When Ula-Ula fell to the ground, behind him, the monstrous Carol finished eating her own father.
But ultimately, with the fatal wound, after finishing her meal, she died.
Ashu watched the scene, taking a deep breath.
"This is a mess... more dead bodies, a wizard, and an alchemical monster. Should we report this to the Cultivator Guild or the law enforcers?"
"You just used that spell again. Can your body handle it?" Anna asked, noticing Ashu's condition.
Ashu realized that with the help of the passive buff, his recovery had been too quick.
Quickly, he draped his arm over Anna's shoulder, transferring some of his weight onto her. "I'm feeling... a bit too excited. I'm not sure if it's a sign of overexertion. I hope it won't damage my body."
"Excited? That's definitely a sign of overexertion. Let's get you home," Anna said, glancing around at the scene. "I'll handle the report."
...
Anna helped Ashu back to the cottage, and soon, a crowd had gathered outside.
Most of them had heard the low growls by the river and saw Ashu returning, appearing injured.
"Ashu, what happened? Are you alright?"
"Ashu, what was going on by the river? Was it a magical beast?"
"Did a magical beast bite you?"
"Ashu, is our village in danger?"
With all the voices calling out questions, Ashu responded, "Don't go near the river for now. It's dangerous—there's a monster."
After saying that.
Ashu pretended to faint, which convinced the villagers.
The news that Ashu had become a cultivator spread overnight in the village. With him in this condition, who would dare go near the river now?
Even if they ran out of water at home, they'd just have to manage for a few more days.
Once the villagers dispersed, Anna sent a written report to the town.
In the afternoon.
A small convoy entered Gorn Village.
Four people got out of the carriage—three law enforcers in uniforms and one familiar face from Gorn Village—Kidopriest.
Kidopriest knew where the saintess was, and as soon as he got off the carriage, he hurried straight to Ashu's house.
He stood in the front yard and respectfully greeted, "Greetings, Saintess. I am your loyal servant, Kidopriest. The Cultivator Guild sent me to banish fear and trace the source of the crime."
Cultivator Guild members often spoke in vague, mysterious terms, but the three law enforcers behind Kidopriest weren't as wordy. They immediately went up and knocked on the door.
"Sir, are you home? We have a matter that requires your attention," said the lead law enforcer, a man with a brown beard.
Creek—
Ashu opened the door. After resting for most of the afternoon, he had mostly recovered.
"Hello, Officer," Ashu greeted.
The law enforcers were part of the administrative units for towns and above, and ordinary law enforcers were similar to police officers from Ashu's past life. These three were no different.
The law enforcer with the brown beard shook Ashu's hand and said, "I'm Officer Hudening. The report was directed here. I'd like you to describe what happened at the time."
To this.
Ashu gave an honest account. He didn't need to embellish anything, as he had no stains on his record. His actions could easily be described as a classic case of self-defense, one worthy of being written in the town's daily newspaper.
After hearing the details about the monster and the wizard, the officer moved on to the key issue.
"So, Carol's father is dead now, and the family is left with just the poor woman?" Officer Hudening lamented.
As a law enforcer of the town, it was hard not to have heard about the wizard's activities in nearby villages.
There were various rumors about Ula-Ula, but as a law enforcer, his intuition told him that he wasn't a good person.
Unfortunately, they had never been able to find solid evidence.
Now, while the wizard had exposed some evidence, he was dead, and the law couldn't punish him. Hudening felt some regret about that.
As for his lament over Carol's mother, it was just professional habit.
"Ashu, thank you for your cooperation," Hudening said, standing up after finishing his investigation. "Thank you for your tireless efforts in protecting the village. The town hall will remember your service and reward you with a monetary bonus."
When Ashu heard about the bonus, he was happy to accept.
"It's the least I could do," he replied.
"Well, we won't disturb you any longer. We'll head to the scene now. Once we've cleared the danger, we'll inform the villagers that they can live peacefully again."
"Alright."
After watching the group leave, Ashu felt a bit down.
Three people were dead, and only Ashu had returned alive. With the kind of person Carol's mother was, she would definitely come looking for trouble.
He couldn't just make up a reason to kill her.
That would put him in the crosshairs of the law enforcers, who would likely suspect him first and possibly reopen the case involving the alchemical monster.
"Anna, what are we going to do when Carol's mother comes to make trouble every day at our door? She's an old woman who claims she's gone mad, and no one can do anything about it."
At this.
Anna shrugged and said, "I have no solution. What I learned at the Witch's Guild doesn't help with dealing with lunatics. When they're crazy, you just let them argue with their own gods."
"Ugh, fine. Anyway, I haven't done anything wrong. If she comes, I'll just use it as practice for my Magical Essence control. I'll hang her upside down for a few hours, and she'll calm down."
...
Ashu and Anna spent some more time together in the cottage.
But as night slowly descended, the law enforcers who were supposed to report back had yet to do so.
Without their report, the villagers would have to spend the night in fear.
Then.
A figure holding a torch appeared in Ashu's vegetable garden.
It was none other than Fat Laus.
With Fat Laus leading the way, others soon followed, lighting their own torches and gathering in Ashu's front yard.
The reason?
Because Ashu was the only cultivator in the village, and the town's saintess also lived there.
It was clearly safer here than at their own homes.
Looking at the flickering lights outside the door, Ashu opened it and said, "Fat Laus, go shout toward the river, ask the law enforcers if they're done with their cleanup. What's the deal with everyone gathering here? How are we supposed to sleep at this hour?"
Ashu was still hoping to have a more in-depth conversation with Anna.
After all, it would help increase the system's critical hit return multiplier.
Of course, he also genuinely enjoyed it.
Fat Laus, trembling, replied, "Ashu, the reason I came is that I called out, but no one responded, and I heard strange rustling sounds. That's why I came to find you… Do you think the law enforcers were attacked? Why else would there be no news for so long?"
"Don't speak nonsense. Kidopriest is with them too," Ashu answered.
He had secretly observed Kidopriest's strength. If it had been Kidopriest facing the monster Carol and the wizard Ula-Ula, he was certain that Kidopriest would have won without question.
"Really! Ashu, how could I lie to you? I really heard strange noises," Fat Laus insisted, spreading fear among the crowd.
As soon as these words were spoken, the villagers instantly became uneasy. A timid young girl even started crying.
At that moment.
Anna gently tugged at Ashu's sleeve.
He half-opened the door and asked, "What's wrong?"
"There's something moving toward us, it feels like an alchemical monster. Tell them to disperse."
"Looks like you were right…"
Ashu opened the door fully, looking at the freckled face of Fat Laus. Under the firelight, his face appeared even rounder.
This guy really had a knack for jinxing things.
But Ashu trusted Anna's perception.
Since Anna said it, the law enforcers clearing the scene in front were likely all dead, and their carriage was still hitched by the roadside.
But what about Kidopriest, who had some combat ability?
If even the priest was dead, how could they fight?
Although Ashu had mastered Water Bullet and had passive healing, he knew he wasn't a match for Kidopriest.
If even the priest couldn't survive, then the only option left would be to abandon the village and escape.
"You all should head home. I'll change clothes and go take a look myself. Don't crowd around my house!"
After saying that, Ashu closed the door, pretending to change.
In reality, he asked, "Anna, can you sense Kidopriest's presence?"
Anna's deep blue eyes glowed brightly in the firelight outside. She spoke carefully, "From the soul's status, there's a serpent-like creature moving toward us, and Kidopriest's soul is overlapping with it. It seems like he's been swallowed by the monster. As for the other three law enforcers, their soul fluctuations have already vanished."
Upon hearing this.
Ashu quickly grasped the crucial point.
"So, Kidopriest is still alive. We can work together."
This new alchemical monster might be related to the final curse of the wizard Ula-Ula. He had caused so much harm throughout his life that no one would ever truly know how many people he had wronged.
If the curse had indeed come true, as he claimed, all the alchemical monsters he created would come after Ashu.
In that case, they would have to purify the curse after dealing with this matter.