"And you..." Hiro addressed Barbara. "I thought you were brave, but what's the matter? Too scared to be with me without your bodyguards?" he teased.
This remark struck Barbara's pride as intended. She clenched her fist with a conflicted expression but then spoke to the three men. "Go and do as he says."
"But—"
"No buts!"
After shooting Hiro glares filled with resentment and unspoken threats, the three Berserkers left to carry out their tasks, starting with disposing of Shuvene's body.
Now, only Hiro and Barbara remained.
Hiro brazenly stepped forward in order to examine her more closely. Barbara was only slightly taller than Tara, forcing her to look up at him.
In her eyes, Hiro detected nervousness mixed with defiance, making his smile widen slightly.
"W-What are you doing?" she asked.
"Nothing. Just getting a better look at the fashion sense of the Shuvlok people," Hiro replied offhandedly. The dim glow of the Yelough mushrooms made details harder to discern.
Like the men in her group, Barbara had beige-colored skin. Unlike jade-like smoothness, her skin had a roughness that hinted at the kind of life she had lived.
Her tribal attire covered her chest and genitals with lightweight fabric.
'The choice of fabric might relate to her fighting style as a Feral Spellfist,' Hiro thought.
It sounded like a Class for which restrictive clothing would be a hindrance.
Her belly button, lower thighs, and everything below the knee remained exposed.
In this lighting, Hiro could barely make out the color of her dark golden hair and hazel eyes. Her lips were a darker shade of pink. Several strands of her hair were tied into small braids, adding a touch of cuteness to her otherwise fierce appearance.
Normally, she radiated the energy of a fierce and vigorous tigress, always ready to pounce.
Now, standing in front of Hiro, that aura felt subdued. Understandably so, since she saw him as much stronger than herself.
Seeing her attempt to put on a brave front while feeling secretly nervous only increased her allure in Hiro's eyes. The fact that she was soaked wet from head to toe probably also played a role.
Despite everything, Hiro restrained himself and did nothing untoward. He only wanted to have a conversation.
"I think introductions are in order," Hiro said. "You first."
After a brief pause, Barbara answered. She had no intention of making things difficult over something as simple as introductions.
"My name is Barbara. I am the daughter of the Chieftain of the Shuvlok Tribe of the Boyang Desert." She looked at Hiro, hoping to see at least a slightly intimidated expression on his face. Unfortunately, his face revealed nothing.
Instead, his follow-up question only ended up making her more depressed.
"Oh? What is the daughter of the Chieftain doing here in the Desolate Lands? I think you're in the wrong place for tourism…"
"Before that, isn't it only polite for you to introduce yourself first?" she said, avoiding the question.
"You're right. Where are my manners?" Hiro decided to humor her. "My name is Hiro, and my surname is Antee. As you can see, I'm the Baron of this wonderful place."
"How did you become the Baron? And where is your huge group of followers? Why is your settlement so shabby with so few people? Even if you ascended to become a Ruler, shouldn't your territory be adjacent to other Rulers who also worship Goddess Selune?"
Barbara fired off a long list of questions, and Hiro intended to answer exactly zero of them.
"Those are all great questions that will keep you entertained when you're bored. All I'll say is that there are many things you don't understand about this world, little Barbara," Hiro said, putting on mysterious airs.
"I'm not little! I'm probably older than you."
"Okay, grandma."
Barbara remained unamused.
"By the way," Hiro continued, "You are currently my citizen, and I am your Lord. You and your fellow tribesmen will properly address me as 'My Lord' when you speak to me. Do you understand?"
Although she hated the idea of addressing Hiro with such reverence, Barbara was smart enough to realize that she did not exactly have a choice in this situation.
"Yes, m-my Lord." The words left her lips with difficulty and clear reluctance.
But that was fine. The first time was usually the hardest. She would get used to it soon enough.
"Great! Now that introductions are out of the way, would you care to answer my previous question? What are you and your group doing inside the Desolate Lands?"
What followed was a mildly interesting explanation from Barbara.
To summarize, Barbara was apparently a prime marriage candidate in her tribe. She was destined to marry the strongest warrior after some barbaric tournament had decided the victor.
However, Barbara refused to accept this fate. She pleaded with her father, insisting that she had greater worth as a warrior than as a child bearer.
She seemed similar to Tara in that regard. However, unlike Tara, who had a valid backstory for seeking strength, Barbara had simply been born and raised as a battle junkie.
To give her a chance to prove herself, a trial was arranged for her by her father and her tribe. She had to travel to the Outer Desolate and slay a ferocious monster.
The Outer Desolate lay north of the Desolate Lands and south of the Boyang Desert. The Boyang Desert, in turn, was south of a Dukedom that worshipped Goddess Selune.
While inside the Desolate Lands, one disaster followed another. First, they encountered and fought against some people from the Dukedom. Then, a monster swallowed them whole.
Fortunately, they did not die immediately. But at the same time, they had no idea what was happening outside. After some time, another monster apparently killed the one that had eaten them, allowing the group of eight to escape.
Unfortunately, by then, they were already inside the Desolate Lands with no idea how to return to their tribe.
"Cool story," Hiro said after Barbara finished narrating the whole ordeal.
"There's nothing cool about it," Barbara sighed, her voice tinged with sadness. She couldn't look at the situation with the same easygoing attitude that Hiro displayed. Her life had been turned upside down, and now she was at the mercy of a Selune worshipper.
As far as she was concerned, this was the absolute worst-case scenario.
Still, Barbara loosened up a little. She found Hiro surprisingly easy to talk to. Unlike the noble brats from the Duchy she had the misfortune of encountering, he did not carry himself with the same arrogance that made her despise them.
She was about to ask if Hiro would show them mercy and let them go. Before she could speak, a sharp impact struck her solar plexus. Pain flared through her body, but more importantly, she lost consciousness.
Hiro picked Barbara up like a sack of potatoes and laid her gently against the wall of his room. Despite all the commotion outside, Tara remained soundly asleep on his bed.