WorldCrafter - Building My Underground Kingdom

While Ben was busy with his investigation, back in Vlontera, a Nephirid arrived at the city gate. He exuded a powerful aura that made everyone instinctively avoid meeting his gaze.

His body was covered in grayish-white bone armor with almost no gaps, each piece forged from the remains of his fallen prey.

"Are you Sir Draeven?" Zarnak asked. He had been waiting at the gate as per Elvira's orders.

"Show me the way," Draeven replied, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.

Ever since the battle with the Magus and his meeting with Ben, Draeven had grown distant. The weight of guilt pressed heavily on him, he had been the only survivor. Both of his closest friends, like family to him, died that day.

Since then, he followed Ben's plans without question. Revenge was all he had left. He had lost interest in everything else.

His days were filled only with training and missions. Yet despite his numb routine, he couldn't help but be astonished.

He had heard the rumors, but seeing it with his own eyes was different.

In all his life within the kingdom, he had never seen a city so full of laughter and activity. People walked the streets cheerfully. There were no signs of abused slaves. Merchants lined the roads without fear of theft or harassment.

The sight stirred something in him, a melancholy he couldn't suppress. 'If the entire kingdom had been like this, they might still be alive. My parents wouldn't have rebelled.'

It wasn't as if his parents had acted out of idealism. In their view, the kingdom's constant exploitation was a path to ruin.

Every race had its own strengths. Instead of leveraging those talents to rebuild, the kingdom had chosen to fuel hatred and suppress dissent.

Pride had blinded the rulers. They believed themselves superior in all things, and even after losing the war, they refused to admit defeat.

If anything, they became more defensive. Most Nephirid still rejected any notion of loss.

But Draeven's parents had continued to speak out, pushing for reform. That made them a target, an irritation the nobles wanted to silence. After all, no one could improve without first accepting their own flaws. Yet even when everyone knew the truth, acting on it was another matter entirely.

"We're here," Zarnak said, pointing toward one of the doors. "I've got other tasks to handle. Just head into that room."

Draeven gave a nod and stepped through the doorway, finding Elvira seated behind a desk piled high with documents.

"You're finally here. Now we can begin," Elvira said, her eyes still focused on the papers in front of her.

Draeven's gaze sharpened, the melancholy from earlier vanishing. Now was the time to begin his revenge.

"Before that, there's a problem," he said. "I've lost contact with Slark. Can you check on him?"

Elvira frowned. Slark suddenly going silent at a time like this was an ominous sign, proof that something troublesome might be unfolding. Her mana pulsed as she activated the restriction spell linked to Slark, a magical contract that tethered his soul.

"What was he doing before he disappeared?" she asked.

"He was checking one of the tunnels we planned to use for the assault on the capital."

Elvira rose from her seat immediately. "Then we need to check that tunnel. Now."

That tunnel was vital, it connected Ben's assembled army directly to the capital. It was a critical part of their operation that couldn't be compromised.

On paper, the revolution plan was straightforward. The golems, now hidden within all major cities including the capital, would be activated to sow chaos and confusion from within. At that moment, their army would strike from the outside, catching the defenders off guard.

But without the tunnel, that plan would fall apart. Teleporting the entire army wasn't an option. It wasn't that simple, each city was protected by powerful enchantments cast by the priests of the Fire Temple. Even if they managed to disable the spells, the sheer distance between their current location and the capital was too great.

Their main base was located far away, and Slark had been responsible for guiding the army through the tunnel. That was why Elvira acted immediately, they couldn't afford to wait.

"So it's bad, huh? What happened? Did he dead?" Draeven asked.

Elvira shook her head. "No. If he were dead, the contract would've warned me. I can still feel the link, it exists, but I can't sense his location."

To Elvira, that was even worse. She was confident in her spellcraft. In her eyes, only two kinds of enemies could do something like this: a daemon, or someone from the Templar Order. A Magus, perhaps, or worse, someone of even higher rank.

"What about the city?" Draeven asked. "If this is a trap, they could be planning to strike here."

"And what do you propose we do?" Elvira countered.

"I know you've grown stronger, Draeven, but if the enemy could subdue Slark and hide the contract from me, then we can't underestimate them. One wrong move, and everything we've planned could fall apart."

Draeven's aura shifted. Like Elvira, he quickly deduced the likely culprits. The memory of the Magus killing both his friends was still fresh. "Is it them?"

"I don't know," Elvira replied, her expression grim. "But the chances are high. And honestly… for this to happen the moment Ben leaves- "

"So it's a trap."

"Yes. But not one we can avoid, unless we're ready to abandon the entire plan."

If Ben found out, he'd insist on delaying the operation. But for Elvira, that was not an option. She had waited patiently for years, but each day she was haunted by the memory of her clan. She refused to waste another moment living in fear of what might happen.

"Wait," Draeven said. "Give me an hour, at least. I'll send some of my men to reinforce the city's defenses."

Elvira smirked, her eyes locking onto Draeven with a defiant glint. "Are you underestimating me? You think a mage like me doesn't have contingencies in place for something like this? Don't worry. This city will survive, no matter who comes."

Draeven was caught off guard by her confidence, but he didn't argue. Even after a year of working together, he knew Elvira remained wary of him. He wouldn't be surprised if she still suspected he might one day turn against her.

With a sigh, he followed her out, sending orders for his men to bolster the defenses anyway, just in case.