Chapter 65: Do you think she will like me?

The villagers all dispersed, and the children left with their parents.

Leo and Michelle followed the village chief to his home.

As they walked, Leo observed the surrounding environment.

Many houses in the village were dilapidated and had not been maintained for years. Even the houses where people lived were not in good condition.

The ground was littered with dry branches and leaves, almost no one had cleaned up, and stepping on them made a creaking sound. In the dusk, the already desolate village appeared even more forlorn.

It was somewhat chilly around, and few animals could be seen. The chickens, ducks, and dogs raised by the villagers had probably become their food.

This was a very poor village, lacking labor, and the situation was not good.

“Why are there so few people here? I haven’t seen many adult males,” Michelle asked on the way.

“The village is too poor. In recent years, there have been continuous droughts, and the harvests have been meager. Moreover, the lord has been increasing taxes, which the village simply cannot afford. The young people have to go out to work. Although there are still some adult males left in the village, they have gone out hunting now. Currently, the villagers rely on their hunting results to survive,” the village chief sighed, informing her of the village’s situation, a sense of weariness appearing on his aged face.

Listening to the village chief’s words, Michelle deeply felt the misfortune of the lower-class people’s lives.

She lived in a different stratum and wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the words.

“Are they hunting in that forest?” Leo asked.

“That’s right. That forest is what we call the Demon Moon Forest, which is home to many monsters. Every time the men go out hunting, they get injured, and if they’re unlucky, they might even lose their lives. They haven’t returned yet, so they probably didn’t have much luck,” the village chief said, looking at the sky and sighing, a hint of worry appearing on his wrinkled face.

“If they come back, let me help them with treatment. My healing abilities are quite impressive,” Michelle said.

“Is that possible? But we can’t afford the treatment fees,” the village chief’s face showed some surprise, but it quickly dimmed.

“No need. Just consider it a reward for letting us stay,” Michelle said, feeling happy to be able to help these suffering people.

At that moment, a group of people arrived outside the village.

Three adventurers entered the village.

“Where are the villagers? I am here to eliminate the bandit group that has been lurking nearby. Someone come and explain the situation,” the leading warrior shouted loudly.

Behind him were an elderly mage and a female archer.

Hearing their voices, the villagers, who had just dispersed, gathered again.

The village was small, and whenever something happened, the villagers could appear immediately.

Leo and Michelle, who had already walked near the village chief’s house, also stopped to see what was going on.

“Are you the village chief? First, arrange accommodation for us. This broken place doesn’t even have a merchant willing to come. We’ve been walking for days and nights, and my legs are sore,” the warrior said while stretching his aching body.

He looked to be in his twenties, very muscular, clearly having undergone rigorous training.

“We will prepare right away,” the village chief said, not daring to offend these adventurers, and immediately instructed the villagers to prepare rooms.

“And I want a good feast. Prepare plenty of fish and meat, and most importantly, don’t skimp on the wine,” the warrior added.

“This…” the village chief showed a troubled expression. “The village is too poor, and we can’t provide good food at the moment.”

The warrior looked somewhat disappointed. “Is that so? Then forget it. Just prepare some ordinary food. If you have wine, bring it out. We will pay you in gold coins.”

His gaze fell on Michelle, and his eyes lit up, momentarily stunned.

His female teammate poked him, and he quickly snapped back to reality.

“This beautiful saintess, are you also here to deal with the bandit group?” the warrior asked.

Leo answered on behalf of Michelle, “No.”

“Leo, maybe we can help deal with the bandits. If the bandits are gone, perhaps merchants will come, and the village’s situation will improve a bit,” Michelle wanted to contribute to the village.

“While that’s possible, aren’t you in a hurry to eliminate those cultists? Moreover, even if we eliminate the bandits, it won’t change the village’s situation. Being too poor means there’s nothing to trade,” Leo said, a hint of concern on his face.

Michelle hesitated, looking troubled. “Let’s deal with the immediate issue first. Any help is better than none. After we leave, we can ask the nearby church to look into it.”

She wanted to do something within her capabilities.

“You can decide,” Leo said.

He didn’t like to meddle in others’ affairs, but he appreciated Michelle’s kindness. She had a sense of proportion and would help as much as she could.

Seeing the two of them talking without paying him any mind, the warrior interjected again, “If we’re going to deal with the bandits, let’s team up. We are a B-class team, very strong. We can easily handle those bandits.”

“Just B-class?” Leo said with some disdain. “While that’s decent, if you encounter a slightly stronger bandit, it might not be enough. If you want to join, that’s fine. When danger arises, you can serve as a shield for us, and you can also cover our retreat. That’s not too useless.”

“You bastard…” the warrior’s face turned red with anger.

“Pfft!” Michelle trembled and covered her mouth, giggling. Leo’s words were too cutting.

The warrior, who was about to explode, saw her smile and immediately lost his temper, his anger dissipating significantly.

Leo felt a bit annoyed and stood between the two to prevent the warrior from sneaking a look.

Damn it, letting this guy join is probably a bad idea; he would likely just hold them back.

“It’s getting late. Let’s go rest first. We can set out to deal with the bandits early tomorrow morning. It shouldn’t take too long, and then we can continue on our way,” Leo arranged, then let the village chief lead the way.

“Mm.” Michelle nodded gently.

After they left, the young warrior looked somewhat lost.

“Hey! Stop staring; they’ve already left,” his female teammate said irritably. Their captain was too embarrassing.

“She just smiled at me. Do you think she will like me?” the warrior asked.

The female teammate covered her face, feeling hopeless.

The two of them arrived at the village chief’s house, and his daughter-in-law immediately brought out the prepared food.

“It’s all coarse food. If you don’t mind, just eat,” she said.

Most of it was wild vegetables, with little meat. The staple was hard, dry bread that had been sitting for quite a while.

Leo took a bite; it was very hard and needed to be soaked in water to be edible.

This was probably the best food in the village.

Michelle, beside him, also followed his method, soaking it in water for a while, then finished it all without leaving a crumb.

Leo was a bit impressed. He thought she wouldn’t be able to handle the food of the lower-class people, but her performance showed no signs of discomfort.

“I’m full,” Michelle said, putting down her chopsticks.

“Full?” Leo was surprised.

She had barely eaten anything; it wouldn’t be good if she got too thin.

Michelle looked at him with a smile, “Is there a problem?”

So imposing.

Leo quickly shook his head, “No, no, no.”

Fortunately, he answered quickly; if he hesitated, he would probably suffer the wrath of the saintess again.

Michelle only ate one person’s portion of food. The villagers’ food was already scarce, and she didn’t want to take too much from them.

A white bird flew in through the window. The village chief’s daughter-in-law caught the bird and handed it to the village chief, who tied a note to the little bird’s leg and then released it.

“This is a letter to my second son who is working away. My eldest son hasn’t returned from hunting yet, and I don’t know how things are going.”

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