Novel Full Chapter 521: I will also take… only a while.
Chapter 521: I will also take… only a while.
“They are building unity.”
Lavinia spoke with a solemn look on her face as she stared at Kael.
“Yes.”
Cirri nodded at those words.
“And not just with words.”
She spoke as she once again waved her paw. The illustration she created turned into cloud again before shifting, this time, the valley changed to long rows of wagons covered in thick sheets of canvas. Cirri’s ember eyes shined and the covers were removed, revealing piles of grain, fruit, salted meat, and vegetables—all fresh.
“Food.”
The Dragon began.
“So much food that these people could have multiple feasts and still have leftovers. The quantity… it shouldn’t be less than what Imperia’s Ants produced.”
Kael raised his eyebrow at those words.
More than the Ants?
The amount those Ants produced was quite high; to move more food than that… Kael found it odd.
Even if Drakthar was helping them…
More than help, this looked like… spoiling.
It felt… somewhat foolish.
They were making it too obvious.
Or… are they… trying to make it obvious?
These are the people who intend to unite the tribes against the Velmourns—unite people who have been enemies for generations.
This obviously wouldn’t go without hitches; there would be… spies, traitors, or rebels.
Containing this information for too long was impossible—heck, the Stonefangs had already leaked it.
So…
Maybe they weren’t trying to hide it at all.
Maybe… maybe they wanted to show it—as a symbol of power and… control.
Maybe they were trying to show off their resources to the tribes that had joined them or would join them in the future.
This way… it would be easier to control them.
It was similar to how Lavinia won the Stonefangs over with Gel.
“And not just food. Weapons too.”
While Kael was thinking about all this, Cirri spoke up and with another flick of her paw, the clouds shifted once more. Now it showed Stormcaller warriors lined up, holding blades that—although similar in shape to what they normally used—seemed much… stronger.
“They now have new weapons,”
Cirri said.
“Shaped differently from their usual crude steel. The metal shines too cleanly, the edges are sharper.
I also saw runes on some of those blades.”
“Runes…?”
Lavinia frowned. Cirri nodded and drew what runes she could remember.
“Those… those runes aren’t something a mountain tribe disconnected from the main world would know.
They are definitely being helped by the outsiders. These weapons can be used as definite evidence.”
The Mage muttered as she glanced at Kael.
“Is there anything that links these runes to Drakthar?”
Kael asked. He obviously knew this wasn’t highly likely, but who knew? One could be hopeful, now couldn’t he?
No, he could not.
“No.”
Lavinia shook her head.
“These are quite practical runes, yes.
But they teach these runes to children in Drakthar. There is no way just these runes can be connected back to Drakthar.”
Kael shrugged—he wasn’t surprised.
He just turned towards Cirri and asked for the final time,
“Was there something else? Something you found strange?”
“Everything was strange, but that was the gist of it.
Basically, these outsiders are training these tribes—not just the Stormcallers, but all the tribes they are gathering.
Battle formations, tactics, how to use the artifacts and other things. The tribes are following too; they are well fed and seem quite energized.
But then again, I did not know their language, so I couldn’t understand most of what they were talking about.”
The Dragon answered.
“You didn’t have to.”
Kael shrugged as he patted her head.
“You already found enough.
The Stormcallers are being supplied, trained, and armed by someone—and no one in the Heights has the resources to do that.
Even Drakthar’s involvement cannot be proven, but just the fact that outsiders are trying to unite the tribes against us is more than enough to convince the Council and the people to ally with the Stonefangs.”
Kael commented.
“That is correct.”
Lavinia nodded too.
“With this, we can continue our planning without having to second-guess ourselves.”
The Mage then turned towards Kael and—
“What about the Stonefangs? Are the preparations to bring them tomorrow complete?”
She asked.
Kael had taken full responsibility for the migration, so they needed to make sure everything was prepared.
“It will be.”
Kael nodded.
“It will be?”
Lavinia raised her eyebrows at those words.
“The Ants cannot move that fast and I need Ants to make sure the migration is successful.”
“So what are you going to do?”
Lavinia tilted her head with a frown and Kael…
He just smiled.
“Since I need Ants, that’s what I’ll do.
I’ll bring the Ants there.”
“What…?”
Lavinia narrowed her eyes. Soon, however, her expression changed as she recalled something.
Kael hadn’t given away all the wood he gathered in the Shrouded Wilds—some of it was still with him.
At that time, Lavinia didn’t understand why he kept it, but now…
“Are you planning to…”
She muttered, replaying what she had in her mind, and Kael nodded.
“I will move the Ants myself. It might take me a few rounds, around ten maybe, but if it’s just me, I’ll be done within an hour.”
“What if the tribes see you?”
Lavinia asked.
“I’ll lay low. Cirri will surround me with her mist and since I’ll be moving at night when the visibility is already low, I won’t be as visible.”
Kael explained.
“But you won’t be invisible.”
Lavinia, however, raised her eyebrow.
“Cirri will move with me. She will investigate the entire area before I make a move; I’ll only follow her guidance.
And if someone does see me then…”
Kael paused for a moment, as if considering his next words but then—
“If someone does see me, I will remove him.”
“Are you planning on…”
“No, I will just bring him back with me. Who knows? We might even get some information out of him.”
“The enemy will know if someone were to go missing like that.”
Lavinia muttered.
“The enemy would know even if I kill him. It makes no difference.”
Kael answered.
His fixed, clear gaze made it obvious that he had already given it enough thought. Lavinia stared at him for a little longer. Once again, she had the feeling that Kael was changing—faster than she wanted—but then again—
This was important, especially now, when they were at the most crucial stage that could make or break everything.
“When will you move?”
Lavinia asked.
“At midnight.”
“Should I come with you?”
“No.”
Kael directly shook his head.
He needed to carry those large logs that would have all those Ants in them—he couldn’t bring Lavinia even if he wanted to. The Mage understood that, so she didn’t argue.
Rather—
She thought of something else.
“Why just the path that connects Stonefangs and Velmourns? Why not use the same method to spread the Ants everywhere—faster?”
For a moment, Kael paused, and Lavinia continued.
“You are already putting so much effort, might as well follow through with it, no? You said it would take an hour, right? Why not spend ten hours and move Ants to ten different spots evenly spread throughout the Heights? From there, the Ants can move on their own and spread much faster.”
But Kael shook his head.
“This is a temporary measure.
The problem isn’t moving the Ants, it is bringing them food—and for that, the Ants need to make tunnels they can use in secret.
Right now, we won’t be making tunnels. I’ll bring these Ants back once our mission is complete.”
He explained, and Lavinia nodded.
“I didn’t think it through.”
She admitted.
Kael nodded, then asked the question that had been bothering not just him, but even the Velmourn Elders back in the meeting room.
“Do you think… we can survive the tribes’ united charge?”
“If it is just the Stonefangs and us, no.”
Lavinia’s answer was instant—and Kael… smiled at those words—
“So it won’t just be the Stonefangs, huh…”
He muttered softly, already knowing what Lavinia was going to say, and the Princess didn’t disappoint.
“Having the Stonefangs by your side will give you quite significant power over the Council, I do not disagree.
But…”
Lavinia’s purple eyes then shined and—
“Allying with two or three more tribes would seat you as Absolute.
Someone whose words cannot be denied.
Not to mention the tribes are more… simple-minded than the Velmourns, so it would be easier to control them.”
“What…?”
Kael raised his eyebrow, and Lavinia—
“What I meant was, Stonefangs alone obviously wouldn’t be enough.
If we wish to survive the tribes’ united attack, we need to ally with more tribes.
We have to do it.
We have no other choice.”
She said with a sneaky smile as she glanced at Kael, her words making Kael shake his head and sigh.
“Sometimes, I fear you.”
“You should.”
Lavinia nodded, pulling Kael close to her, their noses touching.
“Especially when we are alone.
My thoughts about you aren’t pure.”
“You know we need to visit Morvain in a while, correct?”
Kael asked and Lavinia… she closed the distance even further and—
“In a while, yes, I know that.
I will also take… only a while.”
Saying those words, the Mage closed in.