Half of the village had been burned down, and the ground was covered with charred wood and fragments of furniture that were so scattered that the original shape could no longer be seen.
The fire ahead was still very strong, and it still had the tendency to continue to spread. Of course, it was impossible for the three of them to stop the spread of the fire, and they had no such plan as they were busy on their way.
They were ready to sort out the remains, and Zeref even wore a mask. However, they did not encounter the bones piled everywhere as they imagined along the way. On the buildings along the street, there were only scars left by flames and some man-made objects.
There are no traces of damage, and nothing else can be seen yet.
Similarly, the group of wolf-headed men they were worried about seemed to have disappeared, and the three of them walked freely on the village road without noticing any danger.
This too quiet atmosphere made them a little surprised.
At least no one would have thought that there were not many victims in this village.
Although it was different from the expected relics from the orcs' atrocities, it was a good thing that it didn't happen.
So the three people who calmed down continued to check the situation in these ruins to learn more about the village.
The young man in the team originally looked extremely reluctant.
But after walking around the village and observing for a while, he didn't encounter anything that the young man was worried about before, so he stopped complaining.
But there was an unusual feeling coming from the front, which made his expression change.
To be precise, this is not what I just felt.
The abnormality has always been there, but he can still tolerate it, so he deliberately ignores it.
But now, this abnormality has become stronger and stronger, so strong that he cannot ignore it.
It's like there's a bell ringer living in his head, banging the big bell between his ears desperately to warn him - time is running out!
"We have to hurry!"
The young man who was feeling anxious suddenly ran from the back of the team to the front, which surprised Zeref and the others.
"What's wrong? You're so anxious all of a sudden."
Zeref scratched his head. The boy who was extremely reluctant at first suddenly took the initiative, which made him confused.
Heimer grabbed the boy in front of him who was about to start running and asked, "What happened to you?"
Heimel originally planned to explore more around these charred houses to see if he could find anything useful.
Of course Zeref had the same plan.
After all, it is possible to find some clean food in these burned-down houses, or pottery that can still hold things, and other usable tools. As a man who always advocates making the best use of everything, he is not willing to let go of this opportunity.
.
Even if you can't find anyone in the village, you can still find quite useful items in the ruins of this village.
The young man turned to the two of them and said, "Don't you think the fire in this village is too strange?"
"How do you say that?"
Heimer followed the boy's direction and saw that the fire was still very strong over there, but he couldn't see any problem.
"Hehe, this kid is usually very nervous."
Zeref muttered, but did not deny the boy.
He knew that this black-haired boy had a sense of perception that was different from ordinary people, and he might have really noticed something.
But now he is dissatisfied with being led by this child.
"Does the house here look like it's that easy to burn? I don't think those wolf-headed men have magic."
The young man pointed at the bricks and tiles everywhere and the earthen walls that could be seen everywhere.
Not many houses in this village are built with flammable wooden structures. Even if a fire is deliberately set, it will not be easy to keep the fire going.
"That means... maybe someone is setting a fire up front?"
Heimer understood, and this reminder suddenly dawned on him.
This fire may burn down the beams of a house and cause it to collapse.
However, non-combustible soil and widespread gaps between houses will prevent the natural development of fires.
This is what people take into consideration when they first build their homes, so that it can effectively reduce the damage caused by fire.
It is impossible to burn down this village with a fire.
To make this fire spread from house to house, there is no other way but to keep setting fires.
"Who else is setting fire out front?"
Zeref didn't understand, but the conclusion reached by Heimer reminded him. Zeref lowered his head and asked the young man:
"Are those wolf cubs still ahead?"
"I don't know, we have to go and take a look."
The young man took the lead and started running.
But Heimer followed closely and soon surpassed him. He turned to several of them and shouted: "Hurry up! There may still be people alive where they set the fire."
Now Heimer was also anxious.
He thought that everyone in the village should have evacuated in time.
In his opinion, this village is located on a border that has been frequently invaded. It can be said that it is the survival instinct of people in this area to sense the crisis in time and flee quickly.
So when Heimer found out that he had not found the body he was worried about, he was relieved.
But this reminder from the young man made Heimer worry again.
Wolf-headed men generally don't do such meaningless things.
Setting the houses on fire one by one is a waste of time and will not gain them anything.
Unless there is any special reason...
Heimer looked at it again.
Not all the surrounding houses were burned, in fact many were not destroyed.
It seems that the wolf-headed man didn't show much interest in this area.
However, there is still a house with flames in front of it, which is probably where the wolf-headed man focuses his "care".
There may be many reasons why the place is taken seriously by those wolf-headed men.
But you still have to see it with your own eyes to know exactly how it is.
"Shh!"
Heimer, who had been running in front, suddenly waved his hand to stop everyone and signaled others not to make any noise.
He found a blackened wall as a bunker and squatted in it with the boy and Zeref.
The moment just now was very dangerous. If they took one more step forward at this corner, they would collide head-on with a wolf-headed man holding a torch.
In this situation where you are completely unaware of the enemy's situation, if you suddenly encounter the enemy head-on, you may be wiped out by the opponent.
Fortunately, Heimer's reflexes trained over the years came into play, and he led the others to hide in time.
The short, brown-furred, wolf-headed man looked in the direction they had just run from.
The wolf-headed man sniffed, and the smoke flying around him made him want to cough. His eyes were so red and swollen that he couldn't see anything clearly.
I just thought that the shadow I saw just now was my hallucination, so I didn't pay too much attention to it, and continued to do the hard work Nursha told me.
As expected, there were still wolf-headed men in the fire area.
"what to do?"
Zeref asked Heimer in a low voice. He squatted on the edge of the wall and looked through the crack in the wall for a while to confirm that the only wolf-headed man exposed in their field of vision was now.
"Young man, are you sure you can shoot him?"
Heimer was worried that the problem that had been exposed just now did not seem to have happened, so he breathed a sigh of relief.
Their current path forward is blocked by this wolf-headed man. If they change the route and take a detour, it is hard to say whether they will encounter other wolf-headed men.
Therefore, Heimer did not intend to take a detour. Directly destroying the enemies in front of him was the fastest and safer way at the moment.
Although there is only one wolf-headed man in front of you, you should avoid a head-on confrontation as much as possible.
It is the most appropriate way to let the young man shoot the enemy with the crossbow again.
"It should be fine."
The young man measured the distance between them and the wolf-headed man. This distance was about twenty meters, and it was not difficult for him to hit with the crossbow in his hand.
"Okay, I'll leave it to you."
Heimer patted the young man on the shoulder. He believed in the young man's ability.
Zeref took out a polished crossbow arrow from the wrapped quiver and handed it to the boy.
The young man took the crossbow and adjusted the crossbow string and sight. Then he bent down and moved lightly to the wall so that he could directly observe the wolf-headed man.
Indeed, the target showed no vigilance and exposed his back to them completely unprepared.
But the young man was not in a hurry to shoot out the loaded crossbow at this time. He understood that the toughness of the werewolf's fur made them no less than wearing a high-quality leather armor covering the whole body.
Although there is no problem in shooting the wolf-headed man, if he directly attacks the back at this time, it will be difficult to kill him with one arrow, and the opponent will probably have a chance to breathe and call for help.
This result that might bring danger to the team was not what the boy wanted, so he decided to wait patiently for the perfect opportunity to come.
If it doesn't move, it will be as stable as a mountain; if it moves, it will be as shocking as a thunderbolt.
This is what that person taught him. Although that person has passed away for a long time, the young man has kept his teachings in mind and has not slackened off at all.
Why haven't you taken action yet?
Zeref, who was confused in his heart, glanced at the young man, and saw that the arrows of the crossbows that had been loaded were glowing with cold light.
But the young man had no intention of pulling the trigger. He was like a viper hiding in the dark, ready to strike, waiting for his prey to reveal its fatal flaw.
"Dicuno (what's wrong)?"
The wolf-headed man muttered, and he felt that the hair on his back stood up as if he was getting an electric shock, as if it was sticking to ice.
But there was a burning house in front of him. Where could there be such a cold thing?
So he turned around and saw an inverted triangle-shaped object behind him emitting a cold light that pierced his soul.
"Now!"
Bang!!
The young man pulled the trigger, and the bowstring made of beef tendons opened in a fatal arc, driving a strong force into the crossbow arrow.
"Uh...ah!"
Before the wolf-headed man could react, the crossbow arrow went straight to his right eye.
The wolf-headed man's eyeballs, which were no different from those of other creatures, were immediately penetrated by the murderous weapon, and then the barbed arrow pierced his brain.
The short wolf-headed man's body stiffened for a while, then immediately fell down.