The shock that spread through the group after Elias revealed Vael’s undead nature lasted much longer than the silence that followed. Eyes shifted between the calm young lord and the quiet, armored assassin standing beside him.
Whispers started to rise, not loud, but enough to be noticed. People tried to keep their voices low, but the tension was clear.
At last, Kael broke the silence.
"Ah... I see. So that’s how it is."
He paused, his gaze landing on Vael’s shiny, well-maintained armor before turning back to Elias with a faint smile.
"Lord Elias... you must co from quite the background to have soone like him as your guard."
Elias raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why do you say that?"
Kael nodded slightly toward Vael. "His armor, his weapon... they’re all high-grade. That kind of equipnt doesn’t co cheap. And putting it on an undead? That’s not sothing just anyone can afford. A skilled blacksmith would charge a lot to enchant and forge gear like that. So... if even your servant is dressed like this..."
He didn’t finish the sentence, but the aning was clear.
Elias gave a small laugh, then smiled and nodded. "Ah, I understand now. So that’s what you’re thinking."
From the side, Veran leaned forward a little. "So then, Lord Elias... are you part of a noble house? Do you have powerful support behind you?"
Usually, when a new territory is discovered, one of the major powers sends soone to claim it. That’s why they thought Elias must be soone like that.
Elias didn’t answer right away.
Then suddenly, he threw back his head and laughed. It was a full, open laugh that echoed through the clearing, making several people turn to look.
"Haha... am I?" he said softly, almost to himself, once the laughter faded.
But he didn’t give a straight answer.
Instead, he turned his eyes to Kael and Veran, his gaze sharp.
"You two seem close," he said suddenly, changing the topic.
Kael’s smile tightened. Veran’s face froze for a second.
They both hid it quickly, but Elias saw the flicker of annoyance in their eyes at being brushed off.
Still, Kael answered smoothly, "Of course. Lord Veran and I have known each other for years. My group has protected his caravans many tis. We’ve faced danger together."
"Ah, those life-and-death monts," Elias said with a slow nod. "They really do bring people together."
He looked up thoughtfully, tilting his head slightly.
Then, with a faint smile, he added, "Death is strange, isn’t it? It cos without warning. One mont soone is here... and the next..."
He flicked his finger.
"...there’s only silence."
A heavy silence followed his words.
Then Elias laughed again. "Ah! Forgive . I tend to say weird things. Must be my terrible sense of humor."
Kael and Veran forced stiff smiles, but they felt a chill inside.
That didn’t sound like a joke.
Veran’s jaw tightened.
’This brat... he’s threatening us.’
Still smiling lightly, Elias stood up. "Anyway, I’ve stayed long enough. I’ll leave you to it. I hope you all keep settling in well."
Kael and Veran both stood halfway and gave polite nods.
Elias turned to go, and Vael silently followed behind him.
As soon as they were out of sight, Veran’s smile dropped.
"Tch. That arrogant brat."
"Do you think he knows?" he asked in a low voice.
Kael’s expression darkened, his brows drawing together. "I’m not sure. But I don’t like this one bit."
He was quiet for a while, then said, "Still... if he does know, and he hasn’t done anything yet... there are only three possible reasons."
Veran turned to him quickly.
"One—he’s not sure he can win. Two—he knows and doesn’t care. Three—we’re overthinking it, and he doesn’t know anything at all."
Veran’s eyes narrowed. "We can’t take the risk. If he even suspects—"
"I know," Kael cut in quickly. "We’ll have to deal with him eventually. But not now. Let’s recover first."
Veran gave a short nod.
Kael didn’t say anything else.
He was already thinking of what to do next.
---
anwhile...
Elias’s expression darkened the mont he turned his back on the two.
"...Just as I thought," he muttered under his breath.
Behind him, Vael gave a small nod. "What now, Master?"
"For now, we watch," Elias replied calmly. "We can’t afford to let our guard down. Not while those two are still planning sothing."
They continued up the stairs to the upper floor.
When they reached the landing, Elias gave a signal. "No one cos up here unless I say so. You’re in charge of guarding this floor."
Vael nodded firmly. "Understood, Master."
Elias stepped into his room and shut the door quietly. Vael imdiately took his post outside.
---
The rest of the day passed quickly.
Outside, the survivors stayed busy. So set up their tents nearby, while others moved into the lower floor of the structure, relieved to finally have solid walls around them.
As for Elias... he didn’t co out at all. He stayed in his room the entire day.
---
Morning ca.
Sunlight slipped through the windows as Elias slowly stirred.
"[Good morning, Master~]" Alia’s cheerful voice chid in his mind.
Elias smiled faintly, still not opening his eyes. "Morning, Alia."
From below, he could already hear movent—soft footsteps and quiet voices.
The camp was awake.
"[I’ve delivered your daily report~]"
A stream of information flowed into his mind.
After scanning through it, Elias got up and dressed. When he opened the door, Vael was already standing at attention.
"Good morning, Master," Vael greeted.
Elias gave a slight nod. "Hmm."
He walked downstairs, Vael following silently behind him.
As soon as they stepped outside, several survivors stood up quickly.
"Lord Elias! Did you sleep well?"
"Hope you had a good rest, my lord!"
Elias gave a warm smile. "Thank you. I slept very well. And you? Are you all recovering?"
"Yes, Lord Elias!" they replied in unison.
He gave a small nod and another gentle smile. "I’m glad to hear that."
His eyes moved across the camp, scanning carefully.
"Where are Kael and Veran?"
Before anyone could answer, a voice spoke from behind him.
"We’re here, Lord Elias."
Elias turned around.
Kael and Veran walked toward him from the side of the building.
Kael was no longer in armor—just a plain tunic and simple pants.
Veran, on the other hand, looked much neater than yesterday. He wore a fine blue robe decorated with gold patterns. His golden hair was tied back, and his posture was as elegant as ever.
They stopped in front of Elias and gave small respectful bows.
"Hope you rested well, Lord Elias," Kael said.
"I did," Elias replied. "How are your injuries?"
"Much better," Kael answered. "Thanks to your kindness."
"There’s no need to thank ," Elias said with a soft smile. "But now that you’re both feeling better... there’s sothing I’ve been wanting to ask."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What is it?"
Elias gestured around them. "You may have noticed... this territory has no natural water source. I’ve been thinking about how to solve that problem. How have your people been getting water?"
Kael smiled easily. "Ah, no need to worry, Lord Elias. We always co prepared. Every caravan we send out includes a water mage to keep the supply steady."
He continued, "Fortunately, our water mage survived the attack. He’s already able to start providing water again—for everyone."
Elias’s smile widened slightly. "How convenient."
With that settled, they could now focus on building proper accommodations.
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