The next day, as expected, brought a rare stretch of fine weather on the snowy plains. The long-awaited sunlight shone down on the earth, bringing smiles to the faces of the elderly in the village. They gathered outside their homes, basking in the sun.
When Steven passed by the village entrance, the enthusiasm of the elders reached its peak. Each of them wished they had a young, beautiful granddaughter to marry off to him on the spot.
No wonder—they couldn't help it. This guy was just too wealthy.
Thanks to Steven's presence, not a single person in the village had starved to death during this increasingly harsh winter. Not only that, but the villagers had even gained a little weight.
All of this was thanks to Steven's supply of potatoes and meat. Without those, surviving the winter would have been impossible.
As for how Steven managed to provide these supplies, the villagers didn't dwell on it. Why bother asking why? Knowing wouldn't change anything. Having food on their plates was happiness enough for them.
After making his way through the friendly greetings of the elders, Steven finally arrived at Alina's house, looking a bit embarrassed. He knocked lightly on the door.
Facing a group of monsters was no big deal for him, but dealing with these warmhearted villagers? That was something else entirely.
Still, these villagers were the kind of simple, kind-hearted people he'd always pictured the lower class to be—grateful as long as they had enough to eat. They were nothing like the twisted, spiteful folk from that other village.
"You're back already?"
The door was opened by Talula, as usual. She seemed to enjoy sticking to Alina whenever she had nothing better to do, practically her most devoted fan.
Right now, the girl looked puzzled.
She hadn't expected Steven to return so soon.
From his expression, she couldn't see any disappointment that might come from failing a mission.
Did that mean he'd already dealt with the so-called Collapsal in less than a day?
"Nope. I came back yesterday, had a bath, changed my clothes, and enjoyed a great night's sleep."
Steven sidestepped Talula and walked into Alina's house as if it were his own. He expertly lit the stove and started heating water.
The house's owner was already up, but judging from the slightly dazed and sleepy look in the white-haired, antlered girl's eyes, she clearly hadn't gotten enough rest.
"Mr. Steve? I've finished sewing the clothes you wanted according to your instructions. I'll get them for you right away," Alina said.
The moment she realized it was Steven, her drowsiness vanished. She hurriedly tidied up her clothes and got ready to fetch the outfit from her wardrobe.
"No rush. Oh, and from now on, just call me Steven. While it sounds like my real name, Steve is actually just a code name."
Sipping the hot water he'd boiled, Steven's cheerful mood was palpable, so much so that even Talula could feel it. What puzzled her, though, was what could have happened to make this guy so happy.
Still, she had something more pressing to focus on right now.
"You're only telling us your real name today? So you've been lying to us all this time?"
"I wasn't lying. I am Steve, and I'm also Steven. The two aren't contradictory. It's just that, well, everyone has their preferences when it comes to names, right?"
Steven squinted as he answered Talula's question. Normally, he used his alias—even Kal'tsit only knew him as Steve. Back when he first arrived, unprepared and messing with Irene, he'd casually revealed his real name to some Inquisitors. Other than that, the only one who probably knew his true name was his adoptive daughter, Gladiia.
As for why he was now telling Alina and Talula? It could only be said that Steven felt like it.
"Just how many secrets are you hiding? Why not lay them all out at once? That way, I won't have to keep wondering about you all the time," Talula said with an exasperated look, rolling her eyes. His explanation was no explanation at all, but she let it go, sitting down next to Steven and casually taking a cup of hot water he had just boiled.
"Ste… ven?"
Alina softly repeated the name, finding it weird that someone almost used their real name as their code name. Still, her usual gentle smile remained on her face. For Steven to share his name must mean their relationship had grown closer. To her, this was definitely a good thing, and she gladly accepted it.
"Yep. If it's hard to pronounce, you can call me whatever you want. But Talula, you're different. Let's hear you call me Brother Steven first."
Crossing his arms with a teasing smile, Steven turned to the girl next to him and made a rather unreasonable request.
"Call you brother? Why don't I just call you dad instead? Doesn't that embarrass you?"
"I wouldn't stop you if you wanted to. But, as I recall, someone still owes me quite a few favors. A single 'Brother' isn't nearly enough to repay those, is it?"
Steven continued to tease the Draconic girl, clearly enjoying her flustered reaction. He wasn't trying to assert dominance or anything; he simply wanted to mess with her.
Seeing this usually mature girl—who rarely showed any youthful flair—make expressions appropriate for her age was its own kind of fun.
"You!"
"Hmph. I'm not calling you anything. Do whatever you want."
"Fine then. In that case, I won't tell you what interesting things happened on my way to hunt down the Collapsal yesterday. Too bad for someone's curiosity."
Steven tapped his fingers on the table. He wasn't in a hurry—he knew the truly impatient one was Talula.
He refused to believe that Talula, who was brimming with questions all the time, wouldn't care about the Collapsal incident. That just didn't match her personality.
Talula, on the other hand, pouted angrily, crossing her arms and turning away. She threw an aggrieved look at Alina, as if seeking support.
"Look at him! He's just bullying me. What did I ever do to him?"
Her tone was like a young girl complaining to her parents, even carrying a hint of coquettish.
"I think he just can't stand seeing you with that constantly worried, overly mature look. You know how he is. The more annoyed you get, the happier it makes him. He just enjoys teasing you. Don't you already know that?"
Alina's words even caught Steven's attention.
He turned to her, surprised.
Who would've thought this usually quiet girl had such a sharp understanding of people?
"I'm not constantly worried. It's just… seeing those infected people sinking deeper into despair—who could possibly stay happy in the face of that?"
Talula sighed.
Deep down, she knew Alina's words made sense.
Thinking about it carefully, she understood that Steven was just teasing her for fun. He wasn't trying to upset her—he just enjoyed a good laugh.
But Talula wasn't as carefree and optimistic as him.
When certain thoughts crossed her mind, it became impossible for her to maintain a smile.
"If I said I could laugh about it, would you be upset?"
Steven raised an arm, a mischievous grin on his face.
Whether he could laugh about infected people sinking into despair depended on who they were.
If it were the twisted villagers they'd met before, he'd probably grab some popcorn and a soda, pull up a chair, and start clapping.
"Every time you open your mouth, I'm already upset!"
Talula rolled her eyes.
Somehow, this guy had an uncanny ability to say exactly the things that irritated her. It was like a special talent of his.
"Alright, alright. I'll stop messing with you. Let's get to the important stuff."
Steven waved his hand dismissively. After downing his cup of hot water in one gulp, he straightened up and got serious.
"The Collapsal's been dealt with. The village doesn't need to worry about being attacked anymore. As for those two iron golems, I'll take care of them later. However, after all that, I ran into… a bit of trouble."
"Though, to be precise, it wasn't exactly trouble—just an interesting group of people."
Hearing the shift in tone, Talula turned to face him, holding her cup carefully and watching him intently. Whether it was the Collapsal or this "interesting group of people," if they had caught Steven's attention, they definitely weren't ordinary.
"You know the title 'Emperor's Blades'? Do you know what it represents? They said they were specifically tasked with handling Collapsals or whatever. Their outfits were pretty stylish, but they like to ask a lot of pointless questions."
Steven rubbed his chin as he shared his thoughts about the Emperor's Blades.
He wasn't sure how strong they were, but he had to admit—they looked good.
More importantly, he was curious about their standing within Ursus' official hierarchy. He had a nagging feeling that it was only a matter of time before he'd have to face them again.
"You're talking about the Emperor's Blades? So, you really did run into them?"
Talula held her head in her hands, feeling a headache coming on.
She had expected this.
After all, if Collapsals were involved, how could the Emperor's Blades not show up?
"Yeah. They were pretty reasonable, actually. They even helped me clean up the scene. Then they didn't ask too many questions and just let me go."
"…What?"
"Want me to say it again?"
<+>
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