Chapter 166: A promise of protection.

Hunter was not slow; he was being deliberately ignorant. One thing that the beast valley team had agreed upon was not to let the villagers know that the bandit leader had died from their territory and that if trouble came to Rose water it would be because of Beast Valley.

"Have you?" Hunter asked again, when the awaited response of confirmation took longer than he expected to come.

The Rosewater elders instantly exchanged heavy, uneasy gazes. They all wondered why Vince and Daniel had not told this group about the bandit attack? Had something happened to the two men?

Mr. Krugger looked at his people, sending them a signal to remain quiet. This group didn’t need to know that their people had been here, in case they had died. They had bandits to worry about; they didn’t want to add new enemies to the list.

Fisher cleared his throat and nodded. "We were attacked just last night. A group of ruthless scum tried to kidnap one of our girls. But__ we managed to kill them off."

"Except for their leader," Krugger added, frowning. "That slippery bastard managed to run away into the trees." If Daniel and Vince were dead, it was better to lay the blame elsewhere.

Greta’s brows narrowed. "Did they invade your village as well?"

"He will be back__ I can feel it." Koji said.

"That feeling is wrong because he is dead. We came across his body in the jungle." Hunter replied smoothly. "According to our intel, those bandits were not acting alone. They belonged to a much larger group. Their comrades will be coming here very soon, for vengeance."

Gertrude gasped softly, her face draining of color as fear swallowed her whole. She clutched her wooden necklace, her knuckles turning white. "It is as we feared. How__ how do you know this?! I mean if he is dead, you do not think that the transport beast surely would__" Her words trailed off as she realized that if that beast got back to that bandit community, it would surely bring them here.

Koji smirked, "How did you get this intel?"

"How I got it is not important," Hunter answered plainly.

Koji growled, slapping his thigh. "Wait a second! It wasn’t even us who killed those bandits! It was two mysterious strangers passing through! They killed the bandits and then vanished! Perhaps they killed their leader too."

"It doesn’t matter who did what," Hunter said, his voice dropping an octave. "When an army of bloodthirsty bandits arrives at your gates, do you think they’re going to sit down with a cup of tea and ask for a detailed list of who killed whom? They will burn this entire village to ashes just to make a point!"

Koji’s eyes suddenly darted to the strange metallic band wrapped around Hunter’s wrist. He pointed an accusing finger straight at it!

"Look!" Koji yelled, turning to the other elders. "Those two strangers were wearing those exact same bracelets! That means those troublemakers came directly from your village, Mr. Hunter!"

Everyone in the room turned to stare at Hunter with curious eyes. Hunter didn’t bother to deny it, nor did he bother to confirm it. He just sat there, cool as ice, his expression completely unreadable.

Koji smirked triumphantly. "Here’s what we do! Hunter, bring those two men back here! When the bandits arrive, we hand those two over to them, and maybe we can come to a peaceful agreement!"

Hunter stared at Koji for three long seconds. He wanted to slap him but restrained himself. "Reason like a leader, you idiot!" He scolded, his eyes flashing with sharp reprimand. "You think men who murder for a living like to reason? They will turn this place into a slaughter fest regardless! Those two strangers saved your lives, and they brought you food when you were starving! Do you even know who dropped those anonymous sacks of grain at your village gate last week?!"

Krugger’s jaw dropped. He stood up immediately and bowed deeply toward Hunter, his old voice trembling with genuine gratitude. "It was__ it was your village? Ah, heavens bless you! Hunter, please forgive young Koji! He is still young, foolish, and reckless!"

Fisher, who was still trying to figure out Hunter’s strange armor, sighed deeply. "If these bandits are coming, they only want one thing: to punish Rosewater and wipe us off the map of the wildlands. We will not survive. We have to begin the migration earlier than planned. Finding a new accommodation with a flood expected in a week is going to be difficult, but we don’t have much of a choice."

"That is why I am here," Hunter said, standing up and dusting off his coat. "To protect you. My team will stay here for at least three days hopefully the bandits will show up during that time. You don’t need to move."

Koji hissed. "We can defend ourselves! You don’t need to stay! Just__ just leave us some weapons! Give us your guns."

Gertrude almost jumped off her stool to slap Koji’s other cheek herself. She glared at the foolish boy, then turned to Hunter with grateful eyes. "Ignore him, Mr. Hunter, he is only here to fill in for his sick father. We could use every single piece of help we can get! Thank you, thank you so much for the kindness you have shown us."

Krugger smiled warmly. "Follow me, Hunter. I will show you and your men to your lodgings so you can rest."

Hunter nodded respectfully. He knew very well that none of his team would be getting much sleep over the next three days, but he accepted the warm hospitality anyway.

When they stepped outside, Hunter paused, and a small smile touched his lips. The tense atmosphere from earlier had completely melted away.

Out in the dirt, a dozen village kids were giggling and screaming with joy, crowding around Hunter’s men. The kids were poking at the armor and asking a hundred silly questions about their scary helmets. His men were distributing candy bought in Zyra’s supermarket.

One bold little boy had actually managed to put on an oversized metal helmet__ which slipped all the way down to his shoulders, blinding him completely__ and was now stumbling around, pretending to be a monster while the other children ran around laughing hysterically!

Gilby, who looked like an imposing war machine just an hour ago, was sitting helplessly on a log, scratching his head with a sheepish grin.

Hunter stood a few paces away, put two fingers to his lips, and let out a sharp, crisp whistle.

"Alright! Stop playing around!" Hunter called out with a chuckle, waving his arm. "Pick up your gear and follow Krugger."

Gilby instantly snapped to attention, gently taking the helmet back from the stumbling kid, and marched neatly behind Hunter into the heart of the village. The thought on his mind was the same as that of others. When are we going home?