"Now you are just plainly exaggerating." Victoria reasoned, shaking her head.

"Am I?" A menacing smile spread over Richard's face.

"Were you under the assumption that a sane person could match his deeds?"

The Master hadn't spent much time with them, yet he had already managed to learn that Michael had been able to kill more than one General. Even if in both cases the monsters were exhausted, it was a feat that even he had problems wrapping his head around.

Now it made sense why Michael was so confident that he could put an end to Richard's life if he stepped out of line.

Bryce laughed as he stroked his overgrown beard. "I don't know what you see in the young lad. But for me it's enough to know that his actions have stirred my blood with vitality."

"He better be a monster!" Enzo proclaimed proudly. "Only a monster beyond normal scale can be my rival!"

Amelia remained indifferent. "He is reliable. This is enough for me."

"He is unique. It's only right that others can't understand him." Ava reasoned.

Victoria's gaze sharpened to that of a fearless lioness. She didn't need to utter a single word to showcase the trust she had in Michael.

"I for one hope that Richard is right." Claire shrugged. "A monster of such scale could tilt the scale in humanity's favor in the long run."

Leo was busy riding the train. Had he been here, he would have had a similar reaction.

'Fascinating… This monstrous level of loyalty is unprecedented. It seems Michael isn't the only extraordinary one here.' Richard concluded with a mischievous smile.

While Richard entertained himself by both introducing and taunting Michael's crew, Michael stood off to the side, talking with Evelyn and Stephen.

Since they were traveling towards Azure, the troops from Vespera wanted to ensure that their Lord would know they had done their job.

Once Richard was called for questioning about the weakness of the Overlord, the Lord of Vespera was to attend the meeting with a communication device.

After the formalities were done, Michael headed to the cart holding the redeemed criminals.

Aside from the thousand or so civilians, there were about two hundred ex-prisoners aboard the train.

'It looks like they are doing well.' He mused. Some of them had accumulated heavy injuries, but all of them were stable.

"B—Boss!"

The moment he was spotted, they greeted him with respect.

"Thank you for the opportunity!"

"I shall remember this day for as long as I live!"

Michael accepted their praise with a nod. Even if there was a chance that they returned to their problematic behavior, as of now they were no different than any ordinary civilian.

By now Evelyn and Stephen had long cleared their background.

The benefits of a Grandmaster's status. They could taint or clear a normal person's background with a flick of their finger.

"Boss, I want to join the military!"

In bizarre turns of events, some of the redeemed criminals felt that they hadn't done enough to pay for their mistakes and wanted to serve.

'Not all of them want to serve, but the more the merrier.' He mused.

After informing them on how to join the common troops, Michael traveled around the train, making sure there were no irregularities.

With the 'Rescue the survivors' quest still active, there was a chance something could go wrong, and he was having none of that.

"Here you are, mister!"

As he wandered around one of the carts, a familiar voice called out to him. It was the girl that he had made a pinky promise that they were going to get them out.

"Where is your mother—" For a second he got worried seeing that the child was without a guardian.

Yet before he could react, she hugged him with a wide smile.

"Thank you!" She said before going back in the crowd.

"Kids…" Shaking his head, he went towards his crew. No abnormalities were in sight.

According to Leo, they were about to reach Azure in a day, so the troops had the rest of the time to relax.

"Hey Boss!"

At some point Richard approached Michael with a mischievous smile.

"Did you break something?" Michael's eyes narrowed in suspicion. It was clear that the Master wanted something.

Richard coughed awkwardly. "Come on, Boss, you must have more faith in me!"

"Said the person that was locked behind bars." Michael chuckled.

Unwilling to beat around the bush, Richard blurted out.

"I want to join your faction!"

"Ho?" Michael tilted his head to the side.

"Are you sure? The current strongest member is me, of the Middle Expert realm, yet you, a Peak Master, want to join us?"

"I don't see why not." Richard's grin gave off an eerie feeling due to his scars.

"I simply go where the fun is."

Michael didn't bother prying further. With a Peak Master officially in their ranks, they were undoubtedly going to be taken more seriously.

"Welcome aboard."

The rest of the trip passed peacefully. There was more than enough food to distribute among the survivors, so they weren't humble.

After so many days where the people went to bed hungry, preserving as much food as they could. It was high time that they had a feast in celebration.

By that point most of the wounded redeemed criminals had recovered enough to join the feast.

"FOR OUR HEROES!"

In unison they chanted in honor of the soldiers that had come to their rescue.

With high spirits they reached Azure the next day.

"Thank you."

"God bless you all."

"I swear to repay you!"

One by one the civilians bowed in appreciation to their saviors before settling in the city.

"..."

Grandmaster Alice watched speechless from the side.

She had clearly instructed them to prioritize their safety above all.

Yet they had returned with civilians, not a few but more than a thousand!

"I am going to assume that the mission was too easy for your squad." She chuckled, eyeing the personnel one by one.

Her eyes lingered on Richard for a fraction longer. Since he was of the Peak Master realm, it meant his criminal record couldn't be erased by a simple Grandmaster. They needed to contact the Lord for that.

"You are lucky. For the intel you possessed, the Lord is willing to pardon your past." The Grandmaster said, leading the way to the Lord's quarters.

Naturally the troops of Vespera came with them, as this concerned them.

At the same time, Michael glanced at the system notification.

[Quest Rescue the survivors: Completed!]

[Distributing Reward…]

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