Twelve. That was the number of new citizens that had already arrived through the Refugee Arrival Station.
Tara stood beside Furina, observing their actions. None of them were working at this point. Instead, they were muttering something among themselves.
Tara had long since stopped her training, too embarrassed to continue with all these people watching.
"Do you think Lord Hiro will exile them if they collectively ask?" Her mother's voice broke the silence between them.
The Ruler Skill [Exile] was a double-edged sword. It could be a convenience. It could also be a problem.
Given Hiro's current circumstances, it was obvious which one it was for him.
"No. I don't think he will do it. Perhaps if he were a kind man, he might consider it. But Lord Hiro is not a kind man, mom."
"Oh? You seem to understand him quite well after just one night," Furina glanced sideways with a teasing smile, making her daughter blush.
Tara shook her head. "I'm just a bit worried. He is outnumbered, after all. If only I were stronger…"
Furina held her daughter's hand, squeezing it gently.
"As someone who saw the events of last night, I don't think you need to worry about Lord Hiro. As for your own strength, I'm sure your perseverance will be rewarded one day, Tara."
The refugees continued their quiet discussions, occasionally glancing toward the barracks under construction. At other times, their gazes drifted toward the Refugee Arrival Station, and toward Tara and Furina.
You see, in any normal Realm, refugees are usually polite. They are here to seek refuge, after all. Of course, they would be polite.
But that is the case in well-established Realms.
Realms with populations in the tens or even hundreds of thousands.
Realms with populations in the millions!
But what about here?
What greeted the eyes of the refugees was not an established city, nor even a proper town or settlement. The twelve newly arrived refugees outnumbered the original eleven citizens of Hiro's Realm.
They found that even the most basic infrastructure for food, water, and shelter was completely lacking. There were no wells, no proper storage facilities, and not even temporary lodgings to shield them from the harsh environment.
Yet, none of this shocked them more than one simple fact—the fact that they were stranded in the fucking Desolate Lands!
When they first arrived, disbelief and confusion consumed them. Their minds could barely process the reality of their situation.
But now, after they spent time discussing things among themselves and repeatedly pestered the Worken family with questions, questions and more questions, it seemed they had finally reached a conclusion of sorts. The hushed whispers suddenly stopped.
Among the new arrivals, there were naturally those who possessed Combat Classes. Some of them decided to act first.
A group of five stepped forward, breaking away from the rest of the refugees. Among the remaining seven, some shook their heads in disapproval, while others simply watched with interest, clearly curious to see what would happen next.
These five had teleported here together, meaning they clearly knew each other from before they sought refuge. All five of them were male.
At that moment, the man leading them suddenly became clad in metallic armor. Dark leather armor wrapped tightly around his body following a brief flash of light.
This unexpected phenomenon immediately drew the attention of everyone in the camp.
'Soulbound equipment!' Tara realized at once. A flicker of jealousy coursed through her before it was quickly replaced by concern. Soulbound equipment was not something easily obtained. The mere fact that this man possessed it meant he was someone worth taking seriously.
And her concerns weren't unfounded.
The five men had rugged, hardened features. Their sharp eyes and cold expressions made them look dangerous. Tara knew not to judge people by appearances alone, but if she had to, she wouldn't be surprised if these men turned out to be ruffians of some sort.
The man strode forward, and locked eyes with Bob and the two Shuvlok tribesmen who were working on constructing the barracks.
"Everyone!" he shouted with an authoritative voice. "Halt your actions. Immediately stop whatever the fuck you're doing! Stop pretending like this is some normal situation!"
Bob and the two Shuvlok members stopped. Unlike Bob however, the eyes of the two tribesmen gleamed with curiosity rather than fear.
Once the three had indeed halted their construction, the man nodded with satisfaction and shifted his attention to Tara and Furina. He walked towards the two women, his gaze roaming over them with an air of appreciation that he made no effort to hide.
"How long does the Baron plan to keep us waiting, eh?" he asked. "Does he take us all for fools? Tell me! Where is he, and when will he return?"
This was not the first time he had asked Tara this question. But his tone had been noticeably more polite back then. Now, it was clear that he no longer saw any need for courtesy.
Refugees were usually careful with their words. They feared the military strength of the Lord of the Realm into which they had been teleported. They had no choice but to tread carefully.
But this time, things were different. After discussing amongst themselves and extracting some basic information from Tara and Furina, the new arrivals had reached a conclusion. There was no real military presence here.
And as for the Baron? He was just one man. No matter how powerful he might be, the man wrapped in his Soulbound armor believed that their numbers advantage would be more than enough if a fight were to break out.
"You've already asked me this question before. My answer hasn't changed. Lord Hiro left the camp to take care of some matters. I have no idea when he'll return," Tara said, stepping in front of her mother.
She could feel the situation worsening. The atmosphere was shifting, turning more dangerous by the second. Without wasting another moment, she reached out through the telepathic link.
"My Lord, I think you'll need to return soo—"
But that was the moment when things started going wrong.
To her dismay, she felt the telepathic link with Hiro sever before she could finish speaking.
A sense of panic suddenly gripped her which she tried to hide behind her poker face. The only thing keeping her calm until now had been Hiro's promise—that he would return to the camp the moment anything went wrong.
'Why did the telepathic link stop working? Did he shut it off because he thought I was being annoying? Did something bad happen to him?' Tara's thoughts spiraled into more pessimistic possibilities.
"You say that, but is he even going to return?" the man asked, his voice rising in volume. "Does he think this place is the garden of his mansion? Walking around all alone like he owns the world? Maybe he's already bleeding out in a ditch somewhere."
Tara's expression hardened. She did not like the man's tone. Her voice came out just as sharp in response.
"And? What of it? What do you even want me to do? It's not like I can summon him back to the camp. Your only choice is to wait for him to get back. Instead of being a nuisance, you should help with the construction of the barracks or with fetching water from the river."
The man probably hadn't expected Tara to reply so fiercely. His face froze for a few seconds, but then he and his group burst into laughter.
"Boss, I think you just got scolded by that girl. Want me to teach her a lesson?" One of the men shouted while laughing.
Tara and Furina took a step back, creating some distance. Tara glanced at the rest of the new arrivals. Three more of them had combat classes, but none of them looked like they intended to interfere.
"Girl, you sure have some courage, speaking to me like that. I'll give you that much. Or maybe you just have a few screws loose in your head? After all, you're part of this crazy settlement trying to build something in this godforsaken place. And you even seem to be in cahoots with some damn BARBARIANS."
He practically spat the word "barbarians," making sure Barbara, who was training in the distance and ignoring the new arrivals, could hear him. The two tribesmen near Bob also heard it loud and clear.
The Northern settlers of Selune's domain liked to refer to the nomadic tribes of the Boyang Desert as barbarians. Since they refused to settle down anywhere and frequently raided and pillaged nearby Realms, the label stuck.
They attracted all kinds of outcasts and were, generally speaking, seen as a nuisance.
The man turned his gaze toward Barbara and spoke again. "Hey, tribe girl! Did you not hear me before? Stop that stupid training, drop the aloof act, and get your ass over here."
None of the Shuvlok tribe members reacted well to his words. They already disliked being called barbarians, and this man was just making things worse.
Barbara stopped her training and finally looked at him. Her voice was calm. "For someone who calls others barbarians, you sure act like one."
She cracked her knuckles and tilted her head from side to side.
"What did you just say, you little bit—"
"Do you have a hearing problem? Also, I'd advise you to stop prancing around like an idiot over here, unless you want the Baron to wipe the corrupted ground with your face once he returns."
"Haha." Hearing those unfiltered words, a cold chuckle escaped the man's mouth.
For a few seconds, no one spoke. A violent tension filled the air.
While all of this was happening, Hiro was dealing with the fact that he had suddenly gotten ambushed.