Raul had just returned home when he saw his son arriving as well.
The sturdy middle-aged man was dressed lightly, his face flushed red—clearly from recent strenuous activity.
"Brent, I was just looking for you," Raul said, his face heavy with thoughts as he looked at his son.
Brent nodded, placed the wooden bow on his back onto the table, and said seriously, "Father, I was just about to talk to you as well."
Father and son sat facing each other. After a brief silence, Raul spoke first.
"I'm thinking... about staying in Fruitvale Village. What do you think?"
There was a trace of hesitation on Raul's face. Brent was momentarily stunned, but then suddenly smiled.
"Actually, I wanted to say the same thing."
The two shared a look before both smiled, beginning to exchange their thoughts.
"I believe Fruitvale Village can hold out," Brent said, recalling the morning's training session.
Every villager in Fruitvale Village had a confident smile on their face. When they talked about beast tides, they showed nothing but disdain! They had repelled so many beast tides this winter alone!
In fact… that villager named Simon had accidentally revealed that Fruitvale Village had defeated a knight regiment of Aspiration City!
My god, that was the Knight Order of Aspiration City—two hundred well-trained knights—and they had been repelled by Fruitvale Village.
Now, the nobles who instigated this conflict were still being held inside Fruitvale Village.
The village had detained nobles without permission—this alone had shocked Brent.
But thinking more deeply, something felt off.
After all, they had been brought to Fruitvale Village by knights from Aspiration City.
Just yesterday, he had seen a convoy from Aspiration City delivering supplies to Fruitvale Village. That clearly showed their relationship was still solid.
If so, this situation wasn't ordinary.
Firstly, that villager Simon couldn't have lied about something so serious.
And if Fruitvale Village really had detained those nobles without permission, yet Aspiration City still sent them supplies—then it meant the city lord had silently approved of it!
Realizing this, Brent couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.
Even the nobles from Aspiration City had compromised in this matter. That alone was enough to show just how powerful Fruitvale Village had become!
He now felt that the magical beasts he had seen were likely just the tip of the iceberg when it came to Fruitvale Village's true strength.
"After hearing you, I also feel that Fruitvale Village can be defended," Raul said, both shocked and relieved.
Now that father and son had come to an agreement, they didn't hesitate and immediately gathered all the villagers.
After listening to the village chief, there was a brief silence among the villagers—then, suddenly, a cheer erupted. It was clear they all wanted to stay!
"Hmph, even if Fruitvale Village can't hold, I'm staying!"
"Better to die fighting than to die helplessly in a slum—that would be true disgrace!"
One villager shouted passionately, still remembering the migration from five years ago vividly.
"That's right! I think staying here is better than going to Aspiration City!"
"I'm staying, no matter what. I have knight training tomorrow!"
The villagers continued voicing their opinions, surprisingly united in their desire to stay in Fruitvale Village.
Now, only one final step remained... Raul exhaled slowly.
To truly stay in Fruitvale Village, they needed the consent of its owner.
…
Sutter and Fessen hurried toward the farmland pasture.
There, on the grassy field, Aven was holding a notebook and training his Rhyhorn.
"Rhy... Rhy... Rhy…"
The Rhyhorn let out low grunts.
In front of it, a massive boulder was suspended in mid-air under its control.
It hovered silently, radiating a brown energy that gradually began to expand.
"That's it—use Rock Slide!"
Once the rock had grown large enough, Aven gave the command.
With a deep growl, the Rhyhorn shattered the rock.
Countless fragments, supercharged with energy, blasted toward the distance like a storm of mini-meteors!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A barrage of impacts shook the grassland, mud flying everywhere.
When the attack ended, a large crater was left behind. The surrounding area was a mess, not a single patch of grass remained untouched.
"What power!"
"That's an evolved version of Rock Throw?!"
Sutter and Fessen's pupils shrank, clearly shocked by what they had seen.
"Rhyhorn, you did great," Aven said, not holding back on his praise.
"Rhy... Rhy..."
Rhyhorn nodded foolishly, grinning widely—it clearly loved being praised by Aven.
'Woohoo! After training's over, I'm sneaking in another hour... no, two hours of extra training!'
Sutter and Fessen exchanged glances, both seeing excitement in each other's eyes.
As long as they followed Aven, their Rhyhorns would one day be this powerful too!
When Aven's training ended, they both quickly approached and knelt on one knee, giving a formal knight's salute.
Anyone else seeing this would have been stunned—such a salute was only used by knights pledging loyalty to their lord.
"I told you, I'm not a lord yet."
"Even if I do become Fruitvale Village's lord, just a simple greeting is enough."
Aven rubbed his forehead. Ever since he told the two knights about his deal with the prince, they had immediately sworn loyalty to him.
No matter how many times he explained, the two still insisted on saluting him like this, which left Aven quite helpless.
"You will become a lord."
"And we will always follow you—your sword and shield!"
Sutter lowered his head, his heart full of satisfaction.
When he and Fessen decided to stay in Fruitvale Village, they had already been prepared to give up their titles as knights.
But to their surprise, when they told Aven, he gave them an unexpected gift!
Even while staying in Fruitvale Village, they could still be knights!
No longer simple patrol knights guarding the Black Forest's outskirts, they would now be personal guardian knights of a lord—protecting all that they cared for.
"All right, all right, I get it."
"Now then, my Sword Knight and Shield Knight, get up."
Aven smiled wryly as he helped them up and said seriously, "So, do my knights have anything to report to their lord?"
After standing, Sutter and Fessen relayed the intelligence they had gathered.
While they had no hostility toward the villagers of Stonefall Village, intelligence-gathering was still necessary—human hearts are hard to predict.
"They've decided to stay in Fruitvale Village?"
Hearing this, Aven's eyes lit up with joy.
Looking back at history, it's clear—territorial development depends on population. For a territory, population is the most valuable resource!
From what he'd learned, Stonefall Village had been essentially destroyed.
Even if those villagers returned, they'd have to rebuild their entire home from scratch.
After learning this, Aven had been wondering if he could attract the villagers to settle permanently in Fruitvale Village.
When he officially became a lord, he would receive a fief. He'd need people to help develop the land—and could allocate a portion of it to let these villagers rebuild their own Stonefall Village.
Of course, he wouldn't force them to stay.
He only wanted people who truly wanted to stay.
(End of Chapter)