Tyler watched as almost all the adult residents of the Red Ogre settlement worked on their preparations to migrate. The sun hadn't even risen yet, and they were already almost done with their preparations. It seemed they had heard from the chief about the situation surrounding the two strangers who had saved their lives and were in a hurry to make it back to their companion in time.
This sight was actually quite impressive to Tyler. Just like before, he hadn't fallen asleep last night and felt almost no fatigue. It was as if his body was overflowing with energy and didn't know what to do with it. He had watched the townsfolk party all night as they sang and danced, eating and drinking to their hearts' content. He had joined them in eating, mainly because he wanted the alcohol, but he had painfully found out it had no effect on him. He wasn't disappointed or sad about that fact, though—it would save him from a nasty hangover.
The ogres had brought out 11 large carriages. They were quite lucky that most of their stables had not been destroyed by the flames of the Lesser Basilisks. The carriages were large enough to fit about 50 fully grown adults. They were made of wood but were lined with Orids, one of the most common metals in the demon continent. Orids had similar properties to steel but had undergone fundamental changes due to the high density of mana in the demon continent. They were more flexible and had a higher density.
One of the carriages was used to carry all their supplies—food, clothes, weapons, and so on. Azar had told Tyler that they only had two small spatial storage boxes in the settlement, and they were only used for their most valuable items. What's more, both of these boxes had been given to them by Albert.
A small spatial storage box was the most common dimensional storage item in this world and had a dimensional space of about 100 cubic meters. Medium and large spatial storage boxes varied in size due to the massive influence of the magic runes used in their creation process.
Albert had a medium spatial storage ring himself. He usually handed it to Erin, as he didn't want any extra weight on his hands when he was fighting. They stored all their belongings, and to his surprise, Albert had shown him everything he owned. He was really acting like he worked for Tyler, and Tyler didn't know how to react. Albert had quite the collection of weapons in his storage ring. Most of them were swords, but there were different types of swords that even Tyler hadn't heard of, ranging from katanas to greatswords. No matter the size or shape, as long as it was a sword, Albert had it.
These weapons weren't ordinary, either. Tyler could tell that every single sword in the ring was, at the very least, made from a high-level beast core. Some were even magic weapons. Albert told Tyler that the weapons now rightfully belonged to him and even offered him the ring. But Tyler promptly refused. It felt like he would be making a dangerous commitment if he accepted it, so he told Albert to keep it and that if he ever needed a weapon, he would borrow one like last time. Albert reluctantly agreed. He had been standing next to Tyler since then, just like a loyal butler, which was a bit awkward for Tyler.
Albert also didn't need sleep. He was a demon noble and could go months without rest. Tyler felt awkward with him just standing beside him quietly and decided to get some more information out of him.
He asked about the 77 regions in the continent and found out quite a bit. He tried his best not to ask questions that made him look like a fool and just focused on general topics. For instance, the regions surrounding this one were the Sentro Region, the Rantre Lahoured Region, the Denminatre Region, the Taine Ze Region, and the Mounta Region.
Each of these regions belonged to one of the Five Great Families. They had made sure to expand their regions in a way that brought them closer to the Darknar Region. The closest region right now was the Sentro Region. Tyler hadn't asked for anything specific, but when he found out the Five Families were keeping a close eye on the Demon King's castle, he was hit with a massive headache.
Maybe going back there in such numbers isn't the brightest idea. He might have been lucky in the past and hadn't gotten noticed because he was alone, but going there with hundreds of people felt like he was courting death. He thought about what to say to the ogres to have them wait for him and Liz somewhere far from the castle, but nothing came to him. In the end, going back to the castle like this would give him a time limit on how long he could stay before they came for him.
Thinking about this logically, though, it was impossible for the Five Great Families to monitor the castle constantly for 1,000 years. They would be more wary of each other than a stationary building. At most, they would have some scouts stationed some distance away from the castle. This was mostly to keep themselves in check. It wasn't a perfect plan, as they could still try to move in secret, but they would have some underhanded solutions for that as well.
After arriving at this conclusion, he sighed in relief. As long as he wasn't that unlucky, there was no reason why the Five Great Families would pay attention to a settlement of ogres migrating through the Darknar Region.
••••••
As the sun began to rise, Liz and some of the kids woke up. She was very pretty, so some of the female kids had run to talk to her last night. They seemed to remind her of something, which cheered her up a bit. They had all fallen asleep around her, and she did the same. It was quite a lovely sight to see. Erin seemed to be popular in her own right, as all the other kids and even the adult female ogres sat around her. She wasn't smiling, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it. They all had fun last night in one way or another.
Tyler just sat there, watching the ogres ready five six-eyed bulls. These were large wild bulls that, as the name suggested, had six eyes. They were just Tier 2 beasts but were not only faster than most steeds but also had more stamina and durability. They could travel for days without food or water and had a little bit of battle strength. They were almost 6 feet tall and had dark grey hair.
Liz got up with some of the kids, and they showed her where to wash up. They had also provided her with better clothing and a cloak. Tyler thought she looked like a cute assassin but wouldn't say a word. Erin wore her usual dark purple robe with the hood, and Albert now had a full set of raven-black leather armor. Armed with his Miao Dao, he looked very formidable. The armor he had worn previously was based on speed, but this was a more well-balanced suit with a few metal vambraces and greaves.
He had also offered Tyler some of his other sets of armor, but Tyler refused. He only accepted a change of clothes, now wearing a white shirt, black pants, and a pair of black beast boots. These were made of white hopper cores. These creatures were only found in the north and had a passive effect that improved the user's movement speed in cold areas.
The effect was a little interesting, but he had only chosen these because they were the only ones that fit. Equipment made of beast cores or magic crystals could not be adjusted by magic. Soon, they were done with everything. Some of the kids boarded a single carriage, and the others split between the rest. Liz and Erin had been pressured into entering the kids' carriage, and they were unable to refuse. Tyler felt a little annoyed that the kids were practically ignoring him and even flat-out avoiding him, not realizing his serious demeanor was scaring them off.
Throughout the night, he had a nagging feeling that he was being watched. He had even patrolled the town several times but didn't see or sense anything. The whole time, he had a serious expression on his face, which the kids had noticed. Albert had noticed this as well. He had also stayed up all night with Tyler and escorted him around the town. They didn't exchange any more words with each other after Tyler had finished his questioning.
Once Chief Azar came to inform him of their departure, Tyler soon boarded the carriage as well. Ever since Albert announced his intentions of serving Tyler with his life, the chief had been more polite toward him, treating him like he was someone of high authority in the town. While his attitude toward Tyler was in no way rude before, there was a clear difference between now and then.
Azar and Albert each drove a carriage, while Jarret, an ogress named Gail, and a beastgirl named Nadine drove the last three. Nadine had tanned skin, a pair of dog ears, and a fluffy-looking tail. She wore silver armor on her chest, legs, and arms, opting to wear a super-revealing outfit everywhere else. With her childlike appearance, it made Tyler feel very uncomfortable looking at her. Gail, on the other hand, hid behind a cloak and walked listlessly, so Tyler didn't get a good look at her.
Each of the carriages was linked to another, except the one driven by Jarret, which was linked to two extras. Nadine had an argument with Jarret about them treating her like a child and only giving her the one with two carriages. She was quite loud and ended up switching with Jarret, who wasn't in the mood for games.
Without further delays, Azar leveled their former home with a single swing of his large blade. He commanded, and all five six-eyed bulls kicked off in the direction of the Demon King's castle.
••••••
About 30 minutes later, in the now-desolated Red Ogre settlement, a figure appeared out of the shadows. It was a handsome man with short white hair. He wore dark, speed-based armor and had two golden daggers strapped to his waist. His bright golden eyes had a vertical slit. Looking around, he frowned slightly. His eyes glowed slightly as he walked around the ruins of the town as if he was searching for something.
The man soon crouched down in an empty space and sighed. "Nothing." He raised his head and looked around one more time but soon shook his head. "Well, this is a first. If only I had been able to place a soul curse on one of them, this would've been easier. Who the hell was that guy?"
He had spent all night trying to approach the town and place a soul curse on one of the residents, but every time he got a little closer, someone had noticed him. They would stare in his direction for a long time and even move around, trying to find him. He had also moved around, looking for a way in. They had repeated this cycle several times, with him unable to get any closer.
This was a first for him. It didn't matter how strong his opponent was; as long as he approached them without any malice or killing intent, his shadow movements wouldn't be noticed, especially in the dead of night.
He stayed there for a few more minutes before standing up and walking in the direction of the Demon King's castle. "I guess I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way, then. This is not going to be easy. They already erased their tracks as they left." He smiled slightly and licked his lips. "I can't wait to be done with this so I can return to Lady Izabel. Maybe she'll step on me this time." His face got a little red as he said that. He was fidgeting weirdly and soon disappeared from sight. The sun had just fully risen to the sky, bringing in the full beauty of dawn.