The room's temperature seemed to drop instantly, the once lively atmosphere thickening as if the air itself had turned to ice.

Conversations died, replaced by a chilling silence that seeped into the bones of everyone present. Claire, standing next to Francis, visibly tensed, her cheeks flushing crimson. Her hands gripped the edges of her apron, eyes cast downward, too embarrassed to speak.

All eyes were locked on Kai and the village chief Kaelan who spoke too soon. The man's snide remark about Claire hung in the air like poison, but before anyone could react further, a pulse of mana erupted from Kai.

The wave hit the room like a hammer, the pressure so intense it caused Kaelan to stumble backwards. His chair scraped loudly against the floor as he tumbled over, his face draining of colour. He stared up at Kai, eyes wide, mouth agape as if seeing the very moment of his demise unfold before him.

Kai’s black eyes burned with fury, but only for a moment. He couldn’t let himself lose his cool like this. It wasn’t fair to anyone.

He breathed deeply, pulling the mana back into his core, and the suffocating pressure in the room instantly lessened. Kaelan slumped into his chair, breathing hard, his hands trembling at his sides.

Kai's glare shifted to the rest of the room, scanning their faces, then back to Kaelan.

"Claire isn’t 'just' a mere maid. She’s been vital to this entire castle, helping behind the scenes during the beast wave. While others fought on the front lines, she worked tirelessly in the background, ensuring supplies were managed, and that people had food and shelter. Tell me," his gaze swept the room, daring anyone to object, "can anyone here claim to have done better?"

Claire’s blush deepened, her shoulders shrinking inward as Kai listed her achievements. He knew that she had never sought recognition for her work, let alone in a room full of village leaders, but now it was as though the spotlight had fallen directly on her.

"And if we’re talking about education, Claire is proof of why it's necessary. From a simple maid who could barely read, she pushed herself, learned, and improved. Now, she can read and write better than many of you. In fact, I doubt anyone in this room could do a better job at what she’s been doing."

Several heads turned to glance at Claire, whispers passing between them.

Kai straightened, crossing his arms as his gaze swept over the room once more. "As for the church," he said, voice steady. "I will handle it myself. I’ve already arranged a meeting with the head priest. That issue will be taken care of. You don’t need to concern yourselves with it." His gaze settled back on Kaelan. "Is that clear?"

Kaelan nodded weakly, the fire in his earlier remark completely extinguished.

Manu immediately moved from his seat to help the village chief back into his seat, and slowly, the tension in the room began to ease. Conversations cautiously restarted, though much quieter than before.

Kai exhaled slowly, his earlier outburst still fresh in his mind. Did he regret it? Not even a little. But he could feel the trace of his mana in the air, stronger than the usual amount that lingered.

He sighed again, feeling a twinge of annoyance at himself. It wasn’t just about power, or even pride— it was something deeper. He hated seeing anyone who had stood by him being belittled and dismissed. Claire had proven her worth time and time again, and the thought of someone looking down on her for her past, for her station, ignited a quiet fury inside him.

With a shake of his head, Kai cleared his thoughts. There were more pressing matters at hand. He returned his focus to the meeting, where the discussion had already shifted back to more mundane topics.

The meeting dragged on, touching on a wide range of issues. The beast wave had left scars on the territory, and the rebuilding process was not something that could be rushed. The conversation naturally flowed into the developmental plans for Verdis, the new city that had recently been added to his domain.

Kai leaned back slightly, listening as Francis and the others debated the logistics of integrating Verdis into the existing road network. There were too many unknowns right now— no one had had a chance to properly scout the lands that came with it. Still, they laid down the foundation of a plan, deciding to include the new territories once they had a better understanding of the land’s geography.

The planning took longer than expected. Discussions shifted from broad strokes to minute details, and every aspect of the reconstruction and development process was picked apart.

Francis had already counted out estimates for the cost of labour, materials, and transportation. His numbers were sound, but the sheer scope of what they were undertaking was daunting. Almost half the day passed, the hours bleeding together as they went over everything from the smallest details of resource management to the cost of fortifications.

"Materials are the biggest hurdle," Francis said, glancing at the stacks of parchment in front of him. "But with Malden’s connections, we’ll be able to secure a good amount." He tapped a finger on a ledger, thoughtfully. “He also agreed to approach other merchant houses. They’re interested in passing through Veralt— or possibly even setting up an office here— if we can guarantee he’ll be the prime merchant for the lord."

Kai nodded, though the thought of managing trade contracts on top of everything else felt like another layer of responsibility added to the already teetering pile. Still, it was a necessary step, one that could secure Veralt as a key trade hub for the region.

By the time the meeting came to a close, the fatigue was palpable. Several of the attendees exchanged tired nods, ready to return to their duties with fresh tasks in hand. Kai stood from his seat, stretching his shoulders as he prepared to dismiss them.

"That covers most of the major points," he said, his voice calm but authoritative. "I want everyone to get started on their respective tasks immediately. There’s no time to waste."

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The room stirred as people began to gather their things, preparing to leave. "Francis, Killian, Balen," Kai called out before they could follow the others. "Stay behind. There’s one more thing we need to discuss." His tone was serious, enough to make the trio pause and exchange wary glances.

Once the room had emptied and the door was shut, Kai turned back to them.

"This concerns the mana cannons."

Holding back the beast wave had been nothing short of miraculous, and by now, word of it had spread across the kingdom like wildfire. Everyone from commoners to nobles was trying to uncover the details of how Veralt had managed to survive when other regions had fallen. The rumours ranged from whispers of divine intervention to more practical theories. The truth, though, was more complex, and Kai knew it.

Orion’s potions, Syphon stones, and enchantments had played a pivotal role, and, of course, the Enforcers were key to their defence. But most people had no idea how much more effective the potions were compared to the standard ones, or how readily available the Syphon stones had become thanks to careful gathering operations. Kai was confident that other regions would eventually try to replicate these innovations, though none could quite match the quality without access to his knowledge.

Then there were the enchantments on the walls— another factor he suspected would be difficult for outsiders to reproduce. The runes inscribed by his skilled hand combined with his own adjustments, had made the fortress far more durable. But wall enchantments were, in the end, out in the open. News of those enhancements would spread, and it would take little time for any copycat attempts to materialise, just with lesser quality.

As for the Enforcers, they needed to be hidden better for now.

Their prowess in battle had become the stuff of legends, the force behind Veralt's defence against the beast wave. It was an open secret in the city that the special forces were as strong as Mages, but their abilities could be explained by the artefacts they wielded. All the Mages from Archine Tower were already monitored and even the mercenaries were warned of spreading rumours.

He knew he wouldn't be able to hide them for eternity, but till they were contained to Veralt, he could always prop up excuses about them.

But the mana cannons… the mana cannons were the main problem.

His thoughts narrowed in on them. The mana cannons were already making waves across the kingdom. No amount of secrecy could hide their presence once they had been deployed in battle.

Word of their devastating power had spread faster than he anticipated, and now, with his new title of count and the ceremony drawing nobles from across the land to Veralt, it was only a matter of time before they came knocking.

They would want the cannons. No, more than that— they would demand them. And if they couldn’t buy them outright, they would try to use their influence, or worse, the kingdom itself, to wrest the technology from him. Something like the mana cannon had the potential to change warfare completely, levelling the playing field in ways that even the most powerful noble houses couldn’t ignore.

Kai had spent sleepless nights during his recovery thinking about how to deal with it. The nobles were always hungry for power, and this new weapon was like blood in the water.

Francis had voiced his concerns repeatedly, Balen too. They had already received more than a dozen letters, thinly veiled inquiries about the possibility of purchasing the cannons or their designs.

Every noble who had heard about Veralt’s survival wanted a piece of the technology. But it wasn’t just the nobles who were interested— the Archine Tower was watching too since the cannons were a direct challenge to their hegemony.

More and more, Kai had begun to feel like it would be impossible to keep the mana cannons out of the hands of these preying factions. He could refuse to sell them, of course, but that wouldn’t stop them. They would find other ways, through diplomacy or coercion, to acquire the technology. And if that didn’t work, they’d appeal to the kingdom itself, arguing that something as game-changing as the mana cannon shouldn’t belong to a single individual— count or not.

That left him with only one option: find a solution before the pressure became too great. And after nights of thinking, he came to a solution.

"I know you’re both concerned, but I have the answer for dealing with the preying nobles," Kai said. “If we can’t keep the mana cannons to ourselves, then we just have to start selling them.”

The statement hung in the air like a sudden shift in the wind, drawing puzzled looks from the three men in the room. Balen grunted and Francis scratched his chin, his brow furrowed in confusion. He exchanged a quick glance with Killian before all of them turned back to Kai with expressions of concern.

“My lord,” Francis spoke first, the hesitation clear in his tone. “What are you saying? Won’t that just remove a significant advantage we have? The mana cannons are one of the reasons we held off the beast wave in the first place.”

“I don’t plan on doing anything stupid, Francis. Of course, we won’t be selling the mana cannons we used in battle. What we’ll offer is a regressed version— one that can only fire beams equivalent to a second-circle spell.”

He watched the confusion slowly shift to understanding, though there was still apprehension in their eyes. Balen, leaning forward slightly, spoke next. “And if they ask for more, what do we say?”

“We tell them the rumours were exaggerated,” Kai said, the hint of a smile on his lips. “Let them believe they’re getting the best we have. In reality, they’ll be paying a premium for something far weaker than the true cannons.”

Francis rubbed the back of his neck, his brow still creased with concern. “But... won’t they try to open them up and copy the design? We’re not the only ones with skilled personnel or access to resources. If they figure it out, it could spell trouble.”

Kai’s eyes gleamed with a calculating edge. “That’s why I’ll personally inscribe the failsafe enchantments. If anyone tries to tamper with the cannons or tries to dissect the mechanism, it’ll trigger an explosion. Nothing left but scrap metal and ashes.”

Killian’s expression shifted, and he nodded.

“We’ll send a written guide with every purchase,” Kai continued. “List down how they work and give out warnings for anyone who tries to open them up.”

“It could work,” Balen admitted. “But won’t they try to erase the enchantment first? Or have someone in the tower or a skilled artificer remove it?”

Kai’s lips curled into a confident smile. “I’ll handle that too. The failsafe enchantment will be internal, woven deep into the cannon’s structure. They won’t be able to see it, let alone erase it.”

It was a clever plan, to outwit the greedy nobles and powerful factions by offering them something that appeared valuable but was, in reality, tightly controlled. However, the concern of how these weapons could still be used against them lingered.

“But,” Killian spoke up, his tone careful, “even if we sell these regressed cannons, and even if they don’t figure out the enchantments, we’ll still be arming potential enemies. You’ve said it yourself— we might have to fight in a war soon with the kingdom succession ceremony and the threat of Duke Lucian. What if they use these cannons against us?”

“That’s exactly why we’re going to sell them, Killian. The cannons we sell will give them a false sense of superiority. They’ll believe they have the upper hand, that they possess weapons as powerful as ours. But all the while, we’ll hold the key.”

He let his words hang in the air for a moment, his subordinates looking at him with questions on their faces. Then, a sly smile played on his lips.

“Let me explain everything. Other than the failsafe enchantments and regressed versions, I have planned something else. Something that would ensure the cannons can never be used against us.”