Uncle Mike's face clearly showed concern.
Surrounding him were villagers who kept glancing toward the farmhouse.
Although they had chosen to resist the knights from Aspiration City in order to protect the Mightyena pack and had ultimately won, the fact remained—they were still subjects of Aspiration City. Many were worried about potential retribution from the city.
"At worst, we'll just leave this place."
"With Aven, the Mightyena pack, and the Glooms with us, we can survive in any city."
A young man voiced his opinion, which quickly gained support from other young villagers. They all agreed it wouldn't be a big deal.
"Don't forget the Tangelas too."
"They played a big part in the battle."
Peter couldn't help stepping out to speak up for the Tangela. These were the magical beasts of Fruitvale Village—beings they were duty-bound to protect!
Was Peter worried? Truthfully, he was.
But did he regret anything? Absolutely not.
To him, the Mightyena, Gloom, and Tangela were already like family.
Creak—!
Just then, the door of the farmhouse in the distance swung open.
Seeing this, the villagers immediately rushed forward, eager for news.
"Alright, everyone relax. This was all just a misunderstanding."
"The Lady never ordered an attack on Fruitvale Village. It was all the doing of certain nobles who acted on their own, trying to capture the Mightyena."
Hearing Aven's explanation, the villagers were stunned for a moment, then erupted in cheers. Of course, those cheers were laced with anger toward the nobles.
At the doorway, Vice-captain Todd stepped out and paused briefly, a trace of helplessness flashing across his face.
Regret crept into his heart—attacking Fruitvale Village had been the worst decision of his career.
And the young man before him? A devil in disguise. Every move Todd made had been anticipated and countered.
Everything Aven had said served to clear the village of any wrongdoing. But that also brought Todd some relief. At least this young man didn't intend to become an enemy of Aspiration City.
Having witnessed Fruitvale Village's current strength, Todd truly feared they might rebel. If that had happened, he would've gone down in history as Aspiration City's greatest failure.
"It really was the nobles who provoked the conflict. Fessen and I can both testify to it—so can all the knights," said Sutter, confirming the truth.
Todd nodded in agreement. Blaming everything on the noble heirs was the best outcome for both the knights and the Lady.
…
Knight Leon stood there with a complicated expression.
If he hadn't experienced that battle firsthand, he never would've believed this day would come.
He looked around and met the fierce gazes of the Mightyena. A chill crept into his heart.
The Mightyena knew these humans had attacked their kin.
If not for Aven's healing, some of their brethren would've died. Thankfully, all were saved in the end.
Their gratitude for Aven only deepened their hatred for the knights.
But they had been ordered not to harm humans, and so, suppressing their fury, they stood guard, calm but watchful.
Just as Leon was worrying about the knight order's future, the Mightyena parted, revealing two figures walking toward them.
Both wore rough hunter's attire, but Leon instantly recognized them—Sutter and Fessen, former knights of Aspiration City.
"What are you doing here?"
"How's Vice-captain Todd?"
Leon took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm.
The other knights also turned their eyes to Sutter and Fessen, though none dared act rashly under the Mightyena's watchful presence.
"Don't worry. The Vice-captain is fine," said Sutter.
"He's already resolved the misunderstanding. I think you'll all be able to leave soon."
The knights sighed in relief.
However, Sutter's use of the word "misunderstanding" caught Leon's attention.
'So, the village backed down,' he thought.
'It makes sense. Even if Fruitvale Village is strong, they're still no match for Aspiration City.'
But Fessen's next words stunned him.
"The Lady never ordered an attack on Fruitvale Village. This was entirely the work of some nobles who acted on their own to capture the Mightyena."
"Those nobles…"
Leon thought back. When Sutter and Fessen had tried to negotiate, it was indeed the nobles who opposed them and even invoked the Lady's name to justify an attack.
While it had never been explicitly stated, the nobles had repeatedly tried to capture magical beasts along the way—Mightyena especially.
The more he thought about it, the more Leon felt this must be the truth. But still, something didn't sit right with him—he just couldn't figure out what.
"Yes, those nobles!"
One knight suddenly shouted.
Many of the knights had long resented the nobles who sought glory without effort, and this was their chance to vent—especially when everything lined up so perfectly.
Leon hadn't expected to be released so easily.
Following Sutter and Fessen, the knights walked east toward the village's orchard, which had once again been used as a holding area for magical beasts.
Amid the ruined orchard, Rhyhorns and Mightyena lay scattered together.
Some had begun to wake, but their energy was drained—they felt completely exhausted.
Seeing their magical beasts, the knights were visibly emotional.
If not for the Gloom standing guard, they might have rushed in.
"Wait… where did our Rhyhorn's gear go?"
A knight suddenly asked. The others quickly realized the same—their magical beasts were missing their beast-control equipment.
Sutter and Fessen exchanged a glance, exhaled, and said, "If you want to take your Rhyhorns, you must first pass a test."
"It's simple. Without any beast taming gear, you must convince your beast to leave with you willingly."
The knights' expressions shifted.
For them, using gear to tame beasts was second nature.
Now, without it? The idea made them uneasy.
No control gear, huh…
Leon scanned the orchard and locked eyes with his Rhyhorn.
At that moment, the Rhyhorn looked back. Their eyes met, and Leon felt a sudden warmth in his heart.
"Rhyhorn, will you come with me?" he called out.
The next moment, Rhyhorn bolted toward him.
No one tried to stop it.
It rushed to Leon's side and affectionately nuzzled his hand. A gentle, heartwarming atmosphere filled the air.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Leon whispered, petting it.
Inspired by Leon, more knights stepped forward and called to their magical beasts.
One by one, the beasts responded—calmly and willingly reuniting with their knights.
Watching this scene, Sutter and Fessen exchanged another glance.
They had been skeptical of Aven's plan at first, but now they started to understand.
'Perhaps after today,' they thought, 'the bonds between knights and their magical beasts will grow even deeper.'
…
"Maybe you were right," said Vice-captain Todd, watching from behind a tree with a complicated expression.
"I didn't expect it to turn out like this. Honestly, I was planning to keep a few of those Rhyhorns," Aven said with a shrug.
But inside, he felt a spark of interest.
These knights… were promising trainer material.
"Hmph, of course!"
"On the battlefield, a knight and their steed are one!"
"If any beast doesn't respond, then it's not worth keeping. Such a knight doesn't deserve to serve a benevolent Lady. I'll expel them myself!" Todd huffed proudly.
Then his gaze softened again as he looked at the boy beside him.
"Heh, but my real target was never you."
"I doubt those nobles' magical beasts will behave the same way."
Aven sneered.
He had no intention of letting off the nobles who had plotted against the Mightyena.
Those beasts? Just the first payment toward the real price they would pay.
(End of Chapter)
(TN: I know that if you search Blitz on google the patreon page that will show is Blitz the Youtuber. Just click on his patreon https://www.patreon.com/Blitzkriegsler and change Blitzkriegsler to Blitzmain. Sorry for the inconvenience.)