266 Comfort
After spending some time with the well, the water finally reached rock bottom, allowing me to see how the surface below was.
‘It’s quite deep…no, too deep!’ My eyes bulged in surprise.
I saw water leaking out of the piped hole at the edge of the well in an attempt to refill it, but from what I could see, it wasn’t very purified.
‘Oh, well… I’ve gotten more than enough for now…’ I shrugged, leaving the well alone in order to search for the stockpile of crops.
Knowing Charles, he must have hidden it in such a way that I wouldn’t be able to guess it. Unfortunately, while the dead Camp Leader was sly, his knowledge about my thought processes was too limited. Plus, he was bound by his ethics.
Such a person could be understood easily.
“He most likely shrouded it with other items, trying to mask the smell…” I mumbled, trying to pick up the distinct smells around me.
The building mostly reeked of blood, though, so it was harder for me to navigate.
Still, my heightened senses did not fail me.
“Oh? I see… so that’s how it is!” I beamed, finally snapping out of my concentrated daze.
It took me more time than I had hoped, but the results were still the same. I found the goods!
********************
The crops, which included maize, rice, and other grains, were hidden among the supply of manure in a room I dismissed earlier.
Of course, they were sealed properly so neither contents could mix in with one another, but one would never expect something like that at first glance.
“You really thought you could outsmart me, uh?” I smiled, rummaging through the goods.
Now looking at all the crops they had managed to harvest, it made me realize how many lies the dead man had told me.
For one, he mentioned only maize being their primary crops to harvest, and the limited amount they would be planting as a result of space and resources.
Now that I saw the sacks that contained not only maize, but other grains—in even larger quantities than he estimated—it was clear that Charles was a big fat liar.
He would have cheated me out of my share!
“[Subspace]” They all went in.
Looking at the slots I had within [Subspace], I had less than 50 left. It was no surprise since I had been up to so much for the past week.
The other Camps put up quite a bit of resistance when I plundered their properties and harvested their (G) Karma Points. They all met the same end, though, as I was able to conquer everything and everyone in the area, leaving Charles for last.
With the mission now completed, there was nothing more I required in this place.
‘It’s time to leave, I guess.’
It appeared I had already killed all the Hobgoblins in the area since I didn’t sense any more even as I stepped out of the building.
The fresh air that greeted me the moment I stepped out made me close my eyes slightly. I enjoyed the breeze and cool wind of the morning. I had pushed myself so much, and barely an hour had passed since everything took place—a quick implementation of the plan that one could finish before breakfast.
Walking carefreely, sensing no enemies around, I took a couple of steps away from the Camp building. A thought popped in my mind that it was perhaps time to summon Lara from [Subspace] to show her the tragic end of the Camp.
‘Oh, wait! I totally forgot about Lily!’
She had been in my [Subspace] for so long, and by the time I brought out the girl, she would be in a disheveled state.
Her mental instability would only increase the moment she realized the Camp had been destroyed.
‘Should I just use <Command> on her? Yeah, that would be best…’
I didn’t want to go through the hassle of trying to convince her of certain things. Emotional sensitivity wasn’t exactly my forte.
“<Summon>” Deciding on my plan, I brought her out.
Instantly, the girl appeared, still crouched and sniffing in her despair. Not long after, her body fidgeted, most likely in response to the cool wind that blew on her skin.
She raised her head and opened her eyes to the strange new environment that sharply contrasted with the room she last remembered being in.
I sensed her confusion and quickly made to answer her before it was too late.
“Lily, it’s me, Jeremy!” I called for her, causing the girl to look behind.
I watched as her face morphed from fright to utter shock and disbelief, and finally… relief!
“J-Jeremy! I-is that you?! You’re alive! You are… how can you b-be alive!” She cried and rushed at me, most likely to see if she was merely hallucinating.
I felt her body weight fall on me as she hugged me tightly. Lily resumed her sobbing, pouring out tears and snot on my cloth as her body trembled in emotion.
“T-they said you died… t-they said you were killed. I thought I was all alone again! J-Jeremy! I-is this really you?!” She bellowed loudly.
Her hands clutched me tightly. It was as if the girl was frightened that if she let me go, I would vanish forever.
“T-this isn’t a dream, right? This is all real, right? Tell me, Jeremy! You’re alive, right? It really is you, right?!”
I rubbed the back of her head smoothly, caressing her with both hands to offer my comfort.
This was all very overwhelming for her, but now that I was here to soother her needs and serve as a pillar, Lily didn’t have to be alone anymore.
“It’s fine, Lily. I’m here. No matter what happens… I will always be here. Okay, Lily? It’s you and me now. I promise… I won’t leave you alone in this world.”
They were cringey words, but thanks to the effects of <Command>, I was embedding these words deep into her soul so the girl could get an assurance for the future.
“R-really…?!”
“Yes, Lily. Forget about anyone else. As long as I’m here now… you won’t be alone. We can do anything together… just me and you!”