The Dungeon lord : Women, power and monsters

Chapter 44: Chapter 44 : Future plans

Tolu reached home later that evening.

The streets were quieter than usual, and the familiar lights from the shops along the road gave the town a warmth he had never really noticed before.

He stopped outside the shop for a moment.

This place had been part of his life for as long as he could remember.

He pushed the door open. "Uncle."

Aremu looked up from the counter. "Tolu."

He smiled.

"You’re back."

"Yeah."

Aremu looked at him for a moment.

"You look like you’ve got something on your mind."

Tolu smiled faintly. "Do I?"

"You’ve been making that face since you were a child."

Tolu laughed softly.

He walked over and leaned against the counter.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Aremu waited.

Eventually, Tolu took a breath. "Uncle... I think I have to leave."

Aremu’s expression didn’t change.

He simply nodded. "I know."

Tolu looked at him. "You do?"

"We’ve talked about this before."

"I know."

Aremu smiled. "You’ve outgrown this town, Tolu."

Tolu looked down. "I don’t want to leave you."

"You aren’t leaving me."

"But I’ll be going to Ilebi."

"Then go."

Aremu’s voice was calm. "You’ve spent enough time here."

Tolu swallowed.

Aremu continued. "When you were younger, I wanted this town to be enough for you. Somewhere safe. Somewhere you could grow up without having to worry about the world outside."

He smiled. "But you’re not that boy anymore."

Tolu’s eyes began to sting.

Aremu noticed.

He chuckled softly. "Don’t start crying now."

Tolu quickly wiped at his eyes. "I’m not crying."

"Of course not."

Aremu stepped around the counter. He placed a hand on Tolu’s shoulder.

"You should go."

Tolu looked at him. "Really?"

"Really."

Aremu smiled. "And when you become a great adventurer, don’t forget about your old uncle."

Tolu laughed through the tears. "I won’t."

"You’d better not."

"I won’t."

Aremu pulled him into a brief embrace.

Tolu’s eyes finally overflowed.

Aremu patted his back. "It’s a good thing."

Tolu remained quiet.

"You’ve outgrown this town," Aremu said again. "That’s not something to be sad about."

Tolu nodded against his shoulder. "I’ll come back."

"I know."

"I’ll make sure you’re proud of me."

Aremu smiled. "You already have."

Tolu pulled away and wiped his face.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Aremu returned to the counter as though nothing extraordinary had happened.

Tolu stood there watching him.

The decision suddenly felt real.

He was leaving.

Not because he hated the town.

Not because he wanted to abandon his home.

But because there was a much bigger world waiting beyond it.

And Uncle Aremu understood that better than anyone.

"Go become something great," Aremu said without looking up.

Tolu smiled. "I will."

And for the first time, leaving home didn’t feel like running away.

It felt like growing up.

.....

The four of them met the following afternoon.

It was not at the guild.

There was no reason to go there anymore.

Instead, they gathered at a quiet table outside a small food stall near the edge of the marketplace. It was far enough from the busiest streets that they could talk without constantly being interrupted, but close enough to town that none of them felt uncomfortable.

Tolu arrived first.

He sat with his arms folded, staring at the road.

A few minutes later, Ore arrived.

She walked over and took the seat beside him. "You’re early."

Tolu shrugged. "I couldn’t sleep."

Ore raised an eyebrow. "You’re leaving your home, traveling to a much larger city, and you couldn’t sleep?"

"I slept."

"For how long?"

Tolu looked away. "That’s not important."

Ore smiled. "It was less than four hours, wasn’t it?"

Tolu didn’t answer.

She laughed softly. "You really need to learn how to rest."

"I’m working on it."

"You’re terrible at it."

Before Tolu could answer, they heard footsteps.

Akin and Temi approached from the street.

Akin carried a small pack over one shoulder while Temi had a slightly larger bag strapped to her back.

Akin dropped into the empty chair.

"Sorry we’re late."

Temi sat beside him. "He stopped to argue with a merchant."

"I did not argue."

"You absolutely argued."

"I was negotiating."

"You called him a thief."

"Because he was trying to charge me twice the price."

Temi rolled her eyes. "See?"

Tolu smiled. "Good to know some things haven’t changed."

Akin looked at him. "You’re the one who called us here."

"I know."

"So what’s happening?"

Tolu looked at the three of them. "We’re leaving."

Akin blinked. "That’s it?"

Tolu nodded. "We’re going to Ilebi."

There was a moment of silence.

Temi’s expression changed first. "Ilebi?"

"Yes."

Akin leaned back. "The big city?"

Tolu nodded.

"The one we’ve been talking about."

Akin whistled softly. "I knew we’d eventually have to go, but I didn’t think it would be this soon."

Temi looked between them. "When?"

Tolu took a breath. "Not immediately. We need to prepare first."

Akin nodded slowly. "How long?"

"I don’t know."

Temi frowned. "You don’t know?"

"We have things to settle here."

Akin understood immediately. "Your uncle."

Tolu nodded. "I’ve already spoken to him."

"And?"

Tolu smiled faintly. "He said it’s fine."

Akin stared at him. "Really?"

"Really."

"Just like that?"

Tolu nodded. "He knew it was coming."

Temi smiled. "Then that’s good."

Tolu nodded. "It is."

For a moment, he looked toward the road.

There was a strange feeling in his chest.

Leaving had seemed frightening when he had first thought about it.

Now that the decision had actually been made, it felt different.

Not easier.

Just real.

Akin leaned forward. "So why Ilebi?"

Tolu looked at him. "You know why."

"I want to hear you say it."

Tolu sighed. "This town is too small for us. And it’s the closest urban city."

Temi frowned slightly. "Small?"

"Not physically." Tolu looked around. "It’s safe. That’s why people come here. Most of the monsters around us are Level One. There are some Level Two creatures, but they control their territories and don’t usually come near the town."

Akin nodded. "And that’s a good thing."

"It is." Tolu continued.

"But it’s also the problem."

He leaned forward. "If we stay here, we’ll eventually hit a wall."

Temi looked thoughtful. " We could still become Advanced."

"Maybe." Tolu shook his head."But what happens after that?"

Akin smiled. "We fight harder things."

"Where?"

Akin paused.

Tolu continued. "How many Level Three monsters have you seen around here?"

"None."

"Exactly."

Akin leaned back. "And you think Ilebi has them."

"I know it does."

"Because of the territories."

Tolu nodded. "And because of what Tobi told us."

Temi looked between them. "Ilebi is dangerous."

"Yes."

"More dangerous than here."

"Much more."

Temi’s expression became serious. "And you’re okay with that?"

Tolu didn’t answer immediately.

He looked at Ore.

She was already looking at him.

Then he looked back at Temi. "No."

Temi blinked. "No?"

"I’m not okay with it." Tolu smiled slightly.

"But I think we need it."

Akin nodded slowly.

"That’s different."

"It is."

Akin folded his arms. "We haven’t even completed the requirements to take the promotion exam."

"Exactly." Tolu pointed at him. "Which means we have time."

Akin smiled. "I was going to say that."

Temi looked at him. "You were?"

"Yes."

"You were going to say exactly that?"

"Obviously."

Temi laughed. "You’re lying."

"I’m not."

"You didn’t even know what he was going to say."

Akin shrugged. "I knew eventually."

Tolu laughed.

Ore shook her head. "You’re both idiots."

Akin pointed at her.

"See? This is why you two should be careful about leaving us behind."

Tolu raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because you’ll miss our wisdom."

Temi immediately interrupted. "He means his nonsense."

Akin frowned. "Same thing."

The four of them laughed.

The tension eased.

But only for a moment.

Tolu eventually looked down at the table.

"There are other things we need to think about."

Akin became serious again. "Money."

Tolu nodded. "Money."

"Travel."

"Food."

"Equipment."

"Accommodation."

"Information."

Tolu counted each one mentally.

"Exactly."

Temi frowned. "How much money do we need?"

"I don’t know yet."

Akin looked at him. "Then we find out."

Tolu nodded. "We should probably spend the next few days preparing."

"Agreed."

Ore spoke quietly. "We also need to decide whether we’re going together."

Akin looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean all four of us."

She looked around the table. "I don’t want anyone assuming we’re automatically staying together just because we’ve been a party."

Temi nodded. "That’s fair."

Akin scratched his chin."I hadn’t thought about it."

Tolu looked at them. "I want us to stay together."

Akin smiled. "I figured."

"But I’m not going to force anyone."

Tolu’s voice was calm. "Ilebi isn’t this town. We might discover that what we want is different."

Temi nodded. "What do you want?"

Tolu paused. "Strength."

Akin smiled. "I knew it."

Tolu ignored him. "I want to become stronger. Strong enough that I don’t have to worry every time something stronger than me appears."

Ore looked at him. "And after that?"

Tolu smiled faintly. "Stronger than that."

Akin laughed. "That’s not an answer."

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