Perik

Although his methods were a bit bloody and brutal, Karen ultimately resolved the incident, dealing with a few unruly individuals along the way. Of course, he was aware that the villagers still harbored some resentment, but Karen paid it no mind.

After two months, Karen had gained sufficient understanding of this world and its people. As long as he remained strong and assertive, the villagers, however dissatisfied, would not dare to rebel. And if he could lead them forward, offering hope for their lives, their current misgivings would eventually dissipate.

Ultimately, the events he encountered upon crossing into this world had left a deep impression on him, and his insight into human nature made him favor a forceful approach. In his view, in this world where the strong prey upon the weak, nothing was as effective as rule by force.

Yet the matter was not entirely settled; Karen still had a loose end to deal with—the beast that had invaded their village. He learned after the fact that it had been a wild boar. This was bad news for both Karen and the entire village. Wild boars are omnivorous creatures, and its presence near the village at this time was likely not a coincidence. It was probably drawn by the ripening crops.

If that was the case, things could turn dire. If they failed to eliminate the beast, the village's two hundred acres of grain would be at risk. The village had little food left. Previously, two groups had sought refuge here, and the villagers had refused solely because of food shortages. Now, their sustenance for the coming half-year depended entirely on the harvest from those two hundred acres. If the beast destroyed it, a food crisis would ensue.

So, after resolving the immediate trouble, Karen promptly organized the villagers to strengthen the watch over the fields. He even considered gathering them to hunt down the beast, but the villagers saw this as a suicidal endeavor and refused to participate. Though Karen could have forced them, he ultimately abandoned the idea—not out of concern for their feelings, but because before he could act, Old Jack brought a middle-aged man named Perrick to meet him.

Perrick clearly possessed a certain depth and skill. When he met Karen, his expression was not the proud one he had worn as an observer, but a warm, friendly smile. This smile was deceiving; ordinary villagers might easily be taken in. But Karen was no ordinary man. As a traveler from another world, his experience far surpassed theirs. Moreover, having mastered the Eye of Insight, his powers of observation had grown keener. He could easily see the arrogance and disdain lurking behind Perrick's gentle smile, but he did not care.

At the very least, Perrick had made the effort to be polite. However, his next action unsettled Karen. Wearing that amiable smile, Perrick, under the guise of being Karen’s superior, promptly re-admitted the thirty or so people Karen had just expelled.

Karen knew well that Perrick did this for two reasons: first, to establish his authority as quickly as possible, and nothing builds authority faster than undermining Karen; second, to put Karen in his place and make clear who was truly in charge.

What could Karen do? He could only accept it with a smile.

Perrick’s actions further confirmed Karen’s suspicion that Old Jack’s assignment was not as simple as he claimed. Karen had doubted this from the outset; if the goal was merely to deal with a bandit group, there were countless ways for a vast kingdom to accomplish it, yet Old Jack had chosen to bait them by establishing a village.

Wasn’t this unnecessarily convoluted? Karen guessed there must be another objective behind it, and Perrick’s behavior proved it.

“It seems,” Karen mused, “that for them, this village—or rather, its future—is extremely important. Perhaps eradicating the Ghost Bandits is not their main goal; the village itself is. They may intend to establish a stronghold here. If that’s the case…”

His eyes narrowed involuntarily, but after some hesitation, Karen shook his head. “Forget it. For now, I’ll play my part and take things step by step. But I must not relinquish control of the village; in fact, I should tighten my grip even more!”

Karen had a clear grasp of his own mindset; he knew exactly what he needed to do. Over these two months, as his understanding of this world deepened, he had constantly pondered his future—how to establish himself, how to survive.

He had not yet found a definitive answer, but one thing was clear: everything he possessed came from the system, from his territory.

Therefore, if Karen wished to find his footing in this world, developing his territory was essential—indeed, his highest priority. His land was already established on the edge of Goblin Forest; though he had chosen it almost at random, on reflection, it was an excellent decision. In such a chaotic, lawless place, without strong rule, his territory could thrive.

If the Bourbon Dynasty intended to set up a stronghold in Dole Village, it would be the worst possible news for Karen. Yet, given his current situation, all he could do was try to keep Dole firmly in his grasp. The more important he became, the greater his power and freedom of action.

To achieve this, the matter of the beast had unexpectedly presented Karen with a perfect opportunity. If he could seize it, he could naturally develop his own armed force.

With this in mind, Karen became even more invested in the beast’s affairs. But his attitude now differed from before. Previously, he had been eager to eliminate the beast; now, he almost hoped it would rampage a little, stir up some trouble.

Unfortunately, the heavens did not cooperate. Just as Karen was hoping for this, the beast vanished without a trace. Several days passed with no sign of it, as if it had disappeared into thin air.

That was not the worst of Karen’s troubles. The most vexing problem was Perrick. Since his arrival, Perrick had begun to establish his authority in the village. Even more troubling, he had started working to win Karen over—not in the usual sense, but with the intent of recruiting and molding Karen as his subordinate.

This alone was enough to give Karen a headache, but what made it even worse were the means Perrick employed...