Goddess Tricked Me into a Breeding Mission (And I Love It)

Chapter 195: Who Cares More about Them

The heavy doors of the council chamber swung open, and the group stepped out into the afternoon light. The sun had moved lower in the sky, casting longer shadows across the main street. Warm air brushed against Lys’s face, carrying the growing noise of the village.

People stood in small groups talking, their voices louder and more urgent than before. It seemed like word about the dungeon was spreading faster than anyone wanted.

Lys walked beside Sara, feeling the shift in the air. A woman nearby clutched her basket of groceries tighter while whispering to another villager. Two merchants were arguing near a cart about whether they should pack their things now or wait. The quiet tension from earlier had turned into something restless and uneasy; in just a couple of hours, they were in.

Rhuvia stopped just outside the building and turned to face everyone. She didn’t waste time. "We need to move fast. Vessa, go check the scouting team and see if they’ve mapped by now how far the dungeon’s influence has spread on the eastern side. Be back before sunset. I need a thorough report by then. Don’t engage in a fight unless you have no choice."

Vessa gave a short nod, her expression focused as always. "Understood."

Rhuvia continued smoothly, turning toward Vivian. "Vivian, was it? I want you to start organizing supply allocation for the incoming settlers. Work with the merchants and check what we have in storage. We’ll need food, blankets, and space ready by nightfall."

Vivian adjusted her hair behind her ear and nodded. "Yeah, I’ll handle it."

Then Rhuvia looked at John. "Priest John, I wish we had met under the right conditions. We haven’t seen each other since that party at the capital two years ago, I think."

"Don’t worry about it, Missy. The feelings mutual."

Rhuvia gave a short smile before getting into her commanding aura, "So, if you don’t mind, please coordinate with the temple. Convert the main hall and any available rooms into a temporary shelter for us to use, will you? We’ll need it soon, I think."

John rubbed his chin, looking tired but determined. "Okay, the temple will do its part. You don’t have to worry about it."

Rhuvia gave another smile at him. Then she and Vessa both turned toward Lys at the same time.

Rhuvia spoke first. "And Lys, I want you to go with Sara to the outer settlement. Help convince the people there to come inside the walls willingly. Don’t make it feel forced. Let them choose, but make sure they understand the danger they are going to face if they don’t come inside. The last thing we want is their lack of cooperation."

Lys blinked twice. He looked between Rhuvia and Vessa, then at Sara standing beside him. "Me? Why me? Aren’t Sara and Miss Vessa better suited for something like this?"

Vessa answered before Rhuvia could. "If we go, who handles everything else? The food arrangements, finding space for that many people, setting up supply chains before nightfall?" She gestured around them at the growing activity on the street. "And look at the pace rumor is going around; at this pace, a panic situation might occur. We can’t be everywhere at once, Lys."

Lys opened his mouth to push back, but no good words came out. But he still tried again. "There have to be better people for this. Why would the settlers outside trust a guy like me with something this important?"

Vessa looked at him for a quiet moment. Her voice stayed even when she finally spoke. "Who else in this village cares more about those people outside the walls than you do?"

Lys had no answer to that. The words hit him harder than he expected. He glanced at Sara and John. Both of them were nodding at him in agreement, like they already knew the same thing, only he didn’t.

He stood there for a second, feeling the weight settle on his shoulders. These people were starting to trust him with things he never asked for.

Back when he first woke up in this body, all he wanted was to build something safe with Elara and Mira. Now he was standing in the middle of a village that might get torn apart by a dungeon, and they were looking at him to help hold it together.

His mind flashed to Tresta waiting alone out there, to the families who had nothing but thin walls between them and whatever was coming from the forest.

After a moment of thinking, he finally let out a slow breath and gave a single short nod. "Okay. Let’s go then. What are we waiting for?"