A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter 23 – Trial (3)

“I found it! Over there!”

In the vast grassland, two individuals were cautiously approaching something. However, even after finding what they desired, they couldn’t help but sigh.

The moment they got closer, the targets bolted away in an instant. Balun, one of the two, shook his head at the sight.

The fleeing horses, initially blocky figures from a game, had transformed into wild steeds as soon as they approached.

If they had arrived on horseback, they might have been able to catch them, but no external creatures could enter this place, except for the chosen ones.

“Why can’t we use that mysterious spell that pulls stone pillars from the ground?”

“To be honest, I still haven’t grasped it, and using it to catch horses would require too much stamina.”

Jun, a villager who came along, suggested using the spell used in the battle against the bugs, but Balun looked troubled and insisted it was impossible.

Their mission to acquire horses was to replenish the injured ones from the battle with the bugs and increase their livestock numbers. However, without relevant traits, it meant they had to catch the wary wild horses with their bare hands.

“It can’t be helped. Let’s reconsider livestock later and head back. Hunting would be easier, but trying to catch and tame them is tough.”

In the end, Balun gave up on catching horses today. While it would have been nice to acquire more livestock, it wasn’t urgent.

“Wait!? Look over there!”

Just then, Jun, who was about to turn his body to follow Balun, spotted something. Startled, Balun turned his head and noticed that someone had appeared in a place where nobody had been moments before.

‘It’s been a while since you came.’

Balun, seeing the person looking at them with a slightly tense expression, bowed his head in greeting.

In response, the square-faced figure nodded as if acknowledging the greeting and waved its blocky arms toward the wild horses in the distance.

‘Could it be?’

Upon witnessing this action, Balun and Jun couldn’t help but entertain the hope that this being, who always demonstrated mysterious powers in their difficult situations, might solve their current predicament.

Indeed, he held several items in his hands, combining them together. A bridle made from food the game horses like and animal hides. Using those items, players in the game could tame livestock and ride them.

“It’s hard to even make a prediction.”

In reality, he approached the wild horses while holding the food, and as if entranced, he made them obediently follow him, equipping them with the bridle to turn them into horses he could handle.

As he led the horses toward Balun and Jun, they were left speechless, scratching their heads at the sight. It was as if the scene they were witnessing strayed far from any common sense, representing a world that was entirely outside the realm of logic.

“Thank you. You are our guardian deity!”

Receiving several obedient horses, Balun expressed his gratitude. At some point, he had come to regard this figure as a blessing and a guardian deity sent to them. Although today marked the first time he had openly mentioned this thought, the square-faced expression, which appeared somewhat dull, seemed not to comprehend the words. While he looked in their direction, the lack of expression made it impossible to discern any emotion.

Still, it seemed the meaning of his gratitude was conveyed, as he repeatedly sat and stood up like usual, communicating his consent.

“You came back early today. Given what happened this morning, it’s not surprising.”

Balun returned to the village with the townsfolk and the newly acquired horses and met Riena, who had arrived earlier.

Upon hearing what had happened with her, Balun was astonished that she had come back early.

“From what I gather, he must have shown up in that world as well after I returned. Are those two perhaps the same existence in different bodies?”

“That could be.”

Riena, upon hearing Balun’s story, speculated that the knight who accompanied her might be the same being as the square figure that assisted Balun.

While that speculation was indeed correct, Balun shook his head, not eager to jump to conclusions.

“Right now, the identity of that person showing us goodwill doesn’t seem important. More importantly, is there something urgent, Ress?”

“It might be urgent, Chieftain.”

Instead, Balun’s attention turned to a villager who seemed like he had something to say. Known as Ress, he was still in his full armor.

“You saw something while scouting.”

Looking into Ress’s eyes, Balun could surmise the general idea. Ress was a strong man with the highest combat prowess aside from Riena and served as the reconnaissance team’s leader.

Their routine involved riding horses to scout the area daily for any potential threats that might invade their territory.

For Ress to have something to report meant he had witnessed something significant.

“Just to the southwest of here. Others are currently passing through that area.”

“Others?”

“It seems… they might be raiders.”

Ress shared the facts he and the reconnaissance team had observed. At the mention of raiders, not only Balun, but Riena’s eyes widened in shock.

The raiders of the grassland were the sworn enemies that harmed their village and families.

“A large number of raiders are riding horses, dragging along more people than they have, taking them somewhere. The number of those being dragged barefoot is high, so they’ll likely be moving slowly. I expect they’ll be in this vicinity for at least two days.”

“Is the fallout from the shattered balance reaching this far?”

Balun bit his lip. The balance had crumbled right before their tribe was attacked. The once many tribes that had managed to survive by maintaining their own balance hesitantly began to experience a bloody war, triggered by the sudden aggressive growth of a single tribe.

No one could stop now. Tribal wars had become a competition for survival in the purest sense.

“Fortunately, they are wholly focused on dragging their captives. They seem entirely unaware of us, so if we stay still, we shouldn’t have any problems.”

Ress argued that since they were oblivious to their presence, it would be fine to remain hidden. While he wasn’t wrong, hearing that immediately made Balun unable to reach a decision.

“Do you want to save them?”

“I can’t deny that.”

Noticing the change in atmosphere, Riena asked her father, and Balun didn’t bother to refute her words.

“It’s not just simple emotions or conscience. Ress, you too, and Riena, you saw what happened this morning. Not only that, we’ve encountered the mysterious deity since we arrived on this grassland. That’s not something we can overlook.”

Balun explained why he was harboring such dangerous thoughts. As the leader of their group, various considerations poured out from his mouth.

“The Black Monster is stronger and more terrifying than any kind of beast we have seen. It was a monumental trial given to us. However, at the same time, we were granted a blessing—a blessing bestowed by the guardian deity of this grassland. The problem is, we are too weak to endure both the trial and the blessing.”

A bitter smile appeared on Balun’s face as he surveyed the village.

Among the flow of people, a few vagrants had blended into what was now a group of several dozen, yet the number of soldiers capable of fighting, excluding children and the elderly, was far from impressive.

He had led a tribe multiple times larger and lost everything, yet Balun still felt a sense of inadequacy.

“To face the Black Monster, which could appear at any time, or enemies targeting this place, we need more people. We cannot simply be satisfied with conserving power; we must use it to expand further. That is my belief.”

“That’s…”

The others found it hard to refute Balun’s thoughts. His words were indeed grounded in reality.

If the number of soldiers had been even slightly lower, or if they hadn’t been armed with iron prepared in advance, they surely would have lost the fight against the bugs that very morning.

“Then, should we attack those raiders first? We don’t even know which tribe they belong to.”

“If your words are correct, the number of enemy soldiers isn’t so overwhelming that we can’t handle it. However, we might have to stake a lot.”

While he voiced his thoughts, it wasn’t an easy decision for Balun to initiate an attack.

Now, they had more resources compared to their enemies, but war was always subject to unpredictable variables.

“…Let’s do it. We can.”

At that moment, Riena stepped forward, suggesting they fight. Her eyes were unwavering as if she had already made the decision.

“The numbers are similar, and we are superior in armor and weaponry. Moreover, we’ve already overcome that dreadful monster, so we can definitely win.”

“That’s true, but what if there are numerous superior warriors among the enemy? I’m still not familiar with this power, which would make the burden heavier for you.”

Balun felt flustered. It was especially difficult since the only remaining warrior in the tribe was his daughter.

“I can do it.”

However, Riena was resolute. At the same time, radiant golden light burst forth from her body—manifesting her Celestial Blessing.

The moment that power, filled with intensity, surged forth, even the others hesitated.

“You’re right, Father. Simply hoarding power isn’t enough. We need to grow more and faster.”

She had just fought against a terrifying skeleton that could rival the bugs. After overcoming the fear that skeleton emitted and achieving victory, Riena partially shed her doubts about herself and gained confidence.

“And that person would want us to grow stronger too, right?”

“How can you be so sure?”

“B-because I have a feeling.”

Additionally, she predicted that the divine being helping them would desire their strength.

While there was no concrete basis, at least during the second game when they fought desperately against the enemies alongside him, they had shared a kind of communion which formed the basis of her belief.

“Then, is it settled?”

“Ress, do you agree too?”

“As a man, hiding and running forever isn’t right.”

Ress grinned, agreeing with Riena. If everyone was on board, Balun had no reason to hesitate any longer.

That night, they ultimately planned to ambush the targets before they could leave the vicinity and join their main force.

[Chieftain’s Dilemma: Preemptive Strike]

“What is this?”

And the plan was clearly visible in the eyes of Balun, who was observing the villagers just before it happened.