Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse-Chapter 222 : suspicious

However, the suspicious look from Damian lasted only a moment. At Justin's seemingly innocent expression, Damian soon nodded.

"Well, if it's about medical care, it benefits not only the civilians but also the pioneers. So, I understand."

"…That's not wrong, but it would be nice if you could say it's for both the civilians and the pioneers. The way you said it makes it sound like I'm just looking for a doctor for the pioneers and taking care of the civilians as an afterthought."

Words have subtle differences depending on how they're said, but Damian ignored Justin's comment and shifted his gaze behind him.

"I'll look for a doctor, but for now, come inside. I'll show you to some accommodations as if you were a guest."

"I'd appreciate that. If possible, I'd also like a place for Fafnir to stay."

"Sorry, but that might be difficult. Things are already chaotic, and if the dragon comes inside, the civilians will be even more terrified. Unless, of course, you plan on advertising that he won't attack them."

"Snort!"

Fafnir snorted angrily at Damian's suggestion, clearly showing his displeasure.

It was an understandable response. Who would want to have to explain over and over that they weren't a threat, especially when they should be inspiring fear and reverence? Especially a black dragon with a tyrannical nature like Fafnir.

"Well, I guess there's no helping it. You'll have to stay out here for a while. You're okay with that, right? A few days outside shouldn't be too bad."

"Grrr."

Fafnir nodded in agreement.

It didn't matter whether it was a safe zone or not. No one around here would be insane enough to attack a dragon. And even if someone did get the crazy idea to try, all that would result is the attacker being reduced to ashes.

Just as they were wrapping up the conversation and about to head inside the gates, a young man stepped forward from the back.

"Hold on a second, are you just going to leave after causing all this commotion?"

His face was twisted in anger, and it was clear he was barely containing his temper. Justin could guess why, but he tilted his head innocently.

"Leave after what? I don't understand what you mean."

"You flew all over our territory on that dragon, causing panic and unrest! Don't you think you owe us at least an apology?"

"Ah, my apologies. It wasn't intentional," Justin said with a slight smile.

That should be enough, right?

The young man's face turned bright red with anger, and he looked like he was about to grab Justin by the collar. But before things could escalate, Damian stepped in and placed a hand on the young man's shoulder.

"He apologized. Now stand down."

"…Bro!"

"Enough. We'll talk about it later."

After silencing his subordinate, Damian gave Justin a look, signaling for him to follow quickly and avoid causing any more trouble. Justin shrugged and followed behind him, leaving the young man looking betrayed but unable to stop them.

'Looks like things are pretty complicated internally,' Justin thought, recalling Grayson's earlier words as he glanced around the area.

Among the various gazes directed at him, there was little hostility. Most of the looks were curious. Justin couldn't help but smile wryly to himself.

'This is a mess beyond what I expected.'

"…I saw it from Fafnir's back, but now that I'm down here, this really does look like a town straight out of a fairy tale," Ethan said in awe as he looked around the halfling city.

He wasn't wrong.

The town was full of round, low-rise houses with few sharp edges. Despite being inside the castle walls, the area was lush with greenery. If the city of the Dark Elves had resembled a luxurious medieval empire, this place felt more like a quaint fairy-tale village.

"From the scenery, you'd never guess there's any conflict here," Derek muttered.

"Haha, does it really seem that way to you?" Damian responded with a dry laugh.

It was just a passing comment, but the bitterness in Damian's voice was unmistakable, enough to make even Derek, who had been about to ask more questions, fall silent.

A brief uncomfortable silence followed, but thankfully it didn't last long.

"We've arrived. You can choose any house here, just not one that's already occupied," Damian said.

Looking around, Justin noticed the houses in this area were distinctly different from the others. They were slightly more luxurious, bigger, and seemed to be in better condition.

It was clear this was the district that separated the pioneers from the ordinary civilians.

In a way, it reminded Justin of the noble district back in his city of Washington.

'No matter how much you try to mimic a fairy tale village, you can't escape the reality of inequality,' he thought with a wry smile as he surveyed the area. He soon spotted a house that seemed the most isolated.

"That one looks good. There's no one living there, right?"

"I believe so. If you'd like, the three of you can stay in separate houses."

"This one's big enough for five people. There's no need for us to split up. This will do just fine."

"Understood. Rest well. I'll see what I can do about finding an obstetrician. Oh, right!"

Damian clapped his hands as if he had just remembered something, though the gesture seemed more deliberate than genuine.

"Now that I think about it, since you're unfamiliar with the situation in this territory, you'll need a guide to avoid any unnecessary trouble. Grayson, could you serve as their guide?"

"Huh? Me?" Grayson responded, surprised.

"Yes. You already know them, so it won't be awkward. Besides, you don't have anything else to do at the moment, do you?"

"Well... that's true, but..."

Grayson looked uncomfortable.

Despite his faction having collapsed, Grayson had once been one of the leaders of the alliance. Under normal circumstances, being asked to play the role of a guide would have been insulting.

'But if they're secretly in league with each other already, it's a different story,' Justin thought.

This would give them a perfect chance to exchange information without anyone else watching.

Grayson surely understood that, so why was he hesitating?

"Great! You can tell us everything we need to know. It'll be a headache if we accidentally cause trouble out of ignorance," Justin added, his tone light.

Damian left, pretending not to notice our stares, leaving behind his cryptic remarks. I watched his back for a moment before turning to look at Grayson, who seemed lost in thought.

"I'm not sure why he's acting like that, but let's go inside for now," I suggested. Whether it was intentional or due to some other hidden reason, this was an opportunity. There was no need to waste the chance. Perhaps I could find out what had been happening during the time we hadn't seen each other.

'It looked cozy from the outside, but it's even better than I expected.'

I smiled with satisfaction as I examined the interior of the house we had been given. While it wasn't as large or luxurious as my own territory, there wasn't anything to complain about. Everything else was well-maintained and comfortable.

As we explored the house with curiosity, Grayson, already familiar with the place, casually sat down in a chair.

"Hmph, I can't figure out what he's thinking," he muttered, scratching his head in frustration. Though he didn't name names, it was obvious who he was referring to.

"You don't know why he's acting like that either?" I asked.

"I don't. Well, I have some guesses, but…"

"Guesses are fine. I'm completely in the dark here, so tell me what's going on."

After a brief hesitation, Grayson sighed and began to explain.

"Actually, right after the main quest ended, things weren't bad. Just like you said, the leader brought back a ton of rewards, so his authority was restored, and those who had been getting restless quieted down."

That made sense. Even if the rewards were mainly thanks to my generosity, the important thing was the result. No matter how much anyone tried to criticize the process, it was hard to argue with tangible rewards in front of them.

"Then why is the territory in such a mess now?"

"Uh... Did I mention that the territory was in chaos?"

"Of course, I can tell. During the journey here, I barely felt any hostility directed at me."

"Hostility?"

"Yeah, hostility."

While my flight on Fafnir over their territory had been necessary, it was still a clear show of force and a provocative act. If they truly had a sense of belonging to this place, they should've felt angry, even if they were afraid. Just like Damian's subordinate had shown earlier.

However, only a few pioneers had glared at me with displeasure. Most of them had shown fear or tension, but not hostility. Some had even looked curious or intrigued.

"That's a sign they don't have a strong sense of loyalty. If they did, they wouldn't have reacted like that. It's clear they see this as someone else's problem."

"…And you figured that out just by looking at their expressions?"

"That's all I needed. Atmospheres aren't built in a day."

Grayson stared at me in disbelief.

Come on, this wasn't that difficult to figure out. Any top-tier gamer knows you need to read the room and anticipate moves.

"Well, regardless of your deduction process, you're right. Damian's authority only lasted for a brief time. After the second great migration, things fell apart."

"What does the second great migration have to do with his authority?"

"Well… wait, did the people who migrated into your territory all rebel too?"

Did you experience that as well?

For a moment, I thought our situation was unique, but it seemed like migrant issues were the same everywhere. It made sense, given that it wasn't a bunch of scattered small forces but one unified group splitting up.

Seeing my reaction, Grayson let out a bitter smile, looking slightly reassured.

"People are the same everywhere. The problem started here when the rebellious ones wanted to break away and go where they wanted."

"Go where they wanted?"

"To the territories they used to rule."

"Ah."

I understood the situation now. These people had once been leaders, now part of an alliance. Their original forces were still intact, meaning that if they had an excuse, they could easily break away and declare independence. Especially if they had civilians from their former territories added to their numbers, it would be even easier.

"With a good reason to split, they openly demanded to be sent back to their original territories. I mean, I get it. If I were in their shoes, I'd do the same. But what really puzzles me…"

"Is that Damian isn't doing much to stop them?"

"Exactly. You saw it earlier, right? How he subtly encouraged you and me to meet. I have no idea what he's thinking."

At times, it seemed like he had given up on everything, yet he still put effort into managing the territory. It was ambiguous. If he had truly abandoned everything, he'd just do nothing and wallow in despair.

It seemed he had a clear purpose, but no one could figure out what it was.

I thought for a moment, and suddenly remembered something I had almost forgotten.

"Wait a second. Have you been carrying out the order I gave you?"

"Spreading the word about how strong you are? Yeah, I've been doing it diligently. In fact, just before you arrived, I got called in for that."

"Did Damian say anything about making people anxious?"

"Not at all. His subordinate did complain, but Damian actually defended me."

As I listened, pieces of the puzzle started falling into place in my mind.

The factions under Damian wanted independence, but he wasn't trying to suppress them. He allowed us to show clear signs of conquest, yet did nothing to oppose it.

"…What a sly fox," I muttered, a bitter smile forming on my lips.

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One thing was clear: Damian hated the idea of bloodshed more than anything else.