Chapter 11: Everglow

[STATISTICS]

[AUTHORITY LEVEL: Commoners (400/1500 XP)]

[STRENGTH: D (10/1500 XP)]

[COUNTRY: Small Village (Money: 0/10,000, Villagers: 5/25)]

[SUPPORT: (Public: 95/100(%), Politics: 0/100(%))]

[Congratulations! Your STRENGTH increased by 10 XP!]

Previously, Darren would usually receive a summary of their activities and progress updates right before he went to sleep. But recently, the Developer seemed to have changed the system, causing Sasa to frequently appear right after Darren completed certain missions.

Just like now—right after Evan ended their training session, Sasa's now-familiar voice suddenly echoed in Darren's ears.

He had lost count of how many days he'd been trapped in this world. Darren often felt bored, but lately, he had become so busy with the house-building project.

The trees they had planned to use were now hauled out of the forest. They had worked hard to carry the twelve heavy logs, which were now stacked beside the planned house site.

"Wanna head to the river, Boss? It's not dark yet, and we can pick up a few apples for snacks tonight," Evan invited Darren.

Darren glanced at their food supply—just a few apples. It seemed they had been so busy that Leon had forgotten to pick more. No problem—Darren could take over that simple task.

"Let's go. We'd better hurry before it gets dark."

The two of them walked back into the forest. From a distance, they could already hear the soft murmur of the river. "Are apples the only thing left to pick?"

"Seems like it. Leon caught a few big fish earlier. Should be enough for tonight's dinner."

The sun was still out, maybe around 4 or 5 PM, Darren guessed. The sky showed no signs of darkening. He figured they had an hour or two to relax by the river and refresh themselves.

"Tomorrow, Rich plans to head to Mierre-Park. I hope you can ask him to bring a few friends to visit our place."

"When did Rich say he was leaving?" Darren asked.

They reached the river with its crystal-clear waters flowing from the Oron Mountains. Although quite far from the source, the water was still fresh enough to drink straight from the stream.

"This afternoon, right after we finished hauling the logs. But he already told Leon yesterday." Darren reached out and picked a ripe red apple. It looked incredibly tempting. He grabbed another one.

"Or maybe you want Elric or Cal to go with Rich to the city? I heard Rich often travels to Namira Beach every week. If so, he might stop by more often. Cal could invite a few people to visit, and that would bring more visitors to our place."

Darren didn't mind Evan's ideas. But right now, their priority was building the house. Every pair of hands mattered, and Darren wanted Cal to stay.

"I'll think about it. Maybe I'll decide tonight," he replied as he picked what he thought was enough—six apples for snacks.

"Bastard!" A scream echoed through the forest. Both of them tensed up. Someone else was here—definitely not one of their own.

But this time, the voice was female. Not Sasa—Darren knew her voice well. This was someone else.

"You heard that, Evan?" Darren whispered, now worried that a woman might be in danger in this vast forest. The only people living here were his group—unless this person was a bandit.

"Yes. A woman's voice." Darren drew his knife, and so did Evan, tightening his grip.

"Help!" Another voice—it was different.

"There's two of them?" Darren whispered again. Evan didn't reply, too focused on locating the source. He guessed the voices were coming from about 20 meters ahead, obscured by thick shrubs and wide tree trunks.

"Deeper into the forest," Evan whispered back.

"Luna!" This time, it sounded like a child's voice. Damn—make that three!

"Let's go." Darren tugged at Evan, moving carefully deeper into the woods. They walked on their toes to avoid making any noise.

"Is there really a safe place for you? No! The safest place is your master's house!"

A man's rough voice shouted. Darren didn't think he was family. From what Darren could tell, the girls were resisting—definitely against their will. "Come here!"

"Let go! Don't touch Rhea!" That convinced Darren and Evan—someone needed help.

They couldn't believe what they saw—a young woman being yanked by her hair by an old man. Two other girls were sitting on the ground, not because they didn't want to fight, but out of fear. One was holding a small child, possibly around ten years old, unconscious despite all the commotion.

"Let go!" The oldest-looking girl, probably in her early twenties, tried to free herself. Darren assumed she was the eldest sister.

"Welcome, gentlemen. Are you here to buy them? I plan to sell these four girls. You can take Luna," said the man as he pulled her hair higher, indicating she was the one. "But she's a bit mouthy. The younger ones are more obedient."

"Let go," Darren ordered. But of course, they didn't listen. Darren was no longer a prince, and this wasn't the palace—he held no power here.

"Five thousand coins for the four of them. The youngest, Rhea, is two thousand. Still a child—worth more in a brothel."

Rage exploded in Darren and Evan. Darren had never seen something this disgusting happen before his eyes.

The girl—Luna—tried hitting the man with her weak arms. Her clothes were torn, and her hair was a mess. But she was too frail to break free.

In a sudden move, the man slammed her head against a tree. She immediately passed out.

"Bastard!" Darren charged, pulling the man back and unleashing a brutal kick to his gut, sending him flying to the ground.

Evan wasn't far behind. He drew his knife and aimed it at the man holding Rhea.

"Put the girl down," Evan warned coldly, ready to cut him down. "I won't be merciful."

"Why the hell are you doing this, you scum?!" Darren punched the older man square in the face.

He couldn't stomach how these girls were treated like merchandise. Sold off to rich men, whether as servants or slaves. No matter what Darren had done in his business days, he never degraded women like this.

Once both captors were unconscious, Darren helped Evan gather everyone. Evan was already on the horse-drawn cart the men had brought to transport the girls.

"Help me lift the unconscious one. She needs medicine immediately." Darren addressed the two younger girls who, despite trembling, rushed to help their sister Luna. Darren carefully lifted Rhea into his arms.

He couldn't believe how these scumbags used innocent girls to fuel their twisted profits.

Once everyone was onboard, Evan took the reins and drove the carriage away from the site. The path to the river was too narrow, so they had to take a wider route. Fortunately, the carriage was large enough to fit ten people.

"Boss, I'm not sure if we can save the older girl. She has several knife wounds on her body," Evan reported Luna's critical condition.