigor," Bray couldn't help but retort.

Seriously, can't you just talk things out? Suddenly appearing behind someone can easily scare them.

"Could you keep an old man company for a chat?" Ryukdo stared into Bray's right eye.

Bray paused for a moment, then nodded indifferently.

"You're such a nice person. I wish all humans were like that."

"Humans are always too greedy and too cunning."

“Actually, there is no essential difference between any races,” Bray corrected Ryukdo’s statement.

"They all have greedy and cunning members."

"It's just that you care more about such roles in other races."

Although Bray's words seemed irrelevant, Ryukdo knew what the other person was trying to say.

“…” After hearing Bray’s words, Ryukdo pondered for a long time.

“You’re right. I never thought that after living for decades, I wouldn’t see things as clearly as you do,” Ryukdo said with a self-deprecating laugh.

Saying these things is like humans always saying orcs are barbaric, or orcs saying elves are cowardly.

Every race has all kinds of people; it's just that I focus more on the shortcomings of other races.

"Young human, how much longer do you think our village can survive?"

"I don't know," Bray replied honestly, shaking his head.

He couldn't tell fortunes, so he couldn't predict how long the village could last.

"Actually, I've always been afraid that the village will be discovered someday."

“Because that day will always come, but not knowing when it will arrive is truly frightening,” Ryukdo sighed.

He led the people to build the village, and he was also the one most afraid of the village being destroyed.

"Can't we run? If we're discovered, we'll just move, can't we?" Bray asked.

"No, there's no way out."

"There is no way out for anyone living in this village."

"This is my final resting place."

This village is the culmination of the hopes of the city's survivors.

Once this village is destroyed, then the word "hope" will cease to exist in this city.

Even if someone survives the angels again, they will only become mindless zombies who live just to survive.

Who knows, in the end they might become livestock kept by angels.

The thought of such a future fills me with a heavy heart.

What sustains this daily life now is hope, and that hope is the village itself.

When Ryukdo said "the last," he meant the very last, and there was no possibility of further transfer.

Everyone has experienced the overwhelming power of angels, and they are powerless to resist.

It's not just that it's powerful; it's stronger than the Black Iron type in every way.

“Is that so? That last word is quite heavy,” Bray said, glancing at Ryukdo.

Finally, it means there are no other possibilities, it means the end—just like the twilight battlefield he once saw.

“I know, that’s why I’m afraid.”