The next day, after Roy decided to trick his miniature people into showing them an edited video of him slaughtering an army of demons, the villagers believed it, they saw clarity on the image, but Roy did not.
Countless parts of the video were scrambling and mixing into each other, a block of stone would suddenly sprung up, grew legs wielding a fork or a spoon.
The demon Lord didn't actually died, it only turned so abruptly into a stone wall, Roy was fighting the demon lord so desperately until the demon lord suddenly transformed into a wall, like someone who covered itself with mud and hid among rocks, thinking it was the perfect camouflage.
The video was crude, but surprisingly effective. The villagers bowed deeper whenever they met Roy, their voices more formal and structured, like someone who had studied philosophy and suddenly gained the wisdom of the world
Yom Euni, the most open minded of them all, and the only one who had feelings more deeper than respect, but if spoken out loud, she may be accused of blasphemy, so better to keep it for herself.
She was alongside a long line of women, wearing white robes that indicated their importance, strode behind Roy, like an unannounced parade of entourage along with their master.
Earlier, Roy had received news that Bah Long has returned.
The trip to the Korokoro town wasn't actually that far, it was only about twenty miles away, about two days of constant walking, but days past and Roy did not hear a single news about Bah Long, at first, he was starting to feel anxious, then when he heard his return, he was immediately flooded with relief.
Roy strode outside the fortress, there, he met Bah Long, including multiple unfamiliar faces behind him.
He gestured them inside, there, they sat facing at each other on a round, large stone table.
Bah Long spoke first, barely containing his excitement as he spoke in a fast, almost impossible to capture tone.
"Lord Zudra, Lord Zudra, " Bah Long said, spreading his hands wildly as his face flashed red with excitement. "I have brought many capable figures from Korokoro town, they are all knowledgeable, wise, and more importantly, experienced."
Roy was ecstatic, but did not expressed it physically.
"We are deeply honored for the invitation." Said one of the seated figure.
Roy studied them from top to bottom, their faces pale, clearly malnourished, their eyes hollow and cold, like the eyes who had seen death more than once.
A figure gentle pushed his seat and stood up, he slapped his hands to onto his hips, and spoke.
"My name is Mong Mon, I was once a major strategist of the Western Kingdom."
He paused, he sighed a small breath before continuing.
"But I was abandoned near Buko town when the Western army was suddenly ambushed by Southern cavalry. I wandered through countless mountains and end up at Korokoro town."
Roy listened to Mong Mon's words with absolute obedience, his eyes fixed on the man's moving mouth opening and closing while words flew from his tongue.
He nodded gently, and gestured to the next seated person.
The person stood up, straightened his posture, the kind who radiated elegance and thought that even if chaos has already ravaged the lands, composure must not be forgotten.
"My name is Tang Bo," The man said, his chin raised slightly as he speak, " I am also a member of the Western army, responsible for delivering supplies and provisions to the battlefield."
Roy's eyes immediately let up, he turned his gaze toward Bah Long, smiling widely at the corner of the table, and nodded in visible satisfaction.
They just gained a strategist, a logistics expert, now all they need is an army instructor.
Just as this thought could take root, the next person who stood up made the surrounding people immediately spun their heads.
The person did not care about elegance, about posture, nor formality, he just quickly stood up so fast it even made the chair scream.
Roy snapped his gaze and saw the man's face, covered with scars and burns, his eyes radiated killing intent that made Mong Mon and Tang Bo looked down, as if pretending that something has moved on the floor, there was not.
The man looked directly at Roy's eyes, clearly trying to intimidate him through his presence.
Roy did not blinked, he returned his gaze and accepted the man's challenge.
Seconds past, and the staring contest did not end.
Bah Long sensed the tension getting thicker and immediately stood up, he waved his hands frantically at Roy's face while trying to explain that all this was just misunderstanding.
He did not want the both of them to fight, not because Roy was a city kid who had never experienced the way how ancient battles were fought, but because he did not want the person who challenged Lord Zudra into a staring contest suddenly lose his head.
The two men who were staring at each others eyes immediately looked down, cutting the tense atmosphere before it explode.
Bah Long let out a deep sigh, utterly relieved that he had stepped in before things escalated.
"This man here is a retired army general," Bah Long said, "His name is Former General Rak Mhan. He's skilled in military combat, tactics, and also a master swordsman."
That sentence made the people inside the fortress gasped in awe, clearly admiring the person's background.
Roy, however, was bewildered by how such a powerful general end up at Korokoro town, and more strangely, he had accepted Bah Long's invitation.
That question bothered Roy, not just him, but also the people inside the fortress reached the same bewilderment.
Before the man could seat down, Roy asked Rak Mhan a question none would have dared even if how curious they were, some questions were sometimes...better left unspoken.
"General Mhan, " Roy said, his voice cold but firm, like the CIA interrogating a suspect who did nothing wrong, but still trying to push further as if pressure could make everyone admit they were guilty, "How did such a powerful general end up at Korokoro town?"