The silence after Maya's words stretched for a long moment. The entire crowd seemed to freeze where they stood. Settlers who had been shouting just seconds ago now stared at her with wide eyes. The adventurers behind Sara stopped moving, too, their frustrated expressions now shifting into confusion. Even the wind seemed to pause, leaving only the faint sound of dust settling on the dirt road.
Then it started.
Not with one big dramatic moment, but with small movements at first.
Behind Maya, the Fiora tribe members began stepping forward quietly, one step at a time. As Maya advanced herself, most of the older hunters among the tribe who were at the front of the crowd adjusted their stance and nodded all together. They gave a simple bow and spoke in unison, "Niruha, you came!"
Only a woman with braided hair who had been standing near the front lowered her arms and turned to the stronger-looking woman beside her. That was the same woman Sara had spoken to earlier, the one who had given her a cold refusal. As soon as she saw Maya, she straightened her posture and spoke clearly, "Your wish is my command, sister. We move inside the walls."
And that was all it took.
The rest of the Fiora tribe people also simultaneously shouted loudly, "YOUR WISH IS OUR COMMAND, NIRUHA!"
The sound rolled through the crowd like a wave. Sara felt her stomach drop.
One minute, these people had been shouting that they would rather die here than hide behind village walls. Now, with just a few words from Maya, everything had flipped. The same settlers who had blocked the road with their bodies were now looking at each other uncertainly, then slowly starting to move.
Some turned toward their huts. Others began gathering their things and small bundles of belongings. It was as if the loud arguments from earlier dissolved into hurried conversations and the sounds of feet shuffling on dirt.
Sara just stood there, unable to hide the shock on her face. She had known the Fiora tribe carried weight in this region. People respected their hunters and trackers more than they sometimes listened to the village authority.
But this?
This was something else entirely. One sentence from Maya, and the entire standoff had collapsed. The pride that had made everyone refuse help had bent completely for her.
Sara didn't fully understand the depth of that influence, but she could see its power right in front of her eyes. It was enough for her to know the situation had been handled, and that was for sure not because of her.
She stepped closer to Lys, keeping her voice low so only he could hear. "Lys… what is the deal with her?" She gestured subtly toward Maya with her eyes. "Is she…?"
Lys cut her off before she could finish the question. "Yeah," he said quietly. "She's the leader of the Fiora tribe. I met her at Tresta's house. Somehow, I've managed to convince her to come with me inside the village walls. And what you're seeing right now is the result of that."
Sara looked at him for a long second, waiting for more. But Lys just shook his head slightly. "I'll tell you everything later. Right now there's a lot of work here, and we need to get moving too."
Sara closed her mouth and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go back to the village and tell Vessa and Rhuvia what happened here."
Lys agreed with a small nod.
But before he took a step, he turned toward Tresta, who had been standing slightly behind him this whole time. She still moved carefully, like every step needed thought, but she looked more steady than Sara had seen her before.
Lys spoke simply to her. "Let's go."
Tresta met his eyes for a moment, then gave a small nod. Without any argument or hesitation, she stepped forward to walk beside him.
Sara noticed it clearly. Tresta, who had refused help and talked about dying before accepting pity from the village, was now following Lys without a single word of protest.
Tresta turned briefly to Maya and said something quietly that Sara couldn't catch. Maya listened, then looked straight at Lys. "Take care of her until I come inside," she said in a firm voice that was not that harsh.
Lys nodded. "Yeah, and I'll leave handling things here to you then."
Maya just waved her hand once and turned back to talk to her tribe people. She started giving quiet orders, organizing the flow of the evacuation from the outside. Seeing it, the adventurers moved in to help, looking relieved that the situation had finally turned.
Lys, Sara, and Tresta started walking back toward the village gate together. In Lys's hands were the strange bow he had taken from Tresta's house and two rough, handmade bags stuffed full with everything she owned. Maya had helped pack them quickly before they left the hut. The bags weren't heavy, but Lys carried them without complaint.
Just walking alone was taking a toll on Tresta's body; adding more weight might not be a good idea, Lys figured.
Sara walked on Lys's other side, occasionally glancing back at the crowd. The noise behind them had completely changed.
What had been angry shouting was now the practical sounds of an evacuation, people calling out to each other, the creak of doors, the shuffle of feet on dirt. The Fiora tribe moved with quiet efficiency, helping the other settlers gather only what they needed. It was almost hard to believe this was the same group that had been ready to fight the idea of leaving just minutes ago.
Sara shook her head slightly as they walked. She had known the Fiora tribe carried weight in this region. But she hadn't expected anything like this. She still didn't fully understand how deep that influence went, but she could see it clearly now. It was obvious to her that Maya wasn't just another hunter. She was someone who could shift the mood of an entire crowd with a single decision. And somehow Lys managed to get on her good side.
How he does things like this every time was still a mystery to her. But at least she wasn't against it. As long as he can show results, she isn't going to complain about his methods. That's the mindset she had formed by now, seeing how Lys rolled.
While Sara had a steam engine rolling inside her head, Lys kept walking steadily, the bow still in his grip. Tresta stayed close to him, her steps careful but determined.
Every now and then, Sara caught Lys glancing at Tresta, like he was making sure she was okay. Tresta didn't say much, but she walked without slowing down.
The village gate came into view ahead of them. The walls somehow looked a little bit stronger. And behind them, the sounds of the evacuation continued, steady, organized, and no longer fighting against the adventurers, who were placing people's belongings inside the carriages and wagons.
Sara let out a long breath. "I still can't believe how fast that changed," she said quietly to Lys. "One minute, they were ready to die out here. The next…"
Lys gave a small shrug. "It looks like Maya has that effect, I guess."
Tresta didn't comment, but Sara noticed the way she looked at Lys for a brief second. There was something new in her eyes, less guarded than before.
As they were walking side by side, Sara knew the real work was only beginning, but for the first time since the meeting, she felt like they had actually taken a real step forward to stop any massacres from happening, unlike the past reported incidents of dungeon breaks, where countless people died, which she had only read in books.
The three of them passed through the village gate as the sounds of the evacuation process continued behind them.