Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse-Chapter 231: X

"What? Seriously?"

"Why would those people show up here now?"

Nina’s companions approached cautiously, doubting her words. It made sense; after all, with the main quest over, there was no real reason for anyone to return to this place. However, when they caught sight of a few familiar faces among the newcomers, their eyes widened in shock.

"Wait, wasn’t that guy someone we passed in the banquet hall?"

"I remember him too. Damn, it really is them!"

Nina and her fellow pioneers exchanged uneasy glances. It wasn’t just that these people were here—it was the state they were in. They looked utterly gaunt and emaciated. Normally, as pioneers, they could freely enter any territory they were affiliated with and buy whatever they needed. So why did these people look like they hadn’t eaten in days?

’Wait… banishment?’ Nina’s eyes widened as a sudden realization hit her. Pioneers weren’t often banished, but if someone were to be banished, it would mean they were considered a threat. Banishing someone was rarer than just outright killing them.

But here these people were, wandering aimlessly as if they’d been thrown out of every territory they tried to enter.

’They weren’t banished—they ran away!’ Nina realized. They must have escaped after an attempt on their lives failed, leaving them to roam without any access to the shops or resources territories normally provide.

It all began to make sense. If they used any facilities, their movements would be tracked. To avoid detection, they must have starved themselves to keep moving.

’But what happened to make them fugitives in the first place?’ she wondered.

"Ugh… grr…"

One of the pioneers, the only conscious one among the group, let out a weak groan. Despite being the only one still conscious, he seemed barely able to speak. The Black Dragon pioneers—including Nina—approached cautiously.

"Hey, are you alive? Can you talk?" one of them asked.

"B-black… dragon…?" the man muttered, his eyes widening in recognition.

"They recognize us," one of the pioneers remarked.

"Of course, our lord rode a black dragon," another added.

The man, a member of the cult, clenched his fist around the grass on the ground as if trying to relay something important.

"B-betrayal… the leader… dragon…!" he groaned before collapsing completely.

The words were fragmented, but the message was enough to catch the Black Dragon pioneers’ attention. They exchanged confused looks.

"Betrayal? Leader? Dragon? What the hell is he talking about?"

"Betrayal sounds like a straightforward rebellion, but is he saying the leader was overthrown?"

"And what’s with the dragon? Why bring up a dragon?"

"Hell if I know. He was probably just babbling while on the brink of death."

Nina cut through their speculation with a sharp order.

"Enough chatter. Get them ready to move. They’ll die if we don’t act soon."

"What? You’re planning to save these guys?" one of the other pioneers asked, clearly surprised by her decision.

"Sure, we were technically allies at one point, but we never really worked together. Do we really need to go out of our way to save them?" another added.

"Who said anything about saving them? We’re keeping them alive so we can extract information. Don’t you see this as a chance to impress the lord?" Nina replied, her tone sharp.

The two companions looked at her uneasily. The territory they were talking about conquering wasn’t close, and by the time they got there, any information would likely be outdated.

’Isn’t this a waste of time?’ they thought.

Sensing their hesitation, Nina sighed.

"Just help them, alright? It won’t do you any harm either," she added.

"Ugh, fine," one of them muttered reluctantly.

"Seriously, what a hassle," the other grumbled.

Despite their complaints, the two pioneers followed Nina’s lead, picking up the cult members and moving them through the dimensional portal. As they carried the barely conscious pioneers, one of the cult members whispered faintly, as if speaking in a dream.

"Save… the leader…"

With those words, the man fell completely unconscious.

The next day, as planned, Justin and his group joined the expedition to reclaim the territories. Due to Fafnir’s size, the dragon was left behind for the journey, as it would be difficult to move such a large creature on land. Besides, with Justin, Derek, and Ethan leading the way, there was no need for Fafnir’s presence to wipe out an expedition or two.

"I’m Justin. I’ll be joining you today. Let’s get along," Justin introduced himself, his voice cold.

All the alliance members and pioneers visibly flinched at his words. Their silent resistance was obvious, but Justin’s eyes grew icy as he continued.

"And if any of you keep staring at me like that, I’ll kill you. That’s not a threat—it’s a promise. I’ll literally kill you with magic. If you don’t believe me, I can make an example out of one of you right now," he added, his voice deadly serious.

At that, the pioneers and alliance members quickly averted their eyes, scattering their gazes in all directions. The former leaders of the alliance, who had watched one of their own lose his head to Justin’s magic the previous day, went pale with fear.

Only when everyone avoided meeting his eyes did a satisfied smile spread across Justin’s face.

"Good. Keep it that way. Now, let’s get going, shall we?" he said.

"...."

No one responded, the tension palpable.

"Still no response? Are you ignoring me because you don’t want to show respect? If you keep acting like this, I’ll just…" Justin began to say, his tone dark.

"No! We were just caught off guard, that’s all! Please, forgive us!" one of the alliance members hurriedly exclaimed, cutting him off.

’Caught off guard? I gave them a whole day’s notice. What nonsense,’ Justin thought, but he let it slide. There was no point in nitpicking small things with these people. If he did, they’d never stop making excuses.

"Fine, let’s move," Justin ordered.

"Y-yes, of course!"

As soon as the signal was given, fifteen pioneers moved in unison, clearly well-practiced from working together often.

’If I hadn’t come, they probably would’ve laid low in their territories, claiming them without a fight,’ Justin thought.

It was lucky he had shown up in time. Had he been even a little late, he would’ve had to track them down and drag them back himself. After they’d marched halfway to their destination, one of the alliance members, who had been nervously watching Justin the whole time, finally spoke up.

"Um… Justin," the alliance member began hesitantly.

"...Justin?" Justin repeated, his voice dripping with cold amusement.

"Why… why do you ask?" the alliance member stammered, clearly confused.

"Do I look like your friend? What makes you think a lowly pioneer like you can address me as an equal? I’m not your buddy, and I’m certainly not just ’Justin’ to you," Justin snapped, his tone harsh.

The alliance member’s eyes darted nervously, realizing he had made a grave mistake. Though it seemed like a minor issue, it was a serious breach of etiquette. Leaders of great territories wouldn’t tolerate pioneers addressing them informally, and any normal leader would have responded with rage—perhaps even violence.

Justin could tell that the alliance members had grown too comfortable under Damian’s leadership, forgetting the hierarchy they were meant to respect.

"Get your head straight. I’m not Damian. If you don’t start treating me like the leader I am, I’ll remind you how a real leader deals with subordinates," Justin warned, his eyes narrowing.

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"What? Seriously?"

"Why would those people show up here now?"

Nina’s companions approached cautiously, doubting her words. It made sense; after all, with the main quest over, there was no real reason for anyone to return to this place. However, when they caught sight of a few familiar faces among the newcomers, their eyes widened in shock.

"Wait, wasn’t that guy someone we passed in the banquet hall?"

"I remember him too. Damn, it really is them!"

Nina and her fellow pioneers exchanged uneasy glances. It wasn’t just that these people were here—it was the state they were in. They looked utterly gaunt and emaciated. Normally, as pioneers, they could freely enter any territory they were affiliated with and buy whatever they needed. So why did these people look like they hadn’t eaten in days?

’Wait… banishment?’ Nina’s eyes widened as a sudden realization hit her. Pioneers weren’t often banished, but if someone were to be banished, it would mean they were considered a threat. Banishing someone was rarer than just outright killing them.

But here these people were, wandering aimlessly as if they’d been thrown out of every territory they tried to enter.

’They weren’t banished—they ran away!’ Nina realized. They must have escaped after an attempt on their lives failed, leaving them to roam without any access to the shops or resources territories normally provide.

It all began to make sense. If they used any facilities, their movements would be tracked. To avoid detection, they must have starved themselves to keep moving.

’But what happened to make them fugitives in the first place?’ she wondered.

"Ugh… grr…"

One of the pioneers, the only conscious one among the group, let out a weak groan. Despite being the only one still conscious, he seemed barely able to speak. The Black Dragon pioneers—including Nina—approached cautiously.

"Hey, are you alive? Can you talk?" one of them asked.

"B-black… dragon…?" the man muttered, his eyes widening in recognition.

"They recognize us," one of the pioneers remarked.

"Of course, our lord rode a black dragon," another added.