**Chapter 30 - You Don't belong here**

Suddenly, a sound echoed in the distance.

I gripped my sword once again, readying myself, thinking more bandits were approaching. But Rodrick quickly reassured me.

"It's over. The bandits have fled. That sound—it was their retreat signal. That means the village is safe now."

Footsteps. Multiple people were approaching us.

Once again, we raised our swords cautiously, but as the figures emerged, we saw it was the village chief accompanied by some adventurers—one carrying a sword and another holding a staff.

"Are you all okay?" the chief asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Yes, we managed to defeat the bandits thanks to Kathleen and Ronix," Rodrick said. "But Mama…" He trailed off, looking at Sofie with worry.

The adventurer holding the staff stepped forward, then crouched beside Sofie. She chanted a spell, and suddenly, a strange glow surrounded all of us.

A warmth spread through my body, not just on my skin but deep within, as if all the exhaustion and tension from the battle were being pulled away.

"What is this…?" I murmured. My body suddenly felt light, the heaviness in my limbs fading as if I had never fought at all.

Ronix stirred awake, blinking in confusion. Sofie, too, slowly opened her eyes.

"Thank you very much," the chief said gratefully to the adventurer.

"This is nothing for me as a former G—"

BAM!

The other adventurer smacked her head with his hand. Instantly, she clutched her head and groaned.

"Auuuuhhh… Why did you hit me?!"

She looked up at him, her expression a mix of shock and frustration, rubbing the sore spot on her head.

He ignored the poor girl completely and instead stepped closer to me. His sharp eyes scanned the fallen bandits before settling on me.

"Did you kill those bandits single-handedly? Are you an adventurer?"

I was about to respond, but before I could say anything, the girl suddenly sprang up—

"Don't ignore me!" she shouted.

At that moment, lightning crackled in the sky, and in an instant, a bolt of lightning struck the adventurer.

BAM!

Everyone flinched, eyes widening in shock.

"What is that magic? Lightning fell from the sky?! I've never seen or heard anything like this before… Is this her Sentient Magic?" everyone started murmuring, whispering among themselves in amazement and confusion.

In the midst of all this, Sofie and Ronix stood up, looking just as bewildered as the rest of us.

The adventurer stood there, smoke rising from his body, clear signs that he had just been struck by lightning. His cloak was slightly charred, his hair singed at the edges, but his face remained calm, unfazed.

"Do not ignore me from now on! And also, don't hit me!" she pouted, puffing out her cheeks as she crossed her arms.

She tried to grab the adventurer in frustration, but before she could, he simply raised his hand and—

BAM!

Once again, he smacked her on the head like it was nothing. As if the lightning had done absolutely nothing to him.

"Ow! Why?!" she cried, clutching her head.

"Now, now, don't fight among yourselves," the village chief sighed, shaking his head as he rubbed his temples.

They both calmed down, and finally turned toward us properly.

"I'm Alexander Roy," the man with the sword said, his voice firm but relaxed. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings once more before he sheathed his weapon. He was very tall and had a strong build, and the way he carried himself showed that he was an experienced adventurer.

"And I'm Pia!" the girl said, still pouting as she adjusted her staff. She had an energetic presence, completely different from Alexander's composed demeanor. "And for the record, I totally could have handled those bandits myself. But nooo, I had to work as a team," she muttered, crossing her arms.

"They were staying the night at my house," the chief explained, stepping forward. "They came here on a commission so i asked them for help fending off the bandits in the village."

"We took down most of them before they could cause too much damage," Alexander added, looking toward the unconscious and injured bandits scattered around the orphanage. "Looks like you all handled things well here, too. Not bad."

Pia smirked. "Yeah, but I bet it would've been easier if you had me over here, huh?"

Alexander sighed, shaking his head. "You just struck me with lightning."

"You ignored me first!"

The village chief cleared his throat loudly, making both of them stop bickering. "Anyway, thanks to these two, the village is safe. But I think we all need to regroup and make sure no more bandits are hiding nearby."

I exchanged glances with Ronix, Rodrick, and Milly. The battle was over… or so I thought.

"Actually…" the girl said, stepping toward me. Her playful tone was gone, replaced by something much more serious. She stopped in front of me, eyes narrowing as if studying every inch of my face.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice carrying a weight I hadn't heard from her before. The lighthearted energy she had just moments ago was gone. Now, her gaze was sharp, her expression tense. "I don't think you belong here."

Her words sent a strange chill through me.

Before I could say anything, Sofie's voice came from behind. "She's Kathleen," she said firmly. "She's my daughter."

Pia's eyes widened slightly, then she frowned, looking at Sofie as if trying to process what she had just heard. "Your daughter? But how can that be?" she muttered, almost to herself. "I can clearly tell she doesn't belong her—"

BAM!

She was cut off by a familiar thwack as Alexander once again smacked the back of her head.

"Enough," he said, his voice calm but firm. Without giving her a chance to argue, he grabbed her by the collar and started dragging her away. "We're going back. Now."

"Hey! Let me go! I wasn't done talking!" Pia protested, flailing her arms, but Alexander didn't pay her any mind.

"Yeah, yeah, that's enough trouble from you for one day," he said with a sigh. "Let's move."

The two of them started making their way back to the village, with the chief following behind.

I stood there, staring after them, my mind racing.

Something about this encounter left me with more questions than answers. What exactly did she mean by I don't belong here? And more importantly…

What was that magic Pia used?

For now, though, we had more pressing matters. The village needed to recover, and so did we.

[Author's Note: Alexander and Pia belong to my other story In Another World with My Goddess.]

To be continued...