Nathan and the others had decided to observe the reddish figures' strange actions for some time before coming to a decision. A week passed quickly, and the mysterious entities continued to deal with the beasts without causing harm to any citizens of the Cromwell Barony.
Despite this, the townspeople were becoming more curious and speculative. Some were convinced these figures were divine protectors, while others believed they were powerful Awakened hired by their baron. Nathan and his council, however, remained cautious and didn't say anything to stop the rumors from spreading, afraid that it might only make things escalate further.
During the second week, reports came in from nearby towns and baronies about escalating beast attacks and loss of life. While the other towns were struggling, the Cromwell Barony stood as a safe haven, untouched thanks to the mysterious reddish figures that were appearing more and more often.
This raised tensions in the surrounding areas, and refugees began arriving at the Cromwell Barony, seeking protection.
Nathan gathered the elders once more to discuss how to handle the increasing pressure.
Celine, the voice of reason, spoke first. "We can't keep this up forever. The other towns are beginning to notice our strange luck, and they're bound to get suspicious. If these refugees keep coming, we'll run out of resources."
"You're right." Nathan nodded in agreement. Although he wanted to accommodate all these people, he needed to be sensible and put his citizens as his first priority.
In the end, after accepting the children, pregnant women, and the elderly, the rest—those who seemed capable of defending themselves—were told to return to their various towns and help the local Awakened there.
By the third week, word had spread far and wide that the Cromwell Barony was seemingly protected by unknown forces. This led to more attention, including from the Armstrong Duchy and other regional powers. Nathan knew this would bring trouble. While Brawn and his Silent Whispers hadn't arrived yet, he began preparing for potential confrontations.
In the fourth week, however, the Silent Whispers finally arrived along with Brawn himself. However, something strange happened...
The beasts stopped attacking the Cromwell Barony and even the neighboring towns. Still, Brawn and his men conducted their investigation and didn't find anything odd with the beasts. The guild master of the Silent Whispers turned to Nathan and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure these beasts were acting unusually?"
An annoyed expression crossed Nathan's wrinkled face as he crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing slightly. "We wouldn't have called you here for nothing. They were attacking more frequently, almost coordinated. But now... it's like they've vanished."
Brawn looked at his old friend for a while before sighing. He had already given his friend his word, and he wasn't the kind to take back his word. "Alright, we'll stay for some time to see if there's any unusual behavior," he said.
However, more weeks passed, and nothing happened.
By the time the fifth week rolled around, the tension in the Cromwell Barony had reached an uneasy calm. Brawn and his Silent Whispers had set up temporary posts around the town, keeping a close eye on any strange activity, but the beasts remained absent, and the mysterious red entities hadn't reappeared. The townspeople, though still cautious, had started to believe that the worst was over.
"Another week has passed, and still nothing," Brawn commented, a thoughtful look crossing his features. "It's like whatever was happening just stopped the moment we showed up. Makes you wonder if they were scared off... anyway, let's continue watching for some time."
Another month passed, and still nothing. Because they still had missions and other things to do in the capital, the Silent Whispers packed up their things and had no choice but to return. Brawn had left, saying that the beasts' recent behavior could be due to mana affecting them, and that they had returned to normal.
Nathan pondered over this for some time and thought it actually made sense. In the weeks that followed, life in the Cromwell Barony returned to normal. The mysterious reddish figures never reappeared, and the beasts that had once terrorized the region were nowhere to be found.
Word came from neighboring baronies that their own beast troubles had all but disappeared, leading to speculation that the creatures had migrated elsewhere or had been driven off by some unseen force.
Most of the immigrants had returned to their various towns, and the west had... ironically, taken care of itself.
Aina was sitting in her usual spot, her expression filled with worry. It had been exactly five months, and she still hadn't seen her child Nox. Though Eve had written some letters to her, she was beginning to grow bored of them. The same could be said for Nathan, but because of the issues with the beasts, he hadn't really had time to think about his family.
"Why do I have this feeling that something terrible has happened to my Nox?" Aina said to Camila one night while holding her chest.
'Should I tell her this is what they call mother's instinct?' Camila silently wondered to herself. The last thing she wanted was to make Aina even more worried than she already was, so the best she could do was keep her thoughts to herself.
"He's fine... Eve is very reliable and strong, trust me." Camila stated, her tone filled with unwavering confidence as she added in a voice filled with admiration: "She's the strongest female Awakened I have ever seen."
"Is that so?" Aina narrowed her eyes slightly. She personally hadn't seen Eve fight before, but she had heard most of the citizens of the town praise her as someone who was very skilled. In the past, even the love of her life had said the same thing. He was full of praise and respect for her, something that had made Aina a bit jealous.
"I guess he's really safe if he's with her," she thought and pushed the worry out of her mind.
A few months later... five years passed, and the most anticipated tournament to determine the overlord of the Duchy was just around the corner.