Chapter 89: Have You Seen My Little Bear?

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Have You Seen My Little Bear?

Outside Fandou Village.

"Wally, where did you run off to? Wally!"

Vilia was all alone, calling out as she ran.

Anxiety gnawed at her. As she watched Fandou Village grow smaller in the distance, a sense of panic set in.

That very morning, before her mother, Mrs. Shaven, and her father, Lake, left for Diamond Town to buy supplies, her mother had specifically warned her not to leave the house alone. Even if she got incredibly bored and wanted to find someone to play with, she had to stay at the village entrance, under the watchful eyes of Old Yor and the other adults.

With the war between the two nations just beginning, public safety had deteriorated. Things were a little better in Diamond Town, but in the outlying villages, there had been numerous thefts and robberies. There were even rumors of people being killed. These crimes were said to be the work of vagrants—homeless people with criminal records, fleeing the law.

The chaos of the border war had drawn these people here, all looking to take advantage of the turmoil.

Vilia had promised her mother she would obey, but Wally had been unusually excited today, darting around the yard so frantically that even she couldn’t stop him. Feeling sorry for him, Vilia figured Wally was just anxious from being cooped up for too long. So, she had secretly taken him out of Fandou Village, even making sure to avoid Old Yor and the others so no one would tattle on her.

But the moment they were outside Fandou Village, Vilia regretted her decision.

Wally, already running wild, was completely out of control. In the blink of an eye, he shot off and vanished from sight. Vilia chased after him with all her might, but she couldn’t catch up.

Ever since Wally had returned from the Bole Forest with Vili, the little bear had completely changed. He no longer liked cooked food, only eating raw meat, and he was growing incredibly fast. Vilia couldn’t even lift him anymore, nor could she keep up with his speed.

Staring at the surrounding wasteland of barren earth and weeds, at the empty, deserted space, Vilia suddenly felt a surge of fear.

Her mother’s words from before she left echoed in her ears, making her deeply uneasy.

’I should just run home,’ Vilia thought, ’but what about Wally? I’m not sure he knows the way back. And he’s so striking... if someone caught him, it would be all over.’

As Vilia stood there, conflicted, she failed to notice two figures crouched in a patch of tall grass not far away.

"Looks like she’s alone. I think we can make a move."

The speaker was an exceptionally ugly man. His upper lip protruded, revealing two yellowed front teeth, and his eyes fixed on Vilia with malicious desire.

"She must be from a well-off family. Her clothes are new, not a single patch on them."

The other was a man with a scar across his face, his expression much colder.

The scar-faced man glanced at the yellow-toothed man with a look of contempt. "Cut that disgusting crap. We’re here to get money, understand? Once we have money, you can get all the women you want. Kidnapping this girl for ransom is what’s important!"

"Got it."

The yellow-toothed man seemed to be very obedient to his scarred companion, replying in a low voice.

They were dressed in rags, both vagrants from out of town. They had committed a crime in a nearby town and had to flee for their lives, forcing them into a life of wandering. After hearing news of the war, they had a quick discussion and decided to come to the border. Only in a place of chaos could they find a chance to turn their fortunes around.

After a long, agonizing moment, Vilia decided she had to find Wally and bring him back.

She took two steps forward, but suddenly the tall grass rustled. An ugly, yellow-toothed man in tattered clothes emerged, blocking her path.

The sight of the man’s appearance sent a jolt of panic through Vilia’s heart.

’Tattered clothes, sallow and gaunt... this is what Mother warned me about. A vagrant.’

Vilia’s eyes filled with terror, and her body began to tremble.

Still, she forced herself to calm down. She deliberately avoided looking at the yellow-toothed man and turned to walk away.

But she hadn’t taken two steps before another figure appeared from the grass. He was more heavyset, and a scar that cut across his entire face was exceptionally frightening.

Vilia knew she was being targeted.

Her breathing grew ragged, and her gaze darted about nervously.

For a moment, Vilia stood frozen, unsure if she should move.

"Little girl, you looking for something?"

The yellow-toothed man sidled closer, grinning at Vilia.

Vilia didn’t dare answer. She instinctively backed away a few steps, only to bump into the scar-faced man. She sidestepped away, but now she was trapped between them, too scared to move an inch.

"Don’t be afraid. Whatever you lost, we can help you find it."

The yellow-toothed man put on an act of being very caring.

The scar-faced man behind her was repulsed by this and frowned instinctively.

’I need to keep them calm,’ Vilia thought, ’so they don’t hurt me.’

Vilia’s voice trembled. "H-have you seen my little bear?"

"A little bear?"

Hearing this, the yellow-toothed man burst out laughing. "A little bear? Little girl, how could there be a bear here? Bears live in the forest! What a naive child."

The scar-faced man was annoyed by his partner’s rambling. He kicked the yellow-toothed man in the shin, causing him to stumble, and barked, "Enough bullshit! Just grab her and let’s go!"

With that, the scar-faced man reached for Vilia’s arm.

Vilia realized things were bad and quickly turned to flee, but she tripped on a rock underfoot.

Just then, Vilia let out a cry of surprise. She saw a white blur moving rapidly toward her.

"Wally!"

Vilia shouted excitedly, tears welling in her eyes.

"Huh?"

The scar-faced man and the yellow-toothed man were about to make their move when they heard Vilia’s cry and instinctively glanced behind them.

There, a white bear cub about the size of a small wolfhound was eyeing them menacingly.

"There really is a bear! And it’s white?!"

the yellow-toothed man exclaimed.

It wasn’t just him; even the scar-faced man was surprised. It was the first time he had ever seen a white bear.

"Perfect timing! We can kill this little cub, eat the meat, and sell the pelt... No, we should sell it whole to some rich folks. They love rare things like this!"

The yellow-toothed man let out a vile laugh and moved to grab Wally.

"Wally, run!"

Seeing this, Vilia forgot her own danger. With tears streaming down her face, she cried out desperately to Wally.

But Wally didn’t obey and run away.

Just as the yellow-toothed man bent down, about to snatch Wally, Wally suddenly moved.