Chapter 517: Mother… are we really doing this?

“It will be difficult to manage, we will need stricter rules.”

The Matriarch spoke in a sharp but weary tone.

“I have you to rely on for that, don’t I?”

Kael turned towards her and… he smiled.

And for a moment, Morvain froze.

That smile…

That tone…

That… question.

It wasn’t a simple statement—it was… a demand.

No, not even a demand.

It was a command dressed as courtesy.

And all three of them—Kael, Lavinia, and Morvain—knew it.

Morvain’s eyes lingered on Kael’s face, watching the quiet calm—as if everything was in his control—in his eyes.

That same calm that had charmed her Council, her soldiers, her people… the same calm that now threatened to take everything from her.

It wasn’t arrogance.

It wasn’t cruelty.

It was something… far more dangerous.

Certainty.

Kael believed in what he said.

He wasn’t asking her to surrender, he was giving her the chance to do it willingly.

He… he was asking her to sign her own fall from power with her own hands.

And for Morvain, that realization felt like a blade pressed against her throat, signalling her… defeat.

The Matriarch’s eyes then moved from Kael to the people around her.

Lavinia just nodded subtly, as if saying, You already knew this moment would come.

The Stonefangs’ rough faces that were now filled with strange, hopeful curiosity.

The translators who were trembling ever so slightly as they tried to keep up with the heavy air around them.

And then… to her son.

Kayden stood near the back, his fists clenched, anger, frustration, and confusion flickering across his face.

Kayden was never politically sharp. While he understood quite a lot, from his childhood, he had dedicated himself to the army, to fighting for his people. These subtle notions—he hadn’t developed the mind to notice them, but even then, he could sense something was wrong.

Something that shouldn’t be happening… was happening.

Morvain too wanted to resist it.

But…

The Matriarch knew the truth. She knew that every single life standing here, and many more waiting behind the Wall, depended on her decision now.

This wasn’t a choice.

It was a forced surrender—one wrapped in reason, coated in diplomacy, and tied together with… a smile.

And yet… even knowing that, she wasn’t ready to fall completely.

Morvain took a slow breath, straightened her posture, and then she stared at Kael.

“I’ll make the rules,”

She nodded.

“But making rules and implementing them are two different things.”

Lavinia smiled inwardly at those words.

Just as she expected, the Matriarch wouldn’t give in that easily. Even now, even in a moment as desperate as this, she was trying to claw back even a sliver of control—

A single breath of space… to stand on.

And her point was strong.

The most difficult part of ruling wasn’t creating laws; it was ensuring that people followed them.

And the people…

The people would already hate them for what they were doing.

Bringing their centuries-old enemies inside their walls?

Letting them live, eat, and walk among them?

It would shatter the fragile pride of Velmourn’s citizens.

They could punish a few rebels—yes.

They could execute a few traitors—sure.

But that wouldn’t be enough.

When two enemies collide, the real battle isn’t on the battlefield.

It’s in hearts.

As the people from the two sides interact, there will be… problems, and during those moments, knowing who was wrong and punishing the correct culprit becomes… extremely vital.

If even one innocent person suffered unjustly under these new rules, that hatred would live on, and it would never let them grow into whatever they were imagining this to be.

Morvain knew that and… she hoped Kael did too.

She was trying to make him see reason.

But Kael only shrugged.

“You just make the rules,”

He spoke.

“I’ll be the one to implement them.”

And that single line stole the last breath from her chest.

First the title and the authority that comes with being the Warden of Vigilance.

And now… the power to implement these new rules…

It was… a quiet declaration—but it sealed everything.

If Morvain made the laws and Kael enforced them, then he would no longer just… serve the system.

He would… become the system.

Her power as Matriarch would be reduced to paper and ink.

And the man who had come as an outsider would then hold all the authority—be it keeping watch on the people or having the right to punish them—himself.

Morvain stared at him for a long, silent moment.

Of course, right now, she could refuse. She could call him out for his arrogance, or for overstepping his bounds.

But… doing so would tear apart the fragile peace they had just forged.

Morvain knew the truth.

The Stonefangs weren’t following her or the Velmourns, they were following Kael.

If she rejected him now—the alliance between the Stonefangs and the Velmourns would fall before it even began.

And with it, Velmourn’s fate would be sealed as well.

Yes, she had no choice.

The Velmourn Matriarch was helpless. Her shoulders dropped, and slowly, she nodded.

“I’ll help you,”

She said quietly.

Kael smiled. It wasn’t a victorious or mocking grin, no, far from it.

It was… a wry smile, a smile of someone who… didn’t want this either, but in his mind, just like Morvain, Kael too knew that this was the only way forward.

“Good,”

He said.

“Then it’s settled.”

With those words, he turned toward Gruumak, who had been watching the exchange closely.

The Stonefang Chief didn’t understand all the words, but he could feel the shift in the air.

Kael pulled out a small, glowing crystal—a Communication Crystal from his Sanctuary—and held it out toward Zakaar, who took it with both hands.

“What this?”

Gruumak asked with a frown, and Kael—

“One day,”

He looked into the Stonefang Chief’s eyes.

“Give me one day. I’ll contact you and tell you how to move.”

Zakaar translated, and Gruumak’s brows furrowed further.

“One day?”

He repeated in surprise.

“Too soon. My people… need time. Many not agree. Hard to convince in one day.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Even Gruumak, respected and feared as he was, couldn’t expect to rally his entire tribe overnight.

A thousand Stonefangs would not simply pack their lives and follow him into the home of their ancient enemies.

And Kael understood his worry, and he laughed lightly,

“You need to convince just a thousand. I need to convince ten thousand.”

When Zakaar translated those words, Gruumak stared at Kael for a long time, as if studying him.

Even now, he didn’t believe that ten thousand people could be convinced in just a day, but… seeing the look on his face and the Magic Girl—who was still smiling lightly, as if everything went exactly how she expected—standing beside him, Gruumak… didn’t think it was a lie.

In the end, the Stonefang Chief decided to trust his gut, and with a determined look on his face—

“Fine. One day. We wait.”

He gave a short nod.

Kael nodded back with a smile.

For a moment, there was only silence again.

The translators whispered between themselves, confirming the last phrases. Both of them looked exhausted, but they knew that if things went on as they were discussed today, this was only the start.

Their future days would be… much more exhausting.

In the end, the translators sighed and then, just like that—

It was over.

The discussion, the tension, the invisible war between authority and submission—all of it reached its quiet conclusion in that snow-laden valley.

Gruumak gave the signal to his warriors. The Stonefangs began to move, gathering their weapons and supplies. Their faces were still full of disbelief, but the chief’s silence meant his word was final.

The Velmourns didn’t move right away. They stood there, watching the rough mountain warriors disappear into the mist, their heavy footsteps echoing through the cold valley.

Morvain stayed behind the longest. Her gaze lingered on Kael’s back—the young man stood tall, his hair catching the faint light, Lavinia stood beside him like a shadow, never away from him for even a moment.

The two looked… almost divine in that moment.

Gods who had descended to… reach them.

And perhaps… that was the most terrifying part.

Because gods do not… ask.

They decide.

And… mortals follow.

Her eyes softened, filled with something between admiration and quiet resentment. In the end, she exhaled softly and turned away, walking toward her people.

“Mother… are we really doing this?”

Kayden met her halfway with an uncertain look on his face, and Morvain—

“We already did,”

She answered with a helpless smile.

Kayden fell silent. He looked back at Kael, at the man who had just reshaped the fate of their land with a few words, and for the first time, he couldn’t tell whether to admire him or… fear him.

In his mind, only a single question arose.

Is this… what mortals feel when they are in the presence of… a God?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep