"Hello."
Ere greeted the room in his usual calm voice.
The family turned toward him and returned the greeting politely.
Janna smiled, then asked him to guide them to the room where they would be staying for the next three nights.
Ere nodded and led them down the short hallway.
Ella followed behind her parents, one hand resting on the strap of the bag over her shoulder.
Her grip remained firm.
Unchanging.
The way she held them—Close.
Protective.
They held weight.
Shortly after, while she unpacked, Ere found a moment to catch her alone.
She stepped out while Janna continued unpacking inside.
"Hey, Ella," Ere said, stopping near the doorway.
"Can I read your books?"
She looked at him.
Measured.
A pause.
Then—
"No."
Immediate.
Sharp enough to end the exchange before it began.
Ere blinked once as she passed him, already moving back toward the room.
No hesitation.
No reconsideration.
He remained where he was.
…Inefficient.
The approach.
The timing.
Possibly both.
Ere exhaled quietly.
That method was no longer viable.
A different angle would be required.
By evening, the villagers gathered around the central fire.
The atmosphere shifted.
Lighter.
Voices overlapped. Laughter rose and fell. Movement circled the flames.
A celebration.
On the surface.
Ere scanned the area.
Located her.
Ella sat apart from the main crowd, a book already open in her hands.
Distance maintained.
Attention fixed.
The rest dismissed.
Ere approached and took a seat across from her.
She did not look up.
"I've only read one book," Ere said.
"The only one we own. It talks about magic and the three kingdoms—"
"Four."
The interruption cut cleanly.
Ere paused.
"What do you mean four? Wasn't the demon kingdom destroyed?"
This time, she raised her gaze.
"That doesn't mean it no longer exists," she said.
"A kingdom doesn't vanish when its walls fall. It continues in the people who remain."
Ere held her eyes.
…That interpretation conflicted with what he had been told.
No—it made more sense now.
She knew more.
She just wasn't giving it.
Ere changed approach.
"Do you think… I could read some of your books with you?"
Silence.
Then she stood.
Took her bag.
And left.
Again.
Ere watched her vanish into the crowd.
Consistent outcome.
Ere shifted focus.
Other priorities surfaced.
He went to find Mika.
Earlier, he had asked for an introduction to the hunters from the other villages.
When he found him, Mika sat with several men around a smaller fire off to the side.
Ere joined without announcing himself.
No objections followed.
Several of them carried the scent of alcohol.
The men formed a loose circle around the flames.
Mika remained at the center.
Rowan sat beside him—broad frame, relaxed posture.
Across from them, Eliah—lean, eyes alert despite the dim light.
Next to him, Toren—a visiting hunter, a scar drawn deep across his jaw.
The discussion was already in motion.
Toren spoke.
"Here's what we know. The village that was attacked two months ago… it happened suddenly."
His gaze stayed on the fire.
"No warning. No time for help."
Rowan gave a short nod.
"The first ones there said the place was flattened. Completely."
A pause.
"If not for the scattered stone—and memory—it wouldn't even look like a village had existed."
Silence settled into the circle.
Then Eliah spoke.
"Monsters don't move like that without a reason. When they swarm, it usually means something worse is nearby."
Ere's thoughts aligned immediately.
A devil-class beast.
The same classification as the entity in the dwarven ruins.
That level of threat exceeded their current capacity.
Mika exhaled.
"We asked the kingdom for magical weapons."
A pause.
"They refused. Said it was too expensive."
A few low laughs followed.
Not humor.
Recognition.
Toren shook his head.
"Then all we can do is hope tomorrow is kinder than today."
Hope was not a strategy.
Before the topic slipped away.
Ere spoke.
"What brought all of you here?"
Several gazes shifted toward him.
"Why live outside the kingdom walls instead of inside where it's safer?"
A brief silence.
Then Eliah answered.
"Every family here has a different reason."
He leaned back slightly.
"Some wanted freedom. Tired of rules."
"One type."
"Some were running from crimes."
"Another."
"Some were pushed out."
A pause.
His voice lowered.
"But most of us…"
Firelight flickered in his eyes.
"…were treated like trash."
The flames cracked.
"Most of us don't have magic. No status. No influence.
That means we're stuck with the worst jobs, while everything else costs more than we can afford.
Housing, food, basic services… all of it ends up out of reach."
Toren let out a dry breath.
"So we came out here just to live like humans."
Rowan added, "And even here, they still collect taxes."
Ere said nothing.
The structure was familiar.
Different world.
Same system.
Those above took. Those below endured.
Extraction from below.
Unchanged.
The conversation thinned.
Then Mika looked toward him.
"Want to take the first protection shift tonight?"
Ere met his gaze.
"Yes."
A few of the men laughed.
Not hostile.
Just disbelief.
Expected.
Ere did not respond.
With his dagger silent since the forest, any greater threat would leave him defenseless.
Still,
Ere rose and moved with them toward the outer wall.
The night stretched outward.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
Ere's gaze moved past the edge of the village.
Into the dark beyond.
Something remained there.
Unmoving.
Unrevealed.
Patient.
Just—
Waiting.