Netori Harem: New life as a hunter and gatherer

Once Ilya had finished reducing Regath to cinders, every remaining guard on Regath’s side was given the opportunity to retreat.

They accepted without a second thought.

With their allies gone, their leader reduced to ashes, and a monster standing on the opposite side who looked more than willing to decapitate the first man who showed even the slightest hint of hostility, continuing the fight would have been nothing short of madness.

Once the battlefield had finally begun to clear, Kalish released a long, weary breath.

A massive disaster had been averted, and somehow, they had escaped with only a handful of casualties.

Regath had been clashing with him for quite some time now.

Once, he had been a member of the council, a respected warrior who had led countless men into battle. He had been someone Kalish genuinely cared abou and respected, a man he had once been proud to call his friend.

But somewhere along the way, Regath had grown consumed by his hunger for authority and power.

He wanted greater influence. He wanted to operate independently rather than answer to the council. He wanted to expand their territory into regions where people lived without rulers, people who had no desire for conflict and had done nothing to threaten their tribe.

Naturally, his proposals had been rejected.

And when the first flames of rebellion began appearing on the horizon, Kalish himself had been forced to banish Regath from the tribe.

Even then, Kalish had not wished for his former friend to perish.

He had hoped that being separated from power would force Regath to see the error in his ways. Perhaps, without the constant temptation of authority and bloodshed, he would eventually calm down and rediscover the man he had once been.

But there were others who followed him.

Men who constantly fed his ego, encouraged his ambitions, and convinced him that he deserved more.

Regath’s forces continued to grow.

And eventually, he had managed to build an army of his own.

An army he had brought here.

Kalish’s gaze drifted toward the ruined battlefield.

He could only assume that Regath had intended to turn this village into his stronghold, using it as a base from which he could expand his influence and operate independently.

If that had been his plan, then today had brought it to a brutal end.

But now, well, Regath had lost everything, including his life.

"Father."

Ilya suddenly approached him, her expression softening as she looked at his injuries.

"You should go back and get treated."

Only then did Kalish realize the extent of the damage to his shoulder. The blood had already dried, but even the slightest movement sent a sharp pulse of pain through him, forcing him to wince.

However, before he could respond, his attention shifted.

"What about these people?" His gaze moved across the battlefield before suddenly narrowing. "Wait... what is he doing?"

Luke was crouched among the bodies scattered across the ground, inspecting them one by one. He held his dagger in hand, using its tip to prod and examine the corpses as though searching for something.

Ilya sighed.

"Don’t worry about him. Or me. Just go and get treated. Tomorrow, you need to be prepared to give some answers."

Those words made Kalish stiffen.

Right.

It was not only the villagers he owed an apology to.

The chief’s family deserved one as well.

Regath had intended to kill every villager and seize the village for himself, but his attention had been drawn here because Kalish had chosen to remain in this place.

If he were to put it plainly, Kalish himself had brought this disaster upon them.

He lowered his head for a moment before finally nodding.

"Don’t try to do everything on your own."

His gaze shifted toward the countless bodies littering the ground.

"And those dead bodies... if you can, burn them before they become bait for wild animals and bring even more danger to the village."

The stench of blood hanging over the outskirts was far too thick to ignore. It would not take much to awaken some beast that had been sleeping deep within the forest, and once attracted by the scent, there was no telling what might come.

The safest way to eliminate the scent was to burn the corpses.

But there were too many.

A fire large enough to consume them all could easily spread beyond their control, swallowing the surrounding forest in flames.

So, despite the guilt weighing heavily upon him, Kalish had no choice but to ask his daughter for help.

Ilya nodded and assured him, "I will handle things. Go and rest."

She then glanced toward Grum, who gave her a silent nod in response.

Watching the two men make their way back toward the village, Ilya finally allowed herself to relax.

Only then did she look down.

The faces of the men scattered across the battlefield belonged to people she had once called comrades. Seeing them like this still hurt. A dull ache settled in her chest, heavy with grief and everything left unsaid.

But they had died fighting for what they had sworn their lives to protect.

At least, that was what she chose to think to comfort herself.

"I hope you all find happiness in the afterlife."

She whispered the words before turning away.

Her gaze soon settled on Luke.

She approached him and found him still crouched among the corpses, carefully examining each body.

"What are you searching for? Their crystals?"

Luke hummed in confirmation. "Yeah."

He picked another crystal from a corpse and tossed it into the pouch at his side before glancing toward her.

"What happened to your father? Will he survive?"

Ilya chuckled. "Yes, he will. He has seen worse."

Her gaze then drifted toward the pouch at Luke’s side.

"What do you do with them?"

Luke suddenly straightened and looked at her.

For some reason, that single glance made her heart skip.

There was something dangerous in his eyes, something that warned her to be careful, and yet she found herself strangely drawn to it.

"Why are you curious?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "Are you asking for your share already?"

She couldn’t bring herself to look away.

Instead, she answered honestly, her voice quieter than before.

"I just want some of your attention. That’s all."

Luke hummed, studying her for a moment.

"Why is that? Do you want to be praised for your bravery and the way you fought?"

Ilya nodded.

"I would like that."

Luke seemed genuinely taken aback by her straightforward answer.

Then his expression softened.

The tension in his features eased, and the corner of his lips curved into a faint smile as he raised his hand and gently rested it on her head.

"There. You did good."

Bliss.

That was the only word that could describe the expression that immediately settled across Ilya’s face.

Her eyes slipped shut, her lips curling into a contented smile as she leaned into his touch. Her hands drew closer to her chest, and she instinctively rose onto her toes, as though trying to absorb every bit of warmth his hand offered.

For a moment, the battlefield around her ceased to matter.

There was only his hand resting gently upon her head.

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