[TWS] Chapter 320 – When One Wall Is Not Enough (Patreon)

Bryn nodded at Asterios and walked up to the group of soldiers to take care of the defeated guy’s injuries. There was no doubt that he’d suffered a bigger mental blow than the physical one, but she could still at least ease the man’s suffering a little bit. It was obvious that the relations between the three teams were going to be strained anyway, but it would be better not to stoke the fires too much. As Silvia had said, perhaps there was still a chance to fix the men her father had sent them.

Meanwhile, Asterios joined Kathy and her colleagues to exchange a few more words with Irelia. He wanted to see if she would rather stay with Ted and everyone or continue accompanying them for now since he was heading for the Committee next. She thanked him once more for the given opportunity and chose to remain under Ted’s watchful eye. Tina’s subordinates promised to look after her too and Asterios retreated after making sure that Irelia would let him know if the new guys started causing trouble.

Tina was already done with her duties too so they chatted with Ted for only a while longer and bid farewell to everyone, leaving them to their training and maybe a very necessary integration. If the rumors turned out to be true, they would need their garrison to be as united as possible. Who knew what was coming for Glimmervale this time?

Soon, they were on their way to the Town Hall and Asterios turned to Althea, who walked slightly behind him and the girls.

“You seem awfully quiet since the moment we arrived, pretty much. If there’s anything that makes you uncomfortable or bored, I hope you can let us know. There’s no reason to follow us everywhere. We can switch the schedule up a bit and get you settled down in the castle next,” he suggested.

Althea showed a kind smile. “I did not see any reason to interfere in your matters, thus I haven’t spoken much. I can promise you that just the simple act of walking around this previously unknown-to-me place fills me with enough joy and excitement that I could jump around like a little girl. If you haven’t forgotten, my freedom was quite limited not that long ago. Plus, the entire time I accompany you, I’m able to study your person and learn more about each of you. I believe it will be beneficial for our lessons.”

“If you say so.” He shrugged. “Just wanted to make sure. Your opinions and notes are more than welcome.”

“You possess great leadership qualities, then,” she replied fairly quickly. “The situation with that young female Knight candidate was the perfect proof. You are capable of figuring out where to place your subordinates to let them grow to their highest potential. It’s a good quality that will help you master your heritage with more ease.”

“Like with the two sources he assimilated instead of fighting?” Selene asked curiously.

“You can say that.” Althea nodded. “But True Dragons rarely care for anyone below the rank of a mate, viewing all the lower tiers as nothing more than useful pieces of meat or sacrificial pawns. From what I have learned, you seem to be managing your entourage fairly well.”

“We should check on Zoe and the Lizardkin!” Miria bounced around them happily. “Do you think Imadil and Cynthia finished our gift for her?”

Asterios shrugged. “No idea. We’ll have to ask before we jump to your village. Let’s first talk with the Committee and let them know about the arms supply we have secured for Glimmervale back in the Scorching Steppes.”

Everyone agreed with that course of action and they arrived in front of the Town Hall in no time, climbing up the stairs to enter the round planning chamber. At first glance, it looked empty, but they could tell that almost everyone was there. Save for Ted, of course. The Committee members just remained in their personal offices.

Noticing their arrival, Danny, Esotvi, Merfinna, Ulyssen, and Keenu gathered in the room, greeting their returning lords with some polite bows. Asterios and Tina nodded at them respectfully and they all surrounded the round table in the middle.

“It’s good to see you again, your lordships,” Ulyssen, the person responsible for logistics began. “We’ve heard that your expedition to the land of elves was successful.”

“And we heard that you have another problem past the borders.” Grea snorted while crossing her arms. “This place just can’t ever rest. Exactly like us.”

Silvia graced them with a tiny smirk. “That’s just the life of a leader, be it a king, an emperor, or the local lord. You feel like there’s always something to take care of and things never slow down after they start rolling in.”

“Wise words, Your Highness,” Merfinna commented, the person responsible for agriculture.

“Miss Kindra told us that the wall is almost done,” Bryn joined in.

“And that you are considering some new project,” Tina added.

“But first, I think we should introduce our new friend.” Asterios gestured at the Dragon lady. “This is Althea and she is my mentor. Don’t let her beauty fool you, she’s definitely older than Glimmervale itself, and thus much wiser.”

“It will be good having someone else with lots of experience other than this elf geezer.” Esotvi chuckled, jabbing Ulyssen in his thigh with her elbow.

“It’s our pleasure.” Keenu bowed and the rest followed. “Now, in terms of the wall and our future plans, yes, it’s on the verge of being fully constructed. But, we are expanding much faster than we first predicted. Even with an unexpected boom of popularity included in our calculations.”

“And that means?” Miria tilted her head.

“More buildings, more homes, more mansions, more farms, more everything,” Ulyssen continued. “And, in the end, another wall. It’s going to be kind of pointless after we will have to build on the other side.”

“We did leave quite enough space between it and the first line of buildings. Or so we thought,” Danny admitted. “We are still quite safe in terms of terrain, but if things continue as they are, it won’t take more than half a year to run out of it. And that means the next best solution is to set up another wall even further from the center.”

“Basically a copy of Ring City,” Grea mused. “Not like it’s a unique concept, of course. Some giant cities do have multiple walled-off sections.”

“And I assume you are considering focusing on that first and foremost,” Asterios guessed.

“Exactly. But, that would again take away plenty of workers for a long time,” Ulyssen pointed out. “We aren’t sure if we can spare another investment of such scale, ignoring other necessary projects and setting them aside. Yet, we all understand that safety is the most important element of living in a big city.”

“Too bad you can’t transport people yet,” Tina said, glancing up at Asterios. “I’m sure plenty of your followers would be happy to help.”

“We will definitely be focusing on that ability as much as we can,” Althea offered. “Perhaps we should begin soon.”

“Regarding the mentioned safety, we managed to secure a stable supply of high-quality gear, mostly weapons, from our allies in a different realm,” Asterios said. “Nothing as impressive as the masterful artifacts from our Spellsong friends, but there’s barely any metal as strong and sharp in our world as the one we have found. We are planning to bring the first batch in soon if that’s alright with everyone.”

“Every edge is a good edge.” Keenu showed them thumbs up. “We are already being showered with gifts since the day of your inauguration but it would be unwise to say no to any of them.”

“Perhaps it is time you allowed Father to get more involved in the matters of Glimmervale,” Silvia shared her opinion. “If the supposed dungeon appearance turns out to be true, the kingdom will benefit from it as well. We can make it work as a partnership relationship. The second wall will be finished much faster with his help.”

“It’s certainly something to consider.” Ulyssen stroked his chin. “So, I assume you heard the news?”

“As much as we could gather from the rumors and Guildmaster Suanori.” Asterios nodded. “Do you have anything more specific or fully confirmed?”

“Venuzathor concluded that it was a budding dungeon and we decided to trust in his judgment. Nothing is yet completely confirmed but we were waiting for your return to begin a more thorough investigation in case we triggered something bad again,” Keenu replied. “We can share the gathered reports with you so that you are up to speed with all the signs but you will most likely have to go there on your own too anyway.”

“But, as dangerous as it might sound, it’s not a pressing matter,” Ulyssen said. “You just returned and deserve some time to rest and regenerate. Even if an entrance appears right now, it’s not like monsters will begin spilling out of it to rush at the town. Hopefully.”

“Yeah. Fresh dungeons would rather choose to lure people in first,” Grea agreed. “But again, it wasn’t that long since we got rid of the circle so there still should be a lot of time before anything happens if we assume that night as the first day of the dungeon-forming process.”

“Unless something is fucked again.” Esotvi sighed.

“Alright. Let’s establish some semblance of a plan.” Tina clapped her hands to capture everyone’s attention. “We need to deal with new construction, a potential new dungeon, and new supplies for our troops. We’ve just recently made friends with the elves so I would suggest asking both Queen Civienne and King Welrond for assistance. Working together might be a good opportunity to bring the nations even closer. We can be the solidifying link in that scenario. Mostly Asterios.”

“I approve of this notion,” Althea said.

“Wow, that’s a good idea, Tina!” Miria giggled in glee. “We should again involve Miss Kindra! It will make everything smoother!”

Asterios snickered while shaking his head. Civienne hadn’t yet had the chance to experience his mother’s prowess. The famous Ice Queen versus the unyielding Merchant Queen. Who would come out on top of that confrontation?

“Perhaps we really should consider it.” Ulyssen looked thoughtful. “Everything seems to revolve around you, My Lord. It feels like investing in you is the correct step forward for this little town.”

“Just don’t forget where your loyalties lie when Glimmervale turns into the crown jewel of a budding empire!” Grea grinned devilishly, somehow managing to avoid mentioning anything about Dragons and a certain also budding Emperor.

“As for the dungeon, we will rest shortly and get right into it. The earlier, the better. Then we can sleep easy knowing that everyone’s homes aren’t in immediate danger,” Tina continued with a resolute expression. “The Royal Guard can now join the patrolling duty and watch the area from the sky. The newly assigned troops will be at the ready to jump in too. This will lessen the burden on our local wardens and sentries.”

“A good decision.” Keenu nodded. “With more and more people coming into the town, we need all hands on deck within the guards and watchmen. Venuzathor does scare away most criminals, but their flow into our Glimmervale is definitely higher than in the past. It’s just simple statistics. We can’t let any crime syndicates and underground circles develop under our noses.”

“Great. Then, finally, the new weapons and gear. We will naturally take care of that. I’m not sure how many will the first batch involve but we are planning to equip all of our forces with them. Perhaps we can also start thinking more about armor and presentation,” Tina mused.

“Are you planning to steal the deal Father made with Bryn’s people?” Silvia chuckled softly.

“There’s enough of us for everyone,” the Valkyrie laughed openly. “Our smiths enjoyed working on different designs than our usual stuff so I’m sure they will be thrilled to try themselves at something new once more. Perhaps something more unique if we provide them with materials from the Lizardkin.”

“Dragon scales! There have to be Dragon scales!” Miria hugged Ast’s arm while bouncing up and down. “And perhaps flames, or little Dragons, or wings!”

He smiled at her enthusiasm and scratched under her chin to calm his excited feline mate down a bit, causing her to purr lovingly.

“Does all of this sound fine? Or does anyone have anything to add?” Tina wrapped up her short summary, looking around for any input.

“The academy?” Selene reminded her.

“Right. But it looks like things are a bit busier than we expected.” Asterios scratched his head.

“Academy?” Ulyssen raised a brow at him.

“Many major or even some medium-sized cities or towns have one. It was just a loose idea while we’ve been talking with our friend who is an aspiring Knight that perhaps Glimmervale could prepare some ground for an interested institution. It’s a thought for the future, but the dungeon could spark some more attention our way. If it’s real,” Grea explained.

“We definitely have no space for it right now. But, as you said, it’s a decent thought for the future, after we solve our current issues. With the lack of builders being the worst one,” Keenu responded.

“We’ll see about that,” Tina interjected. “Anything else?”

The Committee members shook their heads while Asterios and the girls kept smiling at her warmly.

“Great. That leaves us with just one thing. Ast, would you mind?” She turned to him and he immediately understood her intentions.

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned the sealed parchment they had received from the Elf Queen. “We were told to open this with everyone here present. It was a challenge keeping Miria away from tearing its secrets out. Now, let’s see what exactly we have gotten ourselves into this time.”

He gently unsealed the rolled document and straightened out the neatly folded letter, giving it a quick glance. Noticing literally everyone starting to crowd around him with unbridled curiosity in their eyes, he chuckled and laid the paper down on the table for them all to see, leaning forward to read it properly.

“Okay, so, I can see a few crucial things in here, just as you do, most likely. First of all, we might have another building to be added into the queue considering the fact that the queen requests an official embassy for her representatives in our town. Unless we have any free mansions that can be repurposed for that,” Asterios began.

“Then, we have the Pledge of Friendship,” Tina continued. “With what I can remember from my political lessons, that means we have the privilege to seek help from the elves in all matters of things. And in case of military conflict or the need for martial assistance, they will immediately send reinforcements to take care of us like one of their own settlements. This is a pretty serious thing.”

“Cooperation within the Adventurer’s Guilds and the trade sectors has already been a thing, but she wants to make it completely official. The embassy should help with that. And it won’t be just the settlements close to the border this time. We are looking at a full-blown mercantile alliance,” he added. “Things are getting wild.”

“The rest seems to be just official talk and necessary pleasantries,” she finished. “Looks like Glimmervale is receiving a lot of status from a foreign nation. She isn’t hoping to assimilate us, right?”

“I don’t think the queen would want to jeopardize their relationship with our kingdom,” Silvia replied. “This might just be a genuine thank you for what happened.”

“And a solution for our little problem with working hands.” Grea grinned. “They’ll definitely send us some help as soon as we ask. As for the king? No way he isn’t going to try and match it. We are too precious to be seduced by the competition.”

“There’s so much happening…” Ulyssen shook his head and the other Committee members chuckled wryly. “We’ll need to write down an even more detailed schedule for everything or we’ll get lost within all of this.”

“We will leave you to your work, then. And to process everything. Meanwhile, we’ll pay a visit to the king and a few other people to see what we can do about these matters. Don’t forget to secure this document properly, lest it gets lost amongst all the other papers.” Asterios glanced over the white-cream mess scattered everywhere around. “But, I don’t think I have to remind you of such things. You are the experts here.”

After Ulyssen took the scroll, Esotvi showed them the notes she’d been preparing during the meeting and promised to share a copy with everyone at a later date. They switched to discussing some mundane topics related to the town and its management.

Asterios and the girls listened intently to the reports, learning how everything had developed during their absence. No one was surprised to hear just how much his mother’s businesses seemed to thrive. It turned out that even Tina’s mom started one in partnership with her and the two ladies were making a killing, both in terms of money and fame.

Then, they left the Committee to their daily responsibilities and finally retreated to the castle. Silvia went to meet with Camille, Grea rushed to check on her lab, Bryn slipped away into a portal to visit her home ARK, while the others accompanied Asterios to the dining hall to grab something to eat and rest up in their chambers.

Althea first received her own room, of course, and a quick tour of the castle, courtesy of Yumi, who was thrilled to learn that their new friend was another Dragon. Therefore, they left their cute elf maid in charge of making Althea comfortable while also giving her a chance to shower the Dragon lady with some curious questions.

In the end, Asterios knew that the chamber she had been assigned was only a temporary locum. Althea was closely connected with nature and he had no doubt that living inside cold stone walls wasn’t exactly the height of comfort for her. He and the girls remembered her cozy cottage and beautiful lair, wondering what they could do to make their new companion feel at home here.

It didn’t take long for the night to arrive and they retreated to bed. Asterios was joined by Miria, Selene, Tina, and Silvia. Bryn stayed back in her realm while Grea was already deep in her own world underneath them. If she wanted to spend the night with her nose in the books, no one was going to stop her.

The girls were actually glad they could snuggle with Asterios without their impish sister-mate trying to slyly trigger something more. Not that they disliked such notions, of course. Grea was just perpetually horny. Her other passion was the only thing that could overcome that mood.

In the morning, they all reunited for a light breakfast. Somehow, the topic of their young Knight friend came up again. After a brief discussion, Asterios agreed with his mates on offering Irelia one of the basic connections with him so that they could always be in touch with the little lady in case she required their assistance.

Tina volunteered to be the one to mention it to her since she’d planned to spend some time in the garrison anyway and no one objected. With the breakfast taken care of, Bryn returned home again, and Grea holed herself under the ground. The rest headed out to the capital to visit the king, taking Althea with them.

Asterios transferred the two of them through the shadows and they appeared in front of the castle this time as he wanted to show their draconic companion as many new sights as possible. It partially served as his prepayment for the lessons he was going to learn under her tutoring. He had no doubt they would make him into a much better Dragon than he was currently. Not to dismiss Venuzathor’s guidance from their past cooperation, of course.

Miria, Selene, and Silvia jumped right out of a shared gate and joined the duo. The sentries recognized their princess immediately and let them inside without a guide. The crimson-haired lady took that role herself, kindly chatting up Althea as they wandered through the hallways and corridors. They stopped briefly next to the training arena where she had first met Asterios and they reminisced about that fateful day, laughing together about the insanity of it.

Soon, they reached the meeting chamber where the king was waiting for them after receiving a word from Silvia about their arrival and stepped into the spacious, beautifully decorated chamber. A table set with drinks and snacks already awaited them, with Welrond casually chilling in a comfy chair behind it.

“Welcome, welcome! That includes the person I’m not yet familiar with, of course!” He chuckled deeply, gesturing at the sofa opposite him. “Please, sit down and let us enjoy your glorious return properly!”

They obliged and picked up gorgeous crystal goblets already filled with fragrant wine, following the king’s motion to raise them up in a toast. Everyone took a polite sip and placed the cups down as he sprawled all over his seat.

“So, the trip was an even bigger success than I could have ever dreamed. Getting rid of the core of those evil bastards? Amazing work,” the king began.

“It didn’t come without any losses.” Asterios directed a sad smile at Althea.

“My apologies. And sincere condolences. I should have known such victory couldn’t have come without a cost. Who did we lose in the fight against the cult?” Welrond assumed a more serious expression.

“Not exactly who, but what,” Althea answered. “My name is Althea and I was the queen’s teacher. My home was destroyed during the final fight, alongside the remnants of the Tree of Life, whose I have sworn to protect.”

“That’s really bad news. I can only imagine the pain. The entire realm is grateful for your sacrifice. Who knows what those freaks would have managed to do in the future if you didn’t stop them.” He sighed weakly.

“You knew about it?” Silvia raised a brow at him.

“We had reasons to believe that it wasn’t truly gone. But, as you can imagine, all the matters connected to it are considered the highest top secret. There wasn’t really any reason to bring it up with you, was it?” Welrond met his daughter’s gaze firmly.

“No, there wasn’t. The less people knew, the better,” she agreed.

“Thankfully, the Tree lives, though instead of inside its old bark, it now resides in Asterios. You can say that your lands are its new home,” Althea added.

“That’s… not something I ever expected to hear.” The king’s brows rose to his hairline. “Does that have any effect on its close vicinity? Is there anything we have to do to honor such a presence?”

~That little settlement you call Glimmervale will certainly see a slight increase in its yield for as long as I’m there.~ A feminine giggle echoed in their heads, making him flinch. ~And nothing would honor me more than your cooperation with the elves to make my new sanctum a safer place.~

“Was that…?” Welrond stared at Asterios wide-eyed.

He nodded. “It’s thanks to our connection. Tia, the entity known as the Tree of Life, is now part of it, alongside the queen, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Returning to the topic at hand, Glimmervale will need another wall much further in the land soon and we believe this can be an opportunity for us to work with the elves on it,” Silvia took over. “It’s mostly a matter of the workforce. The current contractors have a lot of other things to focus on after finishing the first wall.”

“I guess we should.” The king tapped his fingers on the table. “And have you checked the rumors?”

“Not yet,” Miria answered. “We just got back yesterday and Master deserves a moment of rest. Venuzathor isn’t rushing us so it should be alright to wait just a little before diving into that. He was going to start learning from Althea and there already is something that needs his attention. Can’t someone else take care of it for a moment?”

“If your summoned guardian says it’s fine for now, then I think it’s fine. You do have Tina’s squad and the men I transferred to Glimmervale to keep an eye on that anomaly, no?” Welrond asked.

“The rude ones?” Selene smirked.

He grinned back. “They can be a little… haughty. But, they are good soldiers. I’m sure you can handle them.”

“Our first impressions weren’t that great,” Asterios admitted. “I just hope they won’t end up as Dracodon snack after taking it a step too far. They seem to feel quite a bit insecure about a teenage girl joining our garrison to train and gain experience. Especially now that she downed their leader in a mock duel.”

“That’s perfect, then. You can use her to show them that it pays off more to be respectful and open-minded rather than self-centered and prideful. Give her a little bit of support so that she can match or even beat them in various exercises and they will start looking into themselves to find where the issue lies. I bet someone who caught your eye can’t be too unremarkable, am I right?” The king winked at him.

“Irelia certainly doesn’t lack talent and drive,” Silvia agreed. “It may work if it won’t turn into something unhealthy.”

“Then you have my permission to take care of them as you see fit.” He waved his hand at them. “It’s their last chance.”

“We can try, but we can’t make any promises,” Asterios said. “I brought her in to help her practice and not put her in an even more uncomfortable environment after what she had experienced during her exams.”

“I think we should speak with Irelia about it. Her knowing the entire thing wouldn’t hurt anyone. Who knows, maybe she would like to challenge them?” Miria shrugged.

“You do exactly that and I’ll get in touch with the Elf Queen. We can technically use the shared connection to speak, but maybe your shadowy friend would be willing to make it more realistic,” the king queried.

~Without a doubt,~ Umbra responded, showing up amongst the snacks and drinks.

“Perfect. We’ll be in touch, then.” Welrond stood up and bid them farewell to do exactly as he’d said.

As for Asterios and the girls, they jumped right back to Glimmervale. After checking on Imadil and Cynthia, they were heading out to the Lizardkin village. Having some sturdy weapons would be good in case their investigation of the supposed dungeon brought some unexpected change.