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"Oh, Hero!"

A multitude of people were kneeling before me.

As I opened the door to my tent, responding to the cries of the people, my eyes caught new faces.

I hadn't seen them since arriving at the village, which meant they were none other than…

'… The newcomers!'

Their heads were all bowed, and I could sense genuine loyalty and awe from everyone—well, almost all of them.

"We greet the Hero!"

And then, reverent cheers reverberated in the air, sending shivers down my spine due to the eeriness of the entire scenario.

'How…?'

A middle-aged man was at the forefront of the group. Behind him were both Sarah and another new face—a girl who appeared younger than the Priestess.

Then, behind those three were the rest of the townspeople.

'… Why?' I was genuinely at a loss for words, watching them grovel before me.

'I haven't even done anything yet.'

Before they arrived, I had racked my brain in order to think of innovative ways to impress the members of the settlement that had just returned from their sojourn for supplies.

After deliberating for so long, I was planning on providing another upgrade for the settlement—perhaps a better set of weapons.

However, the crowd before me, with their absolutely reverent looks of adoration, showed me that all my previous worries were inconsequential.

I was worried for nothing.

'How did things turn out this way?'

***************

[A Few Hours Earlier]

Byron walked down the arduous road, leading his team with a vigor and charisma befitting the leader of their group.

Actually, he wasn't merely the head of this little group.

His true identity was that of the Chief of the Wasteland Settlement—which was the unnamed patch of land that they occupied.

The group he currently led numbered up to fifteen, himself included.

They were a small, elite team who ventured out of their settlement to obtain the necessary resources for their people.

Byron didn't like the idea of leaving the people he led behind, but he knew fully well that he had no choice.

Their lands were unproductive and barren. There was little to no benefit to living in such a place except for the fact that it was cheaper.

Every other viable settlement had either been filled up already—or was overflowing with Demons.

At least, even if their settlement was not ideal, it was relatively safe compared to other areas.

'We simply have to put up with the way things are, at least for now…' Byron sighed, realizing there were even bigger problems to tackle.

Most importantly, everyone's survival.

He looked behind him to observe the other thirteen members of his group. They were all carrying the supplies they had obtained from their journey.

The haul wasn't as substantial this time around, but they had managed to scrape by what they could.

'At this rate… just how many resources will we be able to obtain next time?'

Thoughts like these were typical for him as the leader, but this time, Byron was genuinely concerned.

The resources they had barely managed to obtain this time were not only limited in quantity, they were also sub-par.

In fact, only Subjugation quests were readily available, and the difficulties were extremely high.

Although the members of Byron's expedition group were elites, there was still a limit to what they could achieve under such limited circumstances.

As a result, the team ended up gathering very limited resources.

Their rewards were only sufficient for them to purchase the most basic of necessities.

At this rate, they would have to reduce their rations even more.

'Sigh… let's simply hope for the best next time.' He thought dejectedly.

But, if the situation didn't change, then Byron feared for the future of his people. It looked quite grim.

"Boss, we're almost there… I think." Someone approached Byron, rousing him from his deep thoughts.

Unlike the older-looking man, in contrast the girl who spoke to him was a teenager.

Her bright red hair and ruefully stern expression made it seem like she was in a terrible mood, but that was simply how she looked to everyone.

She was cute, though, and her petite appearance made her all the more alluring.

"Lucy, you really should stop sneaking up on me like that," Byron murmured.

Despite her small size and cute appearance, the girl called Lucy was an exceptional human—undoubtedly the strongest among everyone in the settlement.

In terms of skill, Byron knew only a few individuals who could stand against her, and none of them belonged to the town he led. While Sarah Lyniette was the most important member of the town, second only to him, in terms of combat, none could compare to Lucy.

No one really knew how old she was—including the young lady herself.

She had suddenly appeared in the settlement, and after realizing how incredible useful she was, they decided to keep her.

"Well, you were absentminded. Don't blame me for that. In any case, something looks weird about the settlement." She answered disrespectfully, in her usual flippant manner.

Byron didn't attempt to correct Lucy's brazen way of speaking. He was used to that by now. Instead, he addressed the more pertinent issue she raised.

"What do you mean by weird?"

"Take a look for yourself, she shrugged, pointing to the top of a hill from where she had just descended.

After that hill, they would arrive at the flat lands where their settlement was located.

In essence, the high slope of land was the only vantage point they could use to observe the settlement, from such a distance.

It was especially useful in observing if their town had been invaded or not. That way, none of the expedition members would be caught off-guard.

In extreme situations, they would even rush to aid their fellow denizens.

"What's the matter, Lucy?" Byron asked, worried by the girl's peculiar expression.

She looked extremely puzzled, indicating to the chief that something was indeed wrong with their town.

'Is it an invasion? Did the Demons attack while we were away?'

"Boss, I think…"

Byron stared at the girl as her lips parted. His heart raced uncontrollably.

What had the girl noticed?

"… I think we have arrived at the wrong town."