Inside the Beuna village, in the village priest's private chamber, the air was quieter than the noisy chapel outside. The room was small but clean. A single window let in the fading afternoon light. The injured man lay on a narrow bed against the wall, his breathing steady now that the worst of his wounds had been treated. The man with the axe sat on a wooden stool nearby, his head nodding forward as exhaustion finally caught up with him. He was already half-asleep.
The boss of these men sat on a low bench across from Priest John. His posture was still tense, but the immediate danger of collapsing had passed. John had just finished explaining the situation to him as clearly as he could.
The boss leaned forward slightly.
"So you are telling me there is a dungeon just inside the forest? Possibly very close to this village?" he asked to confirm it once again. "And you sent a strike team formed by the local guild branch to deal with it?"
John nodded once. "That is correct."
The boss's brow furrowed. His voice came out rougher than before.
"Sorry for the rude tone, but why the fuck didn't you guys contact the capital? Or the lords of this land? Surely they wouldn't ignore something big like this."
John's expression tightened. A clear note of frustration entered his voice.
"Have you been listening to me at all? I just said that we only discovered the signs of the dungeon break a short time ago. There was no time to wait for the capital to gather and send reinforcements here on the outskirts. The same goes for the local lords. Yes, we have already sent messages asking for help. But even the closest direct lord of this village, the baron, has no personal knights he can send on short notice. And we cannot count on the local viscount family for this matter either."
At the mention of the viscount family, the boss gave a small nod. The movement was quiet, almost automatic, as if the information was already familiar to him. John did not notice. He continued speaking, his tone still edged with the weight of the situation.
"There was no other option. We had to act with whatever strength we already had here."
The boss stayed silent for a moment. His eyes moved to the window, then back to John.
"And this strike team," he said. "If they do not close the gate before nightfall… what happens?"
John's face grew more serious.
"If they fail to close it in time, or if they are delayed too long, the dungeon will begin releasing stronger waves, I fear. The first group of monsters we have already seen was far more powerful than we anticipated. And that will not be the last. Larger numbers will start moving toward the village after dark. Our walls have been reinforced, and we have more people ready to fight than usual, but a full wave from an active dungeon break is not something this village can easily survive. Not without heavy losses."
The boss exhaled slowly through his nose. The weight of the words settled in his already exhausted mind.
"So tonight is the line, you say," he muttered.
"Yes," John said. "Tonight is the line."
Before either of them could say more, a soft knock came at the door. A moment later, Lys pushed it open just enough to lean his head inside.
"Priest John," Lys said. "I am heading to the wall. I want to check the watch rotations and make sure everything is in place before the light fully drops."
John looked up. "Where is Selene?"
"I sent her back to the house with Mira," Lys answered. "She used a lot of mana earlier. She needs rest more than she needs to stay on her feet right now. She didn't want to go, but I forced her."
John gave a short nod of approval. "Yeah, you did good. Make sure she actually rests."
"Yeah, I will, after I go back after checking the wall-guarding shift rotation," Lys said. His eyes moved briefly over the three men in the room, then back to John. "So, I will be at the wall for now if anything changes."
He pulled the door closed again, leaving the chamber quieter than before.
The boss watched the door for a second after Lys left. Then he looked back at John.
"That boy," he said, pointing with his head. "He is the one in charge of the gate decisions?"
"For now, yes," John replied simply. "The guild and the council placed that responsibility on him while the main strike team is away."
The boss did not comment further. He leaned back against the wall, the earlier tension in his shoulders still present but quieter. On the bed, the injured man shifted slightly in his sleep. The axe-man let out a low snore, finally fully under.
Outside the window, the light continued to fade. The village was preparing for a night that no one in the room could fully predict. And for the three men who had arrived with half-told stories and hidden wounds, the true danger of this place was only now becoming clear.
The boss was finally realising that he might've led themselves into a far more dangerous situation without knowing than they ever was.