The first batch of equipment produced in Ashen Hollow was finally ready for use.
Although the weapons were crude, the soldiers were pleased with the improvements. Several spearmen practiced defending against attacks with their wooden shields, while the three soldiers undergoing archery training took turns shooting at targets near the edge of the settlement.
Ashveil watched their exercises alongside Rowan. The new equipment wouldn’t turn his soldiers into an elite force overnight, but it was a considerable improvement over their original condition.
More importantly, the territory was finally capable of producing something useful on its own.
With nine villagers working together, construction had also progressed steadily. The farm was beginning to show signs of growth, and the repaired cottages provided enough shelter for most of the residents.
However, Ashveil remained concerned about their defenses.
The settlement still lacked a proper palisade, and the ruined watchtower had yet to be restored. With the Monster Tide approaching, leaving the territory exposed was becoming increasingly dangerous.
He instructed Rowan to prioritize the watchtower and reinforce the western approach with timber barricades.
Nearby, Seraphina had been observing the soldiers’ training.
She had initially intended to inspect the settlement’s surroundings, but the sight of the villagers working alongside the soldiers had caught her attention.
During her time in Silvercrest, Adrian had rarely concerned himself with such matters. He possessed superior facilities and stronger starting resources, yet most of his attention had been directed toward expanding his military strength.
Ashveil, on the other hand, spent much of his time worrying about food, shelter, and equipment.
It was a strange contrast.
Seraphina still couldn’t understand why someone capable of managing a territory so responsibly would willingly associate with a creature of the Forgotten Dominion.
Her gaze shifted toward Ria, who was sitting beneath a nearby tree.
The succubus noticed her attention and smiled.
"Is there something on my face, little priestess?"
Seraphina immediately looked away.
She had no desire to exchange words with her.
Whatever Ashveil’s intentions, the presence of an ancient sovereign remained unacceptable to someone devoted to the Four Gods.
Yet she couldn’t deny that the territory was improving under his leadership.
That contradiction continued to trouble her.
*
Later that evening, Seraphina encountered an unexpected commotion near the holding enclosure.
One of the captured kobolds had collapsed.
The creature was lying against the wooden barrier, breathing weakly while the Forgotten Kobold stood nearby.
Several villagers had gathered around the enclosure, uncertain what to do.
Ashveil soon arrived after hearing the disturbance.
"What happened?"
"It hasn’t eaten properly since yesterday, my Lord," Rowan explained. "The others are refusing to share their food with it."
Ashveil examined the weakened creature.
The prisoners were already consuming resources that Ashen Hollow could barely afford to spare. Nevertheless, allowing one of them to die from starvation would accomplish nothing.
"Give it another portion," he ordered. "And make sure the others receive their shares separately from now on."
Rowan hesitated.
"My Lord, our food supply..."
"I know. But they’re prisoners, not livestock. If we’re going to keep them alive, we have to feed them."
Seraphina watched the exchange from a short distance.
She had expected Ashveil to disregard the creature’s suffering, especially considering that the kobolds had previously attacked his people.
Instead, he had chosen to preserve its life despite the additional burden.
Of course, that didn’t necessarily make him righteous. The creature could still prove useful to him later.
Nevertheless, Seraphina found herself reconsidering some of her assumptions.
Ashveil noticed her standing nearby.
"Can you examine it?"
Seraphina hesitated before approaching the enclosure.
The kobold recoiled upon seeing her, but she ignored its reaction and inspected its condition.
"It’s exhausted and malnourished," she said. "Food and rest should be sufficient."
"Good. Then we won’t need to waste your magic."
Ashveil thanked her before returning to his duties.
Seraphina remained beside the enclosure for another moment.
She had expected him to demand that she use her divine abilities, yet he had accepted her assessment without complaint.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to understand what kind of Lord he truly was.
That night, Ashen Hollow was unusually quiet.
The villagers had retired to their cottages, while the spearmen maintained their patrols around the settlement.
Seraphina was preparing to sleep when she noticed a faint disturbance in the magical energy outside.
She stopped.
The sensation was weak, but unmistakably unnatural.
Before she could investigate, a frightened shout echoed from the northern side of the settlement.
"Something’s inside the farm!"
Seraphina immediately grabbed her staff and hurried outside.
Several soldiers were already running toward the fields, where the newly planted crops were moving despite the absence of wind.
At first, Ashveil assumed that wild animals had entered the farm.
However, Ria’s expression changed the moment she approached.
"Little lord, don’t go any closer."
A dark shape suddenly emerged from beneath the soil.
It resembled a large insect with a flattened body, elongated claws, and a shell covered in pale markings.
Before the nearest soldier could react, the creature lunged toward his legs.
He stumbled backward, barely managing to block the attack with his shield.
More shapes began emerging from the field.
Ashveil immediately examined one of them.
[Burrowfang | Tier 1]
[Race: Hollow Beast | Type: Ambush Unit]
[Evaluation: A subterranean predator that uses tunnels and coordinated attacks to overwhelm prey.]
There were at least twenty of them.
Ashveil’s expression darkened.
The creatures hadn’t approached through the forest. They had tunneled beneath the settlement’s defenses and emerged directly inside the farm.
Even a completed palisade wouldn’t have prevented this attack.
"Everyone away from the fields!" he shouted. "Spearmen, protect the cottages!"
The soldiers quickly assembled, raising their shields as the Burrowfangs advanced.
However, the creatures didn’t attack in a single wave.
Several disappeared beneath the soil while others circled around the formation, attempting to separate the soldiers from one another.
One suddenly emerged behind a spearman and struck his leg, sending him crashing to the ground.
Before it could finish him, an arrow pierced its exposed back.
Ashveil glanced toward the three spearmen undergoing archery training, who had taken up positions near the Lord’s Hall with their practice bows.
Their training was finally proving useful.
"Keep firing! Don’t let them reach the villagers!"
The three trainees continued shooting while the other spearmen maintained their defensive line.
Unfortunately, the Burrowfangs were difficult targets. Their flattened bodies allowed them to move through the grass with surprising speed, and their ability to retreat underground made them difficult to pursue.
Ria stepped forward and raised her hand.
Violet flames erupted across a section of the field, forcing several creatures out of their tunnels.
The spearmen immediately attacked the exposed monsters.
However, Ashveil noticed that Ria’s expression had grown strained.
Although Ria had recovered seven percent of her original power, her available magical energy was still limited.
The battles she had fought recently had already consumed a considerable amount, and she needed time to replenish it. Continuing to use powerful abilities against ordinary enemies would only exhaust her further.
"Ria, conserve your strength!"
She withdrew her hand, allowing the soldiers to finish the wounded creatures.
For a moment, the defense appeared to be holding.
Then the ground beneath one of the cottages began to tremble.
Ashveil turned just as a larger Burrowfang burst through the soil, tearing apart the wooden supports beneath the building.
The cottage tilted dangerously.
Several villagers were still inside.
"Get them out!" Ashveil shouted.
Two spearmen rushed toward the building, but another creature emerged from the ground and blocked their path.
Ashveil immediately charged forward with his shield raised.
He intercepted the creature’s attack before driving his Steel Longsword into its exposed underside.
The monster collapsed, allowing the soldiers to reach the cottage.
However, the larger Burrowfang was already preparing another attack.
Seraphina watched from near the Lord’s Hall.
She had spent days trying to reconcile her duty to protect innocent lives with her unwillingness to serve a Lord allied with the Forgotten Dominion. Although the contract forced her to obey Ashveil, nothing in it required her to embrace his cause.
Yet the people trapped inside the cottage were ordinary villagers.
They had done nothing to deserve this.
Seraphina tightened her grip on her staff.
Whatever she thought of Ashveil’s association with the Forgotten Dominion, allowing innocent people to die while she possessed the power to help them would contradict everything she believed.
She raised her staff.
A brilliant golden light illuminated the settlement as divine energy gathered around its tip.
Ashveil looked up in surprise.
"Seraphina?"
The priestess ignored him and directed her magic toward the collapsing cottage.
A radiant barrier formed around the structure just as the enormous Burrowfang struck again, preventing the damaged supports from giving way.
"Get them out!" she shouted.
The soldiers immediately rushed inside.
Ashveil turned toward the creature and tightened his grip on his sword.
With Seraphina protecting the villagers and Ria standing beside him, he finally had an opportunity to deal with the monster.
"Ria, can you force it out of the ground?"
The succubus smiled.
"Of course, little lord."
Violet flames gathered around her fingers.
Meanwhile, the Burrowfang raised its enormous claws, unaware that its next attack would be met by both the Lord of Ashen Hollow and the ancient sovereign of the Forgotten Dominion.