Isaac immediately set to work. He first instructed Sophia and Hans to distribute food supplies to the villagers. Meanwhile, he, along with the remaining two members, began repairing the village defenses and barricades.
Dig was a recent recruit to the Iron Shield, though the difference between being a new recruit and joining shortly after its founding wasn’t significant.
Surprisingly, Hans was strict about these matters. Consequently, Isaac, in agreement with him, ended up having Dig and Ras as the junior members of the group. Dig quietly whispered to Ras, who was the same rank:
“Doesn’t it seem like we’re really getting screwed over?”
“What nonsense are you spouting now?”
“I mean, look at it. The guild master and the seniors are so rigid about discipline. And this is a guild that was just founded.”
Dig’s dissatisfaction was quite normal. Given that the guild had just been established, such strict discipline seemed excessive. If it hadn’t been in Gideon, Dig’s complaints might have carried more weight.
However, Ras, who had experienced being a new recruit in other guilds, smirked at Dig’s complaints. How to deal with this foolish guy? It didn’t really matter, as long as he didn’t cause any trouble.
“No initiation ceremonies, no strange rules. It’s actually a pretty good place.”
“What? Initiation ceremonies?”
“Yeah, you clueless fool.”
“You’re calling me clueless! I know everything I need to know!”
Ignoring the angry Dig, Ras went to Isaac. The founding period of a guild could be a chance, an opportunity to rise to a higher position.
“Master, is there anything I can help with?”
“We need to reinforce the barricades a bit more.”
“Then I’ll fetch the materials right away.”
“Alright, go with Dig.”
Ras nodded and then grabbed the lazy Dig by the scruff of his neck and dragged him along. Dig should be thankful that the master is a good person.
‘If it were another guild, he’d have been kicked out a long time ago.’
Gideon was overflowing with people knocking on the guild’s door to become heroes. Why would they keep someone who is lazy and not working hard?
[“The sacrifice of those who fell to protect their families and neighbors will never be taken lightly.”]
When he first joined the guild, Isaac’s words about pursuing a family-like guild seemed hard to believe. But after what had just happened, Ras thought it might not be entirely untrue.
‘That worthless scum…’
Once Ras took Dig away, Isaac let out a sigh filled with frustration. The fact that he almost broke character and got angry due to someone’s laziness was a close call.
‘That was really dangerous. I need to reflect on this.’
Isaac did not ignore his mistakes. For a true concept-obsessed person, almost breaking character over such an issue was unacceptable. Although Dig was similar to the lazy recruits he’d seen in the military, it still wasn’t an excuse.
Even so, if he broke character as a concept-obsessed individual, he could no longer call himself one. Reflecting on his mistake, Isaac continued diligently with the barricade reinforcement work.
The work progressed smoothly. Sophia and Hans, who had gone out to gather supplies, returned without any issues and successfully brought back a considerable amount of food.
“Thank you for your hard work. You should go in and rest now.”
“But Master, you’re still working. How can we rest?”
“We’ll help out too.”
“Thanks, but I must refuse. You’ve all done your share of work and earned your rest. Just make sure to set the watch schedule, including myself, before you rest.”
Despite some minor disputes about why only they should rest, Sophia and Hans eventually backed down. The more they argued, the more the barricade reinforcement work was delayed.
“Master, we’re tired. Can we stop and rest now?”
“Get some rest now, Dig,” Isaac said. “Ras, you’ve worked hard too.”
“No, I’ll stay and help out,” Ras replied.
“Thank you so much, Master! Then, please take care~.”
Unlike Ras, Dig thanked Isaac and then headed to his assigned quarters. Ras, who watched Dig’s departure with a look of disbelief, turned back and resumed his seat.
It was not merely an act of politeness. It didn’t look good for the Master to be working alone, and Ras also had a crucial question he wanted to ask.
“Master, may I ask you one question?”
“Go ahead.”
“What do you think of Dig?”
“Does it seem like you don’t like Dig?”
Ras had tried to be diplomatic, but Isaac immediately hit the mark. Ras was left speechless. However, Isaac was not unaware of Ras’s feelings; he had been in a similar situation before.
“To be honest, he’s not very impressive. He’s lazy and doesn’t do his job well. I’m not too fond of him.”
Ras spoke candidly. Beyond just finding Dig’s appearance unsatisfactory, it was that Dig himself wasn’t working hard. Isaac laughed at Ras’s honest words.
“Indeed, Dig cannot be called diligent.”
“Right? So—”
“But that’s precisely what family does.”
“…”
“You don’t just cut off a finger because it hurts.”
Of course, Isaac would handle it himself, but with that remark, he finished the reinforcement work. Watching Isaac, Ras finally understood what Isaac meant.
‘The Master plans to embrace everyone.’
It wasn’t about mere neglect. It was about correcting mistakes harshly and rewarding good deeds, leading naturally in the most reasonable way. That was Isaac’s method.
‘In this place, perhaps…’
Ras swallowed his unspoken thoughts and turned his head. For now, the goal was to complete the task. However, it was clear that he was genuinely considering following Isaac.
‘Damn that worthless guy.’
Meanwhile, Isaac was inwardly cursing Dig vigorously.
***
Events always unfolded suddenly.
It was sudden. Dig whining about his difficulties, provoking Hans’s anger, and the goblins’ raid starting from the speech stage—these were unexpected.
If Dig had been a bit more alert, or if he had acted more quickly—at least, if he hadn’t dozed off while on guard—the damage to the village would likely have been much less severe.
Although it was absurd to be ambushed even with sentries set up, Isaac calmly issued orders to everyone. Sophia and Hans would handle the goblins’ main force, while Isaac, with Ras, would evacuate the villagers to safety and, incidentally, rescue Dig. Of course, Hans and Ras were currently seething at Dig.
“That guy would be happier dying to the goblins.”
“We need to set him straight as a fellow recruit.”
“I won’t stop you this time.”
Failing the guard duty was inexcusable. Especially with the villagers involved, it could result in total annihilation not only for the protagonist but for everyone else as well.
“Men, hurry up! This is no time to dawdle!”
“Understood.”
“Be careful.”
“You too, Master.”
After exchanging brief farewells, they quickly moved to their respective tasks. Left behind after parting from Sophia and Hans, Ras hesitated for a moment before speaking to Isaac.
“Are two people enough?”
“Yes, those two have enough capacity.”
“What exactly are those two?”
“Fallen Kingdom’s knights. That’s all I’ll say.”
Ras thought there must be a story behind the two. And that story was likely not meant for outsiders. Having judged that, Ras kept quiet.
‘I don’t know the details either.’
Isaac might know if it were the original Isaac, but the current Isaac didn’t know much about them. After all, they had only vaguely appeared, and there was no detailed background given. Even the setting book only mentioned them as fallen knights, with no further details. So Isaac had no choice but to speak in such a vague manner.
“Argh! Help, save me!!”
“That voice…?!”
At Dig’s scream, Ras was shocked. At that moment, Isaac was already moving swiftly. Even though he wasn’t yet fully accustomed to his new body from his recent reincarnation, that didn’t matter.
Isaac soon saw Dig desperately holding out in the watchtower, wielding his sword wildly. Confirming Dig was alive, Isaac charged at the goblin horde.
Of course, it was a situation where he could truly die if things went wrong. However, Isaac didn’t care. A true concept-driven person would risk their life for their concept. Isaac drew his sword.
The chilling sound of meat being sliced echoed. As the brief flash of light in the darkness vanished instantly, the goblins climbing the tower lost their heads.
Seeing this, Isaac thought:
If he couldn’t save his family,
he would rather die here.
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