“Guest, you sing very well.”

As Herietta uttered the last line of the song and closed her mouth, she was praised by the owner, who passed by. Judging from the empty tray he was holding, it seemed that he had just delivered the drinks to the guest from the table behind.

“I don’t normally like nasal voices, but the guest’s voice is very soft even though it is nasal. Maybe that’s why I don’t feel reluctant to hear your singing.”

“Thank you.”

“Perhaps the guest is a minstrel....?”

The owner asked, glancing at Herietta’s appearance. Herietta smiled shyly.

“No. It’s just that I sing occasionally as a hobby.”

“I see. It’s a rare voice, and it’s very charming.”

The owner, who gave her a few more words of compliments, rushed over when a customer at another table called him.

Hearing the unexpected compliment, Herietta looked slightly embarrassed. In fact, she had been reluctant to sing since she injured her vocal cords and her voice was deformed. She had no trouble singing, but the voice in her ears sounded unfamiliar. As if it was someone she didn’t even know. She felt repulsive without even realizing it.

Although she didn’t mean to, it was a pleasure to be acknowledged by someone.

Herietta laughed silently, but the inside of the store was in a commotion.

“Hey! Why are you all so stupid? You never know when the Kustans might come!”

It was the man who had just been drinking and creating an atmosphere of fear. They thought he had calmed down a bit, but it seemed that he couldn’t stand it and caused trouble again.

“If we stay here, we would be sitting ducks! Do you think we can stop them if they’re determined to come? Wake up!”

He groaned and shouted.

“They’re bastards who will split open your stomachs and chew on even the bones! They’re ignorant guys who won’t even look at the other people, even if they’re women or children! If you don’t want everyone to die, hurry up.... !”

Herietta frowned at the excessive drunkenness. Aside from her, there is also young Lucas here.

She couldn’t stand it anymore, and she was about to say something. But at that moment, a loud noise came from behind her. She was startled and looked behind to see that one of the chairs had fallen on the floor.

“.... be quiet. it’s not like you’re alone here.”

It was a quiet, yet haunting voice. These were the words uttered by one of the three people who had just entered the store with an unusual atmosphere. Judging from the circumstances going on, it seemed that the chair had also been kicked by him.

In an instant, the store became quiet. It was so quiet that a needle dropping could be heard.

“Kustan or whatever. Keep talking like that. You don’t have to wait for them to come, I’ll slit your throat first.”

“What, what?!”

The man whose ego was about to be crumpled screamed out loud.

“Look, look at you, how dare you!”

“Look at me?”

The man screamed out loud, but the man who threatened him cut him off.

“Look at me.....”

Once again, the man, who was slowly repeating the other person’s words, lowered his head and gave a low laugh. Like a predator waking up from a nap grunting when it finds its prey pushed in front of it, like that.

Then he slowly raised his head.

“Yes. Go on.”

He laughed like he was having fun and taunted the man.

“Look at me.... What?”

Then, he leaned his upper body slightly forward. It was just a small gesture. It might not have meant much. Still, those who saw it felt a strong fear for some reason.

An ominous feeling, like something terrible is about to happen.

A chilly, cool aura ran down the man’s spine and spread throughout his body.

“You.... you.... you.... !”

The drunken man stuttered, unable to speak properly. He didn’t want to back down like this, but he was too short-lived to ignore that blatant warning and continue to endure.

Instinct whispered to him who was stiff as a stone.

Even if you die and wake up, you can’t be that man’s opponent.

The man, whose face was so red that he blushed, couldn’t resist and closed his mouth. There was a line he shouldn’t cross no matter how proud he was. And he had no intention of crossing that line. No matter what anyone said, his life was the most important thing to him.

He can’t defeat what he can’t defeat, so the man’s spirit faded. Those who saw it naturally noticed it. Now that the man has declared his defeat in front of everyone.

The drunken man jumped up from his seat and walked toward the door of the store. His unsteady balance and staggering gait looked very dangerous, but there was no one to support him.

Ring-ling~!

The bell on the door rang alone, sending the man off. Click. The door closed, and there was an uncomfortably thick silence in the store. People only looked at each other.

“Oh, guests. I apologize for the inconvenience. He’s not like that, but the atmosphere in the village is so turbulent.....”

The owner, who was invisible during the eerie atmosphere, appeared out of nowhere and apologized.

“As an apology and compensation, we will provide snacks for free. Well, is there a menu you want?”

“That’s enough. Because we’re going to leave anyway.”

The man who easily subdued the other person with a few words refused the owner’s proposal with a fairly calm attitude, as if he had created a threatening atmosphere. While the owner was taken aback by the sudden change of attitude, the man stood up. Then the two people who were with him also got up after him.

As the three packed their bags and prepared to leave, everyone else in the store let out a sigh of relief. They weren’t the ones who caused the controversy, but that didn’t matter at this moment.

‘If only the drunken man had gone wild without knowing his place.’

People swept their hearts out in surprise.

‘His head, which would fall on the floor, must be rolling somewhere by now.’

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