Xeno’s POV

  I skipped toward the bandit den with Lily and a guy whose name I had forgotten. He was silent the whole time, occasionally stealing glances at me as we traversed the forest.

  “Xeno-chan? Could you retract your tentacles? It is scaring us,” Lily asked politely as she tried to loosen my tentacles that wrapped around her waist.

  “Hm? Okay.” I nodded. Is that why people were wary? Why? These tentacles are very useful. They could stretch, eat, and even grab things from afar. Moreover, they are adorable! Well, if that’s what they want.

  “Thank you. Xeno… chan? I can call you that, right?”

  “Yes, it’s fine.” I nodded. Somehow, it’s a bit warm. I liked being called that. The village chief was nice, but his tone somehow felt distant, as if he was looking at a ledger or something. Lily here might be afraid of me, but she was honest.

  “It’s there. About 1 kilometer from here. Do you see that smoke? That’s where the bandit camp was,” the soldier said.

  “Bernard. Um…”

  “The village chief said we should wait here, right? It’s safer,” Bernard said.

  “Yes! It’s safer here. Just let me finish things there. Give me twenty minutes!” I stretched my hand, and my tentacles slithered out from my back. Then I dashed out toward the bandit's den.

  Bernard POV

  I’ve gotta admit, the village chief was either a genius or insane. Using a monster to kill bandits, who were essentially monsters wearing human skin, was genius. However, what I’m worried about is the fee. Are we going to have to sacrifice humans to this monster every year?

  I knew what the village chief was thinking. Even if this demon asked for ten people every year, that would’ve been better than letting those bandits raid our village.

  But what comes after? I wasn’t a soldier. I was just a conscript. After those bandits killed almost half of our guards along with the village chief’s son, he called up four men to become temporary guards.

  Thanks to my experience as a hunter, I knew where these bandits had gone. But the village chief said I mustn’t get close. If this monster were to lose, those bandits might kill us all for sending monsters their way.

  “It’s there. About 1 kilometer from here. Do you see that smoke? That’s where the bandit camp was.” I pointed north. I assumed this monster had good eyesight, probably better than me. She didn’t trip even once on this moonless night.

  “Bernard. Um…” Lily was hesitant. She was too kind-hearted. This is a monster wearing human skin. Why did she give her nicknames like chan to this monster?

  “The village chief said we should wait here. It’s safer,” I said to the worried Lily. I wondered. Was she going to be the first sacrifice? But for the village, it couldn’t be helped.

  “Yes! It’s safer here. Just let me finish things there. Give me twenty minutes!” the monster said as she bolted toward the bandit camp.

  “Lily… um… about that thing…” I asked. “How did you and the mayor get it to cooperate?”

  “Hm… you mean Xeno? Well, the village chief offered ten pies every day. Probably add some cookies and honey on top of it. Xeno is basically always hungry,” Lily said.

  “...Pies. Is that it? You didn’t offer her a human sacrifice?” I stared at her blankly.

  “She definitely could eat humans. So… please make sure the village chief fulfills his promise.” Lily turned away. Whoa. good job, village chief. Pies are definitely better than human sacrifice.

  “Is she strong enough? That bandit den has at least a hundred people,” I said. But the answer didn’t come from Lily, but from the screams and cries a kilometer away, in the direction of the bandit camp. Multiple explosions and light beams painted the night sky.

  “...Should we take a look? Maybe Xeno-chan needs help,” Lily said, looking worried. From the screams, I worried more about the bandits than the monster.

  “...Okay. You are awfully friendly to that monster,” I said as we tiptoed toward the bandit camp. As we approached, a lump of meat drew an arc and landed before us.

  Our breath caught in our throats as the lump of meat, a bandit, groaned. His neck was twisted in the opposite direction. His eyes gazed upon us in horror as he breathed his last. Then another lump was thrown our way. This one had its skull caved in as if it had been hit by a sledgehammer.

  When we were near enough to see a crude palisade on the bandits’ den, it had a huge gaping hole as fire rose from within the bandit den.

  Then a loud explosion destroyed the palisade completely. The girl came out of the bandit's den unharmed. Her face was still cheerful as ever. She didn’t even look like she broke a sweat. It was as if this bandit den was a mere walk in the park.

  “Alright! We got the loot. Let’s go back,” the girl said as she dragged four heavy-looking cages behind her, filled with prisoners who were ghastly pale. Another five girls hovered in the air, with Xeno’s tentacles tightly wrapping their waists.

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  “B-b-Bernard! Thank God! Is she with you!?” Claire, a girl who was kidnapped last week, yelled from inside the cage.

  “Claire! Thank goodness you are safe!” I ran to my childhood friend. She was safe. When she was kidnapped last month, I thought I would never meet her again. I’m glad.

  “Want me to break the cage? But make sure they don’t run, okay? The village chief said we should bring these prisoner-looking humans to him,” Xeno said.

  “Yes, please! Don’t worry, Claire. Everyone! Don’t worry. She is an ally! Please remain calm! I will rescue all of you! Um… Xeno-san. How many bandits have you killed?”

  “Two hundred and thirty-four!” Xeno said as she cocked her hip, feeling proud. That was a superb achievement, all right. Borderline crazy. “Ah! Here is the loot! Don’t worry. The fire is small. I have extinguished it with bandits’ blood. So, where is my pie?”

  Xeno said as she threw over two hundred sacks of wheat and rice. Then her hand stretched out. With this, our future is secured. Xeno, you are not a demon! You are our guardian angel!

  “Xeno-chan. Um… let’s get one sack to the village chief first. Then I can bake the pie for you…” Lily said.

  “Let’s turn them all into pies! Don’t worry, I can carry everything!”

  Oh yeah. I almost forgot. This guardian angel needed pies. She must have been running on sugar.

  It turned out I didn’t even need to carry anything, as Xeno could fit everything inside her otherworldly storage. She would share some of those with us, right? We needed that flour to bake bread for the winter.

  We returned to the village with the new entourage of over fifteen females these bandits were about to sell. I breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, it’s not wrong to trust the village chief. He was a genius.

  “We have returned!” Xeno skipped her steps as her tentacles entwined around Lily’s waist. The village chief came to greet us.

  “That was fast. So, is it done?” He glanced at me, and I nodded.

  “Yes, and we have also rescued fifteen girls from our village,” I reported.

  “Understood. Lily, could you go to Selena’s bakery? I know it’s late, but we must keep our promise,” the village chief said. “I won’t trouble you with mundane reports, Xeno-sama. Bernard, could you come to the office?”

  “Yes, sir!”

  “Pie!!” Xeno skipped around Lily, trying to push her into the bakery faster. Inside the office, the village chief finally spoke.

  “So, how many bandits are there? Xeno said she had killed over two hundred bandits.”

  “two hundred? That’s practically a small village like ours.”

  “Yes. And richer as well. They even had a palisade and towers around the den.” I reported.

  “But Xeno only brought food, though,” the village chief muttered. “I will task you and ten other men to scavenge the bandit den tomorrow. Don’t leave any treasure untouched. The last merchant will come in two weeks before winter. You understand, right? There might not be any deaths this year.”

  “Yes, sir!” I bowed.

  The very next day, we reported back to the village chief. Feeling sick at the massacre that just happened. Most bodies were half-eaten, bent or twisted as if they were insects being played with by kids. The very same thing could happen to us if we angered Xeno.

  “Um… sir. We found 250 gold coins, 70 swords and leather armor, an accounting book… and this.” I hesitantly handed him a noble emblem. I didn’t know from which house this noble emblem was. But I know this means trouble. We have killed a noble heir.

  “Huh? Why is this thing there? Damn it! Xeno! I told her to spare the prisoners! Did she mistake the prison because it was fancy?” The village chief clenched the emblem with a ghastly face. I feared the worst. If it were to be known that we just killed a noble, the theocracy would send a punitive force to our village.

  But I’m afraid Xeno didn’t make any mistakes.

  “Sir. Um… The body was found in a room along with three naked women, half eaten, and we found this accounting book with him.” I couldn’t read, but I knew what an accounting book looked like. The village chief always had one with him in this office.

  “...” The village chief took the accounting book and opened it. I could see rage burning in his eyes as he slammed the book to the ground.

  “Fuck! Fuck! Fucking parasite! Demon! Monster! No wonder the knights were always late! Those fucking nobles and priests were all in on this!” The village chief stomped it harder and harder, venting all of his accumulated anger on the book.

  After a slew of more curse words directed toward those accursed nobles, the village chief knelt down, clutching his head. His hand trembled. He then bit his finger.

  “Alright. This is what we are going to do,” the village chief said. “You, get this emblem and book back to the bandit den and burn them with the bodies. As for the goods, we can keep them. But remember. We never killed any bandits. They died because of a random monster’s attack. We just looted the place because we were desperate.”

  “Understood.” I nodded.

  As I came outside, I found Lily brushing Xeno’s hair. She had put all her tentacles away. From the outside, Xeno behaved just like an ordinary girl. She wasn’t like a monster. How did she get those powers?

  I sighed as I greeted them. I had saved these honey candies. Maybe Xeno would like them.

  “Your Holiness. May God be with you. We bear grave news.” Several men in white cloaks lined up before the pope. The pope sat down, his loose clothing couldn’t hide his rotund belly as he munched on his dinner. A ring, each encrusted with different jewels, adorned each of his fingers.

  This opulent man was the pope. The leader of the theocracy of Aerimia. His word was the law in this land. The castle, or better known as the cathedral, was embellished with marble from top to bottom. His throne room, or publicly known as the papal throne, was made of solid gold.

  Beside the throne room was the silver table, the place where the pope had his opulent supper.

  The theocracy of Aerimia was a kingdom with a national religion worshiping goddess Seles, but after a civil war forty years ago, the usurper called himself the pope, with a mandate from heaven. From then on, the kingdom was gradually turned into a theocracy. With nobles usually becoming bishops, priests, or cardinals.

  “What is it?”

  “The clairvoyants have received an oracle that the firmament of Adelesia had been breached.”

  “The firmament? Where?” The pope said as he threw away a small chunk of his steak to an obese dog beside him. A steak that cost twenty years of a knight’s salary.

  “Somewhere north, Your Holiness. In the northern forest. At the border of our country and Fondaine.”

  “I see. Sending a large party would raise suspicion. We can’t afford to wage war with Fondaine. Send a squad from the cathedral to confirm the situation. What about the Hero Party?.”

  “Yes. They have breached the Kingdom of Larentum’s first line of defense. We can expect the three hero parties to conquer the kingdom next year.”

  “Appoint Bishop Leisha as the governor.”

  “... but she was known to be ruthless. Often beheading people without cause.”

  “Clairvoyants, you may have the god’s words. But his will lies with the bishop. She will do well.”

  Of course that was a lie. The reason the pope appointed Leisha was because she bribed him with gold and jewelry.

  “... understood. I shall appoint a squad to search about the breach in the firmament. The oracle said it was the work of several cultists from Fondaine.”

  “Tch! Damn heretics. Once we are done with Larentum, Fondaine shall be next. May God bless you. I shall now head to my chamber. Do not disturb me.”

  “Understood.”