There's a fire bear!

　Someone shouted and the village panicked.
　A fire bear is a powerful demon.
　It has hard fur that can repel ordinary swords and bows and arrows, stiff arms that can shatter huge rocks with a single blow, and it is also a terrifying existence that spits fire and turns the village into a sea of fire.

''Run!　Just run!

Borrow a horse from the chief and drive it into town!　Call the adventurers!

　There is no such thing as a vigilante group in a small village.
　Some men confronted the fire bear with mulberry, sickles and sticks to stop him.
　The fire bear stood up on his hind legs only and breathed fire.

''Whoa!''

　The villagers are helpless.
　They may have been drafted and trained in combat, but they are the ones with the least aptitude for warfare.
　Those with higher aptitude have become knights, joined the national army, become adventurers, or become the private army of their lords.
　No matter how much the empire boasted one of the best national and military strengths, as expected, even those who couldn't become combatants couldn't be elite.　
　The fire bears mockingly tore into people with their sharp claws and blew them away with their strong arms.
　He then chased after the fleeing people.
　The speed of the fire bear was comparable to that of a horse, and an ordinary person would not be able to escape.
　The fire bear circled around in front of the mother, who was holding the little girl in her left arm and pulling the boy's hand with her right hand as she struggled to escape.
　The reason he went all the way around when he could have attacked her from behind is because the fire bear has a cruel desire to enjoy the fear of the person he is attacking.

'Hee......'

　Her mother turns blue and slumps to the spot.
　Her husband is unlucky enough to be out of the village on business, and she can't rely on him.

'You - go away!

　A boy picked up a pebble lying nearby and threw it at the fire bear.
　Of course, there was no way for such a thing to pass.

''Ggaaaaaaah!''

　The fire bear barked deliberately.

''Hee!''

　The mother is frightened, the girl begins to cry, and the boy jolts and shakes as he picks up the stone again and throws it.
　What motivates him is the sense of duty that he will protect his mother and sister now that his father is gone.
　In an attempt to violate such small courage, the fire bear slowly approached him.
　The mother quickly withdrew her son's hand and held him in a tight hug.
　The fire bear changed its target to its mother and raised its right arm, and at the moment it raised its right arm, a powerful impact struck its side of the head.
　The huge body of the fire bear, which should be taller than a two-story building and boasting a weight to match, floats up, spins around and crashes to the ground.

''It was a good decision to come closer for some reason.

　He was the one who kicked the fire bear, a man of suspicious appearance wearing a black hood and cape and a white mask.
　For a mother and child, he was a benefactor who saved them from a dangerous situation.
　But the fire bear wasn't dead yet, and with a roar of rage, he stood up.
　He had been interrupted in his fun time of scaring the feeble human and then slowly torture him to death.
　He had his own reasons to be angry, but the masked man laughed coldly.

'If you ran back and never attacked a human again, I would have considered letting you go.

　The fire bear responds to the man's words by spitting fire.
　Screams came from the mother and the boy, but they quickly disappeared.
　Because he noticed that the golden light that surrounded the man's body was a wall, bouncing back the fire.

'Elves,'

　As the man said this, many arrows of light appeared and flew to the fire bear.
　Countless splashes of blood danced through the fur and muscle that should have easily repelled the iron weapon, easily piercing it.

''My light, cut through the darkness of the disaster and show the people hope. ......

　The man murmured in a whisper.
　The villagers, who had been watching from a distance as the fire bear was defeated, all cheered in unison.

''Oh, thank you so much for the danger.''

　Her mother finally stands up and thanks her.

'This is part of my role.

What's your name?

Bartolomeus.

　Val turns his back on the girls when he says his name.

'Ah, you are Master Bartolomeus!

　As expected, Bartolomeus' name was known even in the small local village.
　As he was about to leave, the boy stopped him and spoke to him.

'I want to be stronger!　Enough to protect my mom and sister!　What am I supposed to do!

Strength is gentleness. Gentleness is knowing your weakness. Remember to be weak and frustrated. Be kind to those who are weak. That's the first step to strength.

　Stopping in his tracks, Val turned around and answered the boy gently.

'Be kind to the weak ......?'

"You were strong in trying to protect your mother and sister. A girl like you, trying to protect someone else, is going to be a great adult.

So, can you do it?

　The boy looked anxious.

'You can do it,'

'Uh-huh!　I'll do my best!

　The boy wiped the tears away with his sleeve and waved at the man's back as he left with a smile.