Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

"Ding! Leader 'Emily' has lost her leadership status."

"Ding! The authority of Pioneer 'Emily' has been transferred to Leader 'Justin'."

"Ding! The two territories and their citizens have been successfully merged."

As their conversation ended, a system message echoed in Justin's mind. The system had been observing the situation, waiting for the surrender to be finalized before merging the territories. Perhaps it would be worth exploring new possibilities with this system flexibility in mind.

With Emily's forces absorbed, Justin addressed the rest of the pioneers.

"Alright, everyone! It's time to pick out a home for you and your families! We have more than enough houses to go around, so feel free to choose whichever you like as long as no one else has taken it first!" Justin announced, his voice booming across the courtyard.

A roar of excitement erupted from the gathered pioneers.

After both the pioneers who had originally served under Justin and those brought by Emily had chosen their homes—thirty-two in total—Justin called for the citizens. As they were summoned, they looked around, confused at first, but their expressions quickly turned to awe at the sight of the sprawling city. When they heard the full story, their joy was palpable.

"Long live Lord Justin!" "Glory to our lord!"

Though they didn't have the right to choose the grand estates surrounding the main keep, the citizens were more than satisfied. Even the more modest homes set aside for commoners were far superior to what they had lived in before. This was true for Emily's former citizens as well.

"Our leader surrendered, and now Lord Justin is our ruler?" "And we get to live here from now on?" "Hail Lord Justin!"

Surprisingly, the citizens adapted quickly to the sudden shift in leadership. Even when they learned that a class system would be in place, their reactions remained positive.

"It's not much different from before. At least here, the laws protect us." "It's actually better since we can't be touched by the upper class!"

Justin watched their unexpectedly positive reactions and glanced at Emily.

"You seem to have managed your territory well. I expected more complaints," Justin remarked.

"There was one major issue at one point," Emily admitted, avoiding his gaze, slightly embarrassed. "I dealt with two troublemakers to set an example, and after that, everyone fell in line."

"And what's with them calling you 'Excellency'? Were you a president or something?"

"No, it was just… It sounded prestigious," Emily muttered, clearly embarrassed.

Justin found it amusing that she was blushing over being called "Excellency" in front of him, their new lord.

At that moment, Rachel, who had been listening to their conversation, suddenly interjected. "So, what's the plan now, Justin?"

"What do you mean?" Justin asked, slightly puzzled.

"There's a lot to do, like figuring out the terrain, identifying hunting grounds, planning the territory's development, and then there's the future quests."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Rachel's words brought a flood of tasks to Justin's mind. Owning a city meant there was much more that could be done, but in order to make full use of all the possibilities, they had to be properly prepared.

"Let's start by establishing proper positions," Justin declared.

"Positions?" Zachary looked intrigued.

"Yes, we can't keep running things like some disorganized club. I'm not expecting a fully functional government right away, but we need at least a basic structure."

Up until now, everything had been run from Justin's house in an ad hoc fashion, which could hardly be called governance. But now, with a grand mansion and even a council room, the scale of his growing city was rapidly approaching that of a small city-state. It was time to start acting like it.

Justin looked around at the gathered companions. "As I mentioned earlier, Emily will serve as a diplomat. Technically, she'll be something like a minister, but since we're not at the point of having formal ministers yet, let's keep it simple."

"What about us?" Nathan asked, his eyes brimming with anticipation. He was clearly hoping for an important title.

"You're my personal guards," Justin said with a smile.

"What? No other positions?" Nathan's face fell.

"Of course not. For now, you'll still be hunting by my side. Taking on an official role means you'll have to give up hunting. Do you want to stop hunting and take on administrative duties?"

"N-no! Not at all!" Nathan frantically shook his head, more alarmed by the idea of being separated from Justin than by the thought of paperwork. It seemed he understood the nature of power quite well.

"Zachary, you'll be the administrator. Just keep doing what you've been doing," Justin added.

"Nothing's really changed, but having a title makes it feel much more official," Zachary remarked, grinning.

"Just wait. Once we establish a proper nation, you might even rise to the rank of chancellor," Justin said with a mix of sincerity and jest.

Zachary's eyes lit up at the thought, his ambitions now fully ignited as he envisioned the future of the growing city. He didn't seem to mind if he had less time for hunting. After all, his natural talents lay in administration.

"And Eugene," Justin called out.

"Y-yes!" Eugene responded, his voice tense with nervousness. Despite being a commoner, he had been invited to the meeting thanks to his skills as an alchemist. However, he hadn't been given a seat, leaving him standing awkwardly the whole time.

"I'm appointing you as the Master Artificer."

"Master… Artificer?" Eugene stammered.

"Yes, you'll be the head of the artisans. But don't get ahead of yourself. Just because you have a title doesn't mean you're a noble."

"Thank you!" Eugene bowed deeply, clearly not disappointed in the slightest despite the caveat. Since the execution of Darius, Eugene had been careful to tread lightly.

Justin appreciated his caution. 'Keep acting like that.'

"From now on, everyone in this room will receive a salary. If you hold an official position, you deserve fair compensation," Justin declared.

"A salary?" Ethan asked, the question lingering in everyone's mind.

Ethan's concern was understandable. Given the limited resources and gold being used for the city's development, paying salaries wasn't feasible just yet. They'd have to use mana stones instead. However, since the population hadn't increased tenfold, most people earned more from their hunting efforts than they would from salaries alone.

"I think it's better to show you rather than explain. Follow me," Justin instructed.

The group, perplexed, followed Justin to the lower levels of the mansion. The stairs wound deep into the earth, and after descending what felt like five floors, they finally reached a massive iron door.

With a simple push, Justin opened the door as if it were made of wood.

"Come inside."

"What kind of room is this… Whoa!" Rachel gasped as she stepped into the chamber.

Inside was an expansive underground mine, glittering with precious gems. Each gem was so pure and flawless that it seemed ready to be made into jewelry on the spot. The group stood in stunned silence, overwhelmed by the sight.

Rachel reached out, her hand brushing against one of the crystals, her eyes wide with realization. "These… These are all mana stones, aren't they?"