Chapter 78
The sun was already at its zenith.
I lay there, staring through a gap between the shack’s boards, watching dust rise over the city. The first five-story building was growing right before my eyes—scaffolding, beams, stone. People worked fast. Confidently.
Those three came to me again.
“Zenhald,” the human began carefully. “Your golems… do you still need them?”
I sat up.
“What do you mean?”
“They’re standing there shut down,” the dwarf added. “If you leave them here and teach us how to use them… we’d be endlessly grateful.”
I thought for a second.
“Fine,” I said. “Let’s go.”
We walked out to the square.
A crowd had already gathered.
Mages.
I swept my gaze over them—about a hundred. Mostly elves. Fewer humans. Even fewer dwarves. They whispered, murmured, stared at me like they expected me to fold a mountain in half.
“Is that him?”
“The one?”
“The human who can bend mountains?”
“He’s just a kid…”
“I’m eleven,” I said loudly.
The whispering died. Then stirred again.
How arrogant, I thought tiredly.
I stopped by the plow-golem.
“Watch,” I said. “It’s simple.
You feed it mana—and it walks.
Want to adjust its course—guide it.
Want to change its task—show it what it should do.
It’ll repeat it.”
I stepped back.
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“That’s all.”
Silence hung for a second.
“…What do you mean, ‘that’s all’?” an elf asked cautiously.
“Where’s the detailed explanation?” a human added.
“I did explain it in detail,” I said. “Good luck.”
And I left.
Behind me, I heard the golems slowly waking up and starting to move.
I kept walking—and suddenly noticed a tavern.
Small. Wooden.
Behind the counter—a dwarf and an elf.
I went inside.
“Food. And something to drink,” I said.
They exchanged a look.
“Are you waiting for someone?”
“No,” I answered. “It’s all for me.”
I sat down and started eating.
When they brought me a mug of ale, I barely raised it—
when Liara suddenly dropped into the seat across from me.
“Well then,” she said, snatching the mug. “What do we have here?”
“HEY!”
She giggled.
“Kids aren’t allowed to drink.”
And in one breath she emptied the mug.
“Whoa,” she said. “That’s some ale. Bartender, five more.”
“Five?!” I couldn’t help it. “Isn’t that a bit much?”
“Watch and learn,” she winked. “This is how you drink.”
“As if there’s anything to learn from that.,” I muttered.
The bartender set five mugs in front of her.
“That’s it,” he said. “No more for today.”
“No more?” Liara protested.
“The nearest city is far,” the dwarf said proudly. “We brew it ourselves. Turns out pretty well.”
“What do you call your ale?” she asked.
“We’re thinking,” the elf replied.
“‘Red Eye,’” he suggested.
“WHAT?” the dwarf exploded. “How about ‘Black Boar’!”
“What kind of name is that?!”
They walked off, still arguing.
Liara had already emptied another mug.
I ate in silence.
“So what are your plans, Zenhald?” she asked suddenly. “Can I just call you Zen?”
I froze.
“…You can.”
“So—plans?”
I shrugged.
“I don’t know.”
“You’ve done everything for this city,” she said. “There’s nothing left for you to do here.”
“Yeah…” I said quietly.
She looked at me more closely.
“And you?”
“I don’t know,” I repeated. “I really don’t.”
She finished another mug.
“I don’t have anything left to do here either,” she said. “I’m going traveling.”
“Good luck,” I said automatically.
She didn’t get up.
“Listen, Zenhald…”
I looked up.
“Do you want to come with me?”
My heart twitched.
Thoughts flashed one after another.
Go?
Leave the city?
A road with no plan?
I sat there, looking at her.
And I didn’t know
which answer
was the right one.
I looked at her again.
“Where are you even going?” I asked.
Liara took a sip and answered calmly.
“Dorwood.
Seteya is there right now. I need to deliver something to her.”
I went still.
“Seteya…?” I repeated.
She nodded.
“Yeah.”
I looked away.
Seteya…
The name was familiar. Too familiar not to put me on edge.
“All right,” I said after a pause. “When are you leaving?”
“Right now,” she answered. “I’m already packed. I was actually leaving.
I just decided to stop by the tavern…”
She smiled and looked at me.
“…and there you were.”
I was quiet.
Outside the window, the city lived its own life.
Houses rose.
Golems walked.
People no longer looked at me like I had to do something.
I exhaled.
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll escort you.”
She blinked.
Then laughed.
Not loud. Not mocking.
Just light.
“Seriously?” she asked, still smiling.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m not needed here anymore anyway.”
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.
“Then get your things, hero.
Dorwood isn’t close.”
I looked at the mug of ale I hadn’t even gotten to drink.
“Give me a minute,” I said. “I just need to get my horse.”
She smirked.
“And stop pretending you don’t care, Zenhald.”
I was already heading for the door.
But my heart was beating a little faster than usual.
