Princess No More

Silence followed Hiro's words. A gentle but cold breeze swept across the camp. Everyone who heard Hiro's words, perhaps with the exception of Tara and Furina, now had a reduced impression of him, to some extent or another.

"So you're saying you'll keep us here no matter what? Doom us all to die in these godforsaken lands?"

Hiro's words became ammunition for the leader of the ruffians.

"Everyone, did you hear what he said?" The man lifted his hand and pointed at Hiro while addressing everyone else.

"How cruel must he be to let us suffer such a fate when he has the power to save us! Don't tell me you all plan on standing for such tyranny. Join me. We can work together to bring him down!"

A conflicted expression appeared on some members of the Shuvlok tribe, as well as some newcomers. The man's offer sounded tempting to their ears.

However, they were not sure about committing at this point. They did not want to tear all pretenses with Hiro when they had so few people.

On one hand, it would definitely be easier to defeat Hiro when they had fifty or a hundred people with combat classes in the barony. On the other hand, would they be alive by the time things got to that point? Would things ever get to that point in the Desolate Lands?

Meanwhile, Hiro did not intend to let this continue for much longer. His next words were spoken in a plain tone as he stared straight at Shuvichi.

"Shuvichi. End that man for me, will you?"

The death sentence. It certainly brought people out of their reverie. Hiro wanted to set an example of how such rebellious instigation would be dealt with.

Shuvichi had half a mind to reject Hiro. Did he really think he could treat him like his subordinate? Had he already forgotten that he and his tribesmen had practically been coerced into becoming his citizens?

For a brief moment, Shuvichi lowered his gaze. He was trying to resolve the inner conflict in his mind. But eventually, he sighed. His rationality had won over his pride.

He tightened his grip on his blade and looked at the ruffian leader, who shouted, "You've got to be kidding!" He hadn't expected Shuvichi to side with Hiro at this juncture.

"Wait, Shuvichi."

It was Barbara's voice that stopped him. She kept her arms folded in front of her as she spoke proudly to Hiro, who now looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Don't you think you're exploiting your citizens too much… my Lord? Shuvichi is not your knight or bodyguard. And neither is he part of your army. You can't just ask him to kill people on your behalf like this. Especially when you're not even offering any compensation."

Hearing her words made Hiro smile wryly. This was actually something he had been planning to address.

"You know what? You're kind of right," he said, much to Barbara's surprise. "I was planning to talk about this today."

He temporarily set the matter of the rebellious ruffians aside to make an announcement.

"I wanted to discuss how things would work in my Realm, money-wise, especially in the early days. Since there might not be enough currency circulating at first, and since not all refugees will bring a lot of money with them, I've decided to implement a contribution-based system."

"For the first several days, all of you will work toward improving the living standards of this settlement. Things like helping with shelter, hunting for food—tasks like these. Doing these things will earn you a currency called 'Contribution.' One contribution point will have the same worth as one copper."

"Once the settlement is big enough, we will transition to using the regular gold-silver-copper currency. At that time, I, the Baron, will settle all accounts and give you the monetary equivalent of your contributions."

Hiro gave people a few seconds to digest this information.

"So you're saying that you'll pay Shuvichi in these 'contribution points' for taking care of these hooligans?" the impatient Barbara asked.

Hiro glanced at her briefly and then at the men of the Shuvlok tribe.

"All of you from the Shuvlok tribe started with negative contribution, since you began by attacking the settlement," he said, causing the tribesmen to frown.

"However, you have indeed contributed. Fetching water from the river, building the pit latrines for sanitation, helping with the construction of the barracks, and bringing back the Goddess statue—these are all meaningful contributions that have somewhat redeemed you. So, I'll be extra generous and set your current contribution score to zero."

"How generous of you!" Barbara spoke with a sarcastic smile.

"Indeed, I'm too kind," Hiro said while feigning ignorance. "Oh, and by the way, your contribution is still at negative one thousand, Barbara."

Barbara immediately became upset when she heard this. "What!? But I—" And then her words got stuck in her throat.

Hiro smirked.

"You what? You slept through the night. You trained by yourself in the morning. You stood here and watched as your friends held back the troublemakers..."

Barbara glared at Hiro. How could he say that she 'slept' through the night? Moreover, she considered herself the leader of the Shuvlok people here. As their boss, wasn't it only natural that she reap the benefits of their hard work?

This line of thinking was something Hiro was intent on correcting.

"Remember this, Barbara. You are no longer the princess of the Shuvlok tribe. You and your companions are just regular citizens of my Realm. They have no obligation to listen to you anymore. And you certainly don't have the right to claim their contributions as yours."

A strange light flickered in the eyes of some of the tribesmen when they heard Hiro's words. Barbara, on the other hand, gritted her teeth and met Hiro's gaze with an icy stare.

She knew what Hiro was doing. He was trying to erode the influence she had over her tribesmen. He was damaging their unity. But infuriatingly enough, she currently had no way to refute him.

And on top of that, her glare wasn't having the intended effect either. Far from being intimidated, Hiro actually felt his lust flare up after looking at Barbara's expression. Her dark blonde hair and hazel eyes looked much better under the light of day.

Her exposed navel and toned figure made it hard for him to not have improper thoughts. But Hiro knew that there was still a way to go before he could get Barbara to truly submit to him. Until then? He would enjoy her defiance.

There was something about Hiro's gaze that almost made Barbara shudder. But that feeling only lasted for a moment.

Hiro redirected his attention back to the leader of the troublemakers, who had been observing the events with an incredulous expression.

'What the fuck is going on!? Are these guys seriously not going to fight?' he thought.

When his eyes met Hiro's, frustration colored them. He had miscalculated. He had expected everyone with a Combat Class to rally behind him once he made his intent to fight clear. But Hiro's mere act of arriving at this place by teleporting made everyone's courage waver.

Now, he only had four people as allies. His original companions.

Hiro once again resumed his slow and menacing walk toward the ruffian leader.

"Shuvichi. You and your friends can step back. I will be handling things from here," Hiro said.