Isabella did not answer immediately. She stood where she was, sunlight filtering through the gaps in the trees and falling upon her white hair. Her ice-blue eyes looked straight at Leopold.
“Hahaha...” Isabella suddenly burst into laughter. “Why don't you become the king, Leo?”
“Because I'm not suited to be a king.” Leopold also laughed, continuing to walk out of the village.
“Why? Is it because of my lineage?” The smile remained on Isabella's face as she followed closely behind Leopold.
“Lineage is indeed part of the reason,” Leopold said as he walked. “You are the last descendant of the White Dragon Royal Family. The name Kaelthas itself carries weight.”
“What about you, Leo? You are a descendant of the Tann family, and the bloodline of the Night Black Dragon is just as ancient.”
Leopold's steps did not stop, but his voice grew a bit quieter. “The name of the Night Black Dragon... isn't very popular in the outside world.”
“After all, in the eyes of outsiders, the Night Black Dragon has always been a world-destroying dragon of ruin. A country led by a demonic dragon would surely be targeted.”
Hearing this, Isabella's steps paused slightly, but she quickly caught up.
“I don't care about any names.” Isabella took two quick steps to catch up, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with him. “I only care about Leopold!”
Leopold's steps paused slightly upon hearing this. He continued walking forward, but the tips of his ears flushed a faint red.
“Ahem. In that case, I will also forever be Isabella's most loyal prime minister.”
“How long is your forever?” Isabella squinted at him, studying the reddened tips of Leopold's ears.
“Forever is forever. Perhaps... a lifetime?”
The forest breeze swept through the treetops, blowing the stray hairs on Isabella's forehead. She did not look away, still staring straight at him, her ice-blue eyes reflecting the dappled light and shadow.
“Then it's a promise. You aren't allowed to lie to me!”
Leopold stopped and turned to face her. He lowered his head slightly, meeting her gaze.
“When have I ever lied to you?”
Isabella did not answer immediately. She tilted her head slightly as if trying to recall, then let out a soft laugh. “...It seems you really haven't.”
“Exactly.” Leopold turned and continued walking, his steps a bit lighter than before. “Let's go. Let's walk a bit further and see.”
The two walked along the forest path for about another fifteen minutes as the terrain began to gradually rise. A gentle slope appeared before them, its flat peak offering a wide, open view.
“This place is nice.” Leopold walked up to the top of the slope and looked around. The peak was a flat patch of grassland.
“Backed by a ridge, surrounded by forest on three sides, with only one way in.” Leopold crouched down and pressed the soil with his hand. “The soil quality is good too, suitable for building houses.”
Isabella also walked up to the slope, standing beside him as her gaze swept across the surroundings. “How far is it from the village?”
“About a thirty-minute walk,” Leopold estimated. “Not too far, not too close. Just right.”
“The road is already there; it just needs a bit of clearing to allow carriages. As for water—” He listened closely for a moment. “I hear the sound of a stream over there, so it shouldn't be far.”
“You really have thought of everything.” Isabella walked to his side, following his gaze down toward the small path at the bottom of the slope.
“To build a settlement, there are many things to consider. Location, water source, transportation, defense.” Leopold withdrew his gaze. “But we can take those slow. First, let's decide on the location.”
Leopold looked around, then crouched at the top of the slope, using a branch to sketch out a rough layout in the dirt.
Isabella crouched beside him, resting her chin in her hands as she watched him draw, occasionally pointing. “Isn't this part left a bit too narrow? What if there are more students in the future and they can't fit?”
“Then we'll expand it later.” Leopold poked the edge of the clearing with the branch. “Let's start with a capacity of twenty people first. We'll cross that bridge when people actually show up.”
“You certainly are practical.”
“I have to be. We have absolutely nothing right now; I can't just draw a castle out of air.”
Isabella couldn't help but chuckle. Just as she was about to say something else, a flurry of hurried footsteps echoed from the path at the bottom of the slope.
Both of them looked up at the same time.
Oliver was running up the path for dear life, his steps stumbling, his face drenched in sweat.
He ran to the top of the slope, resting his hands on his knees as he bent over to pant heavily. It took him a while before he could look up.
“The Demon Race... The Demon Race's army... is coming!”
Leopold dropped the branch in his hand and stood up. “An army? How many? Which direction are they coming from?”
“I don't know how many... but definitely more than the patrol...” Oliver straightened his back and swallowed hard. “The sentry at the east end of the village saw them. At least thirty people, marching along the edge of the forest toward Cabin Village.”
“Thirty people?” Isabella also stood up.
“More than that... The sentry said there are more behind them, but they couldn't see clearly because of the trees.” Oliver's voice still trembled from the exertion of running. “The chief told me to find you quickly. He's already having the villagers hide in the cellars!”
Leopold did not rush to speak upon hearing this.
He first glanced down at the forest at the bottom of the slope, then at the direction Oliver had run from, quickly mapping the terrain around Cabin Village in his mind.
“How far away are they?”
“The sentry said they're about an hour away. They aren't marching very fast; it looks like they're searching for something.”
“Searching for what?” Isabella asked.
“Probably...” Oliver hesitated. “Looking for traces of that patrol.”
Leopold raised his head and looked at Isabella. “We can't let the fight happen in the village. Thirty demon soldiers, plus whoever might be behind them—if they fight in the village, it won't matter if the villagers hide in the cellars.”
“You want to intercept them in the forest?” Isabella asked.
“Yes,” Leopold said. “And we can't let them get near the village entrance!”
The three of them hurried back along the edge of the forest. As they walked, Leopold asked, “What about Blake? Has he been notified?”
“The chief sent someone to the hunter's cabin to get him,” Oliver panted. “Mr. Blake should already be on his way to the village entrance.”
A few people were already standing at the village entrance. Blake stood at the very front with his arms crossed. The five demon lackeys stood in a line behind him, looking much more spirited than they had yesterday.
“Yo, you're back?” Hearing the footsteps, Blake glanced over. “I thought you two were going to wander around the forest until dark and never come back.”
Leopold walked up to Blake. Skipping the pleasantries, he asked directly, “You got here first. Did you see what's going on?”
“Yeah.” Blake dropped his playful expression and chin-gestured toward the east. “There's movement in the forest. Definitely more than thirty. There should be more behind them.”
Leopold didn't rush to speak. His gaze quickly swept across the terrain at the village entrance, and he gestured for the chief to come over.
“Lord Leopold, what are your orders?”
“Chief Sullivan, the village is probably quite short on labor, isn't it?” Leopold stared into the distance and couldn't help but smile.
Rate on N.U.
