Chapter 153: Ch 153: An Offer to not Refuse – Part 3
“Bruce, keep the training schedule tight. Increase physical endurance drills by twenty percent. Focus on the new recruits.”
Kyle said without turning around.
Bruce nodded imdiately.
“Understood.”
“lissa, I want you to start preparing supply lists. We’ll need rations, spare weapons, and ergency dicines ready to move on short notice.”
Kyle continued.
“Yes, young master!”
lissa answered, her voice steady now.
Kyle finally turned back to them. His sharp eyes glead with cold fire.
“We’ll be ready when the ti cos. And when it does…”
He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to.
Bruce grinned. lissa stood straighter.
Queen let out a low, approving cry from the rooftop.
Kyle Armstrong wasn’t going to just survive Lady Rose’s little trap. He was going to turn it into the first stone on his path to sothing far greater.
And this ti, no one would be able to stop him.
______
Lady Rose humd to herself as she boarded her horse.
She looked back once at the village, her nose wrinkling in disgust at the sight of the half-built hos and muddy roads.
With a sharp tug on the reins, she turned her horse and headed off without another word.
Her small escort followed behind her.
One of her guards, an older man with sharp eyes, rode up beside her. His face was tight with worry.
“My lady, are you sure about this? Trusting that boy, Kyle Armstrong… it feels wrong. I don’t get a good feeling from him.”
He said cautiously.
Lady Rose let out a soft laugh, tossing her hair back over her shoulder.
“It’s fine. I know boys like him. Give them a little taste of power, and they’ll co crawling back for more. It’s just human nature.”
She said airily.
The guard frowned but did not drop the topic.
“But why would he co to you, my lady? If he really wanted power, wouldn’t it be smarter for him to go to the Grand Duchess? She’s already so much stronger, more established.”
Lady Rose gave a loud ‘tsk’ and shook her head, clearly annoyed.
“You don’t see the vision. If the Grand Duchess really cared about him, he wouldn’t be out here in the mud, building shacks and hiring rcenaries. He would be at her side, leading armies. It’s obvious he has been abandoned.
She said.
The guard opened his mouth, wanting to argue.
In his gut, he felt Kyle Armstrong wasn’t soone who had been discarded.
There had been a sharpness in the young man’s eyes—a calm strength that didn’t belong to soone who was desperate or powerless.
But he knew better than to argue with Lady Rose when she was like this.
He simply nodded and fell back into line.
Lady Rose smirked to herself and kicked her horse into a faster pace, already thinking about how Kyle would one day co begging at her feet.
______
anwhile, back at the village, Kyle stood near the center of the growing construction zone, watching his people work.
The clang of hamrs and the steady thud of boots filled the air.
Farrs trained with wooden spears under the watchful eyes of Bruce and the rcenary elites.
The training wasn’t pretty yet, but it was happening. Bit by bit, the village was starting to look like a real settlent.
Queen perched on the roof of a half-finished watchtower, its sharp eyes scanning the horizon.
Kyle crossed his arms, his expression calm but thoughtful.
Everything was moving forward. Supplies had co in steadily thanks to his letters to the Duke and Margrave Ricca.
The villagers were eating better.
Spirits were high. And with the rcenaries training alongside them, even the weakest farrs were gaining confidence.
But Kyle knew better than to relax.
This was just the beginning.
He could already feel it—trouble would co sooner or later.
Bandits were easy. Wild beasts were manageable. But human greed and ambition were much harder to prepare for.
Kyle’s eyes drifted over the makeshift wooden fences that marked the village boundary. It was good enough for now. But it wouldn’t be enough forever.
They needed real defenses.
A strong outer wall, a guard rotation, ergency escape plans. And most importantly—a protective barrier.
Without one, the village would never be truly safe.
Kyle tapped his fingers against his arm slowly, thinking. Barriers weren’t cheap.
They needed special materials, runic stones, and a skilled mage to anchor it all. It would take ti and money—both of which were in short supply right now.
But it was necessary.
He would find a way to make it happen.
Kyle turned his head slightly as Bruce approached him, wiping sweat from his forehead.
“Training’s going smoothly, young master. The rcenaries are tough on the farrs, but they’re not cruel. Should see real improvent in another week.”
Bruce reported.
Kyle nodded.
“Good. Keep pushing them. And start grouping them into smaller squads.”
“Understood.”
Bruce said, grinning.
lissa hurried over next, holding a clipboard in her hands.
“We have enough food to last another three weeks at the current pace. But if we grow any larger, we’ll need another supply shipnt.”
She said quickly.
Kyle glanced at her and gave a small nod.
“Start rationing slightly. I’ll look for a way to earn more food tomorrow.”
______
Kyle decided it was ti to explore the land a little more.
This area was rich in mana, and he had a gut feeling that it was hiding sothing valuable. If he could find sothing rare, he could trade it for more food and supplies for the village.
Queen flew overhead, circling lazily as Kyle moved through the hills.
He didn’t take anyone with him. This was sothing he needed to do alone.
After a few hours of walking, Kyle’s instincts pulled him toward a narrow rift between two large hills.
The space was tight and overgrown, but sothing about it called to him. Carefully, he made his way through the thick brush and followed the winding path deeper into the rift.
That was when he saw it.
Hidden at the base of the hills was a cave entrance. It was small and covered in moss, almost invisible if soone wasn’t looking carefully.
Kyle crouched in front of it, feeling the flow of mana leaking from inside.
Without hesitation, he stepped into the darkness.
The mont he entered, it felt like he had stepped into another world.
Inside, the cave walls shimred faintly, covered in crystal-like rocks that pulsed with mana.
The air was thick with energy, almost humming against his skin. Kyle’s eyes widened slightly. This was far more than he had hoped for.
He walked deeper, studying the crystals. Each one seed to be filled with condensed mana, pure and strong.
These crystals would be worth a fortune if he could harvest them properly. With these, he could buy everything the village needed and more.
Kyle smiled faintly.
Jackpot.
He reached out carefully toward one of the glowing crystals, his fingers brushing the surface.
The mont he touched it, the cave trembled.
Kyle froze.
A deep rumble echoed through the cave, and cracks spiderwebbed across the walls.
From deeper within the cave, sothing massive stirred.
The ground shook under Kyle’s feet.
And then he saw it.
A snake-shaped monster, almost blending into the rocky walls, slithered out from the depths.
Its body was thick, covered in tough, stone-like scales. Its yellow eyes locked onto Kyle with a deadly gleam.
Kyle stepped back slowly, his mind already racing.
The crystals weren’t just here by chance.
They were protected.
Queen screeched sharply from outside the cave, sensing the danger.
Kyle’s hand slid to the sword at his waist. His face stayed calm, even as the massive creature hissed and started moving toward him.
This wasn’t a simple find anymore.
It was a battle.
And Kyle was ready for it.
The snake dove for where he stood, but Kyle was able to deflect it’s attack rather easily.
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