Chapter 434: New chief

When Luke returned to his room, he found Monica and Roxanne sitting inside while the others were nowhere to be seen.

"Ah, you’re back. Did you start helping with the cleanup as well?" Monica asked.

Luke gave her a wry smile. "No, actually, I had some work to take care of in the workshop."

Admitting that he had been busy ’punishing’ Laila out of nowhere would have been rather awkward.

"Oh. What about Laila?"

Luke approached the bed and replied, "Resting and cleaning up. You know how she gets after every meal."

Well, she had already been fed twice, so it would naturally take her a little longer than usual to recover.

Roxanne, who had been listening to their conversation, eventually asked, "So, Luke, how long have you been planning this trip?"

Luke shrugged. "From what Ilya told me, I could reach her tribe in two days if I travelled at full speed, allowing a few hours for rest along the way. But I’m not planning to rush there."

He settled down beside Monica before resting his head in her lap and explaining further, "I want to explore the forest and the smaller villages along the way. Otherwise, I know myself well enough to realize that after spending several days away, I’ll be in such a hurry to return that I won’t enjoy the journey back at all."

Luke had always been like that. He loved the excitement of setting out on a trip, discovering new places, and experiencing things he couldn’t find at home. Yet, once he had been away for a while, he would start missing his home and his bed so much that teleporting straight back would seem like the most appealing option.

And now that he had a family waiting for him, along with his sweet lovers, he would probably be tempted to rush back without taking a single break.

"Fufu~ My sweet little boy still can’t sleep without me, after all." Monica giggled as she gently caressed his face.

Luke smiled at her teasing before turning towards Roxanne.

"I’ll help you move your belongings today, and I’ll finish arranging the security measures by tomorrow night. If everything goes according to plan, I’ll leave early the following morning."

The two women had more or less anticipated this schedule. In fact, they had been discussing the arrangements before he returned.

"Would you like us to prepare something for you to eat along the way?" Monica asked.

"A single meal should be enough." Since he intended to hunt and set up camps to cook for himself during the journey, he didn’t want to burden them with too much preparation.

After a brief pause, Luke casually brought up another matter.

"I was thinking... how about we make Gary the next chief of the village?"

His words immediately silenced both women.

Even Monica, who wasn’t as closely connected to the matter as Roxanne, understood the significance of what he had just suggested. It was a decision that could change the future of the entire village, yet Luke had brought it up with the same casualness one might use when discussing what to have for dinner.

Roxanne raised her eyebrows. "Are you serious?"

Luke shrugged, looking almost puzzled by her reaction.

"I mean, he has a good head on his shoulders, an impartial attitude towards men, and a rather foolish devotion to the well-being of this village. Isn’t that what we all want? For the village to prosper?"

Well, that wasn’t entirely what Luke wanted. He had his own reasons for making the suggestion, but the people close to him had grown emotionally attached to the village and its inhabitants. Ultimately, that meant the responsibility of choosing the right leader fell to him, and he intended to choose someone he believed could do the job well.

Monica, however, raised an important question.

"Isn’t the chief supposed to be someone strong? I’ve also heard there’s a custom that only someone with magic can hold that position."

Luke shrugged again. "If strength is the concern, Dart can always stand by Gary as his personal guard. We all know how well he gets along with the other warriors. And if things ever get beyond Gary’s control, I’ll be there to handle them myself. After all, I’m the one recommending him for the position."

Roxanne pressed her lips together, considering his words.

Truthfully, appointing a powerful warrior as the village chief had always been the custom. It was an understandable tradition, especially in a world where danger could emerge without warning. Having someone capable of defending the village was essential.

However, when danger finally reared its head and threatened their home, strength alone wasn’t enough. There had also been a need for someone capable of managing resources, making difficult decisions, and using intelligence rather than relying on brute force.

And Roxanne genuinely believed Baldon had fallen short in that regard.

He was undoubtedly a powerful warrior, but in the end, it hadn’t been his bravery alone that had saved the village. There was far more to leading a community than being the strongest person in it.

"The chief should be someone who cares about the village and its development," Roxanne finally said. "After all, battles are fought by warriors."

She then turned towards Luke, her expression growing more serious.

"However, Luke, what we want might not matter. The chief of every village under the jurisdiction of the head tribe is appointed by the Head Chief."

Luke huffed. "I’ll convince them. They owe me a great deal, and they trust Gary more than any of us do."

"Then who would manage the barter hub?" Monica asked curiously.

In her mind, Gary had practically been appointed chief already. Once Luke set his mind on something, it was usually only a matter of time before he made it happen.

Luke hummed thoughtfully.

"Good question. Truthfully, the role of a treasurer is just as important as that of the chief. And if I’m being honest, I can’t trust any other man in this village to remain honest and devoted when there’s so much money at stake."

One of the main reasons Luke respected Gary was the man’s unwavering honesty in his work. Despite his modest lifestyle, Gary had always remained devoted to his responsibilities. Considering Baldon’s lack of intelligence, Gary could easily have taken advantage of the situation, manipulated the accounts, and quietly become the second-richest man in the village.

Yet he had never done anything of the sort.

That was precisely why Luke trusted him. Gary was honest, capable, and far more intelligent than most people gave him credit for.

Whoever replaced him at the barter hub would need those same qualities.

"Perhaps we could leave that decision to the head tribe?" Roxanne suggested. "After all, they’re the ones who sent Gary to manage this village in the first place."

Luke nodded. "That works. But we need to inform the Head Chief about all of this as soon as possible. The village can’t continue like this, with hunters constantly visiting the barter hub only to leave with their shoulders slumped."

With Gary occupied with managing the village’s affairs, nobody had been assigning quests to the hunters. Without worthwhile jobs to pursue, even the most experienced hunters were beginning to lose interest.

Perhaps that was why Gary had come up with the new quest involving security patrols, offering the villagers a decent sum to keep them occupied.

But just like Lex before him, true hunters would never be satisfied with such mundane, risk-free work. They sought danger, excitement, and the thrill of challenging themselves against powerful opponents.

Of course, Luke wasn’t exactly in a position to criticize them. He wouldn’t have accepted such a quest himself, either.

"Yeah, we need to sort this out soon." Luke chewed on his lower lip for a moment before asking, "Do you know how far away the head village is?"

Roxanne nodded. "It took us seven days to reach it by carriage."

Luke hummed and licked his teeth. Seven days...then on foot, he would need at least three, or maybe two if he chose the right hours.

He then suddenly turned to look up at Monica

Somehow the brunette had understood what he was about to say.

"Would you be fine?"

Monica shook her head. "Not that long. But if you must then I won’t stop you."

Luke exhaled a long breath and closed his eyes.

He was planning to visit Kaalish and make a round trip to the head tribe in one go. And that surely would extend his trip by several days.

Roxanne also understood what caused Monica’s shoulders to slump and she herself felt a bit anxious knowing he would be away for that long.

For several minutes, silence consumed the room

Now, it was time to make the hard call.

~~~

A/N:- This arc would be long but I would keep the pace above moderate.

Thanks for reading thus far. Gary being the next head was the most obvious thing. Well, I won’t deny that Gustav crossed my mind once...