"Adventurer..."
Martin eyed Moss's dust-covered little face and muttered warily.
Moss's voice was slightly hoarse. It didn't sound like a child's—instead, it carried a mature quality.
That made Martin somewhat inclined to believe Moss's explanation. He relaxed a little and thought to himself:
Perhaps she's just a little short.
"Hmm?"
Moss narrowed her eyes and looked at the man before her with a hint of confusion. She somehow felt that he was badmouthing her.
Martin, however, clearly couldn't tell what Moss was thinking.
He straightened up, though his hand still gripped the hilt of his sword. His expression softened slightly as he said:
"Hello. I'm Martin, the captain of Hill City's soldiers!"
Martin looked at the burning village and said to Moss:
"Miss Molly, could you explain what happened here?"
"Ah... Of course."
Moss froze for a moment, then nodded.
"When I arrived at this village, it was around dusk. Everyone here had already been killed by monsters."
"At the time, I saw that the village was full of monsters from outside, so I didn't go in... Later..."
Moss concealed how she had killed the monsters, only saying that the fire in the village had been started by a Mage who happened to be passing by.
"Since I saw that all the monsters were dead, I prayed for the deceased at the village entrance. Then you arrived."
Martin nodded at that. He released the hilt of his sword and straightened his body, glancing left and right.
By then, the sky had grown completely dark. Even with the illumination from the flames, they couldn't see the surroundings clearly.
He frowned and continued asking Moss:
"Miss Molly, where is the Mage you mentioned?"
Moss shook her head and said regretfully:
"I don't know. The firelight was very strong at the time. I