Beside the crackling fire, Mont began to recount stories of days long past.

Through his words, Norman came to learn more about Kaen.

Two years ago, Kaen had still been a frail and penniless youth. He didn't even speak the local tongue. It was in the Anduin River Valley, far to the east, where the hillfolk had taken him in.

Then came an orc raid. The very family who had sheltered Kaen was slaughtered. In a fit of rage, he picked up a sword for the first time—and thus began the legend.

From that day on, Kaen trained relentlessly in the ways of combat. By day, he honed his swordsmanship; by night, he ventured into the wilderness, hunting orcs. His strength grew quickly, and with time, so did the respect of the hillfolk. Eventually, they gave him his first title—Monster Hunter.

Later, Kaen gathered six companions and set off westward. In just four or five months, they laid the foundations of what would become the Kingdom of Eowenríel.

After sharing all this, Mont turned to Norman and said solemnly:

"We officers and generals have witnessed with our own eyes how our lord carved his path to where he stands today. We are awed by both his wisdom and his strength."

"From the moment we swore fealty to him, his glory became our own. He is our faith, and we are indivisible from this kingdom."

"I understand your obsession with territory—for every inch of land this kingdom owns, I shed blood at my lord's side to win it. It is our honor."

"But you, you cannot understand our obsession with honor and faith. Because you have never had either. You do not comprehend how honor can ennoble a man, or how faith can make one fearless."

Mont's words left Norman in deep reflection.

He couldn't deny it—compared to men like Mont, who fought with faith in their hearts and blazed trails across the frontier, he himself seemed pathetically small. A noble who merely inherited land… and then lost it.

He recalled the moment he laid eyes on Kaen today—so young, yet exuding noble confidence.

Then he remembered Mont's tale—Kaen's rise from a swordless refugee to a king in a matter of months. It was the stuff of epics.

Norman let out a long, defeated sigh.

In that moment, all his pride… crumbled.

…..

The Next Day

Kaen was handling state affairs when a knock sounded at the study door.

Without looking up, he said, "Come in."

Lairon pushed open the door, his expression tight with urgency.

"My lord, the rangers I sent on patrol just returned with news—there's a large group of refugees coming up from the south. They're about a day's journey from Elariel."

"What?" Kaen was taken aback, then quickly stood up. "How many? Where are they coming from?"

"At least five thousand," Lairon replied. "They crossed from the middle reaches of the Bruinen River. Based on their report, the area was attacked by orcs from the Misty Mountains."

As Lairon continued, Kaen quickly pieced the situation together.

The Bruinen lay only a three-day march from the Misty Mountains, and along its banks lived more than a hundred thousand people. The Elves of Rivendell protected the upper reaches, but the middle and lower sections were left exposed.

Orcs, being creatures who produce nothing, always emerged during autumn and winter to raid and pillage.

Just like Norman's group yesterday, these new refugees were more victims—humans driven from their homes by the rampaging orcs.

Five thousand refugees.

Kaen frowned. That was a problem.

Elariel was only so big. Taking in Norman's two thousand had already pushed them to the brink.

Now another five thousand?

Even setting aside the issue of food, there weren't enough tents to house them all!

After much thought, Kaen made his decision.

He gave the following order:

"Send word to Cathril. Have her lead the light cavalry and divide the refugees into two groups."

"Elariel will receive three thousand. The remaining two thousand are to be redirected to Azure spring. Tell Brie to prepare for their arrival."

"Understood!"

…

After Lairon left, Kaen summoned Tifa and explained the situation.

When she learned that Kaen intended to take in three thousand more refugees, she sighed with exasperation.

"I agree with your decision… but you must realize the kingdom isn't wealthy. If we keep going at this pace, we're going to go bankrupt."

It was true. The kingdom was still young. Elariel had only just been built. There were no cultivated lands, no booming trade, no major industries. Nearly all supplies had to be purchased from Rivendell.

The tens of thousands of gold coins Kaen once possessed had already dwindled. What remained was barely enough to sustain the current population through winter.

Taking in three thousand more refugees… people would be left drinking snowmelt and chewing bark.

But Kaen wasn't worried.

Deep within the forest valley, he had stashed a hoard of loot—food, treasure, even mithril.

The mithril vein was a kingdom-level secret, one Kaen had sworn everyone to silence over.

The rest of the spoils, however—particularly the food and gold—he had already disclosed to Tifa. The only reason they hadn't acted was due to the difficulty of transporting everything through rough terrain.

Seeing Kaen deep in thought, Tifa assumed he was worried about funds.

"Darling," she said, "if you really don't have the money, I could borrow some from my family…"

Kaen couldn't help but laugh.

"How could I be broke? Don't you remember when I led the army into the Troll-woods and came back with all that treasure?"

Tifa's eyes immediately lit up.

"Of course! How could I forget? We can't move the grain easily, but we can definitely use the gold!"

"Exactly what I was thinking." Kaen gently ruffled her hair. "Buy everything we need. And I promise—before you run out of funds, I'll bring you fifty thousand more gold coins."

Tifa's gloomy mood instantly vanished.

For a Minister of Finance, nothing in the world felt better than knowing—the kingdom wasn't strapped for cash.

"In that case," she said grandly, "let's bring all the refugees over!"

"No," Kaen shook his head. "Too many people is a recipe for chaos. Our few hundred troops can't control that. Better to split them up."

….

Unlike Elariel, Azure spring sat beside the River and thrived on bustling trade.

Lately, Elariel had been purchasing massive amounts of supplies, drawing merchants of every kind to Azure spring.

The moment he received Kaen's orders, Brie sprang into action.

"By royal command," he declared, "have all grain merchants, cloth sellers, general

traders, and coal suppliers prepare winter provisions."

"Mark out a plot of land outside the town—we'll be taking in two thousand refugees!"