Eternal Empire - Kingdom Building

After a sumptuous dinner, Addis gave up his bedroom to Laura, and he and David settled in for a casual night in the living room.

As a hunter, Addis had certain advantages. His family collected animal furs—mostly flawed ones that couldn’t fetch a good price. Piled high, they boasted messy colors or unappealing patterns but still served a purpose. For skilled hunters like Addis, warm clothes and bedding during winter were never a concern.

David and Addis laid down on a makeshift bed made from various furs, closing their eyes to rest.

In this world, civilian life offered little in terms of nighttime entertainment. When darkness fell, the outer city slipped into silence, while the inner city glimmered with lights.

Years of routine had made Addis accustomed to early nights and early mornings. David used to be the same, but the rapid changes in Winter Village had shifted his schedule. It had been a while since he had gone to bed this early.

“Close your eyes and experience the Holy Light!”

David chuckled to himself. Standing up in a prayer pose would only make me a target. Better to ponder the theoretical knowledge of the Holy Light.

After an undetermined amount of time, David noticed the snoring beside him had stopped, followed by the sound of someone getting up.

Ordinary nighttime movements wouldn’t alert him, but he noticed Addis quietly getting up and walking toward him.

Opening his eyes, he met Addis’s gaze. The old hunter raised a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. David nodded, got up gently, and followed him out of the room.

Once the door was closed, Addis spoke in a low voice. “Come with me.”

“This kind of time?” David smirked, glancing around. The houses around them were dark and silent. Even the inner city had dimmed down, only a few lights twinkling here and there.

David sensed Addis wanted to share something secret, but his words were meant as a joke. Addis acknowledged it with silence, gesturing for David to follow.

Addis's home was at the outermost edge of Iron Tree Fort, where houses were sparse. After a short walk, they were practically outside the fort.

“Far enough,” David noted, scanning their surroundings. Ahead lay a forest south of Iron Tree Fort, filled with quality timber like iron trees, but also a variety of other trees. It posed much less danger for human hunters and woodcutters.

Addis stopped, glancing around to ensure they were alone before turning to David with a serious expression. “That Laura Crawford is a noblewoman, right?”

“Huh? This…” David hadn’t expected this question first. “I guess so!”

He thought back to Laura’s background. In the old version of the setting, the Crawford family had been a prominent English earldom. He wasn’t entirely clear on the new version but knew the Crawfords were a significant family with some kind of title, though the specifics eluded him.

“Don’t tell me you can’t see it?” Addis waved a hand dismissively. He seemed to wrestle with his thoughts, finally managing to say, “You shouldn’t have brought her here... but this noble lady didn’t seem to mind my humble surroundings…”

David noticed the unease on Addis’s face and guessed what troubled the old hunter. “Is it because of Alfie? Who is this child?”

Addis remained silent, still grappling with whatever he was holding back.

David suddenly said, “If that child really has a special identity, then staying in Iron Tree Fort would be more dangerous, right? Haven’t you thought about taking him out of here?”

“Leave? Where would we go?” Addis replied instinctively, then froze.

Born and raised in Iron Tree Fort, he knew every nook and cranny of the area. If he left, where would he even start? At his age, could he still be a competent hunter in a new place?

It didn’t take long for him to connect the dots. Did David mean he wanted to settle in his village?

That didn’t seem like a bad idea, but he shook his head. “Alfie’s situation is... a bit special. It might not be wise to go there.”

“So, what’s up with Alfie?” David asked, irritation creeping into his tone. He didn’t care for this riddle-like talk. If there were difficulties, why not just say so? While he understood Addis might think his problems were unsolvable, David's knowledge could provide a different perspective. “It can’t be something as serious as being a wanted criminal, right?”

“Perhaps it would be better if he were,” Addis replied cryptically.

“...”

David was taken aback. He thought of Alfie’s slender build, fair skin, and striking appearance that seemed out of place in civilian life. “Could the child be the offspring of someone special?”

Finally, Addis spoke up. “That child is a half-elf.”

“A half-elf?”

David hadn’t considered that. His initial thought was that Alfie might be an illegitimate child of a noble family sent to Addis for some reason, but elves? Given the poor relations between humans and elves in Iron Tree Fort, this revelation made sense.

“Why would you think of adopting a half-elf?” David asked.

Half-elves—offspring of humans and elves—were not uncommon in Iron Tree Fort. Elves were a sought-after slave race among nobles, so half-elves born here often ended up in similar circumstances.

From the day they were born, these hybrids were condemned to a life of misery, ostracized by both humans and elves. To the humans in Iron Tree Fort, half-elves were seen as lowly slaves, less than even the poorest of tramps. On the other hand, elves viewed them as bearing the original sin. In the eyes of extreme factions, half-elves symbolized shame, often met with violence or banishment.

“Alfie is...” David pondered how Addis had come to meet the child. Why keep him around? Could Alfie be Addis’s son? The thought surprised David. Did this old guy really have the capability to quietly take a female elf? Was this the reason Addis never settled down?

Lost in thought, David's expression revealed his curiosity. Addis, noticing the look, chuckled.

“You, just like before, can’t hide your thoughts on your face!” Addis had suspected more than once that he’d been blind when he decided to adopt David. The kid’s demeanor had worried him; he feared David might not live long enough to reach adulthood if he offended the wrong people in the city.

It was precisely this concern that led Addis to support David when he expressed a desire to join the pioneering team. In Addis’s eyes, staying in a city filled with nobles was far too dangerous for a kid like David. Better to venture out and face the harsh realities of life. Maybe then, the arrogant boy would come to understand a few things. Even if he still carried that inexplicable contempt for everything, he’d at least learn how to hide it.

After countless considerations, Addis never anticipated that David would rise to lead the development team, successfully establishing a village and returning to Iron Tree Fort.

When the kingdom of Tilan officially recognized the village and David as its head, he had finally shed the shackles of his civilian status.

Sighing at the unpredictability of the world, Addis briefly explained Alfie’s situation. “Don’t get any ideas; that child has nothing to do with me. I just found him in the forest.”

“Picked up...” David’s tone was skeptical.

It wasn’t outrageous to think that elf slaves might escape or be rescued, then returned to their people. The disdain for half-elves made such abandonment understandable. But how had Addis found him? Alfie wasn’t exactly a baby—surely he’d have been tossed aside long before now. Did Addis really raise him until he was older, only to throw him away later?

“Even if you’re trying to spin a tale, at least make it believable,” David remarked, raising an eyebrow.

Addis sighed, finally deciding to share the truth. “Actually, his mother entrusted Alfie to me. She could return to her clan in the Iron Tree Forest, but this child... he couldn’t go with her.”

“So you decided to adopt him?” David questioned, his brow furrowing. “Why would Alfie’s mother choose you?”

“The elf who rescued Alfie and his mother is my friend,” Addis replied, his voice steady.