Human Village

"Hey! Norn, look what I found!"

In an inconspicuous corner of Gremir Forest, a simply dressed Human Race tribe lived.

Thanks to the Barrier left behind here, they were able to thrive and multiply in this sanctuary.

A blond young man returned from hunting and waved loudly at a black-haired man in the distance.

"Erik, don't make such a fuss."

The black-haired man, Norn, walked over, but before he could finish speaking, he saw the figure behind him.

"This is?"

Seeing the person behind him, who was clearly Human Race in appearance, Norn was somewhat surprised. This was the first time he had seen humans outside his own tribe.

So Mr. Kraft had been right.

There were humans elsewhere in this world as well.

"Where did you find him?"

"In the river over there. I was going to clean my prey, but then this guy floated down from upstream. He was still alive, so I brought him back."

Norn carefully examined the unconscious man's face.

His delicate features bore several scratches. His clothes were plain, but the stitching was far better than what they wore.

He was obviously from one of those large tribes.

"Take him inside first. We'll talk once he wakes up."

Norn had Erik carry the man into a low house and lay him on a bed padded with animal hides. After asking his younger sister to watch over him, he left.

Rhode opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling, while pain shot through his entire body.

I'm still alive?

Rhode had never expected to narrowly escape death. He had fallen from such a high cliff and somehow had not died on impact.

He checked his condition. Pain came from everywhere, but it did not seem too severe, so he cautiously sat up.

"Don't move. You've suffered internal injuries and need to rest for a while."

A pleasant female voice sounded beside him. It belonged to a cute little girl with black hair.

But what caught Rhode's attention even more was her unmistakably human appearance.

Could I have arrived at the Human Race tribe in Gremir Forest?

Just to be safe, he still needed to confirm it. "Hello, where is this?"

"Gremir Forest. Brother Erik found you in the river. Are you an adventurer from outside?"

The little girl widened her eyes. Their tribe was very small, with only around a hundred people, so almost everyone in the village knew one another.

Rhode, before her, was an unfamiliar outsider.

Rhode let out a long breath. The pain in his body eased somewhat; earlier, it had twisted his expression into a grimace.

He gave a gentle smile, trying to look less frightening. "Yes. My name is Rhode, and I did indeed come from outside."

The little girl blinked, seemingly very interested in his answer.

"What is it like outside? Mr. Kraft said there are many dangerous Monsters outside. How did you survive?"

Kraft?

It seemed this really was the Human Village he had mentioned. That made things much easier.

All he had to do now was quietly wait for them to arrive. Before they had been scattered by the Demon Race, they had agreed to gather here.

He just had not expected that misfortune would turn into fortune, bringing him here ahead of everyone else.

The price, however, had been a little too steep.

Rhode smiled bitterly. "Yes, it really is dangerous outside."

He recalled the Demon Race member who had pursued him, as well as his final attack.

Unfortunately, he had failed to kill it completely and had been knocked into the river by its attack. Still, it was fortunate that he had fallen into the river. Otherwise, he would have already become its next meal.

Just as he was considering how to explain his experience, the door was gently pushed open, and Norn, the black-haired man from before, walked in.

"You're awake?" Norn held a steaming bowl of herbal medicine and handed it to Rhode. "Drink it. It'll help your injuries."

Rhode accepted the bowl, thanked him, and took small sips of the medicine.

This was the first time he had drunk herbal medicine since coming to this world.

The fact that he had not gotten sick during the past half year was nothing short of a miracle. After all, he knew absolutely nothing about herbal medicine and could not use Healing Magic. If he got sick, he could only rely on his immune system to work its magic.

The bitter taste made him frown, but soon, a warm current spread from his stomach through his body, and the pain truly lessened considerably.

"My name is Rhode. Thank you sincerely for saving me," Rhode said.

Norn waved a hand. "No need to be polite. I'm Norn, and this is my younger sister, Noyun. But can you tell me how you ended up here?"

Rhode fell silent for a moment. In the end, he decided not to deceive them and told the truth. "I was being pursued by a member of the Demon Race. It knocked me into the river, and then I ended up here."

"The Demon Race!?" Noyun cried out, her little face filled with terror.

In her tribe, adults described the Demon Race as the most horrifying and terrifying monsters.

They said those creatures had five heads and ten eyes, and if you disobeyed or ran outside, they would catch you and eat you as food.

Just hearing the term made Noyun's legs tremble.

Norn's expression also grew grave. "Are you sure it was the Demon Race? Why would they appear near Gremir Forest?"

There was not even a single Monster in Gremir Forest. It was one of the few peaceful regions in this world.

He and Erik occasionally went outside the forest to find Monsters to hone their martial skills, but they only ventured nearby and never dared travel too far from the forest.

As for the legendary Demon Race, he had never even seen one.

He had only heard Kraft say that they possessed body types similar to the Human Race, though there were exceptions.

Rhode nodded. "Without a doubt. And that Demon Race member was very strong."

He only knew that his attack had not killed the Demon Race member completely, merely gravely wounding it. As for what happened afterward, he knew nothing.

Rhode then added, "Actually, I have companions. Mr. Kraft is among them, and he once told me about your settlement."

"Mr. Kraft is here too?"

Norn and Noyun spoke at the same time. Kraft was practically a benefactor to their tribe.

He had taught both Norn and Erik their current martial skills. Hearing news of him again naturally made them emotional.

"That's right. You might see him in a few days. He was also the one who told me about your tribe."

The woman of the winged race had originally told Rhode about Norn's tribe, but Rhode had learned far more from Kraft.

So there was no real problem with him putting it that way.