Chapter 308: Big responsibility
They returned to the village with heavy hearts.
It wasn’t just Luke who dreaded setting foot here again. Roxanne shared the same fear. To her, wandering the dark forest was preferable to returning to the place that had carved wounds into both their hearts.
Yet after Luke patiently comforted her and spoke with quiet reassurance, she forced herself to think rationally. In the end, she chose to trust him. Now they were being escorted to the safest location the village could offer.
Agram’s residence.
The heavily fortified home was protected by multiple layers of security. The fact that Gorrem had never dared attack Agram there, instead waiting until he reached his workplace, spoke volumes about how impregnable the estate truly was.
The dead bodies of the assailants was still recovering when they left the forest.
As they drew closer to the towering residence, Laila moved beside Luke and lowered her voice.
"What happened to her? Is she going to be alright?"
Her eyes lingered on the unconscious woman resting in Luke’s arms.
Thea remained unconscious, though not from fear. The bluish tint spreading across her throat made the cause obvious. She had been poisoned. Fortunately, the toxin was weak enough that a single recovery potion had completely neutralised it.
"She’ll be fine," Luke assured her. The system would have notified if she was still in danger. His special eye just verified things.
Laila let out a quiet sigh. "When those people came to take us away, everyone else was terrified. She was the only one who stepped forward to fight them."
Luke could picture the scene without difficulty.
That was exactly the sort of thing the little tigress would do.
Her fiery spirit refused to bend, even when death stood before her. No matter how frightened she was deep inside, she always wore confidence like armour, meeting danger with fangs bared instead of backing away.
Ironically, that same defiance had led to her being poisoned. Had she remained conscious and continued resisting, it would have taken far more than a mere low-grade healing potion to save her.
"Luke... are you really alright?" Monica asked quietly from his side. "Earlier, you looked really shaken."
Luke gave a small shake of his head. "Not now, Monica. We’ll talk later."
His answer made one thing clear. He wasn’t refusing to tell her. He simply wasn’t ready yet.
That alone eased some of the anxiety weighing on her heart.
Before long, they arrived at the chief’s residence, a place reserved exclusively for Agram and his family. The imposing three-storey house towered over the surrounding houses, its sturdy stone walls built to withstand far more than the passage of time.
Two heavily fortified gates guarded the estate. The stretch of land between them served as a defensive zone, lined with vigilant guards and concealed traps designed to eliminate intruders before they could reach the inner grounds.
After passing through the second gate, they arrived at a broad flight of stone steps leading to the main entrance.
Agram, who had personally escorted them the entire way, glanced back over his shoulder.
"Watch your step."
Luke followed behind him, while the others climbed the stairs in silence.
Luke noticed that the same man who had stopped him from taking Gorrem along as bait had remained at Agram’s side the entire time. Judging by how closely he shadowed the chief, he was likely someone Agram trusted without reservation.
As they reached the top of the stairs, the massive doors swung open, revealing several people waiting anxiously inside.
Luke had already sensed their presence. More importantly, one of them possessed magic.
"Father!"
The voice belonged to a young man in his early twenties. His long black hair flowed all the way to his waist, while a dense aura of Gamma radiated from his body, far greater than that of an ordinary warrior.
"Marg... I’m alright now."
Agram’s weary smile surfaced as the young man hurried over and embraced him.
The remaining three family members quickly gathered around.
"My Lord... why did you return so late?" the older woman asked through trembling sobs. "We were so worried about you."
Her relief was obvious, but so was the fear she had been desperately holding back until this very moment.
Agram let out a weary sigh.
"We’ll talk later. We have some special guests staying with us today."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Luke.
"He is the one who saved my life today... and the one who protected our village."
Every member of the family turned toward Luke.
Surprise flashed across their faces, quickly giving way to gratitude.
Luke met their gazes without saying a word.
His goal had never been recognition. From the very beginning, all he wanted was to keep his own family safe. Saving Agram and eliminating the men who would have gladly sacrificed the villagers for their own ambitions were simply things he had accomplished along the way.
"Caira," Agram called. "Show our guests to their rooms so they can get some rest."
"Yes."
The young woman stepped forward with a graceful nod before gesturing towards the hallway.
"Please follow me."
Luke nodded, glanced at the others, and together they followed Caira deeper into the sprawling residence.
As their footsteps gradually faded, Agram’s son spoke through clenched teeth.
"I always knew that swine coveted your position. Today he finally showed his true colours."
The news of the chief’s assassination attempt had already begun spreading through the village. By now, many had realised that the guild leader had been directly involved.
Agram slowly closed his eyes.
"I made the mistake of placing my trust in a man who once bled beside me."
His voice was heavy with regret, while restrained fury simmered beneath every word.
"My Lord, please sit down first," his wife urged, unable to hide the concern in her voice. "You’re still badly injured."
Agram gave a faint nod and lowered himself onto a nearby chair, the weight of both his wounds and his disappointment settling heavily upon him.
Turning to his son, Agram’s expression grew solemn.
"Son... I’m entrusting you with an important responsibility tonight. Treat it as more important than anything else."
Marg immediately straightened his back.
"Whatever it is, Father, I’ll see it done."
Agram held his gaze before speaking in a grave voice.
"For tonight, no one is to disturb our guests. Their safety is our highest priority."
Marg blinked in surprise.
He had expected to be given a mission related to Gorrem’s betrayal or the turmoil spreading through the village. Guarding a group of guests hardly seemed worthy of such emphasis.
"I understand," he said, unable to suppress his curiosity. "But... why are you being so cautious, Father?"
Agram lowered his eyes, disappointment at himself evident in every line of his face.
"Because I want the little time they have left in this village to be peaceful."
His voice softened, carrying a weight that only he fully understood.
"So whatever it takes, Marg."
Marg’s expression turned serious.
He didn’t know what had happened between those guests and the village, but if his father valued their peace above everything else, then there was no room for failure.
"I won’t disappoint you, Father."