Chapter 16: Homesick
Campfire — Nighttime
Later that night, Theo and his group rested around a campfire they had set up.
Not far from them, the demon hounds lay on the ground, sleeping like oversized house pets. For creatures that could rip a village apart, they were surprisingly chill, as long as no one was stupid enough to ride them.
Around the camp, two men patrolled the perimeter while the rest relaxed near several smaller fires. Theo and Tara sat by one of them.
“Ugh, finally we can head home,” Tara groaned, rolling her shoulder and massaging the stiffness out of it. She still looked satisfied. “Watching those chiefs’ faces every time we show up is fun, but yeah… I’m done. I just want to go home now, heheh.”
“Do you think all of them will actually come?” Theo asked.
“Heh. Of course they will.” Tara smirked. “Scavenger tribes are opportunists. The moment they see someone stronger offering protection, they’ll come running like moths to a flame.”
She paused slightly.
“Though… not every chief is going to like the idea of not being the one in charge anymore.”
“That’s why we called it an alliance instead of submission,” Theo said. “At least on the surface. Unless they have something stronger than demon hounds and feel like testing their luck.”
From a nearby fire, David stood up. He had been talking with the captain and a few soldiers, but now walked over and dropped down beside them.
“How’s the men’s progress?” Theo asked.
“Pretty good, actually,” David replied. “Every one of ’em can count to 500 now.”
“That’s good to hear,” Theo said, nodding.
“Heh.” Tara let out a short scoff. “I’ll admit, I’m impressed with the two of you. Getting those muscleheads into shape and drilling discipline into them like trained dogs is one thing…”
She glanced at David.
“But making them count that far? That’s something else.”
“No one likes running ten laps first thing in the morning before a long march,” Theo said. “No matter what world they’re from.”
“Gotta admit, boss, that punishment’s simple, but it works,” David muttered. “Back in my day, it was all floggin’. But this? You make ’em run laps, it’s a win-win. They mess up countin’, they get fitter. They get it right, they get smarter.”
“Doesn’t mean I disagree with your method,” Theo replied. “But let’s keep the flogging for crimes more serious than failing to count properly.”
He paused for a moment.
“And when more people start joining us,” Theo continued, “flogging will definitely be needed later.”
“Definitely,” Tara and David answered in unison, both letting out a small scoff.
---
A few hours later, the camp had gone quiet.
Most of them were already asleep. Only the two patrols remained awake, continuing their shift as they circled the perimeter, making sure no wandering monsters caught them off guard.
Not that anything had tried.
Throughout the entire journey, no monsters had come near them. The presence of the three demon hounds—sleeping peacefully beside the camp—was more than enough to keep everything away.
But there was one more person still awake.
Theo.
He lay on his back, staring up at the night sky. Except… he wasn’t actually looking at the stars. His eyes were fixed on something else, the invisible system window that only he could see.
----------------------------------------
[ GENERAL INFORMATION ]
Name : Theo Poliznev
Title : Village Vice-chief
Class : Necromancer
Level : 1
EXP : 626 / 1000
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[ CORE STATS ]
HP : 100 / 100
MP : 70 / 70
Stamina : 34 / 60
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He just stared at it. Silent and still.
“How many left before you get that thing called a level up, boss?”
David’s voice came from across the fire. His voice low and casual, doesn’t want to wake up anyone else.
Theo shifted his eyes toward him.
“Well... my system is still stingy,” he sighed. "That's for sure..."
David let out a quiet chuckle. “Heh… don’t matter what world you’re in, unseen forces always do the bare minimum.”
Theo didn’t answer. His gaze drifted back up, locking onto the invisible status window again.
“Hey, David…” he muttered.
“Yes, boss?”
“You said before… that system thing gave you a second life, right?”
“That’s right.”
Theo paused for a moment.
“Do you remember anything after you died?” he asked. “Afterlife. Anything like that?”
“…Hmm.” David actually thought about it this time. “Not really.”
He frowned slightly, digging through what little memory he had.
“I remember some family drama while I was dyin’. Somethin’ about which son should inherit my rule,” he said. “Then it just… cuts off. Darkness.”
A brief pause.
“After that, there was this glowin’ box-shaped thing callin’ itself ‘the system.’ Asked me if I wanted another shot at life.”
Theo let out a short breath through his nose.
“Huh. So you didn’t even realize you were dead for three thousand years.”
“Nope,” David said. “Felt like a few minutes at most ‘fore I woke up in this halflin’ body.”
Theo clicked his tongue softly.
“Sigh… at least you got a choice,” he muttered. “I didn’t even get asked before getting dumped into this stupid magical world.”
“Feeling hateful toward the goddess again, boss?” David said, amused.
Theo turned his head slightly.
“Would that offend you?” he asked.
“No, sir,” David replied without hesitation. “From what I’ve heard, the goddess of this world ain’t the same one I used to worship.”
He shrugged.
“So go on ahead. Hate her as much as you want, boss.”
“At this point,” Theo said quietly, “I don’t even know who I’m supposed to hate anymore.”
His eyes stayed on the sky.
“I just want to live peacefully… knowing I’ll still be alive the next day… the next week… the next year.”
A short pause.
“Like my old life.”
Another pause.
“…Minus the part where I got killed.”
David let out a small chuckle.
“…Livin’ somewhere with that kind of certainty,” he said, “must’ve been a pretty beautiful life, boss.”
“Can’t say it was beautiful,” Theo replied. “But compared to this?”
He let out a quiet exhale.
“Yeah. It was.”
“…Get some rest, boss,” David said, a faint smile on his face. “Ain’t no point thinkin’ about somethin’ that’s already gone.”
“Yeah…” Theo muttered.
He slowly closed his eyes.
“I’ll try…”
He lay there, forcing his thoughts to quiet down. Trying to stop thinking about Earth, about everything he left behind, and drifted back to sleep.
---
5 Days Later
A few days later, Theo, Tara, David, and their fifteen soldiers were marching back home. And of course, no one was riding the demon hounds. That was still a death wish if done for too long. Riding them was only for show. For intimidation. Now, the beasts simply followed behind the group, obedient enough as long as no one pushed their luck.
Even though the scavenger tribe were a nomadic people, they didn't have any horses. Simply because there were no horses in Border Prison. The people who set up this territory as a prison many centuries ago had made sure the prisoners and their descendants wouldn't have any means of transport other than walking.
That was how they had been traveling for the past month. And now, they were finally close to home.
“Ugh… I can’t believe how much I miss my bed,” Tara groaned as she walked. “One month sleeping outside really wrecks your body.”
She glanced at David.
“And I blame you for that,” she added. “That stupid comfortable bed you made spoiled me.”
David laughed.
“Hahaha, glad you like that charpoy bed, ma’am. My dad taught me how to make one. Didn’t figure I’d end up teachin’ a whole village how to build ’em.”
“Well, it’s definitely better than sleeping on hay,” Theo said. “At least I’m not getting eaten alive by mites all night.”
Then—
their casual conversation was suddenly cut off as a loud sound echoed from the distance, carried by the wind.
Tok–Tok–Tok... Tok... Tok...
Every face turned serious instantly.
“That’s our village slit drum,” David muttered. “We’re under attack.”
Tara didn’t hesitate. She turned to the soldiers behind her.
“Captain Matheo, move. Lead the way!” she ordered.
“Yes, ma’am!”
The formation tightened, and they picked up the pace, marching faster toward the village.
---
When the village finally came into view, it was exactly what they expected.
Under attack.
From the forest side, a group of small green figures poured out from between the trees, rushing toward the river.
“Shit… goblins,” Tara muttered, narrowing her eyes. Her elven sight sharpened as she focused on the moving shapes.
“How many?” David asked.
Tara squinted.
“…Fourteen,” she answered quickly.
“Me and my men will sprint ahead to assist,” Captain Matheo said, already preparing to give the order.
“Hold on, Captain.” David raised a hand, stopping him.
Matheo stopped and look at David
“Fourteen, right?” David continued. “Reckon… we oughta just watch.”
“…Commander David?” Matheo frowned, confused.
“What are you thinking?” Theo asked.
“This is the perfect chance,” David said, his tone steady. “We get to see how the village defense actually holds up in a real fight.”
He glanced toward the village. “Fourteen ain’t much of a threat… long as they remember their drills.”
“…David’s right,” Tara said after a brief pause. Her eyes stayed on the approaching goblins. “We need to know how well they fight without us.”
She let that sit for a moment.
“Besides… everyone’s been trained now,” she continued. “We’re not the same as we were three months ago.”
“…Understood,” Captain Matheo replied, though reluctance was clear in his voice.
And so, they held their position. Watching and waiting, as their village prepared to prove it was no longer the weak settlement it once was.
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