Dragon Genesis: I Can Create Dragons - Chapter 387: A Celebratory Ceremony.

Chapter 387: A Celebratory Ceremony.

As the sun went down and people began getting off of their work, the Elder’s Hall released an official statement.

A Celebratory Ceremony.

Almost every Velmourn had seen the Men of the Watch moving from the West to the East Coast and then marching back to the Wall. Those who did not see it themselves had heard about it.

This was the first time the Velmourn Army had moved in such a manner, so every Velmourn was tense.

People knew something big was about to happen—or had happened—so they were waiting for the Elder’s Hall to release an official statement.

The environment was tense. The people were still working, but their expressions today were far grimmer.

And in such a tense environment, when a sudden statement informing the people of the Celebratory Ceremony was released—

The people were obviously confused.

Not that they cared.

It had been a long time since something like this had happened, so the people saw it for what it was.

A celebration.

And prepared themselves.

As the night fell and the time of celebration got close, people began to gather at the space around the granary near the Wall.

This was where the Velmourns usually held such celebrations. There were two reasons for this. First, the granary was here. Since all the Velmourns would be gathered here, in case of an attack, the granary could be easily protected.

Second, the Wall was near. If they were attacked, the Velmourn army could react accordingly and efficiently.

Of course, it was still risky to celebrate in such a manner since the enemies could attack at any moment. This was also the reason the Velmourns usually did not celebrate during winters. But since the Elder’s Hall had summoned everyone despite all this, people couldn’t help but be curious.

So with Tarevian, the Voice of the Commonfolk, and Aelindra, the Warden of Provision, leading their subordinates—

The fires were lit.

They weren’t many—just a few old fire pits scattered along the Wall’s courtyard—but they were enough. The warmth they gave was weak compared to the cold of Ashen Heights, but no one complained. They gathered around them anyway, wrapped in worn cloaks and patched furs, their faces lit by soft orange light.

It was time to celebrate.

There was no grand feast or barrels of wine. Obviously, the Velmourns could not afford such luxuries. There was no banquet, no music played by bards, no golden banners flapping in the wind.

There were just… people.

People who stayed together and enjoyed each other’s company.

And that was enough.

These people smiled when they saw each other, greeting each other and grouping together. They shared warm broth, thick with roots and salt, passed along with stone cups filled with snowmelt tea. A few Velmourns brought in dried meat they had saved up, and it was shared evenly.

Nobody reached for more than their share.

Nobody wanted to.

They understood the importance of unity; the thought of being selfish didn’t even appear in their minds.

Children ran between legs, laughing. Old soldiers chuckled softly, leaning against stone walls. Some young ones started dancing, stomping their feet on the hard ground in rhythm. It wasn’t graceful, but it was loud, wild, and full of joy.

Of course, some wanted to talk, mostly about the soldiers’ march today. Most soldiers smiled and told others to stay silent. Some, however, were different.

Unable to contain their excitement, they started talking about everything that happened today and how both Kael and Lavinia saved the day.

Fanatics even started chanting Dragon God Kael’s name, attracting more and more attention from others.

“They sure are excited.”

Aelindra chuckled, staring at the bunch who were chanting Kael’s name together with a soldier who had climbed on top of a tree to gain more attention.

“Dragon Rider Kael’s impact on the soldiers was quite strong.”

Tarevian nodded lightly.

He could see how the soldiers who had fought together with Kael were unable to hold their excitement. Most of them couldn’t stop talking about him.

“But there are some disturbing elements as well…”

Tarevian narrowed his eyes, staring at another group where one soldier was talking about the presence of a traitor amongst their people and the Drakthar ships that arrived today.

Some were even mentioning Lavinia’s true identity, and Tarevian did not like how this seemed to be dividing their people—with some siding with Lavinia despite her identity, while others narrowed their eyes and passed not the most ideal comments.

“Well, the Matriarch did not stop them from talking.”

Aelindra shrugged. She already expected something like this would happen.

“She should have.”

Tarevian muttered.

“Well, she is planning to reveal her identity today.”

“I do not know how that will go…”

Tarevian spoke in a light voice. He wasn’t exactly in favor of this idea. After all, he was the Voice of the Commonfolk, one of the elders who had had the most interactions with the Velmourn people. He knew just how strong and deeply ingrained the Drakthar hatred was—especially the hatred for the Dragonborns.

But…

“The soldiers already know the truth. It is only a matter of time before the people do as well. This is not something we could have kept hidden anyway, not after the Drakthar ships that visited us.

So instead of people learning the truth on their own, it is better that we come up and reveal it ourselves.”

Aelindra explained, and in the end, Tarevian had no choice but to sigh. This was the entire reason he agreed to reveal Lavinia’s identity in the first place.

He just…

He was just worried.

For now, however, he suppressed his worries and continued instructing his subordinates.

As more time passed, more and more people gathered. The other Elders of the Iron Council began appearing as well and began mingling with the people. Tonight, there were no high platforms, no separations. Just old men and women with tired bones and sharp eyes, smiling quietly as their people surrounded them.

Kael, who was watching everything from a little distance together with Lavinia, smiled.

For a while, the two of them didn’t speak. The fire reflected in Lavinia’s purple eyes, and Kael could feel the quiet smile on her lips even without looking.

It was strange.

This wasn’t his first party in this world. He had attended one in Drakthar as well. The tables there overflowed with food, gold-trimmed goblets, musicians in every corner… everything was far grander and more extravagant than anything he had ever seen.

But…

The laughter there felt forced. Each conversation felt like a political battle.

To Kael, it was exhausting.

The banquet didn’t feel like a celebration, but just an opportunity where the nobles gathered and continued forming their schemes and strategies.

Kael very much preferred the environment here.

One where children ran and played with each other. Even the grown-ups danced with tired legs, laughing with cracked voices.

Everyone shared whatever they had, even if it was little. And the more he watched it…

The warmer he felt.

“Feels much better than what you saw in Drakthar, doesn’t it?”

Lavinia chuckled, reading Kael’s face like a book.

“If you remove some disturbing factors, yes.”

Kael nodded.

“Everything cannot be perfect, now can it?”

Lavinia smiled, and in the end, Kael just sighed.

He wanted to join them as well, but… they weren’t in the position to do that.

The people were already talking about them when they weren’t there. If they did appear, the entire celebration might come to a halt.

So in the end, the two of them waited, and soon, the Matriarch appeared. Her presence instantly silenced the celebrating crowd as everyone gathered together to hear the Matriarch.

It was finally the time the Matriarch told them what happened.

Morvain came prepared as well. She stared at her people for a moment and stepped up onto a raised stone block. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a solid slab she used to give a speech before the beginning of celebrations.

Then, she began.

“Today was a big day.

For the Velmourns.

For all of us.”

She spoke in a calm, steady voice. The crowd stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

“From the east, the ships of Drakthar came ashore. Steel-covered soldiers with better weapons and more numbers than we could match.”

“!!!”

Those words made the Velmourns widen their eyes in horror. Even those who already knew about it through the soldiers reacted in a similar manner. The words sounded much more impactful when the Matriarch herself said them.

Morvain, however, was not done yet.

“And from the west, the Stonefangs charged our Wall with their entire might when most of our soldiers were gone at the East, ready to tear down everything we have built.”

Morvain then paused for a moment, staring at her people and—

“Either one of these threats… could’ve been the end of us.”

The crowd was dead silent.

“We were outnumbered.

We were outmatched.

We were caught off guard.

And yet—”

The Matriarch then pointed at Kael and Lavinia standing at a distance and—

“We’re still here. Because they were here.”

Her voice didn’t rise, but the weight behind her words grew heavier.

“While everyone else was ignorant of the incoming danger, they reacted.

When fear ran through the ranks, they stepped forward…”

Morvain’s hand lowered slowly and—

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