Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

Chapter 94 Doubts

At first, the other pioneers had their doubts, but they were soon swayed by The Leader's smooth-talking. He wasn't good at assessing situations, but his ability to manipulate people with his words was extraordinary. As a result, all the pioneers followed him into the raid, leading to the deaths of half their group. Even Justin perished, forcing the territory to select a new leader.

"I stayed behind in the territory, so my body was safe. I wasn't a combat class to begin with. But with so many pioneers dead, a new problem arose."

"You were worried about an invasion from another territory, weren't you?"

"Exactly. We'd lost half of our fighting force overnight. At that point, we hadn't made contact with other territories yet, but the system kept giving us warnings, so everyone became paranoid."

The defense force was severely lacking, and war or invasion could break out at any moment. If they weren't careful, their territory could be taken over, and they could all end up as slaves.

Feeling this rising fear, the pioneers had no choice but to train a few villagers and help them level up. At that point, even one extra pair of hands was needed.

But once the villagers reached level 3, they made a surprising and frustrating choice.

Eugene continued, "As I mentioned, the pioneers were helping villagers level up, hoping they'd become warriors or mages. But as soon as they hit level 3..."

"They all chose to be craftsmen, right? Watching you, they figured it was a safe job that didn't involve fighting," Justin said, hitting the mark. Eugene awkwardly turned his head, embarrassed.

After all, it was true that craftsmen avoided combat.

"...It might sound like an excuse, but the deaths during the field boss raid had a big impact," Eugene admitted.

"That makes sense. And after that, the pioneers, despite being frustrated, helped train new people—only for them to choose craftsmen again?"

"Yes, it happened four times," Eugene replied.

Hearing this, Justin clicked his tongue in disbelief. The pioneers had gone through all that trouble, only to be betrayed each time by those they helped.

"Were they really that scared of combat? At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if a furious pioneer killed one of them in a fit of rage."

"I was still somewhat useful, so they tolerated me, though the fourth guy was nearly beaten to death," Eugene said with a sigh.

By that point, the pioneers had given up on trying to recruit more fighters. No matter what they did, none of the new recruits wanted to engage in combat. Unfortunately, that was when they encountered pioneers from another territory.

Sensing the weakened state of Eugene's territory, the invaders quickly organized an attack. The six remaining fighters were wiped out almost instantly, and the invaders declared all the villagers and craftsmen to be their slaves.

"I used that moment to escape, but as you know, I was attacked from all sides... and the rest is history," Eugene concluded.

Experience tales at empire

"Hmm," Justin said thoughtfully, stroking his chin.

He had found it strange that there were so many craftsmen, and now he understood—it was a complete disaster. Such a distribution of roles could never happen under normal circumstances.

But Eugene's proposal was enticing.

'Securing this many craftsmen at once would be impossible under normal conditions,' Justin mused.

He had been thinking about training craftsmen anyway. Without them, they would always be reliant on quest rewards for equipment. While this wouldn't be an issue for him and his immediate companions, a growing territory needed craftsmen.

The problem, however, lay in the nature of the craftsman job.

'Craftsmen don't participate in combat, so it's hard to treat them on the same level as other jobs. But their leveling is fast, and their importance increases as they grow.'

In other words, they could easily become a group of pampered nobles, sitting comfortably in safety while receiving special treatment. If that happened, it would inevitably cause resentment among the lower classes. People would start demanding to be trained as craftsmen themselves.

However, if he acquired these craftsmen from another territory and made it clear they owed their lives to him, things would be different. He could make use of them without backlash.

'They'll have to bow to me and the nobles of my territory. They know they're outsiders and wouldn't dare cause trouble.'

In other words, they could be treated as "lower nobles," guaranteed safety but ranked below the others. And if any of them dared to overstep, he could demote them to commoners without hesitation.

Looking up, Justin saw Eugene's anxious face, waiting nervously for his decision. After a moment of pretending to consider, Justin spoke.

"Honestly, going to war just to gain a few craftsmen isn't worth my time."

Eugene's face fell, despair creeping in.

"But," Justin continued, cutting off Eugene's response, "if those craftsmen truly work like dogs for no reward, it might be worth considering."

"They absolutely will! If you save us from that tyrant, they'll be eternally grateful to live in a place like this!" Eugene said, his voice full of desperation.

"I hope for your sake that's true. I'm not the type to make deals that leave me at a loss," Justin warned, rising from his seat.

Eugene swallowed nervously, but then Justin gave him the words he had been hoping to hear.

"I'll speak to Zachary. Make sure to mark your territory's location properly. If you make a mistake, we won't be able to help."

"Th-thank you! Truly, thank you!"

"As I said, you'll pay the price. I'll expect compensation far beyond the help I give you."

"I understand! I'm just grateful!" Eugene said, tears streaming down his face in relief.

As Justin moved toward the door, a thought struck him, and he turned back.

"By the way, is there any specific reason you're so intent on saving your territory? From what I've heard, you weren't particularly close to the villagers."

"Well, that...!" Eugene stammered, his eyes darting around nervously.

He seemed reluctant to answer, but Justin could tell by the way Eugene's face flushed what the real reason was.

'So, he's left behind a lover, huh? That explains why he's so eager to save them,' Justin thought with a smirk.