-831- A very dire situation

In the depths of the islands located in the southwest, there is an expansive basin.

Surrounded by numerous mountain peaks, its interior remains hidden unless observed from above.

Previously, one of these mountain peaks was where Karna resided, acting like a dedicated guardian until today when he finally invited outsiders in.

Guided by Karna, Rozen, Mash, and Scáthach arrived at this location together.

Then...

"Wha... What is this!?"

Mash couldn't help but cover her mouth.

"Fou!"

Fou, perched on Mash's shoulder, widened its eyes.

"..."

Scáthach fell into silence.

"This..."

"How could this be..."

"..."

Within Chaldea, Olga Marie, Roman, and Da Vinci were also left speechless.

Rozen gazed at the scene before him, his face as calm as water.

The cruel scene that provoked such reactions unfolded before everyone's eyes.

"Sigh..."

"Ah..."

"Ugh..."

Alongside various moans of pain, the sounds of suffering echoed incessantly.

Before them lay a scene that could be described as nothing short of hell.

In this basin, tents rose one after another, either filthy and chaotic or ragged and disorderly. It resembled not so much a camp as a dilapidated ruin.

Inside each tent, agonizing moans and distressing cries continuously emanated. Beds, scattered haphazardly outside, were filled with people.

All these individuals were humans.

Evidently, they were the surviving native people on this continent.

The number of indigenous people was not small, but the insufficient number of tents forced bed placements outside, with some individuals lying against rocks or cliffs.

However, the state of these indigenous people was extremely dire.

Some lay in tents, their bodies covered in blood, severely wounded.

Some slept in bed spaces, not critically injured but still bearing various sizes of wounds.

Others, who had not suffered injuries, were nonetheless lying weakly in various corners, their breaths barely discernible.

Even children, women, and even pregnant women appeared malnourished, sitting in corners with exhausted expressions, in an extremely dire state.

For a moment, various moans, distressing sounds, and cries echoed throughout the entire basin.

Even the uninjured men, though armed with rifles, like soldiers protecting the camp, had pallid faces, lacked vitality, and were as thin as bamboo poles, presenting a distressing sight.

Seeing this scene, who could remain unaffected? Even Rozen wore a notably grim expression.

"How long has this been going on?" Rozen asked in a hushed voice.

This seemingly random question received a stoic response from Karna beside him.

"Some have been severely injured since I found them, remaining here without effective treatment. Another group faced an attack from the Celtic pantheon's army while searching for food, almost losing their lives. Those who survived returned, but the rest either got injured or killed during food searches or, due to insufficient supplies, are now approaching the end."

That was the situation. According to Karna, the native people of North America had gathered here, barely surviving amid the war between the two pantheons.

Karna ended up here by chance after rescuing a few indigenous people from the Celtic army, brought here by them. Since then, he had not left, occasionally going out to find other survivors. When he confirmed there were no more survivors on the continent, he stayed.

However, when Karna arrived, many here were already severely injured, having apparently narrowly escaped the slaughter by the Celtic army, seeking refuge here.

As for the rest, some were discovered during food searches and were either injured or killed, while others, due to food and water scarcity, were now on the brink of death.

"I tried hunting for food, but given the ongoing war and conflicts between the two pantheons, preparing enough food for this many people was not easy. I could only manage to barely feed the children. As for water, the amount I could bring back was limited. Unfortunately, I also lack the ability to heal others. All I can do is protect them, preventing this place from being disturbed."

Karna succinctly explained, helping everyone understand the current situation.

Especially those from Chaldea sighed repeatedly.

"Even if you're an exceptional Servant, you're still a single individual. It's not easy to find enough food for the surviving indigenous people on this war-torn continent."

"Moreover, the mana density here is thin, unlike in myths where there might be giant boars to hunt. Even if you manage to hunt down a herd of sheep, it probably wouldn't be enough for all the indigenous people to have a decent meal."

"Add to that the fact that the two pantheons are watching. Obvious actions might expose this place, inviting catastrophic consequences. The result is unavoidable."

Olga Marie, Roman, and Da Vinci commented with some complexity.

"So, you've been here all this time protecting these indigenous people?" Scáthach expressed her surprise at Karna's actions.

Karna neither confirmed nor denied it.

Perhaps it was due to Karna's protection that the indigenous people here had not been exposed so far. Otherwise, even if such a concealed location existed, it might not have escaped the notice of the two pantheons.

But this had reached its limit.

Relying on Karna alone, it was impossible to sustain what remained of the indigenous people here. Even with tremendous strength, limited conditions and environments made saving people less straightforward than taking lives.

At present, the indigenous people in this basin were nearing their limit. Even when Karna brought people back, there was no reaction. Each one was extremely weak and could no longer pay attention to anything else.

This made Mash bite her lip.

"Director, Doctor, Da Vinci, can't we use Chaldea's resources to find a solution?" Mash appealed to Chaldea for assistance.

This left all three of them distressed.

"Chaldea's resources are self-sufficient, but providing for the entire camp and meeting the needs of so many indigenous people can only be sustained for a month at most," Olga Marie provided this answer.

"Moreover, even if Chaldea can provide enough resources, the amount we can send to you is quite limited due to the constraints of cross-temporal transportation," Roman added with a sense of helplessness.

"If it's only a portion, we can figure something out here, but providing enough resources to sustain the survival of the indigenous people to continue human civilization is really challenging," Da Vinci said, shaking her head after careful consideration.

This left Mash feeling disheartened.

Then...

"Let me handle it."

Rozen's voice, suppressed with emotion, sounded.

Immediately, without waiting for others to react, magical energy surged from Rozen's body.