"Spare me the small talk. Are you really going to waste the little time we have chatting away?" Justin glared at him sharply.
Grayson quickly withdrew his hand from the sleeping bag, looking sheepish. "Well, I just thought I’d start with some small talk instead of diving straight into business. No need to be so cold."
"I’m telling you, we don’t have time for that. I can practically hear Damian’s frustration from here," Justin retorted.
"Why does that matter? It’s not like you’re someone who needs to care about what Damian thinks," Grayson replied with a shrug.
"Of course, not. But if I push too hard and this alliance breaks before the main quest is finished, that would be troublesome for me too. At least until the main quest, we need to maintain a friendly relationship," Justin explained.
For this reason, his conversation with Grayson had to stay focused and brief. If it took too long, Damian might start getting suspicious, thinking they were plotting something. Grayson gave a bitter smile and nodded in agreement.
"In that case, let’s get straight to the point. I’m not exactly in a position to relax either," Grayson began.
"What do you mean?" Justin asked.
"To be blunt, can my subordinates and I transfer to your territory? Of course, we’ll remain with Damian’s side until the main quest is over, but once we return, I want to go with you."
"...?" Justin tilted his head, confused.
He didn’t know much about the relationship between Damian and Grayson, but if Grayson was close enough to accompany Damian on the main quest, he was likely one of his close confidants. And yet, here he was, talking about abandoning everything he’d built and joining Justin’s side—perhaps even starting from the bottom.
"Did something happen between you and your leader?" Justin asked.
"If that were the case, it would be easier. My soft-hearted leader would forgive me with a sincere apology, as long as I didn’t go around swinging weapons," Grayson replied with a sarcastic sigh.
"Then why?" Justin pressed.
"It’s simple," Grayson said, letting out a deep sigh. "We haven’t been able to collect a single coin in taxes. The territory is on the verge of collapsing."
"...!?"
Justin’s eyes widened at the unexpected revelation.
"Things seem quieter than I expected," Ethan muttered, gazing out over the city from the office located in the upper levels of the fortress.
It had been five days since their lord, Justin, had left for the main quest, and the territory had been unusually peaceful compared to the previous chaos. As Ethan continued to observe the calm city below, Derek scoffed. Your next chapter is on freewebnovel
"Of course it’s quiet. We crushed over thirty heads, after all. Anyone who didn’t quiet down after seeing that would be crazy," Derek remarked.
"True, though the world is full of irrational people," Ethan replied with a chuckle.
Derek, at a loss for words, scratched his head while Ethan smiled.
"Still, it’s good that things are peaceful. If it stays like this, we’ll be able to get through without any issues until the lord returns," Ethan said optimistically.
"That’s not entirely the case," a voice interrupted.
The door opened, and Emily entered, frowning as she waved a stack of papers.
"According to the guards on the wall, a group of pioneers has been lingering near the front gate recently. They’re not approaching, but it seems like they’re scouting," she reported.
"What? Didn’t the lord clear out all the nearby pioneers?" Derek asked, perplexed.
"There are still nine territories left, aren’t there?" Ethan pointed out.
Derek and Ethan exchanged a glance.
It was true. Nine territories remained, but they had almost forgotten about them due to the overwhelming difference in power.
"Have they gone mad? What are they thinking, challenging us like this?" Derek muttered.
"Well, it’s not entirely incomprehensible if you think about it," Emily replied.
"They think they have a chance against us, so they’re spying on us?" Derek scoffed.
"Think back to the main quest announcement. Even if they don’t qualify to participate, the notification still goes out to everyone, right?" Emily explained.
"Aha!" Derek clapped his knee, finally understanding.
Even pioneers who didn’t meet the requirements for the main quest could still receive the notification. Naturally, this would prompt those who fell short to scramble and seek alliances or opportunities, potentially leading to foolish actions like attacking a seemingly undefended territory.
"So they’re planning to loot an ’empty house’?" Derek asked.
"Exactly. They just don’t realize that this particular house isn’t empty," Emily replied.
"Tch. What a hassle," Derek grumbled, frowning deeply.
If their opponents were aware of the power difference, there might be no conflict. But if they weren’t, then a confrontation was inevitable. When someone was convinced they could win, there was little anyone could do to stop them.
"Looks like you and I will have to step up since the lord isn’t here," Derek said with a sigh.
"Seems that way. The question is, do we intercept them outside the gates, or do we wait and defend from within?" Ethan pondered aloud.
Defending from the walls would make it easier to hold off an attack, but it also meant they’d be stuck in a standoff for days, unable to strike back. It was bound to be a draining situation. On the other hand, going out to intercept the enemy had its own risks—especially if the enemy had any second-class pioneers among them.
"If the lord were here, it’d be different. But with the current situation, if even one second-class pioneer shows up, we’ll be in trouble. Even if we win, we’d likely suffer casualties," Ethan mused.
"Damn, this is frustrating. Isn’t there anything we can use to attack them first?" Derek asked in irritation.
"Don’t you think I’d have used it already if we had anything? The wyvern hasn’t been fully tamed by Nathan yet, and the other one—Fafnir—is still in that state," Ethan replied.
All three of them glanced toward the corner of the office. There, a massive egg sat, taking up a significant portion of the room. According to Justin, Fafnir was evolving inside the egg. Everyone had been excited at first, but over a week had passed, and nothing had changed. Now, frustration had settled in.
"That damn lizard. Always acting high and mighty, but now, when we need it, it’s useless," Derek grumbled.
"That’s life for you. Things you need most are never around when you need them," Ethan chuckled wryly. "I guess we’ll have to handle this ourselves."
Just as the three were finishing their conversation and about to come up with a proper plan, a sound interrupted them.
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Crack.
A fine fissure appeared on the surface of the egg encasing Fafnir.