"Captain, someone is looking for you!"
Afraid that Ryu might come to settle the score, Roy was taking three steps at a time and had just cleared the gates of the Starlight Garden.
Hearing Tiona's call, Roy turned around to see the four girls returning from a shopping trip.
Following beside them was a middle-aged man.
Roy was surprised. "Third Uncle?"
The middle-aged man was dressed in plain clothes and looked gaunt. How could Roy not recognize him? This was the village chief's third son from his hometown in the Kingdom of Rakia.
In this life, Roy's parents had died early. He had been taken in and raised by the village chief's family. If not for them, he might not have survived long enough for his System to load. That debt of upbringing was engraved in his heart.
Upon seeing Roy, Xilin had a massive reaction. Tears streamed down his face as he walked forward, trembling. "Roy, is that legendary 'Justice Bud' really you?"
Roy supported Xilin, who almost collapsed.
Tiona laughed, "It really is the Captain's elder. Good thing we brought him here."
"If I'd known, I would have beaten those jerks to a pulp!" Tione clenched her small fists until they were hard as iron.
Roy's tone turned cold. "What happened?"
After some explanation, Roy understood that Xilin had been searching the streets, asking people for his whereabouts.
In Orario, Roy's name as the "Justice Bud" was known to everyone, but his brutal reputation for crushing three Familias in a row was equally widespread. Most people didn't want to get involved.
This led to Xilin wandering aimlessly around Orario until he finally bumped into the quartet who knew the area.
In fact, Xilin had been looking in the wrong places. If he had gone to the taverns or the trade guilds, he would have found plenty of Roy's friends or business partners in minutes.
But coming from the countryside, it was Xilin's first time in a metropolis like Orario. Feeling inferior and timid, he didn't dare approach those luxurious districts. As for the slums, most people there colluded with the Evils—who would dare bring Xilin to the base of the Astrea Familia, known for its "Justice"?
That would be a death wish.
Roy had initially thought someone dared to bully his uncle and was ready to go wipe out their entire family. But hearing it was just the "cold shoulder" treatment of Orario, he could accept that. It seemed his reputation for one-shotting a Level 6 Variant Floor Boss was enough to deter the small fry.
He brought his uncle into the Starlight Garden.
Xilin had never seen such a luxurious mansion. The noble's estate thirty kilometers from their village was like an outhouse compared to the Starlight Garden. Xilin could only move because Roy was holding him up.
Looking at Roy beside him, Xilin was too shocked to speak. He had watched this child grow up, and in the blink of an eye, he had changed completely.
A year ago, Roy had ignored the advice of the old man and the village beauty next door, insisting on taking 3,000 Valis to make a living in Orario. No one had high hopes for him. They thought Roy would likely spend all his money and come back in disgrace, or be killed by monsters on the road.
When Roy leveled up at record speed and was bestowed the title "Justice Bud" by the gods, the news spread rapidly across the world, including to their small village.
At first, they didn't believe the legendary "Justice Bud" was their Roy, thinking it was just someone with the same name. But as more news arrived, they became certain it was him!
The whole village exploded with excitement.
A boy who walked out of their tiny village had broken world leveling records and become the "Child of Miracles" sought after by the gods. Many villagers wanted to run off and join Roy, but Village Chief Simon forcibly suppressed them. He felt that rushing to ask for help the moment someone became successful was too shameful; the old man couldn't bring himself to do it.
Xilin sighed inwardly. If the old man could have set aside his pride, things wouldn't have reached this point.
Seeing an elder from his village, Roy was in a good mood. "Third Uncle, why did you come? You should have sent a letter first so I could pick you up."
"Roy, the village is finished!"
At the mention of this, the uncle's voice broke into sobs. The smile instantly vanished from Roy's face.
"What happened?" Roy asked.
With a serious expression, Roy exuded a natural authority without needing to be angry. Xilin grew a bit nervous. In this moment, he realized the Roy before him was no longer the boy who used to sit quietly by the roadside watching him do farm work years ago.
He was now a world-famous High-Level Adventurer, the Captain of a backbone Familia in Orario!
Astrea and Ryu walked out, and upon learning it was Roy's elder, they greeted him warmly.
Faced with these beautiful, distinct girls and the noble, elegant Goddess, the middle-aged man who had lived his whole life in the countryside didn't even dare to lift his head.
Roy handed his uncle a glass of water, calming him down so he could speak slowly.
Xilin revealed the reason for his journey to Orario.
The Kingdom of Rakia's Conscription Order!
As soon as this phrase was uttered, almost everyone present understood what had happened to the village.
The Kingdom of Rakia was controlled by Ares, the self-proclaimed "God of War." It was an extremely bellicose nation, mad from the top down, frequently waging war on neighboring countries to plunder resources and land.
War required vast amounts of resources and soldiers.
The result was self-evident. The Kingdom's conscription order had reached their village, demanding they hand over grain and one hundred young men to join the army.
The old village chief's first two sons had already died in war, so he firmly opposed it. The village only had so much labor force; if they suddenly lost two-thirds of their men, the land would go to waste, and many villagers would freeze or starve to death in the winter.
After several violent conflicts, the Kingdom sent a conscription squad to surround the entire village.
The only solution they could think of was to call for help.
Xilin had escaped under the cover of night. There was no time to send a letter; he had run to Orario as if his life depended on it.
Roy was their only savior.
"Roy, please save the village!"
The ordinary-looking middle-aged man begged bitterly. He had trekked over mountains and rivers, enduring untold hardships to get here. If Roy refused, he would likely kill himself on the spot.
"What are you saying, Third Uncle? Isn't that my hometown?" Roy said. His face looked as if it were covered in a layer of frost, exuding a chilling, murderous aura.
He had lived in that village for over ten years; how could he have no feelings for it? In the past, he could only watch helplessly as the old man's two sons went off to be cannon fodder. Thinking back on it now, it was truly suffocating.
A cruel smile curled up the corners of Roy's mouth.
As newcomers to the Familia, Tione and Tiona hadn't yet realized the severity of the situation.
But Astrea, Ryu, Daphne, and Cassandra, seeing Roy's expression, felt a shiver of fear. The Kingdom of Rakia was about to see rivers of blood!
After asking for details and learning that the village was safe for now—just in a standoff—Roy's heart, which had been in his throat, settled down.
Receiving Roy's promise, Xilin nodded excitedly. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, and being just an ordinary human, he passed out.
Roy carried his unconscious uncle to a room to rest. When he walked back out, his gaze swept over everyone.
"Who wants to go with me?"
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Danmachi : Starting with an Elf (444 Chapter – Ongoing)
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