Once the three of them finished eating, they left the restaurant. Since it was Han's first time in Windale, Erika decided to be a nice senior and let him tag along for some sightseeing. Of course, if that somehow turned into Han and Alwyn becoming her personal bag carriers during a spontaneous shopping spree, then that was just her way of getting some payback for her generosity.

Alwyn, who had expected this outcome from the start, said nothing. Han didn’t really mind carrying a few things either. In fact, Erika even bought them some extra snacks as a reward for their "hard work."

By the time Erika was finally done with her shopping, the sky had turned a deep orange, the sun slowly setting on the horizon.

“Come to think of it, where are we going to be staying?” Han asked as he and Alwyn trailed behind Erika, their arms loaded with bags.

“There are dormitories for Starvanguards,” Erika replied, still leading the way, “but Master hates staying there, so he just gave us rooms at his place.”

After winding through a few side streets, they eventually reached a decently sized home in the suburbs. It looked completely new, with its freshly painted walls and clean exterior. With her hands free, Erika was the one to unlock the front door.

Inside was a simple but well-furnished space. The house was tidy, though sparsely decorated, almost like someone had just moved in. There were no photos or personal touches, just the basics.

They found Auren sitting in the living room with a book in hand. He looked up as they entered and said, “Well, look who finally came home. Did you guys have fun?”

“Yup. We spent all your money,” Erika answered with a grin.

To be fair, Erika had spent most of it. The restaurant had already taken a sizable chunk out of the money Auren had given Alwyn, but Erika had used the rest during her shopping spree.

Auren seemed to know this too, but he just nodded and said, “Well, that’s fine. Han, you can take the room on the second floor to the left. It’s next to Alwyn’s.”

Han’s face lit up at the news. He quickly dropped all the bags he’d been carrying, prompting Erika to shout, “Hey!” but it was too late. He had already raced upstairs.

He found the door easily and pushed it open. The room was a good size, with a large single bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and even a shelf stacked with books. One wall had a window that looked out onto the road below. Han checked the wardrobe and found that it was stocked with some clothes in his size.

“Oh, right,” Auren called out from downstairs. “I left you some books on the table. You’d better read them properly, because I’ll be giving you a pop quiz.”

Han turned to the desk and eyed the pile of books. The top one was titled Starfiends 101: A Dummy’s Guide to Not Dying.

“Looks like you’re enjoying your new space, newbie,” Erika said, appearing at the door. She had just finished moving her own things into her room, which was already fully decorated and bursting with personality.

“I like it,” Han said. He hadn’t expected to be given his own room like this. Maybe he really was lucky, despite the rocky start. He thought back to all the stories he’d heard about transmigrators who had to crawl their way up from nothing, surviving life-or-death situations just to earn a place in their new world. Yet here he was, with food, shelter, and even some new friends, all because he happened to run into Erika and Alwyn in the Wastes.

“Don’t get too attached,” Erika warned. “We spend most of our time out on missions.”

“That’s fine!” Han replied. “I don’t like staying stuck in one place for too long anyway.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Erika said with a smirk. “Anyway, you’re in luck. Our stupid master said we might have another mission coming up soon.”

Two days passed before they received their next mission. In that time, Han had made himself completely at home. The place was perfect. After wandering the Wastes in the dark with no idea where to go, just being able to sleep in a real bed and eat warm meals felt like a dream come true. He couldn’t even remember what life on Earth had been like. If he had to guess, it was probably unbearably boring. He could almost picture himself trapped in his room, staring at a computer screen day in and day out. Compared to that, getting transmigrated felt like a blessing. At least now, he could have a real adventure instead of being stuck in some soul-crushing job.

The tailor Auren hired to fix Han’s jacket had also worked quickly, returning it just before they set off again. Han eagerly pulled on the newly resized jacket, layered beneath the black coat Auren had given him. Once everyone was ready, they left the city by carriage, pulled by a pair of sturdy Baros.

“So, what’s the mission again?” Erika asked as the carriage rumbled along.

This time, it was Alwyn who answered. “We’re heading to Hollowrest village. Some of the villagers reported that a Starfiend’s been seen within the ward. People have started going missing.”

“The usual, then?” Erika groaned.

“But I thought you said something felt off,” Han said, trying to recall the earlier conversation. “Weren’t there reports of travelers vanishing near the area? Could a Starfiend have broken through the Ward?”

“Unlikely,” Alwyn replied. “But we’ll need to confirm there aren’t any breaches. It’s rare for a Starfiend to cross into a protected area, but Hollowrest is right on the edge of the ward. It’s not impossible.”

“Great. More work,” Erika muttered, glancing at Auren, who sat across from them looking half-asleep.

“And what does our great master plan to do?” she asked dryly.

“I’ll leave it to you three. I’m sure you’ll manage,” Auren said with a relaxed smile.

“Oh, so you’re just planning to slack off.”

“No, no. This mission’s also meant to be a test for Han, you see,” Auren said, folding his arms behind his head. “It wouldn’t be fair if I got too involved. I’ll just be watching and stay nearby in case something dangerous happens.”

“Even if something dangerous happens, we’ll be the ones who have to deal with it,” Erika muttered under her breath.

Hollowrest was a village located at the edge of the Ward. Out on the open fields, livestock grazed lazily under the sun. Despite its remote location, the village remained somewhat thriving, thanks to its position along a road that travelers and merchants occasionally used to reach Windale. A few shops and taverns lined the path to welcome those passing through.

The arrival of a group of strangers quickly drew attention. As they stepped down from the carriage, they were met by the village head, an elderly man with a balding head. He wore a clean white button-down shirt and dark trousers, looking far more well-kept and wealthier than the other villagers.

He eagerly shook Auren’s hand. “Thank you so much for coming. Starvanguards! We really need your help. Please, come inside.”

The village head led them to the largest house in the village and invited them to sit at a long table. An older woman, likely his wife, soon appeared to serve hot tea and a small tray of snacks.

“Once again, I’d like to thank you for coming all the way here,” the village head said. “We know our village is quite remote. My name is Gareth, and I serve as Hollowrest’s head. I assume you’ve read our report?”

“Yes,” Auren replied. “You suspect a Starfiend somehow entered the ward and is now terrorizing the village. Several people have already gone missing.”

“Indeed. Everyone has been on edge. The first to vanish was poor Jack, a woodcutter. Then Hilda, who would often go into the woods to gather herbs...” Gareth sighed heavily. “Can you help us? We’re a small village, and every missing person feels like losing family.”

“We’ll do what we can,” Auren said. “I also heard the Starvanguard warden assigned to your village has gone missing?”

To prevent any unexpected breaches, the Starvanguard assigns at least one agent to act as a warden in villages near the border. Their main duty is to monitor the Ward and protect nearby civilians. If anything goes wrong, they're also required to report it to headquarters. Recently, the warden assigned to Hollowrest failed to send in his report. That raised immediate suspicion and prompted headquarters to treat the village’s request with urgency.

“Yes... poor Alric,” Gareth said with a sorrowful nod. “He was well-loved, always patrolling the area to keep us safe. Then one day, during his usual rounds, he just vanished. We searched everywhere, but there was no trace. Not even a body.”

“Do you have any suspicions? Any clues you haven’t mentioned in the report?” Auren asked.

“It has to be Mira,” a young man’s voice interrupted.

Everyone turned toward the stairs, where a man in his late twenties stood. He had clearly just come down, though Auren suspected he’d been listening for some time. His features bore a strong resemblance to Gareth and his wife, though his skin was unusually pale, and dark circles hung heavily beneath his eyes.

“Evan,” Gareth sighed. “I told you not to interrupt when I’m speaking with the Starvanguards.”

“I’m just sharing what I think,” Evan said, crossing his arms. “We all know everyone’s suspicious of Mira. That girl’s no good.”

“Mira? What’s wrong with her?” Han asked.

“She’s cursed, that’s what she is,” Evan said with a bitter tone.

Gareth’s expression darkened. “Mira was born and raised in this village, but the others never truly accepted her. Her mother was infected, and though Mira survived the birth, she bore faint traces of the illness on her skin. That alone was enough to make people wary. No one ever completely trusted her.”

“I say she finally dropped the mask she’s been wearing,” Evan added. “She’s gone missing now too. Then suddenly, other people start disappearing? Don’t tell me that’s a coincidence.”

It was clear the two of them shared the same low opinion of the outcast. Perhaps they even secretly hoped Mira was the culprit. Even so, they were here to do their job, and they certainly weren’t going to punish someone without proper evidence.

“That’s certainly useful information,” Auren said calmly. “We’ll take it into account.”

A/N: I didn’t want to overwhelm the first chapter with too much information, so I’ll gradually introduce new lore as the story progresses. Some things might not be immediately clear, but hopefully I haven’t forgotten to explain anything important along the way.

Please comment and like the chapter if you enjoy it!