Myrul woke up earlier than usual, the hut still quiet as Eugene and Emilia slept soundly. He couldn't resist playing with Emilia's nose, gently poking it because it looked too cute.
Emilia kept rubbing her nose in her sleep, as if something was bothering her, and Myrul chuckled softly at her adorable reaction.
Carefully, he sneaked out of the hut to enjoy the fresh morning air. However, as soon as he stepped outside, he noticed the villagers gathered in a tense huddle. Fyr emerged from the crowd, his expression grim.
Fyr bowed slightly and delivered the news: "Last night, one of the villagers was killed by a monster. We need to act quickly."
Myrul's heart sank. "How big is this monster?" he asked, his mind racing.
Fyr's face darkened as he explained, "It's about 5 meters tall... and it's a minotaur. It carries an axe as big as our hut."
Myrul's eyes widened. "That's not a monster... that's a disaster," he feeling the weight of the situation settle on his shoulders.
"Do we have any other strong members besides Eugene and you?" Myrul asked, his voice tense as he processed the gravity of the situation.
Fyr hesitated before explaining, "We have eight other members who are strong enough to match us, but we've split them up to build and protect different villages. That way, if something happens to one village, the others can survive."
Myrul frowned. "Their strategy is genius, but the downside is that one village could be completely destroyed, and they'd just... let it go. I hate this plan," his frustration evident.
"Just give me some time. I'll think of a better strategy," His mind already racing with ideas.
Myrul sat at the table, his fingers tapping rhythmically as he thought deeply. "A Minotaur with an axe... it's a formidable foe. In most stories, the only way to defeat it is to surpass its strength, but that's easier said than done. If it's come out now because it's hungry, then it's on a food hunt. That might make it easier to trap, but that axe... that's the real problem. With only two people, we'll need a solid plan to deal enough damage," he muttered to himself.
Eugene emerged from the hut, and Fyr quickly filled her in on the situation. She glanced at Myrul, who was clearly struggling to come up with a solution.
As the queen, Eugene didn't want to burden him further. She rallied the villagers, preparing them to hunt the Minotaur. "We'll take it down together," Her voice firm and commanding.
But Myrul noticed the villagers starting to move, following Eugene's lead. "What are they trying to do? This is a suicide mission if they gamble like this!" he thought.
He rushed over to Eugene and grabbed her hand. "What are you trying to do?"
Eugene gave a subtle signal to the villagers, and two of them immediately stepped forward, grabbing his and holding him back.
"Let me go!" He struggled, but their grip was too strong. "You can't go after the Minotaur without a proper strategy! This is madness!" his voice cracking with desperation.
As the villagers and Eugene disappeared from sight, Myrul slumped to the ground, tears streaming down his face. But once they were out of view, he suddenly stood up, wiping his tears and stretching his arms.
"Hah, that was my acting. It was awesome, right?" he said, grinning at the confused villagers who had been holding him back. "You two can go now," he dismissing them with a wave.
He walked over to the breakfast area, picking up another plate of bland vegetables. "Ugh, this again," he forcing himself to eat.
As he ate, Myrul began muttering in an ancient language under his breath. Suddenly, the ground trembled, and a figure emerged from the earth—a person clad in black, holding two daggers.
"It's been a long time, My King," the figure said, bowing deeply as if they had missed Myrul dearly.
"Hello, my loyal disciple . It looks like you're still alive after 500 years since I went back to my world. Well, I won't ask about the other disciples—they're all alive by now, right? And now I'm at war with their descendants, just like old times," his tone calm but laced with nostalgia.
"I don't know how you found out I was transferred back to this world, but it seems you've come to be my enemy too, haven't you?"
The figure, a beastfolk of the fox type, revealed herself. Her name was Anya, an assassin with 530 years of experience. She had never failed a mission in her life, and today, her mission was to destroy Myrul's village.
"Only beastfolk can handle that type of minotaur . Remember one thing: never, ever try to kill another one of my people, or your continent will be at war with me," Myrul warned, his voice firm.
Anya sat down at the table across from him, her expression calm but her eyes sharp. "Hello, Anya. Looks like your mission will fail today," He said with a smirk.
"Well, it'd be boring if I lost without a fight. Should we settle this like old times, or should I call the master who abandoned their disciples without a word?" Anya replied, her tone teasing but with a hint of bitterness.
"Hmm, oh yeah, I didn't know about that. But never mind—you all should've been strong enough. What's the problem if I left you behind?" He said casually, shrugging.
Anya was triggered by his words and lunged at him with her dagger, her movements lightning-fast. But to her surprise, time seemed to slow down around Myrul.
"Well, assassins will be assassins," He unfazed. Anya used one of her reflex skills, striking at him with her other hand, but the attack did no damage.
Myrul simply stood there, holding a pair of pink underwear in his hand. "Do you feel cold down there?" he raising an eyebrow.
Anya looked down, her face turning red with embarrassment. She quickly grabbed her underwear, stood up, and disappeared from the scene.
"Ahhh, what a child. I didn't know they'd turn out like this because of me. Lucky I have this artifact. I just hope that elf doesn't find out I'm alive. She'd destroy this village with just her magic," Myrul muttered to himself.
On the other side, Anya smiled to herself, knowing her master was still alive. "This time, I'll hold onto this secret alone... until we meet again,"she whispered, disappearing into the shadows.