Chapter 1505: Not A Big Deal

A few hours later, Caelion finally decided that he could just wait. He had already finished organizing the most important records, but another concern had begun weighing on him.

He needed to know whether the four had actually completed the task he had given them. He summoned one of his most trusted squad leaders and waited until the soldier entered his chamber before speaking.

"Take a small squad and inspect the Shattered Expanse," Caelion ordered. "Don’t go too deep. I only want you to check the areas outside where most of the dangerous monsters resided, then determine whether they actually dealt with the monsters."

The squad leader straightened immediately. "Understood, Governor. How many soldiers should I take?"

"Take enough to protect yourselves, but don’t provoke anything unnecessarily. If the four of them have already cleared the area, you shouldn’t encounter much danger. Observe from a safe distance and return immediately."

"Yes, my lord."

"Report to me as soon as you return."

The squad leader saluted before turning around and leaving the chamber.

Once the door closed, Caelion remained alone. He stared at the documents covering his desk before reaching for a small glass bottle. The potion inside glowed faintly with blue light. He uncorked it and drank the bitter liquid in one swallow.

The effect came almost immediately. The exhaustion weighing down his body receded, replaced by a sharp clarity that forced his tired mind back into focus.

Caelion leaned against his chair and sighed.

He had spent the entire night researching the Sky Tyrant. He had opened sealed archives, contacted scholars, and used political favors that he normally would have kept for more important matters.

In doing so, he had exposed himself as someone actively searching for information about one of the most dangerous subjects in Elyndor’s history.

And what if the four Dragonborn hadn’t actually done what he had asked?

"What if I sacrificed all of that for nothing?" Caelion rubbed his forehead.

If the monsters still remained in large numbers, then he would have gained nothing from the arrangement. The thought alone made his stomach tighten.

About an hour later, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor.

Caelion looked up. The door opened, and the same squad leader entered.

His expression immediately caught Caelion’s attention. The soldier looked stunned.

Caelion’s heart sank. "They didn’t do it?"

He slowly stood from his chair.

"What happened?" Caelion asked.

The squad leader stared at him for several seconds before finally answering.

"My lord... it’s not what you think happened."

Caelion frowned. "Then explain."

"The Shattered Expanse..." The soldier swallowed. "The dangerous monsters are almost gone."

Caelion froze. "What?"

"We inspected several areas near the frontier. The monster population has dropped to an extraordinary degree. Some regions were practically empty." The soldier shook his head in disbelief. "We’ve been monitoring those territories for years. Some of those nests had existed longer than I’ve been alive. But now..." He paused. "They’re gone."

Caelion stared at him. "How much of the Expanse?"

"Most of the regions they could reach safely. The dangerous population has become extremely thin. There may barely be anything left for our forces to deal with."

Silence filled the chamber. Caelion slowly lowered himself back into his chair.

The squad leader looked equally stunned.

"My lord... those four completed work that would have taken our military years."

Caelion stared toward the window. "Years?"

The soldier nodded. "Perhaps decades."

For several moments, neither man spoke.

Then, Caelion finally released a quiet breath. He had suspected the Dragonborn were powerful. He had not understood how powerful they truly were.

"Those four..." he murmured, then grinned widely. "They’re far beyond anything we’ve encountered before. They accomplished more than we expected."

The squad leader nodded slowly. He also grinned.

—

The four Dragonborn were settled comfortably into their new residence. A lavish meal had been prepared for them, filling the dining table with dishes that looked delicious.

Despite the important task still hanging over their heads, none of them saw any reason to keep being tense. They had already done what they needed to do, and for the moment, they could simply enjoy the hospitality of Skyhold Bastion.

"Now this is good. I could get used to eating like this!" Eccar said, leaned back slightly after taking another bite and grinned.

Aesa continued eating without looking at him. "I agree."

Eccar raised an eyebrow. "You’re actually admitting the food is good?"

Aesa gave him a cold look before taking another bite. "I have no reason to lie about food."

Sylven chuckled quietly while Erend smiled at the exchange. Even Aesa, who rarely showed much enthusiasm for anything, had been eating considerably more than usual.

Then a knock sounded from the entrance.

The four Dragonborn immediately looked toward the door. Within seconds, they straightened and stood as Caelion entered the dining room alone.

"You don’t have to stand," Caelion said quickly. "Please, continue eating. Don’t mind me."

Eccar immediately sat back down. "Alright."

Aesa and Sylven also keep eating without hesitation. Erend, however, remained standing for another moment before slowly sitting down again. His attention remained fixed on the governor.

"Is everything finished, Governor?" Erend asked.

Caelion smiled. "Yes. I finally managed to organize everything."

He carried a thick stack of documents beneath one arm and placed them on the table in front of Erend.

"I’ve collected everything I could find regarding the Sky Tyrant. Some of the records are incomplete, and some information remains uncertain, but this should contain everything useful that I was able to uncover."

Erend looked down at the documents.

Before he could open them, Caelion continued. "And I also want to thank all of you. What you did in the Shattered Expanse was an enormous help to Skyhold Bastion. The monster population has fallen to levels we haven’t seen in decades."

Erend waved a hand casually. "It’s not a big deal."

Caelion stared at him. For a moment, he genuinely wondered if he had heard correctly. Not a big deal?

His soldiers had spent years fighting those monsters. Some of the nests had been considered permanent threats because they were simply too dangerous to eliminate. And these four had apparently treated the entire operation as something that wasn’t a big of a deal.

Erend opened the documents and quickly scanned the first few pages. After reading through several sections, he nodded.

"I think this is good enough." He closed the document and looked toward the others. "We can start preparing to leave soon."

—