Chapter 354: The Velmourns.

“My mother is not weak.”

Kayden spoke with a proud look on his face.

“Right.”

Kael nodded.

Kayden nodded back. He then grinned and—

“Anyways, what I was saying is, join the Watch. You do not have to work for long hours and can do whatever you want.”

He spoke, pointing at the guards. Kael turned to look at them again and realized they were all staring at him as if he was some sort of monster.

Kayden laughed at that,

“You clearly have the ability to join, everyone here knows that.”

Kael realized it.

“Everyone here?”

“Of course.

My loss became quite the news here.”

“I am sorry about that.”

“There is nothing to be sorry about. You defeated me fair and square.”

Kayden admitted.

Soon, however, he clenched his fists and,

“But don’t you dare relax. I will catch up to you!”

“You won’t.”

Kael shook his head.

Not just him,

“You won’t.”

Lavinia said the same thing with a similar expression, and a brief silence fell over the place. Kayden didn’t know how to react; even Alrisa was somewhat taken aback.

But honestly, both Kael and Lavinia knew the truth.

Kael’s growth rate was insane—outpacing him was quite difficult, especially when he had the ’Hero’s Blessing.’

He was already reaching close to the likes of Veylara. Sure, Kayden was quite talented, and he might be working hard as well, but…

Kael wasn’t different either. Together with the Hero’s Blessing, he worked harder than anyone, barely sleeping a few hours. Lavinia, who had seen it all with her own eyes, just couldn’t lie. The only thing it would do was give Kayden a false hope, a hope that would be crushed very quickly.

“…I just have to do my best and prove you two wrong then.”

Kayden answered after a while and Kael nodded,

“And I will do my best to prove that we were right.”

“If you wish to do that, you better join the Watch. You will then have all the time you want to train.

And who knows?

Your presence might motivate these lazy things and push them as well.”

Kayden laughed, staring at his subordinates, who looked away in embarrassment.

“It is not just about the motivation.”

Suddenly, Alrisa spoke up as well. Kael and Lavinia turned toward her, and she continued,

“Winter is coming. With the tribesmen and different beasts who will be appearing soon, the next coming weeks will be harder on these men. Lives will be lost.

Dragon Rider Kael’s presence will make quite an impact.”

The Assigned Liaison spoke, her unusually serious gaze now fixed on Kael.

“It is much smarter to use your strength where it can be used the most instead of focusing on things like farming, weaving, inscribing.

Of course, the final decision is still Lord Kael’s. The rules are the same for all—we will not force anything on you. You can decide to work wherever you wish.”

“Let’s first focus on learning everything, shall we?”

Suddenly, Lavinia stepped forward, gently smiling at Alrisa.

“Right.”

Alrisa nodded, not saying anything else.

Lavinia then turned toward Kayden and—

“Shall we begin?”

She questioned and Kayden nodded as well,

“Of course.

We will start with the most important thing, the Watch.”

Kayden spoke as he pointed at the guards watching the outside.

Kael and Lavinia nodded. Kayden took them to the highest watch point and started teaching them the basics. Alrisa helped wherever she felt was necessary, which wasn’t a lot because Kayden did a good job explaining everything.

Just as she was expecting, today was an easy day.

The Assigned Liaison smirked inwardly, praising herself for thinking all this.

After a few hours, Lavinia left to deliver her lecture, and for some reason, Alrisa felt a strange relief when that happened.

More time passed. Kayden taught Kael everything he needed to know. To Alrisa’s disappointment, Lavinia also returned after exactly 4 hours, almost as if she rushed here even before she was done with the lecture.

Kael too learned everything well. Most of them were a slightly different version of the basic tracking techniques Veylara had taught him before. By the time 12 hours ended, he had learned most of the things. According to Kayden, being on the Watch duty with a few guards for a week or two would be more than enough for him to learn everything.

The group then left the Wall and returned to their homes. Then, Kael began his own training—sword, magic, and illusion. He then played with his Bonds before finally having dinner and sleep.

The next day, after returning from the Genesis Hive after another failure, he learned under Imperia’s guidance. After breakfast, Alrisa returned. This time, Kael and of course Lavinia, who once again followed them, went to the farms.

Kael then learned everything there was to learn about farming. The next day, the destination was the Goathold, then the Weaver’s Hearth, and finally the Stone Circle.

In six days, Kael, together with Lavinia and Alrisa, visited all six veins that kept the Velmourns alive and learned quite a lot. However, what interested him more than the skills he learned was the people.

The Velmourns.

“They are hardworking.”

He muttered softly, staring at the guards watching the outskirts with focused looks on their faces.

“Indeed.”

Imperia nodded, staring at them together with Kael.

Right now, Kael was sitting on the stone steps of the Wall Watch, the cold wind biting against his cloak, staring at the scarf around his neck—the same scarf that was handed to him in the Weaver’s Hearth.

Soon, his gaze fell on the dark ridgelines of Ashen Heights. Smoke rose from chimneys in the distance, thin trails fading into the pale evening sky.

He’d only been here a few days, but the people here had left a mark on him.

The Velmourns were… different.

Every corner he visited, every hand he saw at work, told the same story: they were doing everything they could to survive.

No one thought of any shortcuts.

No one had any complaints.

The forge ran like a heart—old and constant—its flame passed from elder to apprentice with pride. Even with little to work with, they crafted every blade, nail, and plow with care, never asking for outside help.

At the Goathold, children and elders alike moved with practiced rhythm, shearing goats, collecting milk, using every drop and every hair. They made sure nothing was wasted and no Velmourn stood idle.

On the terraces, he’d seen a girl planting frostthistle with a smile—not because it was easy, but because she knew it meant food for someone later. That kind of joy… it was earned.

Even the wounded weren’t left behind. In the Hearth, old soldiers and widows wove wool into warmth, passing on what they had to others. They didn’t see themselves as burdens—only as people who could still give.

The Wall Watch was no different either. Kayden may have acted like it was the most ideal place there was, but in truth, the people here didn’t have it best either. The environment was far from ideal—the winds were cold and strong, the fireplaces did not have enough resources to keep the fire alive—but no one flinched.

They bravely faced what they were meant to face while being grateful for what they had.

And lastly, there was the Stone Circle.

Kael had expected silence or tension—maybe anger—but instead, he saw people gather like they were part of something larger. They voted, they listened, they helped.

There was no shouting, no pushing.

Just… community.

It was like an ideal fantasy world, where every single being worked for the betterment of their future, or in this case… their survival.

In his life, Kael had seen places where hunger made people turn on each other, where cold made them close doors, where hardship became an excuse for cruelty.

But this was different.

Here, even the tired still worked, even the old still offered advice, and even the forgotten still gave what they had.

They were proud.

And this pride did not come from wealth or power.

It came from their effort.

What’s even better?

Together with all this, these people were extremely loyal too—and how could they not be? Kael saw it during the Stone Circle Meeting. Morvain was exceptionally capable.

The way she handled the meeting and all the subjects that rose in it, the way she interacted with her people, the way she made sure every decision was acted upon without delay…

The Matriarch worked harder than anyone. While others worked for a specific number of hours, she sometimes spent days working without sleep—all for the sake of her people.

It was only natural that people were drawn to her.

“Have you sent them to the outskirts?”

Suddenly, Kael questioned, still staring outside the wall.

“I have.”

Imperia nodded.

“I have tasked a fourth of my ants to scout and learn about the mountain tribes. The other half will spread around in the settlement.”

The Ant declared.

Yes, her Empire’s colony was now complete. The Deepmaw Ants had created a perfectly structured colony that was easy to defend using the Brimback Ants’ powers. The Crybleed Ants acted like the soldiers and hunters, the Mornmelt Ants produced food, and the Hallow Tracers focused on scouting and keeping an eye out for enemies.

Because these ants had now created a perfectly harmonious, self-dependent system, the Whisperveils were no longer needed and could now return near Kael.

Yes, his greatest power was now back.

And as Lavinia said, it was now time to begin the Phase Two of her plan.

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