Despite the efforts of Himo and Phylia, the one stalking them knew that he had been noticed. But he didn’t attack nor did he come out in the open—he just smiled. “Not bad,” he muttered under his breath and kept chasing after them.

-----

As he could do nothing about the pursuer, Himo kept advancing. He didn’t run anymore, limiting to jog so as to save energy. Nonetheless, the distance they traveled increased quickly, and they soon reached a plain at the foot of a hill. In there, they found dozens of people camping around a massive oak. Some stayed within tents, while others were cooking in the open.

When Himo and Phylia walked out of the forest, a bearded middle-aged man approached them. His green shirt was torn in several parts, showing his left shoulder. His trousers were in similar conditions.

“Hey there. What're you two kids doing in here? Are you lost?” he said in a gentle tone.

Himo glanced at the crowd afar before replying, “No need to worry about us. What happened?”

“Our village's been attacked by monsters and we had to run—by the way, don’t go north. It’s too dangerous for two kids like you. We're going to the capital to seek help from the knights. Actually, you should come with us.” He extended his arm to pat the child’s head.

Himo sidestepped his hand. I see. Could they be the villagers I’ve seen from the map? He asked, “What kind of monster attacked you?”

The middle-aged man held his chin in thought. “I couldn’t get a good view of them. I only know that they can fly nearly as high as clouds and send down divine thunders. Could they be a cloud-type monster?” He glanced at the sky for a moment before returning his gaze to the child. “But why are you asking?”

“I see.” Himo frowned. “Thanks for the information. Now I need to go.”

“Go? Go where?”

“To see the monsters.” Himo smiled. He turned to walk north.

“Wait!” The man grabbed his shoulder. “Going there's suicide!”

Himo looked back at the man and grinned. “It’s not. A few monsters won’t pose danger to me.”

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before the middle-aged man sighed and said, “Fine. But it’s ‘bout to be dark, so wait till tomorrow. You can stay with us till then.”

Hearing his words, Himo glanced at the sky. The sun was ready to hide behind the hill. “Eh?” He widened his eyes. He stared blankly at the sun and the hill for several seconds as if in trance. The sun is setting… toward the east? The rotation of this planet is reversed?

[It is indeed.]

Oh. I didn’t notice that before. Wow. A smile crept to his mouth. The more I stay here, the more this place has a fantasy-like feel. He took a few seconds to quiet his heartbeat. He said, “Okay, let’s go.”

Both he and Phylia followed the middle-aged man back to the camp. As they walked, he introduced himself.

“My name's Selet. I’m the temporary leader of this place; if you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

“I see, thank you.” Himo took a mental note of the man. It was rare to find a villager whose cultivation reached the Acupoint Opening phase. “I’m Himo, and she’s Phylia.”

The two talked for a while and soon reached the camp. In there, the people threw a few glances at the newcomers but kept doing their job. None of them tried to start a conversation. Whether it was because they were wary, because they were exhausted, or due to something else, Himo didn’t know.

“You said that you’re here for monsters…” Selet gestured to follow him in a tent—it was the biggest of the tents, but its height was barely that of a small tree. “All I could do was to take the others and run. If you want to go there, the minimum’s to reach the second realm…” He sat down in front of a small blaze. “And I see that you’ve satisfied that requirement. Such a strong child…”

Himo grinned. “That much is obvious.” He then moved to a wonder of his. “How did you escape against the assault of those monsters? Most of the people here are normal mortals.”

At that question, Selet stared deeply into the eyes of the child. Unlike his previous amiable appearance, his aura warped into that of a warrior—but it lasted for only a mere instant. “We’re used to it.”

“Used to it?”

“Attacks from cultivators, monsters, robbers… not once has our village known peace. With my strength, there’s no way I can protect everyone… and so, we ran. Countless times have we escaped, sometimes unharmed, other times with corpses. As time passed, we grew familiar with this lifestyle. Our buildings may get destroyed. Our wealth may get plundered. But our people will not die anymore.”

“Rest assured.“ Himo could feel his rage despite the latter’s attempt at concealing it. “Those monsters will perish by the next day.”

Selet smiled. “Thank you. But don’t push yourself too hard.”

Just as Himo was about to reply, a bell sounded from the outside, followed by a yell, “Everyone! Dinner’s ready!”

“Let’s go.” Selet stood up and walked out, followed by the two children.

The three reached a circle formed by the seated villagers. At the center was a big pot over a scorching fire, bringing light to fight the darkness that had already fallen. Wooden bowls were served left and right, each with a bit of sliced meat put over bread. The villagers had a bowl and a fork each—aside from a few stone knives, there were no other utensils. 

Selet, Himo, and Phylia soon received theirs. The man that gave Selet his whispered to his ear, “My Lord, this is the last meat we have. I fear that from today, we’ll have to do with just veggies.”

Selet nodded. There was nothing he could do about it. Meat was a luxury meal anyway—he only brought it out to improve the moral.

After the man walked back to his seating, Himo glanced at Selet. “You call yourself a temporary leader, but it seems like the others don’t treat you as such.”

Those words sparked a light in the eyes of the middle-aged man. “In truth, we don’t have a lord from a while. Not one we accept, at least. But the Arsia Kingdom has never let us choose a lord—they wanted to choose the head of each village by themselves. I hope that… with the change of rulers, we might have a better chance.”

“You want to become the lord?”

“I’m fine with anyone we approve of. But yes, it’d be a lie if I were to say I don’t want to.” He smiled lightly.

“I see.” Himo took a bite of the meat. Then, he asked, “Do you have a storage ring or some big container?”

“Yes, but… why do you ask?”

“I have some salmons. I can give you a few of them.” Himo smiled.

“Thank you, but…“ Selet wanted to refuse initially, but looking at the people who ate meat in joy, he eventually agreed.

The dinner continued without a hitch—Phylia didn’t even eat her bowl and fork—as Himo and Selet discussed the monsters. Eventually, some villagers joined up the conversation, and when everyone heard that Himo planned to gift them salmons, the place grew livelier as it shaped dances and singings. Everyone opened up to Himo and Phylia; especially children of their age.

Afterward, Selet offered two places in his tent for Himo and Phylia, but the two decided to sleep atop the tree in the middle of the camp.

-----

The next day, Himo woke up as the ray of the sun washed onto his face. Caressing his head was Phylia, who had not slept as usual.

“Good morning.” He smiled. “Thank you.”

“Good morning.” She smiled back.

The two jumped down from the tree and noticed that the villagers had long been awake. They were picking up their utensils, their tens, and a huge container where they had stored food—a fifth of it filled with salmons.

Selet waved at the two. “Good morning. Have you slept well?”

“Yeah.” Himo covered his mouth as he yawned. He took a glance at the northern plains before asking, “So, you’re going to the capital now?”

“Yeah. We should be close enough to get there in a day or two.”

“I see. We’ll go now.” Himo grinned. “It’s time to beat up some monsters.”

Selet nodded. “Have a safe journey.”

Himo and Phylia walked away, but they stopped just before their figures would vanish behind a mound. Himo turned back. He grabbed an emblem and raised it toward the villagers, then showed a smile. He shouted, “With my authority as the highest in my Shu Kingdom, I, Shu Himo, declare Selet as the new lord of this village! Any attempt at overthrowing his rule will be deemed akin to challenging my authority and will be punished accordingly!”

His announcement brought goosebumps to everyone. The highest in the kingdom… was before them? None of them could believe it, but the emblem in his hand proved his identity. It was real—it couldn’t be a counterfeit. No one would dare to make one. Not after the happenings in the capital.

Selet froze, dumbstruck. He watched the two in a daze. Many waves of emotions wrapped his body, bringing surges of heat down to his toes. Shock. Stupor. Happiness. Elation. Fervor. “The highest in the kingdom…” he murmured. By the time he placated his stupor, Himo and Phylia had already vanished. Unknowingly, tears began to run from his eyes, and he gave a deep bow toward the place where they left. “Thank you!”