Chapter 118 - 117: Curiosity in the Glade

Chapter 118: Chapter 117: Curiosity in the Glade Goblin Village - Two days after the arrival of the Elves The days passed uneventfully, at least on the surface. The elves now occupied a secluded section of the village, cordoned off by wooden stakes and a clearly drawn boundary. No one was allowed to enter, and no one tried. Whatever they were doing inside remained a mystery, and the rest of the village wisely chose not to pry. Only Jen and Celine were allowed beyond that invisible threshold. They had been the ones who accompanied Sylra during her months she stayed here, and now continued to visit the secluded glade where the elves had made their temporary camp. Lumberling often asked them what the elves were doing, but answers were vague. "Just... tending to their own things," Jen would say. Celine would simply shrug. Whether they were hiding something or truly didn’t know, he couldn’t tell. He stood outside his cabin one afternoon, watching a pair of kobolds haul stones toward the forge. ’They’re powerful,’ he thought, gaze drifting toward the elf territory. ’Too powerful. If they wanted to, they could level this village in a day.’ The thought unsettled him, but there was nothing he could do. He had taken them in. More accurately, they had chosen to stay. He could only hope Sylra’s presence meant they didn’t intend harm. To reduce the tension and fear around, he ordered the villagers to continue as usual. Farming, training, building, the rhythm of daily life continued without pause. ..... Goblin Training Grounds - Morning The soft hum of morning meditation filled the air, broken only by the rustle of leaves and the distant hammering from the forge. Lumberling sat cross-legged on a mat, eyes closed, breath calm and even. Around him, kobolds, goblins, even Grokk, all meditated in a wide circle. It was silent, disciplined. Until a voice rang out, sharp, curious, soft, beautiful, and unapologetically loud. "What are you all doing? Why so silent here? Are you guys sleeping?" The serene atmosphere shattered like glass. Several goblins yelped and scrambled to their feet, startled when they saw who it was. A kobold nearly tripped over himself backing away. Only Grokk cracked one eye open, grunted, and closed it again. Lumberling opened his eyes and turned. Standing at the edge of the field was the blonde-haired elf, Aurelya, if he recalled correctly, that was what they called her, her arms crossed and head tilted as she examined them with curiosity. "We are not sleeping," Lumberling replied calmly. "It’s a training technique. It helps strengthen the mind." Aurelya frowned. "Strengthen the mind? How?" Her eyes narrowed. "I don’t sense any mana, no energy, no aura." Suspicion crept into her voice. "Are you lying to me?" He sighed. "Aurelya, right? Not all training involves visible energy. This is meditation. It’s intangible, meant to build awareness and discipline." He gestured to the ground beside him. "You can try it yourself if you don’t believe me." She looked at him skeptically for a long moment. Then, to his surprise, she walked over and plopped herself down across from him. "Alright. Teach me," she demanded. ..... Lumberling guided her through the fundamentals: posture, breath control, the stilling of the mind. At first, she fidgeted, wriggling in place and cracking one eye open every few seconds. "Like this?" she kept asking, her voice breaking the silence. But gradually, her breathing steadied. Her body quieted. Stillness took hold. Lumberling watched her, eyes closed now, her face serene, lost in the depth of meditation. ’Elves really are as beautiful as the stories say,’ he mused. ’And she picked this up so quickly... Is this some kind of mage’s gift?’ Thirty minutes passed in silence. When Aurelya finally opened her eyes, there was a quiet, thoughtful look in them. "That... was strange," she murmured. "I didn’t feel any power. But my thoughts, they stopped yelling over each other. Everything felt... quiet." Lumberling lifted a brow. "Not bad for a first try. You picked it up quicker than most. You’ve got a knack for this." She gave him a sideways glance. "Where’d you learn it?" "I developed it," he said without hesitation, though it was something he’d brought from another world. "You’re really something else." Her voice had a wry edge. "I thought only knights and muscleheads roamed these parts." Lumberling opened one eye with a smirk. "We are muscleheads. Just smarter ones. Scary, I know." Then he closed his eyes again and let the silence take him. Aurelya let out a short snort, dusting off her clothes as she rose. "Fine then. I’d better head back. Lady Vaenyra will scold me again if I vanish too long." As her footsteps faded into the distance, Lumberling cracked one eye open, watching her disappear between the trees. ’At least she’s curious,’ he thought. ’That’s better than being hostile.’ ..... Elf Encampment - Later that Day The gentle murmur of a nearby stream played beneath the rustle of leaves as the elves gathered around a shallow stone basin, nibbling on berries and flatbread. Laughter was sparse, conversation quieter still. Aurelya burst through the foliage and threw herself onto the grass with dramatic flair. "Lady Vaenyra, you won’t believe what I just discovered." Vaenyra glanced up from her place beneath the willow tree. Her face remained composed, cool, regal, unreadable. Sylra sat beside her in silence. Though some of Vaenyra’s fury had dulled since finding her lost friend, thanks in part to Jen and Celine’s stories, there was still a glint of storm beneath the surface. A hunger for retribution. She was only waiting. Waiting for the human’s subordinates to return, so they could strike back, so she could make the Earl pay. Aurelya’s grin shattered Vaenyra’s silent brooding. "You’ll love this, I joined those goblin creatures in one of their ’trainings.’ Meditation, they call it. No aura, no movement, nothing flashy. Just stillness. And yet... it was oddly effective. Cleared my head like a summer breeze. For mages like us? It’s perfect. Though I’ve no idea where that strange man learned it." Vaenyra arched an elegant brow. "Mental clarity through stillness? That sounds like the silent rituals they once taught at the elven academies. Forgotten by most." Her voice was low, skeptical. "And yet..." A rustle in the leaves signaled the arrival of another. Thessalia, Vaenyra’s third and most trusted shadow, stepped forward, green-haired, poised, every movement quiet and precise. "I’ve seen more than just their training," she said, her tone edged with curiosity. "This village... it’s unlike any monster den I’ve encountered. There’s order here. Irrigation channels. Houses with real foundations. Smithing. Farming. Even a school, monsters teaching their young how to read." Aurelya nodded, more serious now. "And their steward, a goblin named Krivex. He’s sharp. Like the steward of a noble’s estate. These creatures... they’re nothing like the frenzied hordes we were taught to fear." Vaenyra’s gaze darkened, eyes narrowing to slits as if trying to pierce the veil behind it all. "Goblins building schools... kobolds laying roads... monsters meditating..." She let out a breath like a whispered curse. "This village isn’t just unusual, it’s a mystery wrapped in defiance. Something...or someone is guiding them." Her gaze drifted past the trees, toward the rhythmic clang of drills and hammering iron echoing in the distance. This place defies everything. But perhaps it isn’t wrong. A flicker of curiosity stirred within her, about the one who had built all this. Then, unbidden, the image of the man returned to her mind. The way he had stood before her, calm, unwavering, despite the chasm in their power. He did not flinch, did not grovel. He faced her with steady eyes and made decisions not out of pride, but to protect those under him. She had met many men before, loud, boastful, eager to impress. They bent around her, paraded their titles, begged her favor. But him... he asked for nothing. Celine had spoken of the battle against the Earl’s army, of how he and his people survived the siege, even stood against a True Knight named Jason. And Jen... sweet Jen once told her: "My brother said he had saved Sylra simply because he wanted to. Though he called it a rash decision, made in the heat of the moment, he never abandoned it. He owned it fully, with the steadiness of someone who knew the cost." Vaenyra said nothing more. Her gaze returned to the basin, the flickering water catching the sun like fragments of thought. The silence returned, but it was no longer cold. Only... contemplative.