"Seraphina? Lian?"
The names of Seraphina and Lian passed through the murmur of Ashfall Ward.
The young man’s voice was not loud, but the familiarity in it made Seraphina freeze at that moment.
Lian also recognized the owner before turning toward the sound.
The crowd that had formed around the four newcomers parted slightly. A young man passed through two armored groups and came toward them.
Rindo had changed since the last time Lian had seen him.
His neat and controlled demeanor was still there. His back was straight, his steps were not hurried, and his gaze examined the condition of all four before approaching.
But he no longer only resembled the student council president.
His main armor was burned and broken in several places. Replaced plates of Heartwood Steel were on his left shoulder and part of his chest, and their red veins lit up with every Mana movement.
A scratch extended from his eyebrow to above his cheek.
Fatigue could be seen on his face; not the fatigue of a sleepless night, but the pressure that had accumulated over several days without a real chance to stop.
Nevertheless, the moment he was sure the people in front of him were real, his shoulders relaxed slightly.
"It’s really you."
"Did you think we were dead?" Seraphina stepped forward.
They hadn’t expected to be lucky enough to find the student council president here.
Rindo looked at her damaged armor and the battle marks on her sword for a moment.
"After seeing what this forest has, it was hard not to think about it."
His gaze moved from Seraphina to Liana.
Liana gave a faint smile, but the anxiety that had been visible on her face moments before while searching for Selina had not completely faded.
Then Rindo looked at Seris. His brief pause showed he did not recognize her.
Seris also silently examined the young man from head to toe. Her gaze remained more on his weapon, stance, and the wounds on Rindo’s armor than on his face.
Seraphina noticed and said.
"Rindo, this is Seris Pendragon. She was with Lian in the Forest of Giants, and they came together from there."
Then she pointed at Seris.
"Seris, this is Rindo. The head of the academy’s student council."
Rindo raised his eyebrow slightly upon hearing the Pendragon name.
"Seris Pendragon?"
Seris nodded.
"Nice to meet you, young Pendragon." Then his gaze fixed on Lian.
Rindo and Lian had never been close friends.
In the academy, they both knew each other, but their paths and positions were different. Rindo was the head of the student council; someone who dealt with professors, rules, and official structures.
And Lian, since entering the academy, had not spent much time there. They knew each other but were not close, but being in the same group and seeing that both were safe was good news.
Rindo extended his hand.
"I’m glad you arrived safely."
Lian shook his hand.
The pressure of Rindo’s grip was stronger than before. His palm was rougher, and a few fresh cuts could be seen on his fingers.
Before anyone could ask the next question, an armored man approached from the crowd.
"President."
Rindo immediately turned his head toward him.
"The third group still hasn’t returned. They were supposed to send a signal before sunset. Should we send a search team?" The man continued.
The student council president looked at the orange light above the city.
In Vhalaris, seeing the real sky was almost impossible, but the intensity of the central roots’ light decreased with nightfall.
"Wait an hour. If they haven’t sent a signal by then, the second support group will move."
"The second group still hasn’t fully recovered."
"Then add two people from the fifth group to them. But no one leaves the gate without a registered map."
The man nodded and immediately left.
Then a young woman in a gray cloak approached from the other side.
"Council Head, the western medical center’s potions are almost gone. The hunting groups have kept most of the low-rank potions for themselves."
"Transfer half of the central warehouse’s reserve to the medical center." Rindo said without hesitation.
The woman frowned.
"That reserve is for emergencies."
"Seven wounded without treatment is an emergency."
"The hunting groups will complain."
"Let them complain. Tomorrow, each group will receive its share based on the resources they deliver, not what they hide in their room."
The woman looked at him for a few moments and then nodded.
"Understood."
Another teenager arrived and gave a report about a dispute between two groups over dividing monster corpses.
Rindo asked him to bring both leaders to the council building within half an hour and to keep the corpses in the shared warehouse until review.
His orders were short and precise. He did not shout or humiliate others to show power.
But people executed his orders without serious argument.
Lian looked around. People still called Rindo "President," a title that had come with him from Earth.
Some also used the title "Council Head."
But it was clear these names had not remained only because of his old position. Besides, none of the awakened ones present were from their academy.
So it was not logical for them to care about his position in their country’s academy. This showed that the student council president had not been idle during this time.
Rindo had organized the chaos of the humans.
People who had appeared in an unknown world had no unified structure. Most of them were talented novice awakened ones experiencing their first Special Area and didn’t know what to do.
Rindo had formed hunting groups.
He had built a shared warehouse, organized missions, guard duty, a medical center, and the registration of missing people.
These actions had probably made the Cindari accept the humans of Ashfall Ward as a controllable population, not a group of armed invaders.
On Earth, the title of student council president might have seemed more administrative.
Here, the experience of managing people was more valuable than many offensive Skills.
Rindo raised his hand and said to the crowd still standing around the group.
"You can ask your questions later. First, I need to talk to them."
A few people stepped back with dissatisfaction, but no one objected.
Rindo gestured to the four.
"Come. This is not a good place to talk."
He led them through the central square of Ashfall Ward.
Along the way, several people stopped him to greet him or give a brief report. Rindo answered most of them by name.
Lian noticed these details. Real trust was not built only by giving orders.
Rindo knew the names of the wounded, the warehouse managers, and even the groups that had not yet returned.
’He has practically taken control of all the awakened ones who appeared in this forest. That’s admirable.’ It wasn’t just about organizing.
It was about how he had managed to convince the others to listen to him.
Lian could also do such a thing, but he would go the Vorhelm clan’s way... using force to organize everyone.
The temporary council building was in the center of the district’s reconstructed section.
The two-story building had probably been an administrative office or commercial center of Ashfall Ward in the past. Part of the right wall was burned, but it had been repaired with wood and Steel plates.
Two human guards stood at the entrance and stepped aside upon seeing Rindo.
The inside of the building was more organized than the outside.
A large table was in the central section, and several maps were installed on the walls.
The main Emberroot map still had many dark areas, but around Vhalaris, the hunting routes and a few nearby ruins were marked with more detail.
On another wall, the registered hunting groups were listed.
Member names, approximate Levels, departure times, and expected return times.
A separate table showed the amounts of rations, Potions, Arrows, and usable equipment.
In a corner of the room was a list of those who had died or not returned from missions.
But the left wall caught Liana’s attention the most. A large board with English writing at the top was installed.
[Missing Outsiders]
Dozens of names were recorded on small pieces of paper. Next to some names, the last sighting location was written.
Next to some, only the group name or academy was listed, and a few names were marked with red lines; those whose bodies had been found.
Liana silently walked toward the board. Her finger moved over the list.
Once.
Then again from the beginning.
Lian knew which name she was looking for.
Selina.
But her name was not among the list.
"We don’t have the names of all missing people." Rindo said behind them.
Liana turned toward him.
"What do you mean?"
"Only the names of those whose companions entered the city and reported them are registered."
Rindo pointed at the board.
"If Selina is with a group that hasn’t reached Vhalaris yet, her name won’t be here."
"So is her absence good or bad?" Liana looked at the list again.
Rindo was silent for a few moments.
"Neither. It just means we don’t have information yet."
The answer was not encouraging, but it was honest.
Liana said nothing. Her gaze only remained on the missing names for a few more seconds, and then she stepped away from the board.
Rindo took them to a room at the end of the building.
The room had a large window facing the district, and a rectangular table was in its center.
Several chairs of different shapes were around the table; apparently collected from different buildings.
Rindo asked someone outside the room to bring water and simple food, and then closed the door.
"Now, explain."