"Hmph..."

The anger that had threatened to overcome Lucius began to fade as Tiber admitted he was wrong. Removing his sword from the soldier's neck before sending it back into his ring, Lucius looked Tiber in the eye for a few seconds before turning around and stepping away from the cabin. They could find another place to stay, somewhere more welcoming. He probably should have escaped the moment his aspect had hidden him from their sight, avoiding the risk of continuing the fight, but his emotions had gotten the better of him, and he decided to make a point instead. The three men watched silently as he moved away, the bald Roland glancing back and forth between Tiber and Lucius, his frown growing deeper by the second. Finally, with a sigh, Roland shook his head and jogged after Lucius, holding both hands up to gesture his intentions.

"Kid! Don't go! Tiber ain't a bad guy; he just wants to keep us safe! You're one of the strongest people I've ever seen—that's incredible for someone so young! The woods ain't safe anyway. Come on inside, let's talk."

Lucius stared back at Roland for a few seconds, considering the invitation. Sense Danger had never really marked these people as enemies, so he was inclined to hear them out. Any information they were willing to share about where they came from and what they had experienced would be highly beneficial to him as well. Lucius scratched his chin as he glanced back at his companion.

"What do you think, Maryanne? Should we give them a second chance?"

Maryanne stared at the three soldiers, her brows furrowed deeply, before tilting her chin up to the sky in a show of dominance as she responded.

"They have to say sorry!"

The oversized man blinked rapidly at the child's response, then let out a hearty laugh before speaking what sounded like quite a sincere apology to Maryanne and Lucius. After hearing the words from Roland, the young girl cast her eyes toward Lieutenant Tiber, who met her gaze with a stern expression. Placing his hand over his heart, he bowed his head slightly and spoke.

"Thank you for your generosity young miss, please accept my sincere apology."

Maryanne nodded as she heard the words, finally casting her gaze up at Garrick, the archer on the roof.

"Tsk... Yeah, whatever. Sorry."

Maryanne’s eyes narrowed as she heard the halfhearted words. She shook her head, crossing her arms, and rebuked.

"No, you have to do it nice!"

Roland's familiar laughter echoed through the area, and this time even Tiber couldn't help but smile as the two men stared expectantly up at Garrick. The archer threw his hands into the air with a flourish of exasperation at the child's response.

"Do it, Garrick. That's an order."

Lieutenant Tiber’s words ended the standoff a few seconds later, and the archer was forced to repeat his apology twice more before Maryanne was satisfied.

"Thank you," she said, smiling brightly as she finally relented.

Glancing up at the pouting Garrick, Tiber gave a new set of orders. "You've got first watch while we get to know our new friends here. Roland will relieve you in a few hours."

After receiving confirmation from Garrick, Tiber turned toward Lucius and Maryanne, gesturing toward the entrance of the cabin as he led the way inside. Lucius followed and stepped into the building, immediately feeling the comfortable warmth of the fire as he crossed the threshold. The smell of burning wood and cooked meat filled the air, mingling with a hint of sweetness—likely barbecue sauce. Three large camouflaged rucksacks lay on the floor just inside the entrance, and military-issue sleeping bags were unrolled around the wood stove.

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Lucius walked over to the large couch on the other side of the room and sat down so Maryanne could climb out of the backpack. Once she was out, he stored the bag in his ring. It didn’t take long for Whisper to appear on Maryanne’s lap once she was sitting comfortably next to Lucius.

Tiber's eyes widened for a moment as he saw the creature appear, but his expression quickly shifted back to a calm smile.

"Beast taming?" Tiber asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Something similar. His name is Whisper."

The fluffy purple bat looked up at Tiber with clear malice in its eyes.

"I do not like you, human Tiber. Your attempt to harm Maryanne and Lucius is unforgivable. Be grateful to us for sparing your life."

Tiber couldn’t hide his surprise at hearing the voice in his head. It took him a full ten seconds to process what had just happened before he let out a long sigh and shook his head.

"I understand how you feel, but my job is to keep my soldiers safe. I hope you can try to see things from my point of view."

Whisper looked away from the man with disdain, choosing to focus his attention on Maryanne as Lucius pulled some food out of his ring for their dinner. The sight of the food seemed to spark an idea in Tiber, and he smiled as he looked over at Roland and gestured toward the food. Roland seemed to understand his meaning and gave a thumbs up.

"Allow us to show our goodwill. Roland here was a cook by profession before the world went to shit. He unlocked a unique talent, so any food he prepares will become special."

Roland walked over to Lucius with a wide grin, holding out his hands. Lucius considered it for a few seconds before handing over the cans of food. His Sense Danger would warn him if anything malicious were done to the food, so it seemed like a good opportunity to test their intentions.

Lucius, Maryanne, and Whisper watched curiously as Roland walked to his rucksack, retrieved a small pot, and placed it on the wood stove. He quickly poured both cans of soup into it.

Over the next ten minutes, Roland stirred the food casually. Familiar golden lights materialized in the air around him, drifting lazily toward the pot. When he finished, Roland poured half the soup back into each of the cans, then placed them on the table in front of Lucius and Maryanne with a bow.

"Bon appétit."

Sense Danger remained silent the entire time, even as Lucius stuck a finger into the hot liquid and tasted it. Maryanne stared up at him, unmoving, until he gave her a nod. Only then did she happily dig in.

As Lucius ate, he felt a sensation similar to the healing aura his companion back at the farm, Mary, was capable of. The gentle sensation grew stronger as he continued eating the soup, slowly repairing his injured body while replenishing his energy reserves. The amount of restoration was unfortunately quite small, but depending on how long it lasted, it may prove useful.

Lucius looked up from his empty can, a satisfied smile spreading across his face as the warm energy gradually chipped away at his pain and fatigue.

"I see. So Roland's ability can heal through cooking. How long does the regeneration from one meal last?"

Tiber nodded with a smile, seemingly pleased that his goodwill had been received, before answering the question.

"It depends how much you eat, but as long as the food is moving through your digestive system, the aura will remain. Usually, eight to ten hours."

Lucius blinked in surprise and looked over at Roland with newfound appreciation as he realized the implications of such an ability.

"What a useful talent..."

Roland let out a hearty laugh, bowing toward Lucius as he accepted the praise, then added a few more pieces of wood to the stove.

Tiber had been waiting for Lucius to finish his meal and grow more comfortable with their presence before steering the conversation toward more serious matters. A stern expression replaced the carefree smile on his face as he began explaining their situation.

"The three of us are part of a larger special forces unit of three hundred men, though only about half of them have survived up to this point. When the Abyss invaded, we fortified our position in the nearby city as best we could, as hundreds of surviving civilians continued to seek out our protection. Right now, we have around one hundred and fifty soldiers and a few thousand civilians under our care, but we lose more and more every day. A savage tribe of goblins, led by a powerful summoner, owns the territory around our location. The creatures constantly launch raids against us. They capture humans, feeding the men to their pets, and using the women as breeding slaves. We cannot allow this to continue."

Tiber's explanation triggered a memory in Lucius. He was fairly certain he had encountered the goblin tribe the soldier was describing.

"So, why are you three all the way out here then?"

"The base commander is well aware that we are in an unwinnable position, so he sent the three of us on a mission. Our job is to find a suitable place to relocate—somewhere we can start to rebuild away from the goblin menace."

Lucius frowned, looking down at his hands as he carefully considered the information Tiber shared. A few thousand survivors was a huge number, that was enough people to start a town. After a few moments, he looked up with determination.

"I... might know a place."