Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

"Travis, what's going to happen to us now?"

"I don't know, shut up!"

Travis snapped in irritation at the whiny voice of the underling next to him. Thanks to the mysterious healing light, all of his injuries had been fully restored, but every time he spoke, the empty spaces where his teeth had been reminded him of the brutal beating he had endured.

"I've told you already—they're making us slaves."

"But do they normally give slaves a place like this?"

"They still have to feed and house us, don't they?"

"Shut up!"

Travis exploded in frustration, standing abruptly as the murmurs around him grew louder. Normally, his harsh words would have silenced the others, but now no one seemed willing to listen to him anymore.

"You shut up, man."

"What did you say?"

"You heard me. Who do you think you are, acting like you're still the boss? You're just a slave, same as the rest of us. And don't forget, you got your leadership taken away by Calvin, the guy who joined later!"

"You son of a—"

Just as Travis was about to snap and launch himself at the person who insulted him, the door slammed open. Derek stepped in, the same man who had easily tossed them aside without even using his hammer.

"I told you all to be quiet, didn't I? Who was shouting just now?"

"Him! It was him!"

"Hey!" Travis jumped up as one of the other captives pointed at him, about to charge forward. But before he could, Derek moved like lightning, swinging his hand at him.

Wham!

"Guh!"

"'Hey'? You still think you can speak like that after all the beatings you've taken? You don't learn, do you?"

Travis staggered, the room spinning from the blow. It had only been a light flick from Derek, but the pain seemed to resonate deep into his bones. Unable to respond, Travis was left reeling as Derek turned to the rest of the migrants.

"You can talk among yourselves all you want, but don't make enough noise to wake me up. I sleep in the room next to this one, and if I wake up because of you, I'll break your spine the second I get up."

The threat was old-fashioned, something one might hear in schoolyard fights. But no one in the room dared laugh at it. They knew Derek wasn't making an idle threat—he really could break someone's back with his bare hands.

As Derek slammed the door shut, Travis clenched his remaining teeth in frustration. How did things end up like this? His mind wandered back to the events that had occurred just a few hours ago.

After finishing his conversation with Ethan, Justin had turned to address the gathered migrants.

"From today, you are slaves."

"…!"

"You attacked my city, trying to take it and kill my people. There's no injustice here. From now on, reflect on your past and live as obedient slaves."

Slaves? What the hell was he talking about? Several people stood up in protest, too outraged to stay silent.

"Anyone who doesn't want to be a slave can speak up now. I'll make sure you don't have to worry about anything ever again. If trash can't even be recycled, it's better off dead."

And just like that, they all sat back down. Calvin's headless corpse still lay nearby, blood pooling beneath it. The mere thought that they could meet the same fate made their knees tremble.

Justin watched their pale faces before nodding to Derek. "Derek, feed them and give them a place to sleep."

"Wait, seriously?" Derek asked, surprised.

"Yes, I'm serious," Justin replied.

"But… aren't they supposed to be slaves?"

"Do you think slaves don't need food or sleep?" Justin said, his voice calm.

It made sense, but Derek still looked unconvinced. These people had come here intending to loot and murder. The fact that they were too weak and foolish to succeed was almost laughable, but the intent had been clear. In Derek's mind, it wouldn't be unreasonable to wipe them out entirely. And yet, Justin was telling him to feed them and give them shelter?

"And one more thing," Justin added, "I want you to educate them."

"Educate? What kind of education do you mean?" Derek asked.

"Teach them to behave. It's simple, really. I'll explain…"

Justin leaned in and whispered something in Derek's ear. The reluctance on Derek's face melted away into a broad grin as he pounded his chest in response.

"That's my specialty. Leave it to me!"

"Good. Just throw them in the servants' quarters in the castle. They'll be fine there."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"And for food? Potatoes, I assume?"

"Obviously. I don't even spend money feeding my citizens well. Why would I waste anything on slaves?"

"Got it. And don't forget to call me when you head out for hunting," Derek said with a smirk.

"Don't worry. I'm not planning any trips until after the Great Migration ends."

With that, Justin left, and a few minutes later, Derek and the other pioneers turned toward the migrants with amused smiles.

"Alright, time for your exciting slave training!" Derek announced.

The first task assigned to the slaves was to work the fields outside the city. Travis, who had never noticed the fields hidden behind the castle, was shocked.

"Fields? Why are there even fields here?"

In truth, calling it a field was generous. The ground was rough and covered in rocks, hardly suitable for farming. While Travis and the others stared in disbelief, Derek was busy talking to some of the citizens.

"This is the field assigned to you for your labor quest, right?"

"Yes, sir. After we moved to this city, only a few of us accepted the labor quest."

"Good. It looks like the area matches the number of people, so it's all set."

"Do you think we'll need to do anything to help them?"

"Not really…"

Derek whispered something to the citizens, who suddenly lit up with understanding.

"Wait, are you serious? You want us to make them do all the work?"

"Yeah. It's your field, right? As long as someone tills the land, you'll get the rewards. The rewards are all yours."

"…!"

"So, if you see any of them slacking off, let us know. Remember, it's your money on the line, but it's also the estate's taxes."

"Understood!"

With newfound enthusiasm, the citizens hurried over to the migrants, their faces brimming with authority.

"Alright, everyone, time to get to work! We're the supervisors here, so you better do what we say!"