Chapter 79

“Wait… it’s you?”
“Long time no see,” I said, glancing around casually. “I don’t recognize most of you, but I’m sure you recognize me.”

I didn’t waste time with pleasantries.
“Not sure if you’ve heard yet, but Nox is dead.”

“…!?”

“He tried to trap me in an ambush. Naturally, my team wiped out him and his entire group.”

The Young men stared in stunned silence. I could see the disbelief in their eyes—they didn’t want to believe what I was telling them.

“Oh, and the other pioneers who came with him? We killed them too. Same reason.”

“…!”

“Let me make this crystal clear: Nox is dead. His lackeys are dead. And the other pioneers who sided with him? Also dead. Understand?”

The shock finally began to give way to something else—relief. Cheers erupted among the Young men as the weight of their oppression suddenly lifted.

“Finally! That demon’s dead!”
“Rot in hell, you bastard!”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Their faces, still bruised and battered from Nox’s tyranny, now glowed with joy. They’d clearly suffered under his rule, and I couldn’t blame them for celebrating.

But I wasn’t here for a victory parade.

“I’m taking over this settlement now.”

“…!”

The cheering stopped instantly. Their expressions turned from joy to dread in the blink of an eye.

“The rules will be the same as before,” I said evenly. “A strict class system. Pioneers are nobles, and Young men are commoners. You will show proper respect to your superiors and pay taxes accordingly. Any objections?”

“…Isn’t that too much?”

A voice, barely louder than a whisper, emerged from the crowd. A man with clenched fists and a face twisted in frustration stepped forward. His body trembled slightly, but he met my gaze with defiance.

“Isn’t this… inhuman? Why must we always be treated like we’re beneath you? Does it bring you that much joy to dominate others?”

“Hmm.”

The comparison to Nox was clear—and I couldn’t help but tilt my head slightly in amusement.

The others, emboldened by his words, began speaking up as well, though their voices were shaky.

“He’s right… This is too much…”
“Class systems are wrong… We should all be equal…”
“We’re not even asking for elections, just… don’t enforce a class system…”

Their protests were weak, barely audible. But they were trying.

I let out a soft laugh, my tone laced with mockery.
“So, you hate the class system? That’s all you want gone?”

“Y-Yes!”

Their voices grew stronger, as if they dared to hope.

But just as I was about to crush that hope, another voice cut through the tension.

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!“

A man shoved his way through the crowd, shoving people aside violently. His wild eyes scanned the group, and the rest of the Young men immediately shrank away from him.

“You fools! Shut your mouths! Do you want to die?!”

The man’s voice was raw, filled with desperation and rage. His eyes locked on me, and he immediately dropped to his knees.

I recognized him instantly.
“You’re the guy who insulted me last time, aren’t you?”

I’d only seen him once before, but his face stuck in my memory—the same man who had cursed me when I first visited this place.

• You’re asking questions now? After pushing that class system crap? Get lost, bastard.

But now? That fire was completely gone. His face was hollow, his eyes filled with pure terror.

“Yes, it’s me…” His voice was barely a whisper.

“Strange. Weren’t you the one who despised the class system the most? Why are you bowing before me now?”

“Please, no!” Tears streamed down his face as he groveled.
“I’ll follow any system you want! I’ll call you master, lord, anything you desire! Just… Please, let me stay with you… I’ll do anything you ask—just don’t abandon me here!”

The sheer desperation was pitiful to watch.

A heavy silence settled over the scene in response to the man’s actions. The others, all intelligent and keen observers, stared at him with vacant expressions, as if unable to comprehend why he was so readily submitting himself.

It was as if they were asking—why was he bowing down of his own accord?

Justin crouched down in front of the man who was desperately pleading.

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this. I had no intention of torturing anyone just because you rejected the class system,” he said, his voice calm.

“But you’re going to abandon us, aren’t you? If we refuse the class system, you’ll just leave us behind,” the man countered, his tone resolute.

Justin fell silent at that. The man’s certainty struck a chord, and there was little point in denying something that was fundamentally true.

Seeing his silence as confirmation, the man’s eyes trembled.

“P-Please… at least take me with you. The others might despise the class system, but I don’t.”

“Why?” Justin asked, scrutinizing him. “You weren’t like this before. What changed?”

“I simply realized my place.”

The man lowered his head, a look of regret twisting his features. It was the expression of someone who wanted to erase his past self entirely.

“Pioneers can do whatever they want to us,” the man muttered bitterly. “Class system? It’s unnecessary. Even without it, they can kill, steal—take whatever they want. And in this world, who’s going to stop them?”

At those words, the other young people flinched, as if recalling the horrors they had suffered at the hands of Nox. The man, too, seemed lost in unpleasant memories, his lips pressing together in frustration.

“To young people, pioneers are no different from gods,” he continued. “We can’t resist them no matter what they do. But you…”

Justin cut in, grimacing. “Call me Lord, not Master. Hearing that from a man makes my skin crawl.”

“…Lord,” the man corrected himself, bowing his head further. “I still remember what you said—that you would create a noble system with a strict code of noblesse oblige.”

His voice trembled, and before Justin could respond, the man began sobbing outright, as if overwhelmed by regret for his past choices.

“Now that I think about it, I realize just how much of a concession you made for us.”

“What concession?” Justin asked, his brows furrowing.

“The obligation… the responsibility you willingly took on,” the man choked out. His throat constricted, preventing him from speaking for a moment.

He swallowed hard before forcing himself to continue.