With the guarding duty decided to be done in pairs, Axel quickly went to sleep. He wasn't really worried, as he gave them the order not to let the refugees in until he was present. With just this precaution, they should be able to avoid most unwanted circumstances.
Of the five girls, Eve was removed from the night watch lineup. As expected.
For the rest, they took 4-hour shifts each, with Arianne and Maria being the first watch, letting the other two rest for a bit. Arianne herself seemed to be the one who needed rest the most, but insisted on becoming part of the first watch instead.
Just like that, time passed.
And then...
"Sir Axel..."
"Hm...?"
Axel was woken up by a familiar, whispered voice. With his sleepy eyes, he could faintly grasp Maria's outline with the light of the campfire burning bright behind her.
"...Again?"
He simply said that, almost as if exasperated, before pulling Maria over him, into his embrace.
"Mmmh?!"
Maria didn't resist, feeling shocked at the sudden pull. But as a maid, even while madly blushing, she did her job properly. "S-Sir Axel, it's not that! I'm here to call you. The refugees have arrived...!"
Despite her urgent words, she didn't offer a hint of resistance at all. She seemed as if she was enjoying the hug in her own way, even moving her hand to his chest.
"Huh...?"
At that moment, Axel's mind finally woke up. He was a light sleeper, after all. He rose, along with Maria on top of him, and scratched his head. "Ah, I almost forgot... Then, let's go."
"Ah..."
Maria sounded disappointed for a moment before realizing that she was riding on top of him. Her face blushed madly once more, almost as red as a ripe tomato, before jumping aside and bowing.
"I-I'll lead the way. Please follow me, Sir!"
As his sleepiness fully disappeared, Axel followed Maria out of the tent. He quickly noticed a few figures sleeping in the other tents. Angela and Karen in one, with Eve, Cherry, and Beatrix in the other.
"..."
The sight of well-developed women dressed sparsely, squishing a small girl in the middle, was quite a sight, giving Axel energy to proceed.
Of course, it's not like he's lusting for them. As a man, he was simply admiring the sight.
They quickly went past the tents, walking through the dark section of the camp before finally reaching the walls. After the pair climbed the ladder carefully, he was then met by Arianne, who was standing on guard with her sword resting before her in an idle stance.
"Sir Axel, you're finally here." She spoke flatly, lips curled into a frown.
And Axel didn't need to ask to know why.
"HEY! LET US IN!"
"The zombies are coming! Save us!"
"Food! Please give us food!"
Hearing the voices coming from below, Axel couldn't help but feel irritated. Although some of them were truly begging to be saved, most of them were acting awfully high-handed. Almost as if it was Axel's duty to save them, and that not doing so would be a sin against the heavens.
"Unpleasant bastards..."
As if to represent his current mental state, Arianne verbalized her displeasure. "They dare demand from Sir Axel when they're the ones begging for help? Their arrogance knows no end!"
Of course, he agreed with her assessment. If given the choice, he'd rather not let those who have a "strong" personality inside the walls, as they would simply cause friction with others. That's not a guess, but a fact that would happen without fail.
But to complete his quest, he first needs to save 10 "refugees"...
"But there are like thirty of them here..."
From what he heard from Navi, the Pouncer was only summoned when 50 individuals gathered. However, they now numbered fewer than that, meaning roughly 20 individuals became food for the zombies before arriving here.
"...Hmmm?"
As he was recounting the refugees, Axel noticed a weird "coincidence."
The quest required him to save 10 refugees. And below, he counted exactly 8 females present. Adding the two already inside the walls, "That's ten..."
He turned to Navi, who was floating beside him quietly, but the penguin simply shrugged, as if to say he had no idea what Axel was hinting at.
[Must be a coincidence~!]
He insisted.
However, Axel could be duped once, but not twice. The system's name, Harem Settlement System, was a big hint already. The system wants him to save only the girls... he first thought. But he could tell it wasn't as simple as that.
The males' brazen attitude. Their bodies, plump despite being "refugees" for a long time, compared to the extremely thin females. And finally, their template appearance.
"...Alright." Axel came to a decision immediately. "All women, come up the walls. The rest, stay down there for now."
His decision, of course, was met with two kinds of reaction.
"T-Thank you, good sir!"
"Finally... Finally, we're safe...!"
"Oh, God! Thank you for listening to our prayers!"
Such words came from the women, whom he allowed inside.
"The fuck?! Why only them?! This is anarchy!"
"Those bitches are useless! Save me instead!"
"Bastard! How dare you save them and not me?!"
And such rant came from the men who weren't allowed in just yet. Some, in anger, even tried to catch a woman who was already moving toward the ladder Axel set up—as if to grab her.
"Step back, or die." But a sword swung before his face, making him stop.
Arianne, who jumped down the walls before anyone noticed, stretched her sword forward and against the man's face. The woman who was saved bowed respectfully toward her before continuing toward the ladder.
"Bitch, how dare you...!"
The man, however, didn't seem intimidated at all. He simply pushed the sword away from his face and walked menacingly toward the pissed female knight...
"Arianne!" Only for Axel's voice to reach her the next moment. "You can rough them up, but don't kill them!"
"As you wish, Sir Axel!"
And with the permission, her sword flashed.
"Ummph!"
The flat of her blade hit the stubborn man's face before sending him flying a few meters, rolling over the hard ground. Axel could tell how painful that hit was not just from the sound of the hit, but also because the man couldn't even stand back up, simply twitching like a shrimp.
"Oh... fuck..."
And as soon as the eight women moved over the wall and reached the other side, thanking Axel and Maria sparsely...
[Congratulations, contractor! You've successfully cleared the Part 2 Quest, Rescuing Survivors~! As a reward, you have unlocked a new system function: housing!]
Navi's half-expected announcement came.
Axel scratched his head, sighing deeply. "I knew it..." he whispered, hating the fact that he guessed right. "Then, these men aren't refugees, too, right?"
Rough appearance. Seemingly with no class. Brash and idiotic. Then, there's the women's attitude toward them. Fear and apprehension.
Axel was almost certain what they were from just that much information.
"These guys aren't refugees..." he declared loud enough that even Arianne below could hear him.