“So what you’re saying is, the villagers were taken hostage by the magic serpents?” Vinny asked, a puzzled look on his face.

“Well, that’s the only explanation, isn’t it? Those monsters are completely wicked.”

“No, no, old man, you misunderstood me. I wasn’t questioning whether the monsters are evil or not.” Vinny glanced at Aesphyra, the look in his eyes clearly asking, “Can something like a magic serpent—something that sounds this low-level—really pull off a kidnapping?”

If a magic serpent attacks a human, it’s kill or be killed. What would be the point of taking prisoners? And even if they somehow could, why would they let the villagers rescue them afterward?

“After the villagers were rescued, the soldiers just left? They didn’t investigate further?” Aesphyra continued questioning.

“Ah, like I said, those city lord soldiers act like lords of their own little worlds. They looked down on us poor backwater folk and couldn’t wait to leave.” The old man shook his head, leaning on his cane. “But luckily, the priest from the Church stayed behind. He led us through the worst of it—and even treated our wounded free of charge. A devout, kind-hearted man.”

“And this priest—he’s still here?” Vinny asked.

“Yes, he was worried the serpents might come back for revenge, so he’s stayed in the village. Said he wouldn’t leave until the place was truly safe.”

“I’ve lived a long life, and I’m not afraid of offending anyone when I say this—sometimes it’s the Church that truly cares about us folks at the bottom.” The old man sighed with conviction.

“And where is this priest living now?” Aesphyra asked politely.

“He’s staying at the village church—it’s right in the center, not far from here.” The old man pointed them in the direction.

There’s a church in a tiny village like this? Vinny was confused.

“Thank you very much, sir. Sorry to trouble you,” Aesphyra said with a graceful bow.

“It’s nothing. Lake Village doesn’t have any specialties—just a poor little place on the edge of the Demon Realm River. No one’s visited in ages. Lately, the village’s felt... lifeless, even more than usual.” The old man sighed again and hobbled off.

“Hey, hey, short white nut, what do you think?” Vinny lowered his voice, watching the old man walk away.

“Vinny, has no one ever taught you the basic manners for addressing a lady?” Aesphyra gave him a tight smile, lips curled with mock politeness.

“Names aside, that’s not the point. Do you think there’s any reason for us to stay in this village?” Vinny had to admit—something felt off about this place. The old man’s story didn’t quite add up. But this was just a first-year practical exam, right? It couldn’t be hiding anything too extreme. No way this thing had piranha-level danger hidden beneath the surface... right?

Sure, Vinny liked to joke that Aesphyra was a walking disaster zone and a bringer of doom, but the snake infestation in Lake Village had started before she ever arrived. There’s no way things got worse just because she showed up... right?

At least for now, the village looked peaceful. The serpent problem had supposedly been dealt with. The Church had sent a priest. Surely he was more qualified than either of them.

“Do you really believe that magic serpents would kidnap humans—and not kill them?” Aesphyra asked, her tone pointed.

“The world’s a big place, full of strange stuff. Maybe I just haven’t seen enough? What, you think there’s someone controlling them behind the scenes or something?” Vinny spread his arms. It wasn’t like he knew much about serpents anyway.

Truth be told, he didn’t know much about any magical creatures. He had no clue about their behavior or instincts.

“No, that’s absolutely impossible,” Aesphyra said firmly, resting her chin on her hand. “Magic serpents have low intelligence and are hostile to humans. They’d have no reason to take prisoners. There’s no benefit in it.”

“Then what do you think happened? The villagers weren’t captured by the soldiers, right?” Vinny frowned. “The priest and the soldiers only showed up after the incident. It can’t have been bandits, either. Are there even bandits around here? Probably not. Bandits usually settle where there’s money to steal. This place is just a remote border village—robbing it wouldn’t keep them fed.”

“Why do you think the Academy designated this as a two-person partner mission?” Aesphyra mused aloud.

“What else could it be? The Academy probably can’t monitor this area in real time. Maybe they have no idea what happened here afterward, and they’re completely in the dark,” Vinny guessed.

“There are too many strange details,” Aesphyra muttered. “Didn’t the townspeople act kind of like that man I tried to talk to earlier?”

“You mean...?”

“Can’t confirm anything yet. But there’s definitely a connection. We’ll need to observe further.”

“Got it. I’ll follow your lead.” Honestly, with Aesphyra here, Vinny felt no pressure to think too hard. He might as well shut his brain off—she had more experience, more strength, and way more insight. With such a dependable partner around, his job was just to not get in the way.

“So... where # Nоvеlight # are we sleeping tonight? It’s getting dark. Is there even an inn here?” Vinny looked around, but clearly, a village like this didn’t have any tourist industry—or any inns.

Surely they weren’t going to sleep out in the open?

Then he noticed Aesphyra staring at him with a very peculiar expression.

“What? Why’re you looking at me like that?”

“Well, obviously we’re going to set up camp. Unless you think someone here is going to let us crash at their place?” Aesphyra tilted her head.

“Ah, crap.” Vinny instantly felt a headache coming on.

“You didn’t pack a tent, did you, Vinny?” Aesphyra’s lips curled into a teasing smile. She could see right through him.

“How was I supposed to know we’d be sleeping under the stars?! No place even pretends to be a guesthouse around here!” Vinny groaned.

“Vinny, you really don’t have much experience traveling, huh~” Aesphyra’s eyes sparkled mischievously.

“Heh heh, surely, big sis brought an extra tent, right? I knew it—you’re always so considerate! No way you’d let your poor lil’ bro suffer out here!” Vinny instantly changed his tune, dropping the "short nut" act and buttering her up like a pro.

“An extra tent?” Aesphyra tapped her lip thoughtfully, then paused with a wicked smile. “Nooope.”

“Tonight’s weather looks lovely. Hm... I can already smell the rain.” She looked up at the sky, stretching like a lazy cat.

“Rain?! You call that good weather?!” Vinny shouted.

“It’s good for me. I’m in a great mood.” Aesphyra smiled sweetly, like she hadn’t just sentenced him to hypothermia.

Damn it. She’s seriously happy that I’m going to get rained on??

Vinny’s face twitched.

“Well then, Vinny, if anything important comes up tonight, feel free to wake me. But if it’s nothing major, don’t bother—I sleep best with the sound of rain~” Aesphyra giggled, clearly enjoying herself.

“You mean, you’ll sleep soundly while I’m outside getting drenched, right?” Vinny snapped.

“Mmhmm, no way! You’re my dear classmate, with such a sweet~ little mouth! I could never be happy if you caught a cold, now could I? It’s just... I really don’t have a second tent.”

Liar!

The smug little nut's smile was harder to suppress than an AK recoil. She was definitely enjoying his suffering.

Clearly, this was payback for all the times he’d ruined her flirting plans and called her stuff like “bun-face” or “short stack.”

Ah well, what could he do? This was on him. Poor prep was poor prep. If they really couldn’t find a place to sleep, then tonight’s lesson was going to be a wet one.

The sky darkened fast. Before it got too late, the two headed for the village center. There, they found a wooden building slightly larger than the others, with piles of firewood and vegetable sacks nearby. It had no yard, no statue of the goddess—but a six-winged cross hanging above the door marked it unmistakably as a church. Otherwise, it looked like nothing more than a glorified storage shed.

“Excuse us,” Aesphyra raised her hand and knocked on the door.

A long silence followed. No answer.

“Maybe no one’s home?” Vinny asked.

Aesphyra said nothing, just lifted her hand to knock again—when the sound of footsteps echoed from inside, approaching the door. A moment later, it opened.

“I’m sorry, faithful followers of the Goddess, but this church doesn’t receive guests after six in the evening. If you’re here to pray, please return tomorrow.” A well-built, white-robed middle-aged man stepped out, leaning on a wooden staff, his face kind.

Then he caught sight of their attire and froze for a moment. “You two... you’re not from the village?”

“Apologies for disturbing your rest, Father. We’re students from Carillian Academy. Our end-of-term assessment required us to assist the locals with the serpent infestation, so we came here. You may have heard—our Academy notified the local villages in advance.” Aesphyra politely explained.

“You’re from Carillian Academy?” The priest’s eyes lit up with a flicker of admiration as he looked at her. “Ah, yes... I think I did hear something about that. But I’m afraid I’ve already taken care of the problem.”

“Before you arrived, the serpent threat was already handled. They haven’t returned since.”

“I see. Father, if I may—I’d like to ask you a few questions,” Aesphyra said.

“Of course, noble guests from Carillian Academy.” The priest smiled. “But not out here. Please, come in.”

He welcomed Aesphyra and Vinny into the modest wooden chapel.

“Apologies. It’s a humble place—I don’t even have decent tea to offer.” He soon returned with two steaming wooden cups.

He looked at them with sincere respect. “Two brilliant students from Carillian Academy—it’s truly an honor for our little village.”

Vinny looked around curiously as he stepped inside.

The chapel wasn’t large. The furnishings were sparse—bare necessities only. Two rows of simple wooden benches served as the prayer area, with a small statue of the Goddess on the front altar. Nothing more.

He wasn’t fond of the Church as a whole, but grassroots priests and nuns who actually helped the poor? Those he respected. One had even saved his life once back in the capital. So he had a natural fondness for people like this.

“Father, is it true that you led the villagers to rescue the ones taken by the serpents?” Aesphyra sat properly on the bench, unlike Vinny, who was still looking around.

“Yes. It was a dangerous time,” the priest said with a sigh.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Farkas, a priest from the city-state of Marmert in the Tyrell Empire. I was sent here by the Archbishop to assist Lake Village.”

“Father Farkas, if you’re able—could you describe the scene for us?” Aesphyra asked.

“Of course. The serpent nest was in the northwest. You can still visit the site, though it’s mostly ashes now. The villagers burned it down after the rescue.”

“When we entered, several serpents attacked me—I burned them with magic. Then I cleansed the rest of the nest with fire. The villagers were all unconscious, lying in the innermost part of the cave,” Farkas explained.

“But... Father, have you considered that serpents don’t—and can’t—take human prisoners?” Aesphyra frowned slightly.

“I agree. It didn’t make sense. But that’s how it happened. I found it strange, too,” Farkas nodded.

“Is it possible the villagers weren’t taken by the serpents at all?” Aesphyra pressed.

“At the moment, I have no other evidence pointing to that. I also find it suspicious. But I’m not an exorcist—I mainly handle healing.”

“Has anything strange happened lately?”

“No. It’s been quiet. Ever since the nest was destroyed, the serpents haven’t returned. I haven’t seen them, and no one’s reported any new attacks.”

“I see.” Aesphyra nodded. She asked a few more detailed questions, then she and Vinny stood to leave.

“Safe travels,” Father Farkas said kindly, seeing them out.

On the road, Aesphyra fell silent. She seemed deep in thought.

“So? Did you notice anything?” Vinny asked. He hadn’t picked up on anything himself, but judging by her expression, she clearly had.

“Not yet. But we need to go check the northwest cave,” Aesphyra said quietly.

Without realizing it, Vinny had completely fallen in line behind her—letting her take the lead.