Free Web NovelCHAPTER 46 — Aid Before Conquest
Dawn broke over the Abyssal Domain.
For the first time since Rhazakar's defeat...
Vespera marched beyond the borders of her own kingdom.
Not with an army of conquest.
But with a caravan of healers, engineers, craftsmen, and soldiers.
Their banners bore the black serpent crest of the Abyss.
Below it, stitched in silver thread, were four simple words.
Aid Before Conquest.
Vespera rode at the front in her human form.
A dark cloak concealed her identity from a distance.
Lirael rode beside her, scanning the forests.
Kragga commanded the rear guard.
Sylvana traveled with wagons carrying seeds, medicinal herbs, and young saplings.
Nyxara was nowhere to be seen.
Exactly where she preferred to be.
By midday...
The expedition reached the outskirts of Ashford.
The villagers froze.
Children hid behind their parents.
Several men instinctively reached for old hunting spears.
Not because they wished to fight.
Because they were afraid.
Vespera slowly dismounted.
She removed her hood.
"I am Queen Vespera." fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Her calm voice carried across the square.
"We came because you asked for help."
Silence.
An elderly woman stepped forward.
"We..."
She swallowed nervously.
"We expected monsters."
Vespera smiled gently.
"You found them."
The old woman blinked.
Then...
To everyone's surprise...
She laughed.
A few others followed.
The tension eased.
Within hours, work had begun.
Goblin craftsmen repaired damaged roofs with remarkable speed.
Orc laborers lifted fallen beams that ten humans couldn't have moved.
Sylvana walked through ruined fields.
She knelt, placing one hand against the blackened earth.
Green light spread beneath her fingers.
Tiny shoots emerged.
Farmers stared in disbelief.
"Our crops..."
"They're growing."
Sylvana smiled.
"They'll need time."
"But they'll live."
Captain Rowan organized defenses around the village.
"We strengthen the northern barricades."
"Double the night watch."
"No unnecessary risks."
Sir Cedric Rowan watched everything in silence.
Finally, he approached his older brother.
"You were telling the truth."
Rowan raised an eyebrow.
"About what?"
Cedric looked toward goblins helping repair a church roof.
"About them."
Meanwhile...
High above the village...
Nyxara observed from an abandoned windmill.
A faint ripple disturbed the shadows behind her.
Another assassin emerged.
Dressed entirely in gray.
"No greeting?"
Nyxara didn't turn.
"I already know why you're here."
The newcomer chuckled.
"The Syndicate has declared you a traitor."
"I'm aware."
"They've offered a bounty."
"I assumed they would."
The assassin sighed.
"You've made powerful enemies."
Nyxara finally faced him.
"I chose the right ones."
Steel flashed.
The duel lasted less than thirty seconds.
Neither assassin wasted movement.
Every strike aimed to kill.
Every dodge measured to the inch.
Finally...
Nyxara's dagger rested against the man's throat.
"You've gotten slower."
The assassin laughed bitterly.
"No."
"You've gotten stronger."
He slowly lowered his weapons.
"I won't finish the contract."
"You'll lose your rank."
"I know."
He looked toward the village below.
"I've never seen monsters rebuilding human homes."
"Neither had I."
Nyxara stepped aside.
"Go."
"Tell the Syndicate whatever you wish."
The assassin hesitated.
Then disappeared into the forest.
As evening approached...
The villagers gathered in the central square.
Long tables had been assembled.
Humans.
Orcs.
Goblins.
Harpies.
Minotaurs.
They all shared the same meal.
For many...
It was the first peaceful dinner they'd enjoyed in months.
A little girl approached Vespera shyly.
She held out the same wooden doll she had clutched after the raid.
"I fixed her."
Vespera knelt.
The doll's cracked arm had been carefully stitched back together.
"She looks much happier."
The girl smiled.
"So do you."
That night...
Vespera stood alone outside the village.
She had returned to her true Abyssal Queen form.
The moonlight shimmered across her dark scales.
She preferred this form when no one needed reassurance.
It reminded her who she truly was.
Footsteps approached.
Lirael.
"You hide out here whenever you're thinking."
Vespera chuckled softly.
"Am I that predictable?"
"To me?"
Lirael smiled.
"Yes."
For a while, they simply looked at the stars.
Finally...
Vespera spoke.
"I keep wondering..."
"If I hadn't died on Earth..."
"Would someone else have stood here?"
Lirael gently rested a hand on her arm.
"Perhaps."
"But they wouldn't be you."
"And this village..."
She looked toward the lights of Ashford.
"...needed you."
Miles away...
Inside the Cathedral of Light...
The High Archbishop listened to another report.
"The Monster Queen has begun aiding human settlements."
His expression remained unreadable.
One cardinal whispered,
"The people are beginning to admire her."
The Archbishop slowly closed his eyes.
"Then admiration..."
"...must become fear."
He turned toward an armored commander waiting in the shadows.
"The Black Banner Legion."
"Move at once."
"But make certain..."
"...the blame falls upon the Abyss."
The commander bowed.
"As you command."
The trap had been set.
And neither Ashford...
Nor Vespera...
Knew that a far darker enemy was already marching toward them.
End of Chapter 46
Thank you for reading Chapter 46!
This chapter is less about battles and more about the kind of ruler Vespera wants to become. Sometimes rebuilding a home can change the world more than winning a war.
I'd love to hear your thoughts and theories in the comments. Thank you for following the journey!
