Landlord World - Start with SSS talent-Chapter 79: DEFEND! NOW!

Anna nodded and said, "However, I think you shouldn’t take too many people with you, and you don’t need to be the one to fight."

Caleb was puzzled. "Why?"

"Caleb…" Anna gently explained, "I’m afraid this might be a trap. What if it’s all fake?"

Caleb frowned. "Impossible! Would they dare to deceive me? And what would be the purpose of that?"

"Of course, to lure you out of your territory. Then, they would work together to kill you."

Hearing Anna’s words, Caleb suddenly shuddered. He began piecing the events together and realized she might not be wrong.

He knew that while he was strong, not every Lord feared him.

On the contrary, he knew that many Lords had secretly allied, forming small factions to eliminate him.

However, he possessed a Rank D+ hero and a Rank D hero, so he never paid much attention to those weaker Lords.

But what if this was a trap?

What if one of his subordinates was planning to betray him?

A chill ran down Caleb’s spine as he envisioned a perfectly laid-out scheme.

They could have fabricated a false story to lure him to the food forest, where they would ambush him.

That forest was far from his territory—so far that even if he managed to escape, it would take him a long time to return.

And if multiple Lords surrounded him, no matter how strong his heroes were, they would eventually be overwhelmed.

Cold sweat trickled down Caleb’s forehead, yet he didn’t feel hot. Instead, an icy dread seeped into his bones.

Gripping Anna’s hand tightly, he took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Anna. If not for you, I would have walked right into a massive trap."

"Anna, what do you think I should do now? I can’t just retract my orders and ignore the rumors about a monster appearing in the food forest. I have to go there to verify the truth."

Anna chuckled and said, "Caleb, you’re usually so smart—why are you being so foolish now?"

Caleb didn’t feel embarrassed by her words. Lately, too many things had happened, leaving him no time to rest.

His exhaustion had directly affected his emotions and thoughts, making it difficult for him to analyze everything carefully.

"It’s very simple," Anna said. "You don’t need to take so many Lords with you—half that number is enough."

"If they plan to betray you, you’ll still have a higher chance of winning or at least escaping."

"If there truly is a terrifying monster in that forest, you don’t need to fight—just observe from a distance."

"The more Lords that die, the fewer threats you’ll face in the future."

"But…" Caleb frowned. "Won’t too many Lords dying cause a problem?"

"Hahaha…" Anna suddenly smiled. "Caleb, those Lords are dying because the monster killed them. It has nothing to do with you."

"Ah! That’s right." Caleb looked as if he had been enlightened, a ruthless grin spreading across his face. "You’re right. The monster killed them—it has nothing to do with me."

"Thank you, Anna. I’m lucky to have you by my side."

Anna nodded gently, caressing his face. "Uhm! Remember, your safety is the top priority."

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"I understand. Tomorrow, I’ll see you again." With that, Caleb hurried off.

As soon as he was gone, the expression on Anna’s face vanished—like she had become a completely different person.

She walked to the door and checked outside, and once she was sure Caleb was far away, she returned inside, shut the door tightly, and knelt on the ground.

"Master!" Anna’s voice was filled with reverence.

A stunningly beautiful figure emerged from the shadows, stepping in front of Anna.

It was Vylyss. She smiled gracefully, her voice dripping with allure. "You did well. Continue watching him and follow my instructions. Do you understand?"

At that moment, Anna’s eyes flickered with a pink glow, but it quickly faded.

She lowered her head and responded, "Yes, Master!"

…

The next day, Caleb reduced the number of Lords accompanying him to just fifteen. Besides them, he brought only two of his subordinates, one of whom was Adrian.

"Boss, are you sure this is a good idea?" Adrian asked worriedly.

He had heard all the stories about the monster lurking in the food forest, and naturally, he was both anxious and terrified about coming here.

After all, he was just an F+ rank Lord, while the monster was rumored to be at least Rank D.

The difference between F+ and Rank D was vast—like comparing a flashlight to the sun.

Caleb frowned. "Are you this cowardly? Look at the number of creatures we’ve brought! Even if that monster is Rank D, we can defeat it."

"Besides…" Caleb suddenly raised his hand, and the Stone Golem walking behind him immediately stepped forward. "See this? This is my hero, the Stone Golem—Rank D+. Do you think we’ll lose?"

Adrian looked ahead. A horde of monsters was marching forward, but most were Skeletons, Goblins, and other low-tier creatures.

Among them were the heroes of the other Lords who had joined today’s expedition.

Yet, despite the numbers, Adrian couldn’t shake off his unease. Instead of feeling reassured, an inexplicable sense of dread gnawed at him.

"Boss, why did you reduce the number of Lords we brought?" Adrian asked, confused. "And why did you only bring me and that kid? Isn’t this too reckless?"

"Hm?!" Caleb narrowed his eyes. "Are you questioning my decision?"

"No! No! Not at all!" Adrian quickly responded. "Boss, you misunderstood me. I just… I’m only concerned for your safety."

"Huh!" Caleb scoffed. "Adrian, you’re too timid. Ultimately, it’s just a single monster—why bring too many people?"

"Besides, the more people we bring, the more chaotic it becomes. There are some among them with ulterior motives."

Adrian tensed. "Boss… Are you saying that someone might betray us?"

"Exactly," Caleb nodded.

Adrian was stunned. He glanced at the others before shifting his gaze back to Caleb. "Boss, would they dare betray you? Aren’t they afraid of you?"

Caleb shook his head. "Adrian, despite being weak, some people believe themselves to be heroes."

"In their eyes, I am the Demon King, and they are the saviors destined to slay me and ’liberate’ this region."

"But reality is far crueler than their fantasies."

"While I don’t fear those insects, even ants can bite an elephant to death if there are enough of them. That’s why we must always be cautious. Understand?"

Adrian gave a thumbs-up, admiration written all over his face. "Boss, you are brilliant."

"I’ve always been brilliant," Caleb replied with a frown.

Adrian scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, but internally, he felt relieved.

If he had followed Anna’s suggestion earlier and joined the group plotting against Caleb, he would likely be among those under Caleb’s suspicion now.

"Boss…" Adrian hesitated before deciding to speak up. "Did you know that there’s a traitor among us?"

"Hm?!" Caleb shot him a sharp look, making Adrian tense up.

"I… I only found out by chance," Adrian stammered nervously.

"Who?"

"It’s Anna!"

Caleb nearly laughed but managed to restrain himself, instead adopting a slightly irritated expression.

"I know," he said. "But we need to wait a little longer."

Of course, he knew—because Anna was his spy. He had placed her there to uncover any traitors plotting against him.

At this moment, Caleb could officially remove Adrian from his list of suspected traitors.

Adrian was about to say something else when a strange noise interrupted them.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

"Boss, did you hear that?" Adrian asked anxiously.

Caleb frowned, remaining silent as he peered into the distance. Then, he suddenly shouted, "Everyone, prepare for battle!"

A cloud of dust rose in the distance as if a massive tree had just fallen.

He wasn’t sure if it was the monster, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind suddenly swept past Caleb, sending chills down his spine and making his skin crawl.

"What the hell?!" An ominous feeling surged through him, prompting him to position the Stone Golem directly in front of him as a shield.

"Boss!" Adrian shouted in fear.

Caleb’s eyes widened at the sight before him.

A tree—yes, a tree—more than ten meters tall and over two meters thick was hurtling toward them at the speed of an arrow.

"DEFEND! NOW!"

BAM!