The laughter outside faded into a gentle hum as Kael pushed himself up from his chair.

"I should go visit Alenia," he muttered as a lazy stretch rolled through his shoulders, his shadow flickering faintly behind him as if they wanted to stretch with him.

Lyra raised a brow immediately.

"If someone looked at you right now," she said, lips twitching, "they'd think you were about to sprint to Alenia's place. But in reality"—she pointed accusingly—"you're just going to snap your fingers and appear at her door again, aren't you?"

Evethra blinked. Selene smiled softly.

Kael, on the other hand, glanced at Lyra for a heartbeat… then gave a slow, guilty-looking shrug.

"Now that you've said it like that," he mused, "I suppose I should walk a little."

A smirk followed. "I'll teleport some distance away first."

Lyra groaned.

Selene shook her head.

Evethra hid a laugh behind her hand.

Kael only chuckled—smooth, easy, and unapologetic.

"Alenia's daily report was pending anyway," he said, brushing nonexistent dust from his coat. "And since she had said that she would like to be alone with me when she gives me the report, I won't be taking anyone with me."

Evethra bowed her head, accepting it gracefully, even if her eyes flickered with disappointment at staying behind.

Though that disappointment quickly vanished as she recalled how, no matter what he does during the day, by night, he would be next to her.

Kael, unaware of his loyal maid's thoughts, snapped his fingers once—soft, almost lazy.

—shhff—

The hall rippled, and then he was gone.

.................

Kael reappeared on a small dirt path not far from the central area—far enough that he'd need to walk a minute, close enough that Lyra couldn't accuse him of cheating too much.

The air was cool beneath the shadow of the massive tree he had grown at the village's heart.

The thing's trunk was wide enough for fifty people to stand around hand-in-hand, and its branches swayed like the arms of a sleeping giant.

It had grown bigger than ever, and by now, even if you were kilometers away, you could see it from there. After all, it was the tallest tree in this forest now.

Kael shoved his hands in his pockets and walked.

Everywhere he looked, the village thrived.

Buzzed.

Lived.

A month and a half ago, it had been a quiet settlement of roughly two hundred people.

Now?

Over a thousand. Maybe more. He never counted.

Children ran with laughter trailing behind them like ribbons of joy.

Traders negotiated next to freshly built stalls.

The clang of hammers rang from the smithy. And everywhere he walked, houses—one made by man and not magic—lined the streets.

They weren't as good as the ones he had made for the first batch of villagers, but they weren't bad either.

Craftsmen bustled around with aprons and tools, some with apprentices practically glued to their sides, all racing to keep up with the constant arrival of newcomers.

They were the ones building houses, after all.

A small smile tugged Kael's lips upward.

'Not bad. Not bad at all.'

As he walked, he kept looking at people's status windows—something he does to pass his time while also looking for talent.

By chance, he saw a mirror, and his ability automatically showed his own status window.

....................

Name: Kael

Race: Primordial Dragon.

Bloodline: Primordial Dragon.

Stats:

- Strength: SS

- Defense: SS

- Agility: SS

- Mana: SS

....................

'No changes, as expected.'

Kael clicked his tongue. "It's so annoying."

It was very strange, as everyone who practiced his breathing technique grew rapidly.

Yes, they were still weak, but with the speed they grew, Kael was sure they would soon catch up to him, yet he wasn't seeing any progress in his powers.

Not a single stat had budged.

Not a single letter shifted.

It was as if the system had decided he was already where he needed to be.

Sighing, he scrolled down.

....................

Skills:

- ??? (No information available)

- Mana Concealment

- Ultimate Draconic Instincts

- Ultimate Perception

- Inspection

- Weightless Grace

- Telekinesis

- Transformation

- Shadow Clothing

- Wind Control

- Draconic Healing

- Coin Duplication

- Seal Breaker

- Earth Wall

- Trailbane

- Dendrokinesis

- Teleportation

....................

Kael exhaled.

"At least something is increasing, even if it's just the list of my skills."

As he shook his head, the window blinked out, and just then, a trio of children ran past him, waving excitedly.

"Lord Kael!"

"Lord Kael, you look like an angel."

"My mother loves you, lord Kael!"

With that, the children ran away, leaving Kael with a tilted head as the last line caught him by surprise.

Still, as the children's silhouettes vanished, he continued on his path, soon reaching the place he wanted to.

It was Alenia's workplace.

It sat in a beautiful wooden building wrapped around the base of the giant tree—its vines woven into the architecture, windows glowing faintly with warm light.

Kael pushed open the door.

Instantly—

"Good afternoon, Lord Kael!"

"Master Kael!"

"Sir Kael!"

Every worker in the room jolted like they had been hit with lightning.

Desks stretched across the hall, papers spread everywhere.

Bird demihumans, working as messengers, swooped in and out of open skylights, dropping reports.

Wolfkin, foxkin, humans, elves—all scribbling, stamping, organizing.

Several tried to stand—

—But Kael lifted a hand, expression relaxed but firm.

"You're already showing respect by doing your jobs diligently," he said with a faint smile. "No need to bow or stand."

His voice washed over them like a warm breeze.

A hush fell.

Then the whispers began.

"He talked to us."

"He smiled—did you see that?"

"His voice is even smoother than the rumors say—"

"Focus! Focus! We have work!"

"But he looked right at me—"

They were all people who worshiped Kael like everyone else in the village, as he was like a god in their eyes.

Seeing him up close was already enough for them, so his talking to them would, of course, incite a reaction like that.

Kael, however, pretended not to hear their growing excitement as he walked deeper inside.

Behind him, the workplace vibrated with energy like a nest of starstruck fans.

Some clutched their quills like treasured relics.

Others scribbled faster, as though they could earn his praise.

And in the center office—behind a wooden door carved with leaf patterns—waited the person who insisted every day on giving him reports personally.

Alenia.

Kael reached the door, lifted his hand, and knocked lightly.

"Alenia?" he said, his voice warm. "I'm here for today's reports."

Inside—paper rustled, someone sucked in a breath, and a tired but determined voice answered, "Y-Yes! Please… come in!"

Kael smiled, unaware of what had been going on inside, as he opened the door.

If only he hadn't cared about Alenia's privacy and had stepped into the room without a knock, he would've seen something Alenia would never want him to see.

....................

A while ago.

Inside Alenia's office, the soft glow of afternoon light filtered through the leaf-woven windows, turning the room warm and gold.

Stacks of papers sat on her desk like miniature mountains—signed, stamped, sorted, evaluated, corrected, rewritten, and re-sorted. She had been at it since dawn.

And finally…

Alenia collapsed face-first onto the long sofa against the wall.

"Just… five minutes…" she mumbled into the cushion.

Her shoulders sagged, exhaustion pressing down like a warm blanket. She dragged herself up just enough to sit upright—barely—and rubbed her temples.

"What am I even doing…? Just rest, Alenia… just for a moment…"

Her eyes softened with a tired, wistful light.

Then she lifted her fingers.

Snap.

A ripple of mana shimmered gently.

A figure materialized before her.

A tall, black-clad man with lazy elegance.

Golden draconic eyes.

A faint, gentle smile.

Kael.

Not the real one.

Just her illusion—meticulously shaped from memory.

Alenia let out a slow breath, her body relaxing the moment she saw him.

"…You came early today," she whispered to the illusion, brushing loose strands of hair behind her ear.

The illusion-Kael tilted his head with an amused expression she had seen countless times.

"You should rest more, Alenia," it said—her own magic mimicking his smooth, lazy voice perfectly.

She gave a small, sad smile.

"If only you actually said that," she murmured. "You'd probably say something like, 'You work too much, but I won't stop you.'"

The illusion blinked.

"…You work too much," it repeated dutifully, "but I won't stop you."

Alenia snorted softly. "Exactly."

She leaned back into the sofa, eyes locked on the illusion as if drawing strength from the image alone.

For a moment, it felt comforting.

Warm.

Safe.

But only for a moment.

Soon… her expression faltered.

She looked at the illusion's face—a face she admired far more than she should.

But the smile wasn't quite right.

The eyes weren't as mischievous.

The air wasn't as warm.

"…You're not him," she whispered.

The illusion remained still, waiting for her next command.

Alenia's fingers trembled slightly—not from fear, but from the weariness and the ache of knowing what it meant to rely on an illusion of someone she respected… and maybe more than respected.

She lifted her hand.

"Disappear."

Snap.

The image dissolved into gentle wisps of mana.

Silence filled the room.

She let out a slow exhale, pressing a hand over her forehead.

"Pathetic… Alenia, you're really—"

Knock.

"Alenia? I'm here for today's report."

Kael's voice—warm, real, and unmistakable—slid through the door.

Her entire body jolted upright.

"H-Huh—?!"

A pile of papers slid off the arm of the sofa as she scrambled to her feet.

Her heart leaped to her throat.

"Y-Yes! Please… come in!"

Her voice cracked embarrassingly, but she couldn't take it back.

She rushed to smooth her hair, straighten her clothes, hide the red on her cheeks, and erase all evidence of her very shameful magical moment.

And just then, Kael's hand pushed the door open.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.