Seeing the surprise attack, the Lawrence knights reacted quickly. However, the refugee knights, who had long since shed their heavy armor for cloth garments, were far more agile.
The Lawrence knight's fingers had just touched his sword hilt when a refugee knight closed in like a phantom. Two of them, one on the left and one on the right, used joint locks to pin the Lawrence knight's arms and twist them behind his back. A third arrived and, with a clang, drew his sword. At the same time, a kick struck the back of the Lawrence knight's knee. With a muffled grunt, the knight's figure slumped, and he pitched forward.
The entire process took no more than a few breaths. The ten knights Abel had brought with him were all subdued on the ground before they could even draw their swords!
Abel himself was also flanked by two refugee knights, his arms forcefully wrenched behind his back. Sharp pain shot through his joints, rendering him immobile.
He was a mixture of shock and fury. The slightest struggle sent a sharp pain through him, causing him to gasp. His face flushed crimson as he roared:
"What are you doing! What is this! Gunnhildr, you! How dare you..."
Only then did he realize that Gunnhildr, who had been standing beside him, had at some point moved out of the encirclement. She was calmly dusting off non-existent specks from her sleeves. The gentle smile remained on her face, but her eyes held not a trace of weakness, only a cold calm.
"Lord Abel," she said, her gaze sweeping over the subdued Lawrence knights, "if you wish to make us submit through force, your 'weapons' will need a bit more polishing."
She gave a light wave of her hand. The refugee knights immediately released their holds, took a few steps back, and tossed the confiscated swords onto the empty ground in front of the ashen-faced Lawrence knights with several clatters.
The Lawrence knights quickly retrieved their weapons and formed a back-to-back circle, protecting Abel in the center. They panted heavily, their eyes filled with fear and humiliation.
The refugee knights, in contrast, formed a loose circle around them. Their stances seemed casual, but the intimidating aura radiating from their sharp gazes kept the Lawrence Clan party from making any rash moves.
Gunnhildr looked at Abel and made a 'please' gesture.
"Lord Abel, you know the way. I have now experienced the 'grandeur' of the Lawrence Clan. I won't see you out."
...
On the snowfield lay a relatively open valley, through which a river a dozen meters wide snaked its way, its waters not yet completely frozen.
Fragments of ice floating on the surface occasionally bumped against the frozen banks, making crisp sounds.
The riverbank was covered in pebbles of various sizes, all in varying shades of blue-gray.
Coppelia waded into the icy river, the water reaching halfway up her calves.
To ward off the chill of the flowing water, she manipulated Hydro elemental energy, covering her feet and lower legs with a thin, transparent film that gently pushed the water aside.
She bent over, searching the crystal-clear water, her fingers occasionally delving into the cold silt and gravel of the riverbed.
Occasionally, she would dig up a stone of a peculiar color or shape. She would lift it out, rinse it clean of muck in the flowing river, then hold it up to the sunlight to carefully examine its texture and translucence.
This particular stone was a warm orange-yellow, glowing with a soft halo in the sun. Its shape was irregular, its edges smoothed by the long-term erosion of the current, and it felt good to hold in her hand.
Not bad. It's pretty, feels nice to the touch, and is suitable as a gift.
She placed the stone in a small leather pouch hanging from her waist. Inside were already several other finds she deemed worthy.
Columbina, waiting on the bank, watched her busy herself. She also bent down, picked up a few stones from the riverbank to look at, and then put them back down.
Watching Coppelia's actions, she suddenly spoke up: "Should you carve the stones you find to make them into prettier shapes?"
"This is enough as it is."
"Why?" Columbina was a bit confused. "Don't people prefer more valuable and exquisite things?"
"As gifts for the children, this is more appropriate," Coppelia explained. "Those children's families aren't wealthy. If they were seen holding something that looked valuable, someone with ill intent might steal it, or even rob them of it." She paused, then added in a heavier tone, "In a worse scenario, someone could frame them for theft... It's not that the children don't deserve beautiful gifts, but right now, I'm afraid they don't have the strength to protect them."
Columbina listened quietly, her face turned slightly toward the river, as if in thought.
"But... the people we've met all seem quite nice..."
"It's true we haven't met any truly bad people yet," Coppelia admitted, "but we can't assume everyone is good because of that. The human heart is complex; you can't expect everyone to be as kind as Gunnhildr."
At this point in the conversation, the atmosphere seemed to stagnate. The sounds of the flowing river and the wind became more distinct.
Coppelia straightened up, flicking the water droplets from her hands as her gaze swept across the shimmering surface of the river.
"Such beautiful sunlight," she said, changing the subject, her tone lightening. "Let's not talk about such heavy things."
Seeing Columbina still looking pensive, she glanced at the riverbank, bent down, and picked up a flat, smooth-edged stone.
She held the stone between her index and middle fingers, leaned her body slightly to the side, and flicked her wrist sharply.
The stone flew spinning toward the water's surface. The moment it made contact, it skillfully bounced off, skipping five or six times in a row, creating a beautiful series of ripples before landing lightly on the snow of the opposite bank.
Columbina was captivated by the strange sight of the stone skipping across the water.
She mimicked Coppelia, picking up a stone from the bank without much inspection and throwing it forcefully at the river.
There was only a dull plunk as the irregular stone plunged into the water, kicking up a small splash before sinking to the bottom and quickly disappearing from view.
Columbina tilted her head, turning toward Coppelia to ask, "Why didn't your stone sink right away?"
Seeing that she had sparked her interest, Coppelia walked out of the river and onto the bank, the film of water silently receding from her legs.
She crouched down on the riverbank beside Columbina, picked up another flat stone, and began to explain.
"First, you have to choose a flat stone, like a pancake, with a uniform thickness." She showed the stone in her hand to Columbina. "Then, you hold it." She pinched the wider side of the stone with her thumb and forefinger, curling her index finger along the stone's edge to secure it in the crook of her finger. "Hold it steady like this."
She stood up, turning sideways to the river. "When you throw, lean your body slightly." She demonstrated the posture, holding her wrist at a subtle angle. "Use the force of your wrist to send it out, making the stone spin at high speed toward the water. The angle is also crucial; you want the stone to be as parallel to the water's surface as possible."
With another flick of her wrist, the demonstration stone flew from her hand, bounced cheerfully across the water seven or eight times, and also successfully reached the other side.
Columbina watched the entire process intently and bent down again. This time, she carefully selected a stone she deemed flat enough.
She imitated Coppelia's grip and stance, then flicked her wrist and threw the stone.
However, perhaps due to insufficient force or a poor angle, the stone still hit the water with a plop, made a bubble, and sank.
Columbina stood there, silent for a moment, seemingly unwilling to give up.
Immediately after, a faint fluctuation of power emanated from her. All around her, the stones scattered on the riverbank broke free from the ground and began to float lightly in the air. Stones of various sizes circled around her, rotating slowly.
She selected the flat ones from the floating stones and then began to try again, one after another.
The stones flew toward the river at different speeds and angles.
"Plunk—"
"Plop—"
"Splash—"
All sorts of sounds of stones hitting water could be heard.
Most of the stones sank quickly. Occasionally, one or two would manage a single bounce, but that was all.
She wasn't discouraged, however, and continued to select, adjust, and throw, as if conducting a serious experiment.
Coppelia watched her focused attempts without disturbing her further. She turned and waded back into the cold river to continue her search for unique stones.
...
Near the Lawrence Clan's temple, in a simply furnished room, Matriarch Venerare was sitting behind a large wooden desk, reviewing several documents regarding supply inventories and patrol records. Her long, ice-blue hair shimmered with a cold light under the lamp.
A soft knock came at the door. After receiving permission, Abel entered with heavy steps, his head bowed, followed by the knights who had just returned.
Their faces were grim, each one looking worse than the last. Their armor was still dusty from being forced to the ground earlier.
Steeling himself, Abel reported everything that had happened at the refugee camp, including how they were led into its center and how they were instantly subdued. He also repeated, word for word, everything Gunnhildr had said.
Venerare listened quietly, her expression unchanging. After Abel finished, the room fell into a dead silence.
A moment later, she let out a soft laugh, set down the documents in her hand, and leaned back in her chair.
"Truly an eagle that cannot be caged." Her tone betrayed neither praise nor annoyance. She looked at Abel. "So, what do you plan to do next?"
Abel took a deep breath, a vicious glint in his eyes. "Matriarch, those refugees don't know what's good for them, daring to humiliate us like that! I request permission to organize several elite squads. Citing their unauthorized occupation of our territory, we can constantly patrol and apply pressure around their camp, or find other pretexts to harass them! The moment they dare to fight back, we'll have a legitimate reason to strike, and they'll have no choice but to submit!"
Venerare's fingers tapped lightly on the desktop as she mulled it over for a moment.
"Fine," she finally said, her tone indifferent. "Go and make a scene. But," her voice suddenly turned cold, "you are not to deliberately insult or harm anyone, and you are absolutely forbidden from destroying their supplies."
She raised her eyes, looking directly at Abel. "If anyone crosses that line..."
Meeting her gaze, Abel couldn't help but shiver. He immediately bowed and replied:
"Yes, Matriarch! We understand!"
___
🔥 New stories are available now! 🔥
✅ Access up to 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Receive exclusive content and updates!
Help us hit our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan