After walking along the dirt road for more than half a day, Ethan found the surroundings becoming increasingly familiar. He looked left and right, then adjusted his direction slightly, heading toward a place he knew well.
He hadn't walked far before he saw that very familiar, yet somewhat unfamiliar, encampment.
"The Rogue Encampment is still here?"
He had originally thought that after defeating Andariel and clearing out the dark creatures that had occupied the Monastery, the priests of the Blind Eye Sisterhood and the Rogues would return to live in the Monastery, and this temporary encampment would be abandoned and dismantled. To his surprise, not only had the encampment been preserved, but it had also been expanded, renovated, and reinforced.
Ethan approached and saw that the wooden fence protecting the encampment had been replaced with a sturdier low wall of mud and stone. Outside the wall, rows of obstacles had been set up, leaving only the main entrance clear, presumably because there was no fighting at present. If necessary, the obstacles could be placed there again.
Every so often along the wall, a Rogue was scanning the distance. Ethan noticed that they had already seen him, but their gaze lingered on him only for a short while before turning away.
Clearly, these Rogues were not on guard against "ordinary people" like him.
Ethan's pace was not fast, but he was already very close to the Rogue Encampment. Even if he slowed down, he would still reach the entrance before long.
"Hello, traveler. Is there anything I can help you with?"
The Rogue archer guarding the entrance was still a strong, muscular woman wearing red leather armor. The one before him stood 1.8 meters tall, and with the heels of her boots, she was about the same height as Ethan.
Coupled with the muscular figure that the leather armor could not conceal, although she was a woman, her presence was no less imposing. An ordinary person facing such a warrior's inquiry might stumble over their words, even if her tone was friendly.
"I'd like to ask if Priestess Akara is still here?"
"High Priestess Akara?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Ah, no. May I ask what business you have with High Priestess Akara?"
The female Rogue looked Ethan up and down. She was very surprised that someone would suddenly appear here asking to see Akara. High Priestess Akara's reputation was well-known in the area, and everyone knew she was at the Monastery.
"I received her help here a few years ago. Having returned, I wanted to visit her."
The female Rogue suddenly understood. If it was someone from a few years ago, then it wasn't strange.
Indeed, a few years back, Priestess Akara had been staying at the Rogue Encampment. At that time, all the sisters of the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye had been here, as the Monastery had been occupied by Andariel and countless dark creatures.
"I see. However, High Priestess Akara is not in the encampment right now. She is in seclusion at the Monastery."
This did not surprise Ethan. What he was curious about was something else.
"I heard the demons have been defeated. Why is this encampment still here?"
At the mention of the demons' defeat, the female Rogue's eyes lit up with excitement. Legends of those heroes were everywhere now, and warriors like the Rogues held even greater admiration for those who could defeat demons.
At the same time, they were proud of the work they had done over the years.
"Although Diablo and Baal have been defeated, the scattered dark creatures have not disappeared immediately. Commander Kashya suggested keeping this encampment to clear out the nearby dark creatures and protect passing travelers."
Ethan nodded. The last time he was here, he already knew the general layout.
The Monastery was located to the east, perfectly positioned at a transportation hub. When Andariel occupied it, normal travel between east and west was blocked.
The Rogue Encampment had been built by the priests and Rogues who fled after being defeated, a short distance from the Monastery.
Now that the Sisterhood had reclaimed the Monastery, that area could be cleared with the Monastery as the center. However, a stronghold was still needed for the areas farther away, and that was the role of the Rogue Encampment.
"No wonder I hardly saw any monsters on the road this time."
Hearing Ethan say this, the female Rogue looked very pleased, as if their years of hard work had finally been acknowledged.
"That's what we've always hoped for."
"By the way, is Kashya here?"
"Commander Kashya is currently stationed at the Monastery. The Rogue Encampment is under the command of Myriam."
Ethan nodded, then sighed helplessly.
When he was at the Rogue Encampment, he mostly interacted with Akara, occasionally spoke with Kashya, and his best relationship was with the blacksmith Charsi.
Other than those few, he had interacted more with Itherael and Zoltun Kulle. He wasn't really familiar with the ordinary Rogues.
He didn't even know who this Myriam was, or whether she was someone he had met before.
"What about Charsi?"
If the female Rogue had only half-believed Ethan knew Akara before, now she was basically convinced. The blacksmith at the Rogue Encampment back then was indeed Charsi, and only someone who had truly been here would know that.
A blacksmith was not as noticeable as a commander or high priestess. Unless there were legendary works circulating, no one would pay much attention to one.
So when Ethan mentioned Charsi, the female Rogue's tense muscles relaxed slightly. Although she had spoken kindly to him, she had not dropped her guard, showing that she was an experienced and capable warrior.
It wasn't until Ethan gave a small sign that he was indeed an "acquaintance" that she lowered her guard a little.
"Charsi has already left. As for where she went... perhaps Commander Kashya knows."
"I see."
Ethan looked disappointed. Although the Rogue Encampment before him was in a familiar place, it had become completely unfamiliar.
Thinking of this, he no longer had the desire to wander around inside. He thanked the female Rogue and prepared to head east to the Monastery to see Akara.
"It's getting late. Why don't you rest in the encampment for the night before continuing your journey?"
The female Rogue kindly reminded him.
"Although we have cleared the dark creatures in this area countless times, at night there are always some that appear out of nowhere. It's better not to be outside after dark."
Ethan gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you, but I do have some ability to protect myself."
Seeing that he insisted on leaving, the female Rogue said no more.
Those who could travel alone outdoors usually had some combat ability. Ordinary people without it would never travel alone. They would either travel in groups or with caravans, even if they had to pay for it, to ensure safety.
After all, even without dark creatures, there were still dangers in the wilderness, such as wild beasts and bandits who could easily take a person's life.
So someone without ability would never wander alone outside.
Ethan's appearance here by himself was proof enough.
"I wish you a smooth journey."
Watching the young man slowly disappear into the distance, the female Rogue returned to her post, continuing her monotonous work, though she hoped this peaceful monotony would last forever.
After leaving the Rogue Encampment, Ethan looked back. He could no longer see it. Of course, he wasn't actually planning to walk all the way to the Monastery. Although the distance between the encampment and the Monastery wasn't very far, it certainly wasn't close either.
After confirming that no one could see him, Ethan was about to cast a teleportation spell when he suddenly realized he didn't know the exact location of the Monastery. Using teleportation without knowing the coordinates could easily land him inside a wall.
Although he wouldn't be stuck forever, it would be embarrassing. So Ethan decided to fly honestly.
Since his teleportation magic had become easier, he had rarely used flight to travel, even though he no longer relied on external tools and could fly at high speed on his own.
The long-lost feeling of soaring through the sky made him a bit carried away, and he almost flew too far. He circled back and turned around, narrowly avoiding flying straight to Lut Gholein.
Looking at the Monastery below, Ethan found a hidden spot, then returned to the main road and walked toward the gate like an ordinary traveler.
This time he didn't need to deal with the guards, because he unexpectedly ran into Kashya, who was inspecting the posts.
"Kashya!"
"You are..."
Ethan had changed greatly, and Kashya couldn't recognize that the tall, handsome young man before her was the thin boy from years ago.
"I'm Ethan, the one who appeared in the Rogue Encampment a few years ago because of a teleportation accident..."
When he mentioned his name, Kashya didn't recall much, but when he mentioned the "reason" for appearing, Kashya immediately remembered that thin, young boy.
"I remember now, you were that mage apprentice."
With the memory clear, Kashya looked at Ethan again and suddenly laughed. "Not bad, it seems you've grown well these past few years. You finally look like a warrior!"
As she spoke, Kashya reached out and gave Ethan a heavy pat on the shoulder. The elasticity of the muscles beneath his loose clothes impressed her, and she couldn't resist feeling them again.
"..."
(To be continued.)