---- The time goes back only a little further than Gerald's return to the village from the forest.

　That day, too, the village had the appearance of a boring but peaceful daily life. There was no shadow of unrest anywhere, and the air was the same as usual, long and easygoing.

　The children were laughing and laughing happily in the square where they had gathered, and the adults were plowing the fields with spades and hoes in their hands.

　None of us thought that this normal routine would be disrupted.

'Well, I'm going out for a bit,'

'Yes, Russell. Take care and have a good time.

　Cecil watches Russell leave the house as usual, with Sierra in his arms, as Russell leaves the house. He doesn't forget to kiss her on the cheek.

　Naturally.

"Lablaboo.

　The morning is promised to the point where Russell's cheeks turn bright red as Sierra cheers him up.

　Because of his job, Russell often spends his mornings visiting the fields and houses on the land he rents out. However, most of the fields around the village are on Russell's land, so by all means, he can't go around all of them in half a day.

　That's why Russell had to narrow down the number of fields to visit in half a day, so that he could visit all the fields in seven days. Today, he would visit all three fields in the morning.

　So it was business as usual until Russell left the house. But as he was heading to the fields, one of the villagers came under Russell's nose.

'Mr. Russell. Can I have a moment?

Yeah, no problem, but how can I help you?

Well, you know what? I went down there this morning to check on my farm, and it looked like the whole crop had been turned over.

　Russell's eyebrows furrowed at the villager's words. A deep crease creased between his eyebrows.

'Turned over, what do you mean?'

Yeah, the thing is,

　The villagers said that when they went out to the fields this morning, they found that all the crops in the farmland had been dug up. It was as if the soil had been gouged out and dumped back into the ground.

　Russell could not immediately believe the villagers' story.

　Certainly there are animals that destroy the land, deer, wild boars, bears, and even bears. Deer, wild boars, bears and even weasels. It's no exaggeration to say that these animals are hostile to our village, which depends on agriculture for its livelihood.

　But if they are not destroying the crops, it would be a very bad prank. It's not something that can be done with the cute word "prank", but it's the same in the sense that you enjoy causing trouble.

'Do something about it, Mr. Russell!　My fields won't produce anything this summer.

'Hmm. Sounds like a good idea to check it out anyway.

　Although not yet fully convinced, Russell changes his direction as the villagers scowled.

　At this time, Russell was thinking

　What? I don't have much time to waste. A quick inspection of the field and re-planting of seeds and seedlings would be enough. It would be a big blow, no doubt, but it's still early in the summer and the timing isn't critical yet.
　If this was the end of summer, it would have been even more dire. With that in mind, he could consider himself still on the lucky side.

　But when he reached the field, Russell would realize that he had made a big mistake.

　--

　On the way to the field, Russell couldn't shake the feeling of discomfort.

　Something was deadly different. Did he feel this kind of pang in his chest when he always walked this way?　I can't help but feel that there's something bigger at stake here.

　--I hope it's just my imagination.

　But even so, my anxiety is growing.

　Each time I see unfamiliar footprints, when the ground is gouged out in an unnatural way, or when I notice that the bark of the trees in the forest has been chipped away, my anxiety grows louder and louder.

　And this was coupled with a decisive one when we reached the field.

'Oh no...'

　The field had indeed been turned over unnaturally, as the villagers had said. I didn't need to check. A quick glance at the field, which should have been cleared, was a big mess, with crops upside down, exposing their roots.

　But there was more 'discomfort' gathering on the field.

''A bunch of demons, a bunch of...?''

　There were dangerous demons gathered there. Strange creatures of all colors and shapes were gathered together as if they were having a meeting.

　Russell's legs begin to tremble at the unexpected situation. It was the same for the villagers as well.
　Fortunately, the demons don't seem to have noticed us yet. They're just bleeping and making unpleasant noises.

　Even though he was aware of his cowering legs, Russell couldn't take his eyes off the scene. The fear that the demons would attack him the moment he let go was lodged in his limbs.

'Mm, in the village.'

　Still, I manage to squeeze out a shaky voice.

'We have to let the village know that the demons, demons, demons are coming.

Oh, yeah.

　The villagers nodded at the sound of Russell's voice.

'We have to let them know,'

　I had to let them know, I thought, but my body wouldn't move. I was tied up in fear and couldn't move as much as I wanted to.

　But I couldn't just sit here and be frightened. I have a loving wife at home. I have a daughter. Maybe he is stronger than he is, but from Russell's point of view, even Gerald is a 'child' that needs to be protected.

　Parents are supposed to protect their children. That's why, when Gerald and I encountered the demons in the forest, I took a weapon in my hand and confronted the demons. ........although as a result, I ended up exposing myself to the shameful sight of my son protecting me.

　And yet. And yet.

　Isn't it natural for a father to put down his fear for the sake of his family?

Let's go.

　Grabbing the villagers' hands, Russell forced his gaze away from the demons. They haven't noticed us yet.

''If we don't inform them here, the people in the village will be attacked by the demons without any information.

'Mr. Russell you're right.

　The villagers also responded to the gaze directed at them by Russell. The two who met their eyes nodded at each other and turned their backs to the demons at the same time.

　And so, what the two of them saw when they returned to the village to bring back information about the demons--.

































　--I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.



"Yeah.

　Russell is exclaiming, but he immediately starts running to his house.

　Then on the way he encountered Meir.

'Old man!'

　Meir shouted to Russell.

'Gerald's not here!　A bunch of weirdos are here and he's gone!

Gerald will be fine.

But!

'I'll take care of it!　Meir, you are going to hide in a safe place. All right?

　Meir, who was probably worried about Gerald and was looking for Russell, nodded hesitantly when he was included.

　He was still a young child. He should be filled with anxiety. And yet, she is able to worry about her friends, and she is able to think of others to an age-appropriate degree.

'Why not, old man?　Gerald, that guy's a total douchebag, okay?

　Before turning on his heel and running off, Meir turned to Russell with just his head and left those words behind.

　As he looks off his healthy back, Russell thinks that he is a child with a future to look forward to.
　Then what I can do now is to protect that "future". You have to survive the attack of the demons and protect the future of the village.

　--

　Russell's house hadn't been attacked by a demon yet. But it would only be a matter of time. The wave of demons should be rushing here soon.

''Russell!　You're okay?

　Once inside the house, Cecil approached me with a worried look on his face. He was holding Sierra to his chest.

'Oh. I'm fine. .........and Gerald?

'It's still the forest. I hope you'll come home soon, but it's not safe to come home now...

　Cecil must have been confused by the suddenness of the situation, and he was looking left and right, unable to think straight.
　She must have been anxious while Russell was gone.

　Grabbing her by the shoulders, Russell spoke to her slowly and clearly to calm her down.

'Look, Cecil?　I have to go. This demon attack is a village matter, and it's a situation we all need to deal with. Do you understand?

'Yes. But.....

That's why I have to go into battle. To protect the village, you, and the children. So I need you to stay here. I need you to hide out somewhere and make sure Sierra is well protected. Can you do that?

Where's Gerald?

　Cecil whispered in a sad voice.

'What's going to happen to her?'

She's a smart, strong kid. She'll be fine on her own. And that's all I can do to help you believe that.

But,

Okay?　I'll say it again. I have to go fight. So I need you to hide in a safe place and protect Sierra.

　Can you do that?　Russell asked, and Cecil nodded, pretending to be lost.

　Gently nuzzling her face against her head, Russell gently kissed her forehead.

'Thank you. That's exactly what I love.

Russell, it's me.

I'm sorry to disappoint you. But a man, a father, a husband - you can't just hide in the dark alone at a time like this.

　Russell hugs Cecil one last time with Sierra and then turns on his heel and leaves the house.
　His weapon of choice is a pickaxe. A sharp-tipped farming tool used to break up hard soil into farmland.

　His father, powerless and weak, but brave and unable to use magic, starts running towards the crowd of monsters.

　He has only one thought in his heart. The only thing he has in mind is to repel the attack of the demons and regain the village where his family can live in peace.

　I'm not going to let Cecil, Sierra, or even Gerald touch the demons, because I'm not going to let them touch me. Because I'm - I'm a father.

　With this determination in mind, Russell put strength into his hand holding the pickaxe and swung it down at the head of the demon that was immediately in front of him.