The casualties thankfully are only a few as everyone was able to avoid the direct impact of the explosion. The guards that were in the vicinity still sported some injuries and burns, unfortunately. They instantly took out their health potions from their Inventory and drank it for their wounds to recover.

The dire issue of the fire spreading in the area is still on hand, though. If no one is going to do something about it, the farmers may as well bid good riddance to the crops and livestock that provide sustenance to the whole town of Chadena.

Isamu could only grunt irritably as he got up slowly from the ground. He is also one of the casualties, sporting some minor burns. He then also brought out a health potion of his own and begun drinking it to mend his injuries.

Although the displeasure that Isamu felt was quickly replaced with concern as there are even more pressing matters to attend to rather than wallow in self-frustration.

Issues like containing and extinguis.h.i.+ng the fire.

The farmers widen their eyes as they were stricken with dread and fear at witnessing their crops being consumed by the burning fire.

Isamu then took a deep breath to forcefully calm himself down despite the pressure of the flaming pandemonium that is currently transpiring.

While this was ongoing, Isamu's system notification greeted him with a message as a result.

u003cQUEST START!!u003e

u003cFrom the ashes, we riseu003e

[Fire and mayhem begin to engulf the farmlands of Chadena, threatening the livelihood of the farmers who you have worked with for the past month. Without immediate action, famine and despair will engulf the entirety of the area, reducing everything into ashes.]

u003cQuest Completionu003e - Collaborate with everyone in the vicinity to combat the fire.

u003cQuest Bonusu003e - None

u003cQuest Rewardsu003e - (???)

u003cACCEPT QUEST?u003e - YES / NO

Isamu presses yes in an instant as he quickly took the initiative and made his presence known to everyone in the surrounding area.

"Everyone, calm down, and listen to me!!!" Isamu took advantage of his booming u003cChampionu003e voice as he erupts a bellow to catch everyone's attention. "Now, I want each one of you to grab a bucket and gather water from the river to extinguish the fire!!"

u003cLeaders.h.i.+pu003e Discipline Hidden Trait Unlock!!

u003cValoru003e (Pa.s.sive) – The Champion is a hero of the people, rallying them under his banner despite the overwhelming odds. As such, allies are less likely to be struck by Fear effects as long as they are in your vicinity.

Isamu's eyes widen at the new skill but dismiss it shortly after because there are more important things to do.

The farmers recovered from their initial shock thanks to Isamu's loud command of snapping them out. They instantly did what they were told to do as they grab each of the said items from their respective homes in a hurry and perform the role that was delegated to them.

Fortunately, the fire covers only a single field out of the entire area.

But the field is big nonetheless, so the farmers are still going to suffer significant losses if they managed to put out the fire.

The fire still spreads rapidly however as they all need to be quick in their actions for it to be contained.

Thankfully, the river that serves as their way of irrigation is also nearby, thus making the work less burdensome as they went back and forth in refilling the water and dousing the fire.

Bren, being the a.s.signed head of the farmers, co-operated with Isamu as both of them maintained the order amidst the ongoing chaos, inspiriting the entire farmer populace in combating the flames.

The farmer's combined efforts with a.s.sistance from the guards ultimately have prevailed, smothering the flames that threaten them all.

As the commotion reaches its conclusion, the small remaining fires that were in the vicinity are easily being put out by the other farmers as they cover it with dirt with the use of a shovel.

Thus, it marks the end of the fire in the farmlands. Through Isamu's overall command with solid a.s.sistance from Bren, the farmers were able to solve the crisis before the situation turns out of control for them to handle.

With the sun rising to mark a brand new day, every farmer and guard at the surrounding area could only marvel at the majestic sunlight appearing on the beautiful horizon.

"Ah, glad that's finally over." Bren breathes a sigh of relief at knowing that the crisis has been averted. "I suppose you have our thanks for rounding up our sorry a.s.ses, haha."

"It's the right thing to do." Isamu smiles in response as both of them stares at the busy farmers cleaning up the field. "I merely perform what's required of me. As a member of the Warrior's Guild, it's expected of me to be a leader and defender of the common-folk, performing to the best of my abilities for the good of the people."

[+5 GOOD]

[+2 ORDER]

"And you perform just that exceptionally." Bren returns the gesture with a smile of grat.i.tude of his own. Then, the old farmer's expression s.h.i.+fts into a frown as he eyes at the area that was affected by the fire. "Even if we managed to save most of the crops in the end, the burned area still holds a great piece of the land as the wheat that was supposed to be harvested the following day was reduced to ashes. The losses that we'll most likely suffer are going to be detrimental in our way of living."

"Yes." Isamu nods with the same sentiment. "If I ever get the chance to see that thief again, I'll make sure to enact justice unto him in person. He'll pay dearly for the atrocity that he caused us today."

[+1 ORDER]

"Speaking of our mysterious burglar, I wonder who he is and what he wants here in the farmlands of all places?" Bren rubs his chin in question.

"Not in the farmlands exactly." Isamu shook his head. "But in Sir Krothu's manor."

"Ah, makes sense then," Bren replies. "Baron Krothu is one of the richest and most influential n.o.ble here in Chadena. Any thief would definitely be attracted by the wealth that he possesses."

"Yup, I agree," Isamu said in acknowledgment. "Still, it's hard to believe that the thief coincidentally performs the deed during the perfect moment when Sir Krothu chose to be absent as he announces it to us all. Sounds a bit fishy, don't you think?"

"Now that you mention it, yes." Bren's eyes widen in realization. "Wait, you think that one of our fellow workers is the culprit?"

"It's a possibility." Isamu nods. "When Sir Krothu made his announcement yesterday, I didn't sense any other people who are eavesdropping us during that time. I'm a cat-folk, so my sense of smell and hearing is very sharp to the point that I can identify someone easily nearby with just a sniff. It's a huge probability that one of the farmers is the thief himself."

"That's preposterous!!" Bren denies. "No one would even dare to perform such atrocious act against the kind Baron, especially us farmers who are nothing but grateful for the things that he has done for us."

"Yes, I know." Isamu answers. "But we still can't deny the possibility no matter how unbelievable you think is."

"If what you said is true, then it's certainly alarming that there is a thief among us all this time." Bren frowns deeply. "So, what do you suggest our next course of action will be?"

"Hmm." Isamu thought with a deep ponder. "In the meantime, let's muster every farmer in the vicinity. That way, we'll know who the thieving b.a.s.t.a.r.d is as he's most possibly the person who is missing."

"Very well." Bren nods. "I'll get the manifest that contains the list of the farmers from the house."

***

With all the farmers a.s.sembled, Bren stated the names of the farmers at the manifest as he confirms each of their presence one by one.

"Sarah Ancret!!"

"Alive and present!!" The young girl answers with enthusiasm despite the current situation that they are in.

"Beavis Aocrate."

"Here."

"Raimund Armak."

"By the Divines' mercy, I'm still here."

Bren continues to read the list of names as all farmers answered respectively when they were called.

"Connor Raulf."

Waiting for a response, all they received is the wind blowing past them.

Bren s.h.i.+fted his sights at Isamu, who is among the crowd as the latter nods with a grim look. The old farmer looks at the manifest again and marks the particular name.

After everything is said and done, the farmers were dismissed as some of them, the resilient ones of the bunch, went back to cleaning the field that was affected by the burn. At the same time, the rest who are not working are allowed to rest as they were exhausted from the ordeal of extinguis.h.i.+ng the flames earlier.

Isamu shortly after approaches Bren as he crosses his arms with a severe expression.

"Connor, huh." The cat-folk said the name. "So, he's the only one missing."

"Yes," Bren said in agreement. "The lad is actually a new addition that came before you. He has worked here for only around two months. A decent young lad, and he gets along well enough with his fellow farmers. So far, I receive no complaints against him."

"Two months, huh," Isamu told him. "Then that even makes it even more suspicious. If Connor, a.s.suming that is his real name, does not come back today, then we can safely say that he is most likely the culprit behind the thievery. But the real question is… if he is indeed the thief, then was his goal all along is to steal something from the manor? If yes, then why would he go so far as to disguise himself as a farmer like us for a significant period of time?"

"I believe I can answer that."

A familiar rough voice was heard right behind Isamu and Bren as their eyes widen. They instantly turned around to acknowledge the person.

The person is revealed to be none other than the Orc u003cChampionu003e Krothu as he gazes both of them with a stern look.