A noble like Aven, who actually consulted the people before building a lord's castle on the territory, was truly a rare case.
He really wanted to ask—if the people refused to relocate, would Aven really go find another place to build his castle?
It was a laughable question, yet he couldn't bring himself to laugh, because deep down, he felt that with Aven's personality, it was indeed possible.
'It's best if they voluntarily relocate,' he thought.
"If they really don't want to leave, we can offer them some options," he continued.
"Such as exchanging land for land, or even providing a compensation package. Those are both good solutions."
Aven considered carefully.
"Fessen, once the villagers from Aspiration City have all arrived at Fruitvale Village, go conduct a population census," he ordered.
"While you're at it, gather their opinions on relocation. Find out how many are willing to leave their original homes and settle here in Fruitvale Village."
"Hmm… don't tell them that I'm about to become the lord. I want to see their genuine thoughts. Only then will the data be accurate."
"Pay close attention to those who choose to stay in Fruitvale Village and are willing to follow me. Right now, their decisions are coming from the heart."
"These people, who are willing to follow me before I even become the lord, will be the backbone of the territory and should be nurtured."
Fessen nodded after hearing Aven's instructions and carefully recorded everything.
Then it suddenly hit him—his lord wasn't revealing his identity because he wanted to observe the villagers' true reactions.
Just as Aven had said, only those who were already willing to follow him now were the ones truly loyal.
It was easy to imagine that once the news broke of Aven becoming the Earl of the Southeast Border, a flood of people would rush to follow him.
At that point, it would be hard to tell who was sincere and who wasn't.
With that in mind, Fessen exhaled softly. Their lord might be a little too kind, but every decision he made had deep meaning behind it—it made them feel very secure.
This time, it was Knight Commander Hunter who was in charge of escorting the supplies.
As they neared Fruitvale Village, his feelings were complicated.
The first time he came to Fruitvale Village, they had arrived to attack, but were soundly defeated and captured instead.
Afterward, they experienced an unforgettable time in the village.
The villagers got along surprisingly well with magical beasts. They didn't even need beast gear to control them in battle.
Then there was the Pokémon breeding house. Their Rhyhorn had mastered the Rock Slide move thanks to it.
But the most memorable part was Aven himself—whether it was sharing the Rock Slide move freely or his performance on the front lines.
To be honest, Hunter had really wanted to return to Fruitvale Village for a while now.
He had a feeling his Rhyhorn could become even stronger here.
With that thought, he became visibly more eager, urging the convoy to speed up.
The entire team was under the strict protection of the knights, with wagons loaded with supplies at the front.
Following behind were large groups of civilians.
These civilians had been relocated to Aspiration City for safety. Now that the crisis was over, they were returning home with the knights' escort.
Along the way, some villagers left the group to return to their own villages.
But upon seeing the ruins of their homes, they fell into deep silence—feeling a mutual sense of sorrow.
They all knew their own villages wouldn't be much better. Rebuilding was inevitable.
For villagers from places like Stonefall Village, the road home was a numb journey.
Their village had been closest to the Black Forest. It had already vanished by the time they had evacuated to Aspiration City.
Other villages, though rundown, were still standing. A bit of repair and some remaining orchards could keep them going.
But their village was completely gone—not a single tree left in the orchard. They would have to rebuild from scratch.
"I wonder how the villagers who stayed in Fruitvale Village are doing," the old village chief of Eastgate muttered.
Back during the evacuation, the village had split into two groups. Some stayed in Fruitvale Village, while he had led the others to Aspiration City.
Now, he feared bad news—could Fruitvale Village have truly held out against the beasts?
"We're almost at Fruitvale Village—everyone, stay alert!"
At that moment, the old village chief heard a call from the knights.
But before they could walk far, the convoy suddenly stopped.
The villagers looked ahead in confusion—only to see a large field full of magical beasts.
"Has Fruitvale Village fallen?" someone asked, trembling.
So many magical beasts appearing outside the village—what else could it mean?
Some Eastgate villagers even felt a little relieved—at least they had survived. The ones who stayed might not have been so lucky.
As the villagers speculated, they noticed something odd. The knights weren't advancing or retreating. They seemed to be waiting.
After a while, someone finally appeared, walking out from the field and approaching the knights.
"That's... Fruitvale Village's patrol team?"
The old village chief recognized them immediately, raising new doubts.
If the patrol team was still active, that meant the village hadn't fallen.
But what about the magical beasts? And why had the patrol walked out from among the beasts—without being attacked?
Before they could think more, the convoy began moving again—heading straight toward the field of magical beasts.
At the edge of the field, the knights dismounted and drew their swords.
Hunter's face was serious.
Even though the patrol captain had assured him the beasts were non-aggressive, he remained cautious.
"I can't believe Master Aven actually brought those magical beasts back," he muttered.
Hunter had fought in the battle at the Abyssal Caverns and was very familiar with these gray-mist-infected beasts. Knowing this, his alertness slightly eased.
Soon, the convoy entered the field.
Beasts on both sides watched them curiously.
The villagers were terrified—they recognized Skutank, Mightyenas, and Glooms among them—all very dangerous creatures.
They feared that the slightest mistake might provoke them into an attack the knights couldn't stop.
Thankfully, the beasts only observed from afar and didn't approach.
Once past the field, everyone sighed in relief—and then saw Fruitvale Village, standing tall and untouched.
"Fruitvale Village actually held out..."
Their emotions were complicated. Some even began to regret their earlier decision—perhaps staying would've been better after all.
"Commander Hunter, we've kept the knights' camp as it was," said Peter.
"The knights can rest there, and we'll take care of the civilians."
Hunter nodded, assigned some knights to escort the supplies into the village, and led the rest toward the camp.
The civilians were brought to a temporary settlement east of Fruitvale Village.
This orchard, originally Simon's, was the only damaged area in the village and had now been repurposed.
Fruitvale Village and the nearby settlements were sparsely populated—each villager rented a large amount of land to grow fruit trees.
So, despite its small population, Fruitvale Village had plenty of land—enough to comfortably house several neighboring villages.
When the old chief of Eastgate Village arrived at the eastern orchard, he saw many villagers waiting there.
They had received word earlier and were there to welcome relatives and friends returning from Aspiration City.
The sight moved the old chief deeply. Their village was gone, but as long as the people lived, it could be rebuilt.
Pete, now an official patrol member, had been sent to help manage order in the temporary settlement.
As he walked through the crowd with his Gloom, he was met with admiration.
He stood quietly, watching the villagers return, feeling emotionally torn.
He was glad for his earlier decision—once you lived in Fruitvale Village, it was hard not to be drawn in.
Now that the old village chief and others had returned, he didn't know how to face them.
He had been an orphan, raised with help from the villagers and inherited his parents' orchard.
Now Eastgate Village was gone and would need young people to help rebuild—but he had chosen to stay here.
Looking around, he saw many villagers avoiding eye contact, their expressions conflicted.
Clearly, many of them, like him, wanted to stay—but didn't know how to tell the old chief.
If they all stayed, who would rebuild the village? Progress would slow to a crawl.
Some had considered just having everyone stay—but for the older generation, that village was their home, hard to let go.
The air was thick with emotion. Most villagers who stayed in Fruitvale Village wanted to remain.
If they could bond with a magical beast, they had a chance to join the patrol—whose benefits made everyone envious.
Returning to their old village meant likely living as fruit farmers for the rest of their lives. But staying here gave them hope to change their fate.
(End of Chapter)