Putting On A Good Show [Pt 2]

"… What?"

At first, Byron thought the girl was just pulling his legs about being in the wrong location.

After all, he—as well as nearly everyone else in the expedition team—were no strangers to this path, having made this journey numerous times.

Although Lucy was a newer member of their settlement, she too had trod the path several times as well.

So it was definitely impossible for them to get lost on such a familiar pathway.

However…

"What is this place?"

Byron's resolve—that they were not lost —began to wane when he climbed the hill and cast his eyes on the settlement a few distance from them.

While the surroundings seemed familiar, the fenced area itself looked completely different from what he recalled.

''I don't… understand…" He questioned, disbelieving.

He was completely sure that they were at the right destination yet something had definitely happened to the settlement.

What was such a fortified patch of land doing at the center of a wasteland—where his people should have been residing?

'What's with that fence… ?' Most of the settlement was completely obscured from Byron's view, specifically due to the towering walls that surrounded it.

This was a completely different sight from the state in which they had left the settlement.

And so, other than the canopies that were slightly peeking out of the fence, as well as a strangely tall pillar shooting out from the settlement, Byron couldn't make out much else.

The massive walls that surrounded the settlement had a large gate that faced the direction he was coming from.

If they kept venturing down this path, they would arrive there in no time.

'I don't like this… I have no idea what's going on.' As Chief, lack of information wasn't something Byron had to frequently deal with, so the entire situation unnerved him.

Now that he had suddenly been thrown into the realm of uncertainty, the middle-aged man had to figure out what path to take.

The comrades who were with him were already terribly exhausted , due to the grueling pace with which they had walked to ensure that they arrived home as soon as was possible, a situation that became more urgent due to the strange state of the settlement.

Some even had some minor injuries that they hoped Sarah would be able to cure, without them having to resort to expensive medicines or potions.

So although Byron was hesitant, he couldn't afford to stall his people for much longer.

"Let's keep pressing forward. I'm certain that was where our town was located… though it seems bigger and different." Byron addressed everyone—particularly the young lady beside him.

"Hmm. What if the people there are different?" Lucy asked, seemingly worried.

"It doesn't matter. We're all humans, anyway. I'm sure they'll be able to understand our predicament."

"Not all humans are exactly generous, you know?"

This back and forth between Byron and Lucy lasted a short moment. Both sides had valid points, but Byron had to make the final call.

"We can at least try, can't we? Besides, we need a place to rest. It's already evening and we are all too weary to sleep without a roof over our heads in this cold weather."

"What if the town has already been occupied by Demons?"

This was an extremely difficult question, and Lucy simply blurted it out like it was nothing. Her red hair swayed in the light wind, and her piercing gaze demanded an answer from Byron.

"That would mean we should assume everyone in the settlement is either dead or they've become slaves. I can't accept that."

The little girl rolled her eyes at his response.

She lived by an ideology that the strong prevailed and the weak were cut down.

There was no way she would join the pathetic weaklings that would fall at the hands of Demons.

"If that turns out to be the case, then you can escape. We'll buy you time, but first, I need to go further."

At this point, nightfall would catch up to them. They had no choice but to keep pressing forward.

"Fine. I'll accompany you for a while. If it gets dangerous, though—"

"Got it. You'll leave." Byron completed her unsaid words.

Seeing as Lucy nodded in agreement, the Chief urged his people to keep walking.

They all shared the sentiment of their leader, and since they trusted him, they marched on.

Until… they finally arrived at the tall gate situated in front of the settlement.

'I… can't see beyond it!' Even if Byron jumped as high as he could, he wouldn't be able to see past the dense fence and the gate before them.

In the past, they had simply tied stakes and used them as bounds to surround the village. It was flimsy security and primitive as well, but that was all they could spare.

Their sparse resources would be better spent on food, water, or even better weapons for fighting.

'Unbelievable…' Byron thought to himself.

He had been to many settlements in the life he had lived. Yet, he had never seen this kind of construction.

Only 'The Hub' had this level of security, but that was simply due to the nature of that place.

An unknown town in the middle of nowhere having something similar was nothing short of incredibly strange.

"Boss. What now?" Lucy roused Byron from his deep thoughts.

"Huh? A-ah, I'm still thinking. There are no guards present, and it doesn't seem like we can open the gates from outside."

Even if they did, it would be rude to do something like that.

The only thing that seemed to be quite out of place in the massive gate was a small white-like contraption at the center.

Oh, and a red button was also placed beside it. They seemed to be connected somewhat.

'A-are we supposed to hit that red button?'

There was no way Byron could find out the truth just by staring at it. Sooner or later, he had to do something.

'Else, we'll be stuck in this terribly cold weather without a place to sleep'

Taking the bold step as everyone's leader, Byron stepped forward and pressed the red button. His fingers were pushed deeper than he expected, and the middle-aged man sharply retracted his hand.

'… Ngh!'

It was a strange contraption, but he managed to be brave for his people.

'What now?'

For a moment, there was silence. Byron felt like they were being watched, but that was probably just his imagination.

And then—

"Chief Byron?!" He heard a voice coming from within the gate.

The voiced seemed familiar as though belonging to one of his people.

"Carl, what's going on here? Are you people sa—?!"

"Chief Byron is here?"

"Let's open the gate. One sec, Chief."

"I'll go inform Miss. Sarah."

Three other voices called out.

Byron was confused, but at least he understood that none of them were in danger. That brought relief to his heart.

This indeed was the village he led—there was no doubt about that now.

'But, if that's the case, what the hell happened here?'