"No! That's absolutely impossible! I would never hand Mila over to you!"
The old village chief stumbled back in alarm. The villagers behind him surged forward, blocking Major Kajili's view.
Their village had relied on fishing for years. They weren't wealthy, but they lived in harmony.
But as Mila grew older, she revealed a stunning beauty at such a young age. She was already a little beauty in the making!
Sometimes, beauty really wasn't a blessing. It was the source of disaster.
By chance, Major Kajili had seen the beautiful Mila, and immediately began to harbor evil intentions.
In the days that followed, Major Kajili came to the village again and again to cause trouble, preventing them from going out to fish and making life increasingly difficult for the villagers.
They had heard many rumors about Major Kajili. No woman who fell into his hands ever met a good end. He had even preyed on little girls.
So they had never considered handing young Mila over to this utterly wicked major.
Some people stood at the village entrance, watching from a short distance away. Their gazes were vacant, and their faces expressionless, like living corpses.
The sea breeze swept past. The tide began to rise, slowly creeping toward the beach as if it meant to bury the despairing people.
"That's not up to you. Debts must be repaid—that's only natural. Your village owes me fifty million Beli in total. Either you pay up, or you hand over the girl."
Major Kajili sneered, looking as if he had them right where he wanted them.
"For the past few months, you Marines haven't let us go out to fish. We had no choice but to borrow 500,000 Beli from you just to get by. We've already paid it back..." The old village