Chapter 81: Ch 81: Giving chances
"Did you find the seedling? Don’t approach it. Make sure to give it enough space to get sunlight."
Collin and Rin’s home gardener had taken charge as soon as the seedling was discovered
A magic seedling was much more resilient than any other plant, but no one wanted to risk it. So they followed the instructions and stayed away from the sapling. So far, things were going great, but the real danger was about to begin.
"Sir, we can see signs of monsters heading this way. Should we send out the first group to fight them?"
The scouts immediately noticed the monsters and arranged themselves in a defensive formation
"Send the first unit out. But make sure they are able to return to the medical section in case there is trouble. Albus, you can help out with the second wave. Let the first group gain some experience."
Rin had divided the roles to allow people to gain more experience. Most people in the settlement knew how to fight, but that did not mean they would not freeze up against real monsters.
There was a mental barrier one needed to overcome to take a life consciously. The sooner people got over this barrier, the better their chances of survival would be
So far, nothing had gone wrong. Rin watched the groups clashing for a little longer before he headed to the medical wing to check on Reina and Amelia.
There weren’t many patients thanks to the carefully planned raids and the few that did manage to get injured were quickly treated by the sisters.
Reina noticed him first and immediately let out a sigh.
"Where did you get yourself injured now?"
Why would she assume he came because he was injured? Couldn’t he come just to check on her?
"I am fine. I came here to check if you needed help."
Reina’s expression made it clear she didn’t believe him. But she was going to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"I see. Still, you should get yourself checked-"
A loud explosion rocked the area, making everyone flinch. Everyone turned and ran toward the source but Rin immediately stopped Reina.
"Stay here. We will send anyone injured to you."
Reina sat down, looking disappointed
Everyone else followed the sound of explosions and saw two people struggling against the restraints holding them down.
They immediately flinched as soon as they noticed Rin and excuses spilled from their lips.
"S-Sir, we do not know what happened. We were approaching the sacred tree to check on it and then we were suddenly captured. We had no idea what happened."
They pleaded their case, sounding genuinely fearful and confused.
But Teressa crushed any hope they had of pleading their case.
"I saw them getting close to the sacred tree and caught them as soon as they crossed the line. Don’t believe their words of innocence. They were about to doom us all."
Teressa’s voice was calm but impactful. It was hard to hear anyone over the confessions of the two criminals, but her voice was still clear, despite their attempts to drown her out
The criminals panicked and abandoned their pride. They threw themselves at Rin, hoping he would show them mercy.
"Sir, we are sorry. We gave into our greed and went after something we should not have. Please, forgive us. We will repent for this."
Rin remained silent but he stepped forward and knelt down in front of the pair. They looked relieved to see Rin acting generous toward them and let their guard down.
"T-Thank you-"
"I’m sorry, but did I say I forgive you? I gave clear instructions to not get closer to the sacred tree. So why did you do it?"
Rin gave them a chance to confess. He was not willing to forgive them, but he could reduce their punishment based on what they said.
But instead of confessing their crimes, the criminals decided to play for sympathy.
"W-We got curious and-|
Sigh
"So, you will still not tell me the truth? Is the system’s promised reward that precious to you?"
"R-Reward? What reward? We don’t know anything about it."
It was a shame that these people were still not coming to their senses. Rin had no choice but to ensure the safety of the settlement.
"I see. Since you are still not willing to come clean, I am left with only one option- to deal with you."
Everyone looked at him with a surprised expression. They had never seen him this cold and most could not even see him harming another human.
In fact, Rin was someone who gave others the benefit of the doubt and was soft-hearted as well. They had expected him to expel these people at best.
"Rin, are you sure about this? We don’t have to kill them-"
"As much as I don’t want to dispose of these people, we cannot let them go. There is a chance they will do something worse in the future. We need to make an example out of the first offenders so that others won’t dare to do the same."
No one spoke after Rin gave this reason. The atmosphere had turned grim as soon as Rin had given an order.
"Young Master, why don’t we put these two in the holding facility for now. We can send them out as our first line of defence when the monsters come."
Collin immediately interrupted the tense atmosphere and his words eased some of the tension
Rin did not want to compromise. Especially not after he had given the other side so many chances to confess but they kept pretending to be innocent. But he had to consider the current mood of the settlement as well.
"We can do things that way. Our priority should be to get through the monsters."
"Then, I shall take charge of these young men in your stead, young master. You don’t have to worry about a single thing when it comes to handling them."
Collin assured Rin with a smile on his face. But anyone who saw it could tell that it was not a pleasant smile to look at. It hinted at pain and suffering to anyone who dared cross Collin.
Rin suspected Collin’s true nature, but seeing him in action confirmed it- his butler was not an ordinary butler.
’Maybe I should be more careful around Collin. I cannot tell what he’s thinking and when he might snap.’