Noel and Anna were invited to the village chief's house to discuss the problem.
"The incident started a month ago. There were 5 villages next to this village previously, but now, there is only one left. The first village was destroyed a month ago. At that time, we didn't think much about it. We only asked for the help from the kingdom to subjugate this bandit.
"Unfortunately, the kingdom didn't move fast enough and the second village was destroyed ten days later. At that time, we started fearing about the potential raid.
"Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the soldiers did come to kill the bandits. However, they couldn't do anything because they were attacked by the demons. The soldiers retreated and even escaped.
"We were blamed for not reporting this matter. So, we asked for the assistance of the Demon Banner Army to subjugate the demons while paying attention to the bandits.
"It was at that time we learned that the demons attacked the third village before the bandits came just to loot the now empty houses. They kidnapped women and children who managed to survive from the demon attack.
"A few days ago, we heard that the bandits had attacked again. If we're looking at the position, this village is going to be the next target."
Noel contemplated for a moment and said, "Thus the time limit. It seems that the bandits are attacking you every week. From the look of it, the situation is more complicated than we originally expected…"
"Are you going to…" The village chief's face became pale. It was clear that he was afraid of Noel and Anna rejecting this request.
"I think we should have some power to handle the bandits as well as the demons." Noel glanced at Anna who nodded in agreement. After that, he looked at the elderly and said, "Still, we need your cooperation to end this problem."
"I understand. Please tell us anything you want us to do." Out of fear, the chief accepted the condition without hesitation.
"Thank you." Noel smiled, assuring him that they wouldn't leave until the situation was solved. "It's hard to pinpoint the bandit's location, even for us. So, is there someone who knows about the bandit hideout?"
"There is a man who once spotted the bandit nearby. We believe it's around that area."
"Good. Can you ask that man to guide us there? We'll do some surveillance first to understand their situation. Only after that can we subjugate them." Noel paused for a moment.
"Yes, absolutely. He surely won't reject the chance to show you their location since he's a hunter." He nodded.
"Since the bandits have attacked a nearby village a few days ago, we still have around three to four days before they attack this village." Noel thought for a moment and asked, "Should we observe them for two days and attack them on the third day?"
"I'll leave the planning to your hands." Anna raised her hands. Noel was more adept than her even with her past memory, so it was better to let Noel do whatever he saw fit.
When he talked to Anna, he also said the remaining days they could live in peace while assuring them that they would subjugate the bandits before that happened. After listening to his statement, the village chief felt a bit relieved.
He didn't want to let Noel and Anna do everything, so the village chief said, "In that case, please let me prepare your meal and your rooms. This is the least I can do for you, Sir Noble."
"Thank you. But we've eaten earlier, so we're going to confirm the bandit hideout first. We'll be back around dinner." Noel didn't reject the offer to show that he wasn't angry of their rude behavior from before.
"If that's the case, let me call him first." The village chief rose from his seat, preparing to call the man to this house.
However, Noel did the same while saying, "Let's go together."
"Thank you very much." The elderly smiled for the first time, feeling gratified of Noel's kind gesture.
Anna remained silent and just simply observed Noel, learning on how to act from him.
As soon as they left, the village chief walked toward the house in the outskirt of the village.
He knocked the door a few times until a muscular middle-aged man opened the door.
"Chief?" He was surprised at first but when he saw Noel and Anna, he wanted to kneel, only to be stopped by Noel.
"This…" The muscular man was confused for a moment until the village chief said, "He is Brad. He is a hunter."
"What's going on, Chief?"
"Sir Noble hopes that you can guide him to the bandit hideout."
The man scratched the back of his head and said, "Although I've spotted them nearby, I can't really say that I know their exact location."
"It's fine." Noel nodded. "At the very least, you can give us some clues so that we can find them. Our goal is to defeat the bandits in their hideout since we don't want the village to be razed down by them first before eliminating the bandits. That's why I need your help. Will you do it?"
When he heard Noel's explanation, he immediately nodded his head. "I will do it. Please let me do it."
From his expression alone, Noel knew that Brad didn't want this village, his home, to be destroyed by the bandits. And the people in the village would become a casualty too, so he cooperated with Noel and Anna without hesitation.
"Great." Noel smiled.
"Thank you for your hard work, Brad." The village chief patted his shoulder with a smile.
"No, no. This is my job as a villager." Brad nodded with a solemn face.
"In that case, let's not waste anymore time." Noel turned around while asking Brad to lead the way.
Brad bowed to the village chief. Although he was surprised that these two people would do their job as soon as they reached this village, he was more than happy to comply.
The village chief bowed to Noel and Anna as if asking them to solve this problem.
After a wave of his hand, Noel turned to Brad and asked, "Then, please."
"I understand. Please follow me."