Rein went outside and then he saw the bustling people were all waving at him. It was a wonderful feeling that they were all happy to meet him. Outside the tent, the prisoners were already making contributions to the village as they were trained to hunt food and do labor works. Elder Gurdur was happy but he was worried that they would overwork themselves. It was a mixed feeling of happiness and worry. Rein then asked Gurdur of the current situation and population. "My league, we have 120 plus population. 20 plus from slaves and 100 plus in our village. The villagers then had a total of 120 plus. We assigned the workforce first to designated tasks." He said then coughed."Also, our Lord must have a home of his own. We are preparing to make a small house for now. We will make the utmost good outcome for it." Gurdur then showed him the house being constructed by several villagers. "I see, thanks," Rein replied. "It is our utmost priority to have our Lord accommodated." He said to him

Rein went to his tent and asked Gurdur about the tribes locations and they gave a map for it. Upon looking, it was an animal skin that has a map on its back. Rein watched it and he could see the detailed images that were made by the cartographer. And the ink was very high quality. The village was at the center and the other key spots were seen too. Gurdur then explained, "We are in the center of the forest. Basically, we have no protection from ambushes and sieges. We don't have walls either. And the castle of your lordship was taken by orcs. We must capture it."He said then Rein was wondering, maybe they could capture the castle soon. It was a stronghold against invasions and has a foothold on the hills nearby their village. They have a strong potential for their defenses and were hard to capture. More or less, they could survive the invasion of demons if they could conquer the castle.But it was for another time. They must gather more forces as orcs were a different matter. They

Rein had built a proper home for the tribal warriors. Not just a shelter but a true place they could call their own. Around the new housing structures, he had also constructed a training ground specifically for them. A field with wooden dummies, sparring zones, and a ring for duels. The warriors were overjoyed and grateful. For the first time in their lives, they were treated as more than weapons and treated as people. As Rein's loyal subjects.He had granted them a small village, one that would serve as the foundation for their growing tribe. As the days passed, it became more than just buildings and tents. It became a home.The tribal warriors were no longer the broken fighters they once were. They had changed and grown. Especially Ella. Though her past trauma still lingered beneath the surface, she had begun to overcome it. Day by day, she stood stronger, now training with Kuro in the art of swordsmanship. Her steps were still light, her movements fluid, but now they carried purpo

The child soon approached Rein, her small form trembling as tears streamed down her face. She sobbed and hicks several times and then wiped her cheeks. Her face was in great discomfort. "Please... save my family... hik hik. You're strong, so please save them... hik," she sobbed, wiping her tear-streaked cheeks with dirty sleeves, overwhelmed by sorrow and desperation.Rein knelt and gently wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumb. "It's okay, young one," he said, offering a kind smile. "My underlings and I will save your family. Right, everyone?""Yes!""You can count us in!""Absolutely!"The room filled with eager voices, each one filled with determination."See?" Rein told her, holding out his pinky. "We promise."The girl smiled faintly and hooked her pinky around his. "Thank you so much, big brother!" she beamed through lingering tears.To cheer her up further, Rein prepared a cookie, warm, fragrant, and golden brown. Her eyes sparkled with surprise when she tasted it."Mmm!

They moved swiftly, racing against time. Another village and another target of the relentless undead. Rein and his warriors advanced across the wild terrain, pushing their weary bodies forward. The battle they had just endured clung to their muscles like lead, but the rest would have to wait. Lives still hung in the balance. They arrived at the top of a grassy hill that overlooked the next village. The breeze blew steadily against them, cool but thick with the foul scent of rot and death. The winds carried the distant, haunting wails of the dying: soft, ghostly echoes that mixed with the rustling of the tall grass below. It was a grim chorus of suffering.Rein's army, panting from fatigue, collapsed onto the field to catch their breath. They downed stamina potions, feeling the familiar warmth spread through their limbs as energy returned. But even so, their minds were not yet ready. They were still shaken, still drained. This was their second major battle of the day, and the exhausti