Reborn as shield hero with Garps Template

"Master Shield Hero, how should we deal with this guy?"

At this moment, Lilith came forward, slowly dragging Motoyasu behind her.

When she reached Jason, she threw Motoyasu directly to the ground and said:

"This guy is too timid. I barely scared him, and he passed out. Worse, he wet himself. How did he become a Hero? He can't even compare to the Shield Hero."

Lilith looked at Motoyasu with undisguised contempt. After all, a grown man wetting himself out of fear would cause any girl to look down on him.

"Just throw him next to Myne. Where are the other two adventurers?" Jason asked, shaking his head. He knew that Lilith's way of scaring people was on par with the creepiest moments in horror games, so it wasn't surprising Motoyasu was so frightened.

"They're here!"

A voice called out, and Jason saw Irene and Raphtalia walking toward him, each carrying an unconscious adventurer over their shoulder.

The two adventurers had been paralyzed by fear in the square. After getting separated from Motoyasu and Myne, they were easily knocked out by Irene and Raphtalia.

"Throw them next to Motoyasu too and let him enjoy the company."

After Irene and Raphtalia dropped the two adventurers, Jason asked, "By the way... why hasn't Filo returned yet?"

"Master, master, I'm here!"

From the forest near the village entrance, Filo's cheerful voice rang out, and her petite figure emerged from the shadows.

Although she was currently in her human form, the makeup on her face was terrifying—it looked like a chunk of flesh was missing from her cheek, exposing her gums, and her whole body was covered in what appeared to be 'blood.'

The figure Motoyasu had seen earlier was indeed Filo.

Initially, Filo had been hiding in the forest as a backup, but Myne and Motoyasu turned out to be far more timid than anticipated. They were both too petrified to put up a fight, making Filo's intervention unnecessary.

"It's good to have you back, Filo. Let's wrap things up here for today, clean up the soldiers' bodies, rest well, and prepare for tomorrow's plan," Jason ordered.

"Yes!"

As soon as Jason finished speaking, everyone answered in unison.

After clearing away the fallen soldiers, the group returned to the village, ignoring Motoyasu, Myne, and the others lying unconscious near the village entrance.

"Master Myne... Master Myne?"

The morning sun cast its light on the ground, and Myne heard a voice calling her name. Her consciousness slowly returned, accompanied by a foul odor.

Myne's eyes flew open, and she saw a kind, familiar face in front of her—it was the lady from the restaurant in Lute Village!

"Master Myne, why are you sleeping here?" the lady asked gently.

Myne didn't answer. She sat up abruptly, scanning her surroundings.

She found herself lying on the ground at the village entrance, alongside Motoyasu and the two unconscious adventurers.

"What... what happened?"

Myne rubbed her aching head, trying to remember. She recalled seeing 'ghosts' of the villagers and attacking them frantically, but everything went hazy after that. Her memory was blank from that point onward.

That's right... all the villagers of Lute Village had perished and become spirits. So who was this lady standing before her?

Realizing this, Myne's expression turned frantic. She started backing away on her hands and feet, shouting, "Who are you? Get away from me!"

She even grabbed handfuls of dirt from the ground and threw them at the woman.

"Master Myne, what do you mean by that?" the lady asked, her face the picture of innocence as if she were oblivious to everything.

"What's going on?"

At that moment, Motoyasu began to stir. He slowly stretched but suddenly remembered the horrifying events of the previous night, causing his body to freeze in shock.

With a rigid, mechanical motion, he turned his head to look at the terrified Myne, then down at the female adventurers lying beside him. He sighed with relief upon seeing they were unharmed.

"Uhm... Master Myne, Master Motoyasu, what happened to you?" the lady asked again, her voice filled with genuine concern. As she took a step closer, Myne screamed: "Stop right there! Don't come any closer. Master Motoyasu, wake them up!"

Though still in a daze, Motoyasu obediently roused the two adventurers.

"Master Motoyasu, we're so scared!" they exclaimed, instantly clinging to him with tears streaming down their faces.

"Alright, calm down," Motoyasu said, trying to comfort them. "Tell me exactly what happened last night."

Myne's stern voice silenced the crying.

"I remember villagers dancing around a bonfire in the square," one of the female adventurers began. "Then... a man with no face appeared. We were terrified and ran toward the village."

"We kept running, and suddenly, I lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes... I was here."

The adventurers described the events while piecing together their memories.

"You don't remember anything after you started running?" Myne asked, puzzled as to why their memories went blank.

"No, Master Myne, we truly can't recall anything," the adventurers said, their expressions helpless and sincere, showing no signs of deception.

"Excuse me," Myne said, narrowing her eyes. "What bonfire? What faceless man?"

Suddenly, the proprietress, whom Myne had ordered not to move, spoke up.

"It was the Festival of Huihun Night yesterday. You all went to the center of the square and gathered around a huge bonfire..." she said, her tone sweet and almost naive.

"What is Huihun Night?" Myne retorted in disbelief. "You're joking, right? I went to bed early last night since there wasn't much business, and we definitely didn't have any festivals here."

With the proprietress's words, Motoyasu, Myne, and the others felt a strange buzzing sensation in their minds.

If Lute Village hadn't held the Huihun Night Festival, then what exactly had they experienced last night?

Was it all just a dream?

But how could a dream be so vivid?

And it was even more impossible for four people to share the exact same dream.

Something was definitely off—something beyond comprehension.

At that moment, the corners of the proprietress's mouth twisted into a subtle, unsettling smile. "Alright... you're all filthy. You should go to the village and clean up!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than villagers began to emerge from Lute Village, each wearing a warm, welcoming smile.

The smiles seemed friendly enough, but to Motoyasu and the others, they were terrifying.

"Run!"

Without a word, the four of them reached the same conclusion at the same time. They scrambled to their feet and bolted toward the forest beyond the village, desperate to distance themselves from Lute Village. If they could help it, they'd never return. This was beyond bizarre—utterly inexplicable and profoundly unnerving.

They had lost the courage to face the unknown—things that defied understanding and stirred their deepest fears.

"Ding! The selected task is completed. Reward: Base Strength increased by 20 points!"

At the same time, Jason heard the system's voice echo in his mind, feeling a surge of strength course through his body.

"Finally," Jason muttered to himself. "After all that hard work, the task is complete. As for Myne... it seems her usefulness has run its course. She can be dealt with."

A cold glint flickered in Jason's eyes as he spoke.