Getting back to the Village, Noah found guests from the other villages at the manor. Charles had sent Edward and Tom to escort his colleagues from the neighboring villages.

With the urgent situation at hand, none of them delayed the journey and made it quick. Their lives were on the line and the conclusion would decide where they would end up.

They were all tied together, so Charles needed to win.

Noah directly walked to the meeting room where Charles was sitting with the Leader of Nadir Village Knight Legolas and Leader of Hymn Village Knight Harold.

Legolas was in his forties with red hair and silver eyes. He was 180 cm and on the slim side as he was built for speed.

He was extremely charming and looked very classy. His looks hid the beast inside, as he was an extremely vicious person that held grudges.

Nonetheless, he was smart and cunning. He knew how to make compromises and understood the need for teamwork.

His symbol was the Wind Wolf howling and it represented his Cultivation style.

Beside him sat, Knight Harold. He was a man in his thirties with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was a bulky man of average stature and looks.

He had inherited the seat from his father and he was the Angelina’s brother.

His symbol was the Earth Salamander.

Charles had informed both men of the situation and discussed the points with them. Luckily, all of them were on the same page or it would have been dangerous.

With Noah’s arrival, they turned to him.

“Greetings my lord, I have made contact with the creatures and they have accepted our terms. But, they also added more.” Noah spoke up as Charles indicated for him to speak.

His tone was calm but there were changes when he spoke of the creatures conditions. No matter what, he was worried for his child.

“What did they say?” Charles asked while understanding that the beasts must have conversed with Noah for that to happen.

It meant that were very intelligent and maybe even close to breaking to the next realm. Creatures close to the third rank would usually develop speech and some level of intellect.

Fortunately, they weren’t problematic or the situation would be much worse.

“They want to keep Richard and Rosalina as hostages until the end of the ordeal.” Noah responded carefully. He knew Lance couldn’t be given away so he directly said Rosalina.

Charles was surprised at the demand and even the others found it astonishing that the creatures had such understanding of issues.

“Can we trust these beasts to keep their words? I would be quiet unhappy to see my niece hurt.” Harold muttered with a concerned tone. He was Angelina’s brother and he truly loved his sister.

His love went beyond family levels as he desired Angelina and wanted to marry her, but his father gave her away to Charles to strengthen their position.

Such an act of degeneracy was not very rare in the world and people married their mothers, daughters and nieces.

There was no sense of morals keeping people away from such thoughts and it was being used to keep the bloodline strong.

Unlike the normal world, the bloodline really meant something in Pandora and incest was one of the ways to keep it strong. It hadn’t worked perfectly but it worked a bit. People were not really aware of the damage they were causing and just saw the positive side.

Nonetheless, people from these powerful bloodlines would initially look for strong candidates from outside before allowing it to happen. Though, sometimes the kids just ended up messing around.

In Harold’s case, he was charmed by his sister but she didn’t see him that way. Angelina had been charmed by Charles, his looks and intelligence made him stand out among the crowd.

Harold fought against Charles because of it and disliked him for taking away his sister. He would usually want to avoid working together with him but his father liked Charles and would pressure him.

Unlike the previous times, he willingly decided to help because it involved all of them and his concern was genuine because Rosalina was Angelina’s daughter.

“There is no issue, my young friend. These two beasts are very tame in comparison to other monsters. Last time they made any mess was two decades ago, and since then they avoided any confrontation with us. Isn’t that right, Charles?” Legolas answered instead of Charles as the forest between their villages and he also knew similar details.

“Thanks for the concern brother, but the creatures can be trusted. We have an understanding between us. Noah, share your experience with us.” Charles was calculating the costs of the endeavor and wanted more information so he asked Noah for the details.

Noah narrated the event, giving the three Knights a better understanding of the level of intellect beasts on such a realm could achieve.

With Noah’s account finishing, Charles was silent for a moment and looked at Noah. His gaze was strong and confident.

“We will work with the creatures to handle the wasps in the woods. It is clear that these beings have the capacity for negotiation, as such we can replicate it elsewhere.” Charles turned to his colleagues and asked for their opinions.

Hymn Village had grassland on its side that was now infested with Giant Explosive Ants. These ants were dark red in color with strong acid and fire abilities.

These creatures were extremely aggressive and voracious, which lead to the desertification of any low level area they infected.

It was the reason these creatures lived in powerful regions with ample food and powerful monsters.

Hymn Grasslands was filled with simple creatures like snakes, hedgehogs, moles, rats, armadillos, foxes, hawks, crows and insects.

It was dominated by the aggressive beast called the Tigerdillo, hybrid creature from a Tiger and a giant Armadillo.

It was big as the Earth Bear Max and specialized in combat. It was a loner so it didn’t allow any other creature to rise to its level.

It was a creature that lived on violence and held grudges. With its stealth capabilities, it continued to escape being hunted when a party ventured forth.

It was unknown whether the creature would compromise or not.

Fortunately, Nadir Village didn’t have such a problem. The forest on the other side was a bugs land, filled with all kinds of insects.

It was densely packed with trees of all kinds, especially fruits and flowers.

It was home to multiple giant insects and the main creature was the Giant Honey Bee that ruled it. The Queen was intelligent enough and made a contract with the humans to supply them with honey.

There was no speech, just give and take.

The creatures were protective of each other and weren’t aggressive. They didn’t eat humans so it was a great deal.

Their fighting prowess wasn’t high, so they had two powerful insects working for them. There was the Giant Praying Mantis and the Illusion Butterfly that protected the Bees for the honey provided in return.

“It shouldn’t be an issue for us.” Legolas answered with a confident smile. He didn’t think there would be an issue and knowing that the Bees might be able to communicate, made him very happy. That was precious information that could help him grow in strength.

Unlike Legolas, Harold couldn’t show such confidence.

“That vile beast in my territory has shown no compromise and continued being a menace. I am unsure if it will help in this difficult time.” Harold spoke with disgust and hate as he remembered the Tigerdillo laughing at him with disdain. He had tried to hunt it down countless times but it slipped past his traps and even beat him multiple times.

He was lucky to have survived the encounters but his men had died.

Looking at the situation, two villages were covered and one was left in a delicate state.

“I see. Harold, you can take a defensive stance like usual and we will help once we are done. Or, you can evacuate the village and lead the people here so we can handle the problem here first before taking the fight to the ants.” Charles nodded and presented his opinion to help Harold decide.

Harold frowned and looked towards his sister, “Sister, what is your opinion?”

“I can’t say which one is better, as both have their advantages and disadvantages. Staying in the village could lead to deaths if the enemy attacks while evacuating would cause material loss.” Angelina glanced at her brother and gave him her view. She still very much cared for her family and didn’t want them to fall.

The answer made him happy and annoyed as she didn’t say anything more than Charles. It made him feel that they were a good fit.

“We will defend the village and wait for your victory. However, I will dedicate our strongest warriors for the endeavor.” Harold gave his decision and put forth his assistance. His tone was clear and his body language was confident.

“I appreciate your support, and we will make sure to end it before anything goes wrong….Noah, you can leave.” Charles showed gratitude for Harold’s aid. He didn’t have any negative feeling for the guy and took his antics as something between brothers.

Turning to Noah, he allowed the man to leave and talk with his son. Nobody knew what would happen, and it might be their last day together.

Everyone could die in the forest and no one knew who would survive.

Richard was teaching Leone about basic things to help the young boy open his eyes to a better world. Knowledge was the best weapon an intellectual being could posses. Without it, humanity would have no morals and civilization.

Without everything would return to nothing, it will lead to bloodshed with no purpose. Knowledge was one of the things that remained behind when a person died other than his family and some kind of business.

Richard didn’t have an interest in teaching people but he knew about teaching and the school system because of his business.

He felt that everyone should be educated and that children be challenged, as such he didn’t mind sharing what he had.

Though, he would delay it for a time since knowledge was truly an asset that could change people’s fate and he didn’t want to put himself in pointless danger.

Seeing the boys bonding, Lala was very happy but Noah’s return put a lid on it. His expression was stern and he asked Leone to leave, meaning it was definitely serious.

Noah asked Lala to sit beside him and called Richard. He told them to remain calm and explained the situation.

Lala sobbed as she squeezed Noah’s hand after hearing the content. She didn’t want Richard to go and she didn’t want Noah to put himself into a dangerous position.

She even suggested escaping to a different region.

Noah didn’t beat her up for her cowardly and traitorous words, but assured her that it was going to be fine. He was also stressed by the situation and prayed with all his heart that things would go right.

Richard on the other hand looked calm since he didn’t like showing his emotions or thoughts through his expressions, most of the time his expressions were fake.

It was very helpful in the current situation because Richard was horrified. Fear was burrowing in to his heart.

He was scared for Noah.

He was scared for Lala. How would she survive if Noah died? People would kill her or subjugate her. He wouldn’t be able to support her properly.

What if he died? It would break the poor woman’s heart. He couldn’t endure seeing his mother cry and his father heartbroken.

Fear for his parent’s hit him hard, before fear for his life also reared its head. No matter how experienced Richard really was, he wasn’t a warrior or a soldier. Even the young Richard had no such experience.

Taken as a hostage by two powerful beasts was terrifying beyond belief, and Richard wished that it was a joke.

No matter how good Richard was at keeping his Poker face, his body had small tremors that Noah noticed.

In this situation, Richard was his little boy that needed his support.

“Richard, you are more important than my life. I care for you more than you will ever know. Trust in me and we will get through it without a hitch.

Those creatures may look scary, but they will not harm either of you.” Noah spoke as he took Richard into his embrace.

‘What about your safety?’ Richard wanted to ask but he held back. It would only bring negative thoughts to mind for both of them. He needed to be positive.

He needed to believe that they could do it.

“I believe in you, father.” Richard controlled his voice and hugged Noah, it was the first time he had treated Noah this close to his heart.

Noah smiled at those words and patted his back, “Richard, you are a man and a man should always act brave. Rosalina will be accompanying you, so give her the support she needs.”

Richard was reminded of Rosalina and the words of Nelson Mandela, ‘I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.’

Fear was the mind killer and the reason that dreams became impossible. It was a force that man needed to remind them of the consequences and costs, but it was also a hurdle that made people step back even when they should have stepped forward.

“I will not let you down.”

Richard assured even though his fear had not been allayed and his mind was operating at light speed to find a way to put down his worries, and solve the issue.