Rise Of The Hoarder

"Of course, I'm the leader here so I must be aware of anything that occurs within this place, including the changes that are brought." Charles narrowed his eyes as he spoke.r

Ana sighed. Charles was indeed a great leader, one with impeccable wits and talent in managing situations. However, he had a feature that greatly annoyed her, his controlling attitude.r

"You have some explaining to do, Ana." r

Charles was one who just had to place everything under his control. He called it hierarchy and maintaining the status quo, only by such methods could there be order in such chaotic times. While he wasn't generally wrong, to people like Ana it seemed that he just wasn't trusting.r

Still, for the sake of her group… and Jeremy, she decided to explain herself at length. She couldn't even lie if she wanted to.r

"I see… so that's what happened…" He muttered.r

In all honesty, the story he had just heard was unbelievable, to think that such a thing could be possible. He was curious about a lot of things, and there were so many unknown variables that seemed to drive him crazy.r

As someone who hated being ignorant, he couldn't stand the fact that he had no way of making sense of most of the things that Ana had just told him.r

"This strange masked man, whoever he is… I suppose we have to thank him." Charles let out a slight smile.r

"You even obtained a Demon Core… a strong one at that." r

"Well, due to the situation, I had to learn a skill from it. My skill slots are already full as a result." Ana answered.r

"Yeah. It's fine. I understand. You did the right thing. By bringing this here, we have added another major arsenal to our force. Once the others return, we'll deliberate on what actions to take concerning the remaining power within the core." Charles said.r

Ana nodded in agreement.r

"As for this kid, Jeremy, He is certainly very useful to have gifted us so many resources, and there's even more back in his base. Wow. He's either too generous, or ignorant of the current situation in the world!" r

Ana couldn't stand the way Charles addressed such a sweet and innocent boy like Jeremy.r

"He's just a kid, Charles. He has been through so much already, and all he wants is a family. I won't stand for you talking down on him like that." Ana burst out, frowning at her leader.r

Charles was a little stunned by her outburst but decided to take note of her points. It was true that the boy indeed appeared to be immature, but since he had contributed this much, and didn't seem to be much trouble, the Camp had to shelter him. r

'But, as soon as he's accustomed to life here he'll have to do something to earn his keep.' r

"I understand, Ana. I apologize if I offended you. You're right, Jeremy has indeed been through a lot. I would like to see him as soon as possible." Charles said.r

The apology was unexpected, but Ana decided to accept it nonetheless.r

"He's currently resting, I asked Lily to take him to our resting quarters. He held on quite well throughout the journey, so he's very exhausted." Ana explained.r

Charles nodded. It was only natural that such a kid would end up in a tired state, considering the harsh conditions of travel he must have gone through. r

"Ah, I see. That's fine then. Speaking of Lily, how was her performance?" r

Ana smiled slightly. As a new member of their expedition group, placed there due to the convenience of her Gift, Lily was still under review.r

"She did well. I can say she'll be well adjusted after a couple more missions, though I still don't approve of putting her in so much danger."r

"I already told you, it's necessary. We need more hands on deck as things are, and she's very essential to that. Plus, that's the reason she's on your team. As long as you're there, she won't be in much danger, right?" Charles stated, appearing tired of Ana's protest.r

Ana clenched her fists. She couldn't argue with his logic, so she had to concede.r

"Fine…" r

However, Ana knew Charles was wrong. After all, there were some bigger monsters out there that would make anything she threw at them ineffective… like the Ogre they had encountered.r

In such situations, even she, one of the Camp's top 5 Gifteds, was useless.r

"Alright then. It will take some time to sort these resources and account for them. Ana, you're permitted to temporarily place Jeremy in your private quarters, until we prepare a space for him among the regulars." Charles stated.r

Ana nodded, and the rest of the team stiffened up, seeing as their report was nearly done with.r

"Once he has gotten enough rest, guide him to this place, I also want to have a discussion with him. Afterall, It's important that he meets the head of the family he wants to be a part of, don't you think?" r

Ana nodded again, though she did not fully trust Charles. In her opinion, he probably wanted to get as much information as he could from Jeremy. Based on the advantage he had, doing so wouldn't be too difficult.r

"It's for the good of the Camp, Ana. Remember that " He added.r

Those were the words he used to justify all the actions he took. He wasn't wrong, but for someone as upright as Ana, the methods Charles use do not always seem right with her.r

"We should also make quick preparations to retrieve the remaining resources in the kid's base."r

Ana knew he was going to address that sooner or later.r

"That area should still be regarded as a red zone, so we still have the advantage of obtaining it before any other faction. You should all get some rest. The rest of the expedition teams will return before the end of tonight. Once they're settled, we'll have a more detailed discussion on what the way forward will be."r

A brief moment of silence ensued in the room, and finally, Charles gave the order.r

"You are all dismissed." r