Athena pushed the door open and stepped into the house or should she say,room. The scent of roasted fish wafting through the air, sharp and smoky. Her eyes landed on Kael, seated on the floor with two plates already set. He looked up and gave her a quiet smile.
"You cooked?" she asked, blinking.
"It's just fish," he shrugged. "Didn't have anything else."
Athena grimaced, the memory of yesterday's meal flashing through her mind like a culinary trauma. "You should've waited for me."
"No way," Kael said, firmly. "You've got way more important things going on than worrying about lunch. It's the least I can do."
He nudged a plate toward her.
Athena stared at it for a second. The skin was slightly burnt, but it smelled… edible. She didn't have the heart to turn it down.
"Thanks," she said, sitting across from him.
She took a tentative bite, chewing slowly, then carefully set the fish back down and pretended to keep eating.
Kael seemed pleased enough.
"Actually," Athena began, shifting the topic, "I wanted to ask… how were things here before."
Kael leaned back in his chair, scratching the back of his head. "Well things were bad,very bad which was the reason you left in the first place. But strangely after you left things became better,just a little bit."
Athena was a little bit lost,"Better?" As how?this place is currently a mess .Just how bad was it.
Kael let out a slow breath. "Well, we used to have carriages. Not many—three, maybe four. But the raiders took them. Horses too."
Athena muttered something indecipherable and bitter under her breath.
"As for food," Kael went on, "we fished. Everyone did. Still do. There's no farmland, not yet. We made sandals from reeds. Sewed and patched up clothes until they couldn't be used anymore."
"What about trade? Any contact with the mainland?"
"Not really," he said."But like I said things got better. Sometimes Elandor would give the sailor by the docks some coins to bring things—flour, cloth, salted meat, whatever he could carry back."
Athena narrowed her eyes. "Just like that? He gave them out to the villagers?"
Kael nodded. "Yep. No one asked questions."
She blinked. "And no one ever wondered where the money came from?"
Kael shrugged. "No one wanted to know."
Athena let that hang in the air, staring at the fish on her plate like it might offer her an explanation. Then she remembered what the children had said before,he had strange visitors. 'My,my...It seems someone has a confession to make.'
"Alright then,thanks for the meal.See you later." She said as she quickly ran out before he could stop her.
As she strolled past houses and market stalls, villagers paused to glance her way. Some smiled, others whispered, mostly out of curiosity. No one bowed, no one avoided her—just lingering eyes and a bit of wonder.
Kids ran past her in a game of tag, laughing and shouting. She caught snippets of their words—something about a sea monster and a cursed boat. She smiled faintly, amused.
Let's give it time, she thought.
Elandor… for all his secrets, he didn't seem like a bad man. If anything, he was one of the few actually trying to hold things together. Food, supplies, even kindness—however mysterious the source, he made sure the people didn't go without. And the villagers trusted him. That had to mean something.
Athena sighed, hands slipping into the pockets of her cloak.
Maybe I should keep an eye on him… just in case.
"System," she whispered internally, "is it possible to keep tabs on someone?"
[Affirmative,] the system responded. [To monitor a subject, simply add them to the personnel surveillance list. You will be able to track their location and current activity—even if they leave the island.]
Her eyebrows lifted. That's… useful.
"Add Elandor to the list," she said. "Show me where he is and what he's doing."
Immediately, a translucent map unfolded before her eyes, the image zeroing in on the village, then further in on the hall. A soft blue dot pulsed inside one of the rooms. As she focused, the map sharpened, revealing Elandor sitting at a desk, papers scattered across it. Another man stood beside him, pacing.
"Can I hear what they're saying?"
[Yes.]
Their voices filtered in, clear and slightly hushed.
"Ten copper coins per day is too much," the man complained. "And how many elves is she even planning to employ?"
"Calm down, Veer," Elandor said sharply. "And speak with respect. We still have plenty of gold and silver left, not to mention copper. Your job as the accountant is to make sure we grow it, not whine over expenses."
Veer groaned and sank back into his chair. "Are you still going to keep doing that?" he muttered. "I heard they came yesterday. What did they want?"
Athena leaned in unconsciously, the hair at her nape standing on edge.
"They already left," Elandor replied, quieter now. "They just came to notify me they'll be back in six months… for more."
More what? Athena thought.
"I should've refused from the start," Elandor muttered.
"It's not your fault," Veer consoled him. "Those people are dangerous."
There was a pause. Then Veer asked, "Will you tell the Queen?"
"I have to," Elandor said. "We don't need what they're taking. The sooner it's gone, the better for us."
Veer stood. "Alright then. I'm heading out. When the farmers are ready, just send word about the quantity."
Elandor only hummed in reply.
Athena blinked, stunned. She shut the system interface and quickened her steps.
So he really was hiding something, she thought, but he plans to tell me… eventually.
Still, whatever this shady deal was, it involved danger—and a ticking clock. Six months wasn't long. She'd need to start working on the military defenses sooner than expected.
As she reached the hall, Rain was already waiting at the entrance.
"My lady," she said with a quick bow. "I was just coming to find you."
"Perfect timing," Athena said, her expression unreadable. "Let's go."
As she got steated Rain started.
"I've formed a scout group," Rain reported. "We'll set out at first light tomorrow."
Athena gave a brief nod. "Good. Take the rest of the day to prepare—and rest."
Rain bowed and left. Athena immediately pulled up the system and added Rain to the surveillance list. Why waste DPs when she could do this.
She turned to Elandor,"We need to talk guards. And weapons."
Elandor nodded. "Agreed."
"Do we have a blacksmith?"
"Yes, we do."
"Perfect." Athena turned toward Micah, who was lingering by the door. "Go find the blacksmith and tell him I want to meet tomorrow morning. After that, go to the sailor's… What's his name again?"
"Sir Walter," Micah supplied quickly.
"Right. Ask him to meet me after lunch."
Micah gave a crisp nod and hurried out.
"How many farmers were you planning to employ?" Elandor asked.
"As many as possible. But…" Athena tilted her head. "We don't have much seed so thirty should be enough for now."
She took a step back, glancing toward the door. "And what do we do about transport?"
"Oh, don't worry," Elandor said. "The elves are used to walking long distances."
Athena stared at him, deadpan. "I wasn't talking about them. I meant me."
Elandor blinked, then coughed awkwardly. "Right. Well… we could ask the blacksmith to craft some carriages, and Walter could get us some horses. I'll speak to him tomorrow."
"Good. Do that."
She paced and tapped her chin. "Add another post—this one for recruiting guards. Pay will be ten copper coins per week."
Elandor nodded. "I'll post it today."
"Hold off on recruiting farmers, but start looking for guards immediately."
With that, Athena turned away, her voice soft but final. "I'm done for the day. See you tomorrow."
She half-expected Elandor to stop her, to say something—anything. But he didn't.
Athena paused for a moment in the corridor,Then she shook her head and whispered under her breath, "It's okay. There's still time."
And with that, she walked away.