By the end of that day, Juwaira had gained twenty-four years' worth of pol. She could hardly contain her joy.

Abdin decided it was the best time to approach her with his request.

"I want you to accompany me somewhere."

The young woman frowned slightly in confusion.

He smiled as if emphasizing it wasn't a big deal. "Do you remember what we discussed about the castle's expansion? It is almost time. There are three villages and two towns sitting in our way. I want you to accompany me there."

"Why...? What are we doing there?" She gave him a questioning look.

"You like asking the obvious," Abdin replied. He stood up and walked towards the door, while Juwaira stayed there frowning.

Since the time they discussed the castle's expansion, Juwaira had been wondering how it would unfold.

If nothing else, there were buildings and mountains on their path, one of them must leave the path for the other. Would they evacuate the people and level the mountains? But how?

She slept off there with her mind full of thoughts. The next morning, Abdin came and took her to see their prisoner from yesterday.

The young master, Tairen, was sitting cross-legged and his eyes shut. He opened his eyes at their arrival and looked up at Abdin.

"Are you going to do what I asked?" Abdin asked.

The young man squeezed his eyes shut and then reopened them on Abdin before turning to the other person. His movements seemed awkward. It was apparent he'd been trying to act calm, but he was doing a terrible job at it.

"Do you come along with the hangman in case I disagree?" He asked, confusing the princess as a man. Juwaira had covered her face and chest and was wearing her men's garments. Tairen didn't recognize her as a woman. "Your conditions are not too difficult, so I agree."

He brought out the scroll left to him the day before by Abdin and dropped some blood at the center. The blood steamed and burned off, while the young man's body glowed for some time before it returned to normal. He had taken a pol oath.

"That's a wise decision. Let's go then." Abdin said. He turned towards the door, the young man at his heel, while Juwaira brought up the rear.

They met Denyanu waiting by the castle gate with four mounts. Abdin had told the old man about the journey last night, and they had discussed extensively who would take charge of the castle in their absence.

Juwaira didn't know that, so she was naturally surprised when she saw the elderly man there.

Denyanu greeted her and Abdin. He then turned to give Tairen a 'don't-dare-do-anything-foolish' look. Tairen sneered and ignored the old man.

Denyanu brought the horses forward. Three of them were stallions while the last was a mule.

"This is your horse, captive." The old man said releasing the reins to Tairen. The young master clenched his jaw. He could see fresh horses not too far from where he stood, yet he was offered a mule. "You could walk if you don't like it." Denyanu shrugged.

Tairen looked helplessly at Abdin seeking his intervention, but Abdin turned to Juwaira and began chatting. The young man was forced to take the mule's reins.

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Denyanu tied the horses with a rope and gave it to him, and his eyes stayed on the young man as he ordered him to help the horses down the wall.

After the horses, Abdin held the rope while Juwaira scaled down the wall, and Denyanu held it as Abdin climbed down. Tairen was the last and so he held it when it was Denyanu's turn.

All the while, the elderly man kept staring at him, willing him to let go if he dared.

Tairen could only clench his jaw recalling the pol oath he took just moments ago. Only that kept him from letting go of the tiresome old man.

He dropped the old man gently. And then it was his turn.

"Jump over," Denyanu suggested. The old man felt that since there was no one to hold the rope, Tairen should jump down even at the risk of perishing.

Tairen hadn't attained core formation yet, and he was certain to have fractures if he jumped over.

"Don't worry, I shall catch you," Abdin said, waving his hand.

Tairen glared at him. He wasn't a kid to be held.

"If you don't believe the commander, then I shall be the one to catch you," Denyanu said.

Tairen muttered something under his breath but then remembered his oath and didn't dare say it out loud.

As he stood there, he felt someone push him from behind. He suddenly lost his footing and plummeted down the wall. Abdin moved in just in time to catch him before he hit the ground.

"See, I told you I will catch you." Abdin laughed as he placed him down. The young man was red with anger and when he looked up, a stout woman waved at him. She was the one who pushed him. Someday he would pay them all back.

Nobody cared about his feelings.

They mounted their horses, and Tairen his mule and rode towards the forest.

Abdin didn't explain things to them until they were far away from the castle and into the hills.

"I want your opinions," he finally said. "How do you think we should drive the people of Nanila and Wuran out? Young Tairen has an idea on how to drive out the villagers of Duna, Sulta, and Hiyan."

Denyanu and Juwaira turned to look at Tairen. The young man opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it when his eyes met Abdin's. "I never said that."

Juwaira leaned in close to Abdin and whispered.

Abdin glanced at her before he chuckled.

"Why would we drive away people from their homes? What do we stand to gain from that? The answer is simple. My castle is going to expand in the next two months, and it is going to swallow these two towns and three villages, along with the villagers if they stay. We must rescue them. That's why."

"Only two months?" Juwaira asked. Telling people who had stayed all their lives in their homes to suddenly leave wasn't something easy to accomplish, and in two months no less.

"Two months." Abdin nodded. The castle wouldn't expand in a year if he didn't cultivate to 250 years. But this would be the first expansion and Abdin had no intention of waiting for more than two months.

"I get it," Tairen said. "And I shall go and try evacuating them away as soon as possible, just as I promised."

And before anyone could reply, Tairen tried to gallop away on his mule. Denyanu quickly blocked his way.

"Why the hurry, captive?"

Tairen furrowed his brows. "Didn't you hear what the Commander just said? We need to protect the lives of the villagers, quick."

Denyanu smiled. "Or you need to escape, quick. And probably report to Will of San what is at stake. Do you think we don't have any functioning brains just like you?"

Tairen gritted his teeth and flung a scroll he just produced at Denyanu. "Here, read it. I swore with my core, anything I do to harm the castle would backfire on me."

"Haha..." Denyanu laughed and let the scroll fly past him. "Just stop it. Do you think I would let you go because of a mere scroll?"

Tairen released the reins and tried to pass around Denyanu, but the old man blocked the path before he could move. He moved to the other side, but Denyanu blocked it again.

"Do you want to die?" Denyanu asked.

Tairen clenched his jaw. His cultivation base was still weak from Abdin's last attack, and Abdin and Juwaira were watching by the side. And there was the oath he took.

Abdin sighed and walked forward to stand in front of the two.

Tairen lowered his head to avoid looking at him, which attracted a sneer from Denyanu.

"Tairen has promised with his core. I am sure he won't betray us, so you can let him go."

"Commander!" Denyanu couldn't believe his ears.

Even Tairen stared wide-eyed at Abdin. Abdin waved them off before he returned to Juwaira.

Denyanu was forced to allow Tairen to pass, and he couldn't stop staring at Abdin until the young man was out of sight.

Juwaira didn't speak. Unlike Denyanu, she understood that Abdin was up to something, and he mightn't explain even if she asked. So she reserved her comment for later.