Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

If other territories had managed to hold onto more than 1,000 commoners, it had to be one of two situations.

'Either they formed an alliance under a single territory, fearing they'd be wiped out, or they fought tooth and nail and absorbed the survivors.'

Either way, their circumstances wouldn't be favorable.

In the former case, the internal power struggles between the factions would be intense, and in the latter, they would have suffered severe losses from the war.

On top of that, they'd have to worry about the remaining enemy territories around them.

By now, the other leaders were probably racking their brains, wondering who to leave behind and who to take with them. They'd be trying to figure out how to assign their forces so that their territory wouldn't fall apart while they were gone.

"They'll have to leave behind some of their trusted forces, just like us. But in comparison, we're in a much better position. We can focus on the main quest while still paying attention to other matters."

"Other matters?" Derek asked, confused.

"Derek, how long do you plan on being just a front-line commander? When I become king, you'll need to run your own territory too, right? The same goes for Ethan. It'd be a waste for you to spend your entire life just hunting. Keep an eye on how things run in my absence and learn."

"...!"

The other officers widened their eyes in surprise. They seemed to have just realized Justin's true intentions.

"And Zachary. It's great that you're aiming to become prime minister, but do you plan to rely on my authority for every single command? You'll need to at least reach second-job class to avoid being looked down on by anyone."

"Th-that's true, but..."

"But nothing. Take this opportunity to raise your level and complete your second-job class. That way, your words will carry more weight. And lastly, Emily."

"Yes? Y-yes!"

Emily, who hadn't expected to be called, jumped to her feet in shock. Justin looked at her calmly as he spoke.

"I'll leave the administrative duties in your hands while the others maintain order. Do you understand what that means?"

"...!"

Emily's eyes shook as she processed Justin's words.

Although the position of "administrator" sounded ordinary, it was actually one of the most critical roles, allowing her to oversee every aspect of the territory.

Naturally, it was a job that required an enormous amount of trust, something that wasn't given lightly.

To be entrusted with such an important task?

'He's acknowledging me as a true member of the inner circle, not just an outsider officer.'

It meant that she was no longer just a part of the territory, but one of Justin's core people.

Fighting back the overwhelming emotions, Emily bowed deeply.

"I will not disappoint you."

"I'm counting on you."

Justin then looked around at the rest of the officers.

"Alright. Does anyone still have any issues with the assignments?"

The contents of the decision reached in the meeting—that the lord and his officers would be leaving for an extended expedition—quickly spread throughout the entire territory.

The commoners, who had just begun to feel a sense of stability, were shocked.

With the lord gone, who would protect them?

"What are we going to do now? Are we all going to die?"

"Where's this coming from all of a sudden?"

"Those guys… they're the ones who killed their own commoners to save themselves. If the lord…"

"You idiot! Call him Lord Justin, or do you want to get us all killed?"

The panicked commoner immediately clamped his hand over his mouth, his face turning pale.

After quickly correcting the title, he lowered his voice to a whisper.

"...If Lord Justin leaves, won't this place fall into their hands? Do we just have to trust that law and wait?"

"They're not all leaving. Two of Lord Justin's top officers and ten high-ranking pioneers are staying behind."

"Isn't that too few?"

"Don't be stupid. One of those officers has been smashing those scumbags' heads like it's nothing, ten a day."

"Wait, really? That wasn't just a rumor?"

"Rumor my ass! I saw it myself. Five of them charged him at once, and he swatted them down like flies."

At first, the commoners were anxious, but once they learned that Derek was staying behind, they quickly calmed down.

Despite his rough demeanor, he was known for being incredibly fair in his actions.

Meanwhile, the low-ranking pioneers had much darker expressions.

"Shit, why does it have to be him? This is a nightmare. Why didn't they take him with them?"

"Don't you get it by now? Justin left him behind to kill us if we step out of line."

"Why did we even bother surrendering in the first place? He should've just killed us back then!"

"There's no point in rebelling now. We wouldn't stand a chance, and there's nowhere else for us to go...."

Leaving Derek behind was clearly a message from Justin.

The problem was that the low-ranking pioneers couldn't fully grasp what that message meant.

At that moment, one of the low-ranking pioneers, deep in thought, mumbled to himself.

"...Damn, I think I'm starting to understand how Justin sees us."

"What are you talking about?"

"We're soldiers. Cannon fodder for the battlefield. That's all we are."

"Yeah, we're pioneers, so of course we're here to fight."

Frustrated by their clueless response, the first pioneer thumped his chest in exasperation.

"No, you idiot! He sees us as disposable grunts, not trained fighters! Don't you get it?"

"What's the difference? It's the same thing, isn't it?"

"If a grunt disobeys orders on the battlefield, what do you think happens? What if he tells the general he doesn't want to charge because he'll die?"

"Well, he'd be executed for insubordination, obviously."

"Exactly! That's how Justin sees us. We're not elite soldiers, we're just grunts carrying spears from the village!"

With that realization, the low-ranking pioneer let out a heavy sigh.

"No wonder he's been killing so many of us. A grunt's life doesn't matter. If they disobey orders, it's better to execute them to keep discipline."@@novelbin@@

"..."

The faces of the low-ranking pioneers all turned pale.

If this were true, then everything about Justin's actions suddenly made sense.

To Justin, they were nothing more than foot soldiers.

Having more of them wasn't a bad thing, but if any of them disrupted the order, it was far more beneficial to execute them as an example.

The pioneer who had brought up the soldier analogy stood up with a resigned sigh.

"From now on, I'm going to live like a proper grunt. I don't want to die for disobeying orders."

After saying that, the pioneer left, and the others hesitated for a moment before slowly dispersing as well.

From that day onward, the crimes committed by the low-ranking pioneers dropped dramatically.

They realized that what they thought they could get away with as "pioneers" would actually lead to execution if they were treated as mere foot soldiers.

Three days after the expedition announcement, Justin and his expeditionary force finally set out through the castle gates.