Chapter 20 – Rhodes' Gift
Renn entered the cabin and explained the origin of the wyvern eggs.
"So the wyvern attacked because your daughter stole its eggs?"
Rhodes placed his hands on his hips and exhaled slowly.
He had initially assumed that the noise from the night raid had attracted the creature.
Now it appeared the cause was far more direct.
"Yes, my lord."
Renn glanced at his daughter, Alyra, then spoke solemnly.
"Thank you for saving everyone."
Wyverns were vicious creatures. When enraged over stolen eggs, they did not hunt—they slaughtered. Entire villages could be wiped out. And if the threat was not eliminated completely, the beast would return.
Renn had already planned to flee before Rhodes arrived. He would have abandoned the settlement entirely and taken his family deep into the wilderness to escape the wyvern's scent-tracking.
"You are my subjects," Rhodes said evenly. "You pay taxes. I protect your lives. That is the contract."
He paused.
"And your grappling hooks performed well."
The sudden shift in topic startled Renn.
"If those ropes were replaced with chains," Rhodes continued thoughtfully, "they would be far stronger."
Renn hesitated. "Chains would be much heavier. And… we have no blacksmith capable of forging them."
"I will arrange it," Rhodes said.
Renn's strength made the weight concern almost trivial.
Rhodes turned back to the two massive eggs resting on straw.
"So what do we do with them? Eat them?"
He considered it seriously.
A dragon-kin egg must taste extraordinary.
But raising them…
That possibility was even more intoxicating.
A Dragon Slayer who became a dragon knight.
If they proved uncontrollable, they could always become dinner later.
There was only one problem.
"Does anyone know how to hatch them?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"I'll need to consult books in the city," Rhodes muttered.
His territory lacked scholars. Literacy among the children was nearly nonexistent. Knowledge passed by word of mouth was fragile—distorted over generations.
A lord required not only steel, but learning.
He ordered two wooden crates filled with hay and carefully transferred the eggs inside.
Wyvern shells were extremely hard, far sturdier than common poultry eggs, but he refused to be careless.
If they cracked, even soup would be wasted.
Outside, the atmosphere had relaxed considerably.
Renn brought his companions forward.
"This is my wife, Luna Thornflower. She is an excellent herbalist."
Luna was small, quiet, and composed. Her features hinted at former beauty softened by hardship.
"Good day, my lord," she said softly.
She seemed wary.
Renn continued, pride in his voice.
"She saved my life thirty years ago. I fell from a cliff while hunting a black bear. She brought me back and healed me with herbs. I stayed."
"You survived and found love," Rhodes said with a faint smile. "The black bear played matchmaker."
Renn nodded seriously. "I made her cloak from its hide. To remember."
"I doubt the bear approves."
Laughter rippled through the cabin.
In this era, herbalists were physicians. They lacked surgical tools of city doctors, but their knowledge of plants rivaled any scholar's library.
Rhodes made note of her value.
Renn continued introductions.
"Dolan and Ma'ao are Luna's younger brothers. Skilled hunters. The grappling hooks were theirs."
"Wolf—though we call him Hound. He can track prey from a single trace."
"And Alyra. Her archery surpasses mine. She is unmatched in stealth."
They bowed.
Rhodes nodded, satisfied.
No wonder they survived in the Blackrock Mountains.
"Serve me well," he said, "and I will not be stingy with reward. When we return to Frostleaf Town, each of you will be compensated."
"Your next task will be to clear the wild beasts around Frostleaf Town before spring planting."
Wolves and hyenas were manageable.
Boars were the real threat.
A wild boar could devastate a field overnight.
"Yes, my lord," they replied in unison.
After dismissing them, Rhodes noticed something subtle.
Since gaining the Sub-Dragon Slayer title, most people avoided meeting his gaze.
Only Durant, Gunther, and Renn met his eyes directly.
Interesting.
Intimidation was a useful filter.
But it also meant he would never be the kind of lord villagers casually approached.
So be it.
He finished honey-roasted venison and mushroom-bacon soup alone and retired early.
The soldiers did not rest.
Marcus Silverdove arranged wagons. Ore, hides, provisions, and the wyvern's remains were loaded.
Without proper tools, Renn could not fully dismantle the corpse. He drained the blood, opened the softer abdominal section, removed the organs, and cut away most of the meat. The skeleton remained largely intact.
Rhodes insisted everything be transported.
Every part had value.
At dawn, Durant led most of the troops and villagers back to Frostleaf Town with the supplies.
Rhodes remained one extra day with Gunther and ten guards, waiting for Marcus's carriage to return.
Renn guided Rhodes to the mine. Together they sealed and concealed the entrance.
The current ore reserves were sufficient for now. Full-scale development would require manpower and infrastructure.
The village would remain as a forward outpost for developing the Blackrock Mountains.
Eventually, it might be wiser to smelt pig iron on-site. The forest provided charcoal. The location was secluded. It could become a discreet metallurgy workshop.
But only a small rotation force would remain—three to five men at a time.
When Marcus's carriage arrived, Rhodes personally escorted him to the border of Blackpine Ridge.
At noon, beneath warm sunlight, Rhodes dismounted and handed Marcus a leather pouch embroidered with his sigil.
"Take this."