Eric looked at the man in the green hat.
Atai'er also looked at the man.
Upon hearing the commotion, the villagers from the village rushed over from all directions, gathering chaotically around the injured.
"That should be a Ranger, right?"
Margaret said with some uncertainty.
Eric placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist and said,
"Don't confuse us with that kind of thing."
"What's wrong?" Margaret pouted, puzzled, "What's there to be angry about?"
Judy lifted her staff, puffed out her cheeks, and pushed through the crowd:
"Move aside, move aside, let me see, let me see."
Unfortunately, no one listened to Judy.
And the person on the stretcher, in Eric's perception, had already lost signs of life.
"Why is this happening?"
"When will this kind of thing end?"
"Will we die too?"
The villagers stood stunned, discussing in a clamor.
That 'Ranger' watched the villager die, then stepped onto a high platform.
"Everyone listen to me."
Everyone's gaze was drawn to the 'Ranger' on the stone; he stood high up, gaudily dressed, looking heartbroken.
"Fellow villagers, we must completely drive the Mad Frogmen out of the Swamp."
"How can this be?"
Judy raised her staff and protested loudly, drawing the villagers' attention.
"Didn't everyone get along well with the Frogmen before? There must be a reason for this. If we investigate thoroughly, there will surely be a solution."
The villagers' eyes dimmed.
The 'Ranger' on the stone looked at Judy.
His gaze was as fierce as could be, almost as if he wanted to devour someone.
He shouted loudly:
"Only a child would long for peace between humans and monsters. Villagers, if we don't make up our minds soon, the Mad Frogmen will sooner or later put their stone spears to our necks."
A child's fairy tale versus a 'Ranger's' words of reality.
Clearly, the villagers were more convinced by the 'Ranger's' words.
However, war is not that easy.
Moreover, it was a single village facing a tribal-structured, specialized hunting race of Mad Frogmen with a terrain advantage.
"But we are just farmers."
"We haven't even touched a sword."
"Even if we want to drive them out, we can't beat them."
Listening to the villagers begin to consider the success or failure of the war, the 'Ranger' understood that his goal had been achieved.
The 'Ranger' took a longbow from his back and nocked an arrow.
He drew the bowstring, and it twanged loudly.
The arrow flew out.
"Boom!"
A violent flash of fire instantly exploded where the arrow landed.
Judy and Margaret's eyes widened in shock, exclaiming:
"Exploding Arrow!"
The villagers were also stunned on the spot by such a commotion.
The Ranger then jumped down from the stone, raised the iron sword in his hand, and fiercely chopped at the stone.
"Boom!"
There was another loud bang, and smoke and dust scattered.
When the smoke and dust cleared, the Ranger stood before everyone.
The stone, which was half a person's height, had been split into two by an iron sword.
"If you pay twice as much, I can find companions as strong as me."
"Everyone is only responsible for driving out the Mad Frogmen; there's no need for direct combat. I will also help train everyone, trying my best to keep you from getting injured."
"Fellow villagers, we can no longer compromise."
The villagers looked at the marks left by the explosion in the distance, then at the huge stone split open by an iron sword in front of them, and all showed expressions of joy.
"No."
Judy raised her staff and finally pushed through the crowd, jumping onto the split boulder.
"When the Frogmen were around, they brought a lot of income to everyone every year, didn't they? Why can't we calm down now?"
The 'Ranger' looked at this girl who was ruining his plan, and his malice could no longer be controlled.
He pulled Judy over and threw her aside.
"Whose child is this? Take her away quickly."
Margaret stepped forward, held Judy in her arms, and apologized to those around her:
"I'm sorry, this is my little sister."
She lowered her head and said to Judy:
"No matter what the truth is, now that the Mad Frogmen have killed someone, this matter cannot just be let go."
"How can this be... Waaah..."
Judy was very disappointed, covering her pointed witch hat, and cried in Margaret's arms.
The villagers also gathered around the 'Ranger,' beginning to discuss how much money they would need to hire a companion as strong as 'Lord Ranger.'
A triumphant smile appeared on the 'Ranger's' face.
Just then—
"Wait a moment."
Eric stood next to the dead villager.
This voice was imbued with magic, and even if the people present were very noisy, they could still hear it clearly.
Margaret pulled Judy, pushed through the crowd, and jogged to Eric's side.
She said:
"What are you doing, Eric? Someone died in the village. Even if they don't find someone, the Empire will send troops."
She leaned down and whispered into Eric's ear:
"This isn't a diplomatic issue anymore; it's a war issue now. Don't act on impulse."
Judy, however, was willing to believe Eric; she asked:
"Does Eric have a solution?"
Eric glanced at Margaret, patted Judy's head, and slowly said,
"What if the one who killed this person wasn't a Mad Frogman?"
Margaret was stunned for a moment:
"What did you say?"
That's why, often, the Ranger is the core of a team, because only a Ranger has that 'intuition' that can see through the essence of things at a glance.
This 'intuition' is the core of a Ranger's training.
Eric did not argue with Margaret further.
Under Margaret's stunned gaze, he stood before everyone.
He said loudly:
"Villagers, this person was not killed by a Mad Frogman."
The villagers all looked at Eric in confusion.
But soon, someone said:
"Where did this child come from? What is he talking about?"
"He's not from the village."
"A child from outside, here to watch the excitement?"
A hint of panic flashed in the 'Ranger's' eyes, but upon hearing the villagers' words, a hint of triumph also flashed, and he quickly said,
"Drive him out."
Several villagers walked towards Eric.
Eric placed his hand on the sword hilt, and when the villagers approached, he suddenly drew his sword.
Several white lights flashed, and the villagers' upper garments were instantly cut into shreds.
Everyone was stunned on the spot.
This scene was like sorcery.
Eric sheathed his sword, and he said again:
"I said, this man was not killed by a Mad Frogman. Am I right, 'Lord Ranger'?"
The villager who was picking up pieces of clothing in front stood up and asked,
"Since you say this person was not killed by a Mad Frogman, then who killed him?"
Eric pulled open the dead villager's clothes, flipped him over, pointed to the wound that pierced his back and chest, and said:
"He was stabbed directly through the back with a sword, piercing through his chest. This one sword penetrated his lungs, with the purpose of preventing him from speaking before he died."
"To cover up his crime, he even used a Mad Frogman's stone spear to further desecrate the deceased's body."
"His purpose is to incite a battle between the village and the Mad Frogmen, to facilitate his own enrichment."
"You agree, don't you, 'Lord Ranger'?"
Eric placed his finger between his eyes, then realized—
Damn it.
Not only did he not have his glasses, but he also didn't say the classic line—
There is only one truth.
