"I-If you really want t–"
"I have already cleaned everything inside," Gerald said from inside.
Maia stopped and shut her mouth. Slowly, her face turned as red as a tomato.
"What were you saying?" Misho asked and pointed his ear towards her.
"Nothing!"
Maia opened the door and left Misho outside.
"..."
Misho shook his head and followed after her.
The player lay on the table. His face was covered with unknown herbs and leaves.
"Is he okay now?" Misho asked.
"He is. Did the two of you find anything at the edge of the forest?" Gerald asked as he wiped his hand with a piece of cloth.
"We found mud tracks of kids at the east side," Misho replied.
"Mud tracks? Kids?"
Gerald furrowed his eyebrows in thought.
"Yes. We assumed that they were the kids from the village, but we asked just in case," Maia answered.
"Do the two of you know where the kids play?" Gerald asked and stood straighter than before.
"Near where we found the mud tracks?" Misho replied.
"Yeah." Maia nodded her head in agreement.
"The kids only play at the west side because there is a pond and a giant tree there," Gerald said.
"..."
"..."
Misho and Maia's face slowly turned grim. They understood what he was getting at.
"I will go find Kea! Wait for me before you leave," Gerald said and hurriedly left.
They didn't get to say anything before he disappeared.
"...Did we jinx it?" Maia asked Misho.
"I hope not," Misho replied.
They felt worried.
"Misho…"
Maia extended her hand to him. Misho looked down at her hand before looking up at her face.
"What if..?"
"I-It shouldn't be that bad. I can handle it," Maia replied solemnly.
She didn't feel like entering the room alone to clean herself. She was worried that something might happen once she was gone.
Misho thought the same, but he wanted to give her a chance. It was obvious to him that she was embarrassed about it.
"It's natural, Maia. I won't laugh at you," Misho said seriously.
All humans start as equal. If Misho got an erection, Maia would get wet. It was his body's reaction to prepare for reproduction, and it was her body's way to welcome a visitor.
"Thank you, Misho," Maia replied.
The two of them stared into each other's eyes. The trust that they accumulated over the years after spending time with each other shone through at this moment.
"Let's look outside the window. If there really are goblins, we would be able to prepare if we see them from afar," Misho said.
At this moment, he didn't think about any lewd or nonsensical thought. This was him when he was serious. After solving countless problems from his coding job, it was a skill he learned.
"Mm!"
Maia followed after him, and they warily looked outside the window facing outside of the house.
After a few minutes, they saw two silhouettes running together. They were none other than Gerald and Kea.
They entered the house and looked at the two of them.
"Uncle Gerald, let's go," Misho said.
Gerald looked at him in surprise. This was his first time seeing this side of Misho. It made him feel like he was before a general.
"Kea, this is someone that they rescued. Look after him while we investigate the mud tracks that they found," Gerald said to her solemnly.
He was infected with Misho's seriousness.
"Yes, Dear. Be safe," Kea replied.
She looked at them with a face full of worry and grasped at her heart in nervousness.
The aura that they were exuding suffocated her. It was full of determination and a will to battle.
She then turned her head and looked at Misho.
"Quarter, be careful too," Kea said.
"I have Maia with me," Misho replied.
It wasn't because she was capable of using her fireball spell. It was because she was there as a person and not as a protector.
Kea seemed to understand the emotion going through him and nodded her head. She looked at them holding hands, and her eyebrows faintly trembled.
After bidding farewell with her, Misho and Maia led Gerald.
They took a shortcut and headed directly to the village's east side. They went across several bushes that they had to push away.
No one said anything along the way. They were all tensed up.
"Do you not have a weapon, Uncle Gerald?" Maia suddenly asked.
She broke the silence as it confused her.
"I can cast spell arts," Gerald answered.
"I see." Maia nodded her head in understanding.
After several minutes, they arrived at the spot where they found the mud tracks. There were imprints of many small feet on the dried and cracked mud on the ground.
"Goblins, no doubt. It must be their scouts," Gerald said solemnly.
He half-kneeled on the ground and touched the mud tracks with his bare fingers.
"What do we do?" Misho asked.
He was ready to fight. He couldn't use spell arts, but he could punch. His body was much stronger because of his cultivation.
"The tracks are still slightly wet. Let's go back. I will report this to the Village Chief. It would be too dangerous for us to proceed further," Gerald explained.
"What if they suddenly attack?" Misho asked.
If the goblins decided to attack at the same time as they looked for the village chief, the innocent villagers would have no way of defending themselves.
"One of you watch over here. The other one should go back and inform all the villagers to prepare for battle. This is a matter of life and death. If we mess up, I will never be able to rest in peace," Gerald replied.
*Ding Ding Ding*
–––––––––––
Legendary Quest Accepted!
Notice: The previous quest has been upgraded.
Goal: Scout the goblin's attack and help defend the village.
Rewards: 200 Gold + [Title: Village Hero]
Issuer: Freewind Village
Failure to inform the villagers on time will result in the destruction of the village.
–––––––––––
"I will watch over here. You can go inform them, Maisha," Misho said.