"Huh? Maybe you misheard."
Mo Lini widened her eyes.
How could there possibly be a man in Lessa's room?
"Don’t underestimate an elf’s ears, you know!" Liyana perked up her pointed ears, bouncing slightly, which reminded Mo Lini of a rabbit.
"Then… what did they say?" Mo Lini pressed further.
She couldn’t wrap her head around the idea that her newly acquainted friend would secretly meet with a man in the middle of the night—especially since the other party was a nun from the Goddess Church.
"I couldn’t make out their words clearly, since there was a wall in the way," Liyana shook her head. "But I can confirm nothing… ahem… that kind of thing happened."
"Th-that kind of thing?" Mo Lini gulped.
"Oh? Want me to explain? I could give you a hands-on lesson…" Liyana grinned mischievously as she crawled closer.
A pillow flew across the room, smacking Liyana square in the face and knocking her flat.
"Liyana, if you think making dirty jokes will bring us closer, and then you’ll confess to me while I’m flustered, I’ll still reject you outright. Nothing like what you’re hoping for will happen," Mo Lini said matter-of-factly. "I’m not a child—I know plenty of things… including what Aina and Xia Lun do every day."
"Mmm—sorry." Liyana flopped onto the bed, lying on her back.
Suddenly, she lifted her head again, eyeing Mo Lini suspiciously. "Oh? You really know? Then tell me, what do Xia Lun and Aina do every day?"
Mo Lini’s face instantly turned crimson. "O-of course I know! They’re married, so… when they’re alone, they must kiss, and at night they sleep hugging each other… Ugh, this is so embarrassing! Liyana, you’re terrible for making me say such things…"
Liyana clutched her nose, feeling a rush of blood to her head.
So… so cute!
Mo Lini, pure as untouched snow, was absolutely adorable!
"I—I can’t take it! Mo Lini, hehehe… just let me pat your head, just once, please, I’m begging you…" Liyana giggled deliriously as she lunged forward.
Moments later, Mo Lini huddled at the head of the bed, trembling under the covers, her hair a tangled mess.
"I… I’ve been defiled."
……
A peaceful night.
Though for Xia Lun, no night could truly be called peaceful.
Still, given his physical prowess, he could handle whatever Aina threw at him… and this had nothing to do with the modifications she made after reviving him. Even a thousand years ago, it had been the same.
"Huh, turns out I’m still pretty strong," Xia Lun muttered to himself.
"What was that?" Aina whispered against his cheek, her face still flushed.
"Nothing." Xia Lun turned his gaze to the window.
The storm from last night had passed, and the sun was just peeking over the horizon, gradually illuminating the village.
The crowing of roosters echoed outside.
Fully dressed, Xia Lun stepped into the courtyard outside the church.
A heavy iron sword materialized in his hand.
"Sword" might be too generous—the blade wasn’t even sharpened. It was more like a hunk of metal vaguely shaped like a sword.
Xia Lun had found it in Aina’s treasury, forged from a material called Starfall Iron.
Starfall Iron was absurdly dense but otherwise unremarkable… typically used in small amounts when crafting golems to help balance their weight distribution.
Xia Lun took a deep breath, slowly raising the iron sword overhead before carefully guiding it down in a controlled swing.
No whooshing wind accompanied the motion—no risk of waking the perpetually lazy Liyana.
Only faint ripples disturbed the air. Any more force, and he might’ve torn through space itself.
Xia Lun sighed. At his current level, going all-out simply wasn’t an option.
It wasn’t like he could just pop outside the world every time he wanted to train.
But he wasn’t discouraged. He continued swinging the iron sword with deliberate precision.
He was still human, after all. His stamina had limits. A few more sets, and he’d still get a decent workout.
Finally, after about half an hour, a faint ache crept into his arm muscles.
Good… he was definitely human.
Milu and Mina, the two children, had woken up at some point and now stood behind Xia Lun, watching him swing the sword while whispering to each other.
"What’s he doing?"
"No idea."
"Is he farming? The villagers keep swinging their hoes like that…"
"But that thing in his hand isn’t a hoe, is it?"
"Then what is it?"
"Dunno."
The two chattered away, oblivious to the fact that Xia Lun could hear every word.
Xia Lun found it odd. These kids didn’t recognize a sword?
Even if Nameless Village lacked skilled warriors, surely they’d seen a sword before.
Two villagers walked past the church, hoes slung over their shoulders, chatting cheerfully—likely heading to the fields.
They were older men, dressed in coarse yellow tunics and shorts.
Spotting Xia Lun, they froze, exchanging bewildered glances.
Then, one of them burst forward with speed that would put a high-tier warrior to shame.
What the—?
Xia Lun was baffled. This unassuming farmer moved with near-superhuman agility.
And this was just some random guy who tilled the soil?
Was everyone in this village built different?
The man circled behind Xia Lun, clearly aiming to subdue him.
So Xia Lun grabbed the man’s wrist and pinned him to the ground.
Fast and strong, sure—but the guy had zero combat technique. To Xia Lun, he might as well have been an ordinary person.
As Xia Lun made contact, his fingers brushed against something slick.
Scales?
"Who the hell are you?"
The other villager charged in, trying to help his pinned companion. Soon… both men were stacked beneath Xia Lun, immobilized.
Huh. The second one had the same cold, scaly texture—like a snake’s hide.
"How’d ya get into the village, boy?"
"What’re ya plannin’?"
Xia Lun studied the two farmers beneath him, deep in thought.
Aside from their unnatural strength, they spoke with thick rural accents, sounding no different from ordinary peasants… and their hands bore the calluses and sun-darkened skin of lifelong laborers.
"I think you should explain who you are first," Xia Lun said, slowly releasing them.
Sensing no hostility, the two men calmed down, dusting themselves off and exchanging glances.
"We’re just farmers workin’ the land."