Agnes was wary. Her punch did no damage to Osvald; he stopped the blow as if it were inconsequential, though Agnes was punching at full force.

"Wain, who is that?"

Agnes jumped aside. Teresa stood beside her, and they got ready to fight.

"Don't worry, he's not our enemy, and if he were, we wouldn't stand a chance. Osvald is just the kind of man who likes to fight." Wain shrugged.

"Just fight...?" Agnes was puzzled. Osvald's suggestion seemed strange to her.

"Sure, you've got pretty good skills and reactions, with the right training, you can get very strong. So what do you say? Are you okay with that?"

"Man, what the hell are you talking about? How can you attack a girl and then offer her that with a calm expression on your face?" Teresa was indignant.

Osvald remained silent. He didn't pay any attention to Teresa; he only looked at Agnes.

'Is he ignoring me?'

'Is it just me, or has Osvald been getting too wild lately? If this keeps up, he'll fight with everyone he meets...' Wain muttered inwardly.

"Agnes, tell him what you think already!"

"I agree."

"What?! Are you serious?!"

"Yes." Agnes was serious.

"Fine. I knew I should have picked you. I can't wait to get started."

"All right, that's it, let's go. We still have to talk to Gisle. He'll be accusing me of having too much work because of me again." Wain shook his head.

They reached the city walls in a few minutes. The guards were surprised, but when they saw Agnes, Teresa, and Wain, they quickly let everyone inside, no questions asked.

Wain led everyone to the training field. It was as spacious as a huge square, and only two people were in it: Gisle and his opponent, Luar.

Gisle concentrated and swung his katana, creating a windblade. It shattered the air and reached Luar in an instant. His hands were covered in golden energy, and he ripped the blade apart.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Clapping sounded behind them, Gisle and Luar turned and saw Wain and Osvald. They clapped slowly.

"Wain? What the hell...? Did you bring someone again?" Gisle looked at the villagers. It was the first time he had seen Beastfolks, but he had no trouble identifying them.

"Are we not welcome here?" Irma frowned.

"Oh, she's their leader? Great, that simplifies things. Luar will continue later. Looks like I got a job again." Gisle headed over to Wain.

"Wain, good to see you!" Luar waved.

"Hi. I thought you spent all your free time with Reto. Aren't you two best friends now?"

"Yes, but Edena yelled at us that we interfere with her work when we get drunk. She's been too cranky lately. Do you know what's wrong?"

Something changed in Wain, and his eyes went wide.

'Damn... I was going to stop by and hand over the alchemy gear. I completely forgot about that... That's how one little bug problem can lead to such consequences.' Wain muttered to himself.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. Don't worry. Edena will soon be in a good mood, I assure you."

"So... Who are you, people? How did you get here, and what will you do?" Gisle stood in front of the villagers.

Irma stepped forward, "We were brought here by Wain, he said this place could be our new home. We are simple villagers caught in an unpleasant situation. Space has played a cruel trick on us."

'Hmm... They're pretty weak. There are a few dozen of them, it wouldn't be a problem to shelter them, but it's not enough.' Gisle pondered.historical

"What are you capable of?"

"What do you mean?"

"I want to know who you are, maybe fighters, blacksmiths, or cooks? Who?"

"If it matters that much to you, we have some strong fighters among us, and we're pretty good at cooking. We're Beastfolks of the Cat Clan, and we've developed a keen sense of smell."

Gisle nodded as if weighing the pros and cons and nodded, "Okay, you're accepted. Teresa, take them to Elsa. She'll give you a job and help you get settled in."

"What? Why me?"

"Just do as I say and don't resent it."

"Okay..." Teresa muttered grudgingly.

'What? He agreed just like that?' Irma was puzzled.

"Wain, I want to talk to you, but first, who is this man that gives me the creeps all over my body?" Gisle pointed at Osvald.

"That's just my new friend." Wain shrugged.

"By the way, now that you've settled your questions, isn't it time for us to start fighting?" Osvald looked at Agnes.

"To the fight? What's he talking about?"

"Yes. I agree, but could you lower your strength in some way? Otherwise, I'll lose at the beginning."

"Of course, Wain, erase carefully. You'll have to learn that soon."

Osvald took a deep breath, then a stream of energy burst out of his body. The energy came back, but now in the form of chains. They shackled Osvald, and his aura became much weaker, the chains eventually disappearing.

'I see... He released some of the energy and forcibly blocked it. It looks pretty hard.'

"Okay, girl, attack first and hit at full force!"

Agnes nodded.

'What's going on here anyway? I was just practicing... what the hell has it come to?' Gisle inwardly muttered.

Whooooooooosh.

Agnes rushed forward. Her fists were covered in white energy, and she launched a powerful punch.

Osvald stepped to the side at the last moment and grabbed her arm, he threw her sideways like a projectile. Agnes bounced off the ground and attacked again. She hit from behind with all her might, but Osvald just jumped up and pressed lightly on her shoulder.

Bam.

Because of the pressure, Agnes lost her balance and fell. She tried to counterattack, but Osvald's palm was already at her throat. She couldn't move a millimeter.

Agnes was shocked. Osvald's movements were simple and precise. There was nothing she could do against him. For a strong Agnes, this was unusual.