Chapter 40: The Guardians
The following day, as promised, Little 5 left to go see the village — more precisely, he went to see the girls-turned-birds for himself.
He still found it hard to believe they had just turned into birds like that, with no hope of ever becoming human again.
That was quite advantageous for them and Master, but this proud Little 5 didn't want to win a fight if the opponent was compromised somehow.
He made up his mind: he wouldn't wait for Little 9.
He'd go see for himself, and if there was even a chance he could complete the mission, he was sure Master wouldn't mind.
As long as the job was done, that's all that mattered.
He didn't even plan to ask Master for permission.
Since Master had sent him along with Little 9, surely he wouldn't mind if only he completed the mission alone.
With that thought, Little 5 held his head high and walked proudly toward the village.
He was already envisioning himself as the victorious one — the one who accomplished the task and gained immense favor from Master.
Only, he didn't know that what awaited him was far more than just victory.
Proud as a peacock, he marched toward the village.
His usual playful demeanor had been completely abandoned, replaced by an arrogant look.
He just wanted to get the job done.
He met the villagers, and they stared at him strangely, wondering who on earth he was and how he had gotten into the village.
Just by looking at how he carried himself, the villagers could already tell he did not have pure intentions toward them.
Uncle Jonathan, the village elder, decided to ask who he was.
As usual, Little 5 wouldn't answer.
There was no way they could ever reveal their real identities for fear of exposing Master's existence — so he dodged the question.
Little 5 wondered silently:
Were these villagers dumb?
Amidst this power struggle, shouldn't they be more wary of strangers?
Instead, they were asking him who he was — rather than thinking of ways to protect themselves and asking what he came for.
"Say, aren't you people funny?
At a time like this, when forces are fighting over your village, that's the question you ask?" Little 5 clicked his tongue, a sinister smile curling on his lips.
"The same question Elara asked yesterday.
Do you guys have no sense of danger at all?"
That alone was enough for the villagers.
They realized immediately — he had to be with the Shrouded One, the same intruder who had disrupted Ariella's birthday party.
They started running around in panic, and behind them, Little 5 smacked his lips.
"That's more like it," he said proudly.
He started looking around the village, then his eyes fell on top of a tree — and he almost lost his balance from shock.
Perched up there were two birds.
But not the tiny little birds he had seen while escaping Little 9's grip — these birds had grown huge.
He couldn't understand how they had grown so big so fast.
From the tree, they stared at him like predators watching their prey.
They were waiting. Waiting for him to make a move against the villagers and attack.
To test if that was really the case, he unleashed his power onto the villagers, lifting one of the elders into the air with just a stretch of his hand.
His body barely moved an inch, but he caught the elder by the neck, intending to snap it.
In that very moment, the birds on the tree swooped down at lightning speed, ready to unleash their fury on the intruder.
The birds had grown so large, Little 5 was sure they could swallow him whole right then and there.
He hadn't really intended to kill the elder — he just wanted to see exactly how protective these girls had become, even in bird form.
Seeing them approaching him at such speed, he didn't waste any more time.
He let go of the elder and disappeared.
When he returned in such a rush, Little 9 immediately guessed things hadn't worked out for him.
Otherwise, there was no way Little 5 would look so flustered — and so desperate to get back.