Chapter 78

“You remember which direction we came from when we left the hill, though, right? Just tell me how to get there from that point.”

She nodded and began drawing a crude map in the dirt, using her finger to trace the paths she remembered. It wasn’t a direct route—she only knew the paths she had personally traveled—but it was enough to give me a solid sense of direction.

If our hill’s entrance is at six o’clock, their settlement’s at about eight.

If I hugged the edges of the forest, I could probably reach it faster than expected. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the time for conquest. With another settlement so close by, it would be difficult to defend two territories at once.

I’ll focus on dungeon exploration for now. No point getting greedy.

I wrapped up the interrogation by asking a few more questions about her knowledge of both settlements. Once I was satisfied, she stared at me, nervousness creeping into her voice.

“So… what happens to me now?”

“Hmm.”

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. If she’d shown even a shred of resentment over her fallen comrades, I would’ve killed her without hesitation. But she hadn’t. There wasn’t even a hint of hostility.

“What’s your level? And your class?”

“Level 16. Mage.”

“Not bad. Want to transfer to our settlement?”

Her eyes widened in shock.
“Really!?”

Given her situation, she probably considered herself lucky just to be alive. Being offered a place among us must’ve felt like a miracle.

“Find your own hunting party. I’m not assigning you to a team.”

“Yes! Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out!”

“Also, we’re a structured society here. We’ve got a class system—treat the Young men with respect, and if there’s a problem, come to me instead of using force.”

“Class system? Nobility?”

She blinked in confusion but brightened up as I explained. The idea of an orderly hierarchy clearly appealed to her after the chaos of her previous settlement.

I called Zachary over to handle the details and assigned her a house.
“Get settled, follow orders, and you’ll be fine.”

“Thank you so much! I’ll do my best!”
Jessica followed Zachary out of the room, her steps quick and eager. She seemed sharp—she’d probably adapt quickly.

With that settled, I turned to my companions.
“Before we head out for dungeon exploration, there’s one more thing we need to do.”

“Let me guess,” Derek grinned.
“We’re taking over Nox’s settlement.”

The settlement once ruled by Nox was a familiar place for most of us—after all, we had lived there before. Only Rachel was seeing it for the first time.

But despite the familiarity, none of my companions seemed particularly happy about returning.

“I still don’t feel good about this,” Ethan admitted, his expression tense.

“Even if Nox was a bastard, who’s to say the Young men under him learned anything? What if they freak out when we mention the class system again?”

“I’ve got the same concern,” Nathan added, frowning. “People change their behavior depending on who’s in charge. They might have bowed to him but stood up straight when we walked in.”

“That’s why I brought the ‘attitude adjuster.’” Derek tapped his warhammer with a grin. His smile didn’t reach his eyes—there was a sharp, dangerous glint there instead.
“If they don’t listen to words, they’ll listen to this. Honestly, I hope someone tries something stupid. I’d love to demonstrate what happens when you disrespect us.”

“…Did something happen here before?” Rachel asked cautiously.

“Let’s just say, there were… issues.” I couldn’t help but let out a bitter chuckle.

We’d been treated like nobility in our own settlement, but here? The Young men had openly scorned the very idea of hierarchy.

“What’s your take, your Majesty?” Ethan finally turned to me, waiting for my answer.

“What do I think? What exactly?”

“The Young men,” Ethan clarified. “Will you still enforce the class system if they refuse to accept it?”

“No.”
I answered without hesitation. There wasn’t even a sliver of doubt in my mind.

“Why should the rules change just because the territory does? If word gets out that the class system doesn’t apply here, even the Young men who accepted it back in our settlement will start questioning it. If that happens, we’d be better off abandoning the settlement entirely.”

“Then… do you have another strategy in mind if they resist?”

“If they refuse?” I smirked. “We leave them to rot.”

“Leave them…?”
Ethan blinked, clearly not understanding my meaning. I couldn’t blame him—it had been a while since I’d explained this.

“Remember when we first established leadership? The system warned us that if there’s no leader, the safe zone disappears after a week.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“And right now, Nox is dead, which means this territory is leaderless.”

“…!”

It clicked instantly for all of them. No one had considered what would happen if a leader was suddenly removed entirely. Normally, another pioneer would’ve stepped in to assume the role immediately. But in this case, we had wiped out every single pioneer connected to the territory.

Without a leader, the system’s penalty would take effect—this place would become a free-for-all soon enough.

“I’m not going to waste time ‘reforming’ the young people or indulging their whining. If they refuse to follow the system, I’ll just leave them to their fate.”

If they couldn’t learn their lesson after everything that had happened, they were beyond saving. I wasn’t going to waste resources on fools.

My companions fell silent, seemingly accepting my reasoning. We continued forward without another word until we reached the familiar landscape.

“We’re here.”

The dreary buildings stood like rotting monuments—an ugly reminder of Nox’s reign.

“Ah! W-Welcome!”
“Welcome, sir!”

The moment we stepped into the settlement, the Young men rushed out in a panic, scrambling to form two lines as if they were greeting conquering heroes. Their heads were bowed, faces pale with fear.

“…Looks like Nox made sure they knew how to put on a show,” I muttered under my breath.

A few of them flinched, likely thinking I was criticizing them. Then, as they hesitantly raised their heads, recognition dawned.