Hiro's camp consisted of only two basic structures that could hardly be called buildings.
Rain poured heavily. Lightning flashed, and the winds howled with ferocity. The thrown Yelough mushrooms provided much-needed light in the hostile weather conditions.
"Spread out," Barbara ordered as she made hand signs to reinforce her commands. The storm made pure verbal communication difficult.
The seven men obeyed and moved into position, creating even spacing around the camp.
Barbara turned her attention to Shuvene and signaled him. She had heard about Hiro's strength from Shuvene beforehand.
'The man is most likely inside the wooden shelter. We'll draw him out by using whoever is in the tent and confront him in the open. Our numbers will give us the advantage.'
Barbara's plan was straightforward. She noticed faint candlelight coming from the makeshift shelter and wasn't sure if Hiro was awake or not.
Shuvene had described Hiro as strong, but Barbara didn't consider him extraordinary. Even if Hiro was slightly stronger than each of them individually, their numbers would tip the scales in their favor.
In this world, a numerical advantage almost always overcame a small difference in Levels.
Shuvene acknowledged Barbara's signal and entered the tent.
Moments later, Barbara heard a woman shrieking inside the tent, followed by voices.
"W-who are you!?" a man's frightened voice called out.
"Aargh! Let me go!" the woman screamed.
"Hahaha! It's your unlucky day, beauty!" Shuvene's unrestrained laughter rang out.
He gripped the woman's arm and dragged her out of the tent into the pouring rain.
A shorter man stepped out of the tent shortly after. His eyes scanned the area, taking in the silhouettes of the Shuvlok tribe members visible in the dim light of the storm. His body trembled as fear overwhelmed him.
The woman stumbled as Shuvene yanked her arm forward. She fell onto the wet ground, screaming. Using her hands to steady herself, she lifted her head and looked around.
Her face froze in shock at what she saw.
"Who are you people!?" she questioned.
Shuvene's smirk vanished.
"What's with that tone?" he thundered.
The woman flinched at his loud voice and violent demeanor. Seeing her reaction, Shuvene's smile returned. His satisfaction was evident.
"Haha. Don't be scared. I'll make sure tonight's an unforgettable night for you," Shuvene said darkly. "But first..." He turned toward the makeshift wooden shelter.
"I know you're in there! Get the fuck out here!" Shuvene shouted.
Barbara felt slight disgust at Shuvene's behavior. However, she had long grown accustomed to the barbaric nature of her tribe members. Her sense of pity had dulled over time.
'It's her fault for being weak,' Barbara thought. She focused instead on the hope that they could at least extract some useful information from the man Shuvene was yelling at.
Barbara noticed something about the woman on the ground. Although she had been terrified initially, she seemed much less afraid now. Her reaction didn't make sense. Shouldn't her fear have increased after seeing how many of them there were?
Instead of cowering, the woman called out loudly, "My Lord! Help!"
'My Lord?' Barbara's confusion deepened at the woman's address. She didn't have time to fully process the implications of those words.
One of the men near the wooden shelter banged on its walls repeatedly, clearly demanding the occupants come out.
Shuvene looked at Furina and laughed mockingly, telling her that nobody could save her that night.
***
'Sigh. I was sleeping so soundly. What's with the ruckus outside?' Hiro thought as he finished putting on his Baron's clothes.
Tara remained asleep despite all the noise, screams, and banging sounds. She was completely exhausted from their earlier activities.
Hiro chose not to wake her, letting her rest blissfully under the blanket on the luxurious bed.
He stepped out of his shelter with the steel club in his hand.
The camp, which should have been dark, was lit by the mushrooms he had seen with Tara in the woods.
He spotted Furina lying on the ground. A man stood close to her, and her eyes locked onto Hiro. After confirming that Furina appeared unharmed, Hiro shifted his gaze to the others.
'Seven men and one woman,' Hiro noted.
None of the Shuvlok tribe members had tried to conceal themselves.
Hiro's attention lingered on Barbara for a moment longer than necessary. Her presence as the only woman among the wild-looking men seemed odd. The poor lighting prevented him from observing her details clearly, but her fit physique was evident.
The Shuvlok tribe members also scrutinized Hiro in the meantime. Most of them were unimpressed by his appearance. His clothes concealed his muscular build, and their tendency to associate strength with bulky bodies caused them to underestimate him.
'Maybe Shuvene exaggerated what he saw,' some of them thought.
Barbara broke the silence. "I have some questions to ask you. If you answer honestly, things will be much less painful for you."
Without waiting for Hiro's reply, she raised her voice to ensure he could hear her over the rain. "Who are you, and why are you setting up camp like this in the Desolate Lands?"
Sadly for her, Hiro ignored the question. He turned his gaze toward Furina and Shuvene. "I think you should step away from her and apologize," he said.
The Shuvlok tribe members frowned when they saw Hiro ignoring Barbara like that. They wondered what gave him the confidence to act like that. Couldn't he read the situation he was in?
Shuvene pointed his thumb toward Barbara. "Did you not hear her? Answer the questions!" he barked.
Hiro noticed that Shuvene had a bow on his back. Another person in the group also carried a bow.
"Looks like we'll have to rough him up a little before he starts talking," one of the men said.
"Maybe he's trying to act cool for the woman? Haha!" another suggested when Hiro still didn't respond.
"My Lord! Quick, use Exile on them!" Furina shouted.
In that moment, Bob seemed to realize something. Right! Hiro could just Exile them. These intruders were clearly human. Unlike with Monsters, Exile would work just fine on them. Bob suddenly felt embarrassed for even being worried.
"Exile?" Barbara said in surprise. "You're a Ruler?" The information caught her off guard.
At the same time, she understood why Furina didn't show much fear.
"There's no way! How can there be a Ruler in the middle of nowhere?" one of the men questioned.
"Wait! That Selune statue, could it be…?" another man said.
Hearing those words, the Shuvlok tribe members connected the dots. They realized where the statue of Goddess Selune had come from. They had been shocked to see it lying around in these Godless lands.
Hiro made the stone tablet appear in his hands. He looked at the intruders and shook the stone tablet slightly. "As you can see, I am indeed a Ruler," he said.
His voice remained easygoing as ever, showing no sign of offense at their words or actions.
One of the men, Shuvichi, spoke up in a deep voice. "If he uses Exile on us, we might be able to get out of this cursed territory," he said with some excitement.
Hearing his words, the others' faces lit up. What he said made sense!
"Although I want to know how you ended up as a Ruler here, I doubt you will tell me. What are you waiting for? Go on and Exile us," Barbara said, her voice carrying a trace of joy. She felt fortune smiling upon them.
Shuvene chimed in, "Yeah, hurry up! I can't wait to get back, haha! If you don't hurry, then I'll start doing this woman right in front of you. Don't tell me you're into that stuff?" He cackled.
Hearing Shuvene's words, Hiro couldn't help but sigh.
Snap.
He snapped his fingers. For some reason, the sound of his snap was distinctly audible even over the rain.
Pop.
Shuvene's head completely vanished with a popping sound. In its place, a blood mist hung in the air. His lifeless body fell to the ground with a dull thud.
The camp fell deathly silent except for the sound of rain. Neither the Shuvlok tribe members nor Bob or Furina spoke a single word. They were too busy staring at the sight in front of them in utter disbelief.
"Ah… how peaceful," Hiro said. "You guys were REALLY talkative. Now, tell me… what made you think that I would Exile you instead of just killing you?"