Chapter 153 - Obsidian Orb

After a few hours, Ellena and I finally reached the village. There were some people that were just roaming noticed Ellena.

"What is your business?" they asked as they saw Ellena, who seemed to be suspicious.

Indeed. Ellena was suspicious as she was covering almost all of her body. 

Ellena raised her hands in the air and slowly took out her guild card.

"Don't worry. I am here for the Mutated Broaxen."

When they heard it, their lips shaped like an 'O'.

"So you accepted our request?! Please! Welcome! We will call for the chief."

Ellena was about to cut their words, but her worries were blocked. 

Actually, we didn't come here to ask for the chief or something. Ellena wanted to ask where the actual location of the monster.

Nevertheless, she'll be going to see the chief. It won't hurt anyway.

One of the villagers who assisted Ellena and slightly wanted to have a conversation with her. Our Ellena, on the other hand, was slightly acting timidly.

Ellena's eyes were just limited and brief, so a real conversation couldn't be held. It was never her intention to act snobby. I can feel it. Hopefully.

Well, Ellena was just uninterested in the talks. Maybe she wanted to finish the quest immediately.

"Do you want to finish the quest immediately?" I asked.

It was as if the question leaked from my mouth. 

Ellena just nodded secretly and followed the villager to a hut... or house of the village chief.

It was a hut and had a roof of joined dried leaves. Also, the walls were made of wood. Lumber, to be exact.

The concept of nails isn't still that widespread here. Because actually, metals are expensive and they would think of it as a waste since it takes time and effort.

Metals here are used for other matters and weaponry. Nothing else.

"Welcome. I am the village chief, Ruffal." A voice resounded as Ellena took a seat.

The village chief arrived. He was elderly, but he wasn't using any canes. Perhaps his outer appearance was aging and the energy he had was still okay.

"I am here to ask where you last saw the Mutated Broaxen."

"I see... Are you in a hurry?" the village chief asked.

Ellena nodded.

The village chief just sighed. Perhaps he didn't expect the person who took their quest to be a snob.

Well, I can't blame them. Ellena was used to having speed at stake. Remember how she can do up to 7 quests in one go? That's how she gets impatient.

A professional, maybe?

"Can I offer you something?" the village chief asked in an anticipating tone. But Ellena just shook her head.

"I want the location. I have to test something." Ellena said.

"Okay. The monster was last seen in the east part of the village."

Ellena nodded and bowed her head slightly.

That was it?

"Aren't you going to ask more?" I asked.

I was expecting Ellena to get more information. Well, information is important, and I can't be arrogant enough to think that Ellena can kill the monsters easily.

It will be our first encounter. She needs some preparation.

But Ellena may have felt that it was unnecessary. She was strong, and I know that. Perhaps she was getting more confident, but it turned out that she was overconfident.

"Ellena. Aren't you being arrogant?" I said.

I am worried. It's still best to ask her.

'What do you mean?' she retorted.

"Well, I was expecting you to ask for more information. Like, did someone take the quest before you and fail? What should you do and what is the capability of the monster? "

'Easy. I wasn't arrogant. I was thinking that maybe it would be useless to ask them since they couldn't even tell the monster. In the first place, if they knew how to defeat it, they would do it themselves.'

That's where she's wrong.

Witnesses aren't cops, you know. It is like the monster has something to hide. That is why it did not attack the village. 

That kind of monster will not attack the village? There's obviously something there, and she must look for it.

I conveyed to Ellena my worries and thankfully, she understood what I said. 

She faced the village chief and started asking questions.

"Are there more you need to tell me? Why was the monster still not attacking the village? How did you survive this long with a B-rank above monster in the area?"

It was fierce and strict listening, but the village chief kindly answered everything. He wasn't somewhat offended by how Ellena talked.

Ellena was just used to talking in this way. She doesn't have any meaning behind it. She's... just impatient, really.

The village chief looked at Ellena intently. Perhaps thinking deeply of what she asked.

The village chief left Ellena and went to a room to get something. When he came back, he put something on the table.

It was an orb of obsidian color. 

Ellena intently looked at it and tried to touch it, but the chief warned her.

"Don't touch it. Every girl that touched that orb became stone."

'This wasn't in the quest.' Ellena's thoughts leaked.

Of course indeed, because if they included something out of the ordinary in the quest, no one would take it.

I guess Ellena doesn't know this, but this is kind of normal. A fixed report, to be exact, just so that it could pass inspection.

And I think the chief was at fault. Well, totally, but not at all. Because he was just being thoughtful of the other villagers and would be ready to trick someone to save them.

That's a typical idiot leader, and it's human nature.

"Why would you show this to me? Is this connected with the monster?" Ellena asked.

The village chief nodded.

"This is what protects the village. This orb drives away monsters."

Suspicious...

"Why would you show this to me? What's the reason for requesting if you can use that?"

Well, first, Ellena, you should ask where they got it.

"It's because the woods were getting more populated. The mutated broaxen is pregnant and broaxens, when they are pregnant, their children grow fastly." the village chief said, with some uncertainty on his face.

This is heavy.

"Then where did you get this orb?" 

Finally! You asked Ellena!

"That... was given to me by someone who passed by the village a month ago."

Ellena's eyebrow raised as she felt something was tingling behind this information. 

I felt it as well. There is something with this piece of information.

"And why are you telling it to me?" Ellena asked.

"Because.... I wanted to."