NOVEL NEXT Vol 2. Chapter 24: To See Our People Free
Jesse laid out the details efficiently, his voice steady but tinged with the excitement of someone watching their hard work bear fruit. He'd wanted to show Lukas what he had been able to accomplish in their time apart.
"The Merchant Guild's progress has been…honestly? It's been better than we ever expected," he said, leaning over the map spread across the table. His finger traced the roads that now connected the far reaches of Nozar to Ilagron. "We've got around three thousand official traders now—most of them from Ilagron Village."
Lukas raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Three thousand? Already?"
Jesse nodded, pride flashing in his eyes. "Yeah. The growth's been exponential. And we've been smart about the profits. Almost all of it has gone straight back into rebuilding Ilagron. You wouldn't even recognize it now. It's not just a village anymore—it's a thriving hub."
Velena smiled faintly at that, watching Jesse with quiet approval.
Jesse continued, tapping the outskirts of Nozar and then moving his hand south. "We've started pushing into the outer regions of Nozar and even further into Khaitish. It's been good ground to cover, but..." He paused. "Khaitish doesn't have a solid economy. Territorial wars seem to have ravaged their lands. They've got potential, but it's not where the real wealth is."
Lukas folded his arms, reading where Jesse was going with this. "You want to move in on Easthaven and the Inner Cities of Nozar."
Jesse nodded. "Exactly. That's where the money is. That's where the real power is consolidated. But the thing is—these areas are tightly regulated. To move in there, to set up shop without being torn apart by the existing merchant houses and the noble families, we'll need backing. Preferably backing from the Kings of Easthaven and Nozar themselves."
"Agreed," Velena chimed in. "King Daerion is already showing interest in working with the Guild. If our meeting with him next week goes well, we can surely convince him that a partnership benefits him enough to grant us permits to trade within the inner cities of Nozar."
Jesse's lips quirked into a half-smile. "And when it comes to Easthaven, well....that's where you come in, my Lord."
Lukas smiled, nodding. He'd figured as much.
"With your connection to King Magnus, you can easily arrange a meeting with him. Considering how close you are to the Elarion Royal Family." Jesse remarked.
Lukas sat back, processing the scope of it all. In just over a year, they had built a Guild from the ground up, turning it into a legitimate trading force with influence spreading across the Kingdoms of Humanity. But Jesse wasn't finished. His expression sobered, gaze steady.
"We've been sending a good portion of the profits back to Linemall, rebuilding what was lost, and things are…good, really good," Jesse said, his tone thoughtful but steady. "The Seas are safer now, the cities are thriving again. Which brings us to the question that we have been waiting for you to answer. It's...actually the reason why we sought you out."
Lukas raised an eyebrow, urging Jesse to go on.
"Where do we send the rest?" Jesse asked. "The Merchant Guild is growing on its own now. Expansion won't take much more from us. We've got a lot of gold sitting around, Lukas. We need to decide where it goes."
Valkari, who had been sitting with arms crossed and a sharp, restless glint in her eyes, finally spoke. "We use it to free more of our people."
Jesse nodded, clearly leaning the same way. "There are nobles who'll sell them, Lukas. Some are practical. To them, a dragon's just a commodity. If we offer enough, they'll part ways."
"But not all of them will." Valkari's voice tightened, her gaze fierce, her mind already chasing the line of thought Lukas dreaded. "There are others—cruel ones. The kind who wouldn't give up their 'pets' for any price. For those, we need another method."
Lukas frowned, already sensing where this was headed.
Valkari pressed on. "We form a team. A team that can move in when money isn't enough. When negotiations fail. A group that can rescue our kind by force if necessary. Dragons who are willing to take up the call to free our people."
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"No," Lukas said flatly, the word cutting the air like a blade. "That's not an option."
"It has to be an option," Valkari pushed, leaning forward, her hands pressing against the table. "Do you think those dragons will ever see freedom if we wait around to pay their way out? Some nobles won't sell them for any price. They enjoy having them in chains. They relish it. They think themselves gods because of it. They'll never let them go, Lukas. No matter how much we offer."
Lukas met her glare with one of his own, but there was no malice in his voice. Just caution, heavy and deliberate. "And what you're proposing will ignite something we can't control. You want to send other dragons deep into the Inner Cities of Nozar, where security is suffocating, where the Church has roots and eyes everywhere. Do you think they won't retaliate once they know what's happening? Do you think they will stand back and do nothing?"
"We're already moving against them," Valkari shot back, her voice rising. "We're freeing our people, buying them out from the handful of nobles who have shackled us in chains. Sooner or later, they'll come after us anyway."
"And that's exactly why we shouldn't throw more of our people into danger. We cannot afford to have even more suspicion being thrown at us."
"Then I will put myself on the front lines. These words are not empty my Lord, I am willing to do this in spite of the danger we may face out there!"
"That's exactly why I can't approve of this, Valkari." His voice turned sharp, cold steel beneath the words. "I've seen what happens when we let anger lead us into battles we can't afford. You think I don't want to break their chains with my own hands? You think I haven't imagined storming their homes, tearing down their walls, dragging our people out myself?"
His hands curled into fists on the table.
"This isn't about vengeance, Valkari. This is about survival."
Her expression tightened, but something flickered in her eyes—hurt, frustration, something that didn't fade as she snapped back, "My brother...he does not care for our people. He thinks only for himself. That night, when you saved me from those humans...I thought you were the one. The one who would fight for us, fight for our people. I thought you were different."
"I am different. Because I care. And I care enough to know that the risk does not outweigh the reward. I will not put more of my people in danger, especially when it is their safety that is already guaranteed." Lukas' voice turned low and commanding, the weight of the Crown settling over his words like stone. "And that's why this discussion is over. I've made my decision. And that decision is final."
The silence that followed was brutal.
Jesse glanced between them, tense, but he didn't interfere.
Lukas watched Valkari carefully, the way her jaw tightened, her fingers flexing like she was holding back the urge to ignite the rage exploding within her. But then, after a long moment, she bowed her head. Not in defeat. But in painful, reluctant acceptance.
"Understood, my Lord," she said quietly, the heat of her anger still burning beneath the calm surface. "Your will…is final."
She turned and walked out, her steps firm, her spine straight, but Lukas saw the war raging inside her with every step she took. Jesse hesitated for just a moment, his expression conflicted as he gave Lukas a quick, respectful bow before he, too, hurried after her, no doubt to make sure she was alright.
The room felt heavier in their absence.
Velena remained seated for a while longer, watching Lukas with calm, steady eyes.
"I trust your judgement," the Countess finally told him, breaking the silence. "I know that it's never easy, doing what's right. But I agree with you. It's your responsibility to protect the ones who are already safe. Sometimes...this is the hardest part of being a leader, Lukas."
Lukas exhaled slowly, dragging his fingers through his hair. She could say that again.
Her words brought some comfort, but the weight on his shoulders didn't lift.
Velena rose from her chair and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "For what it's worth, I think you did the right thing. There should never come a day where you sacrifice those you've already saved just to gamble on saving another."
She left him with that, quietly stepping out of the room, leaving Lukas alone with his thoughts.
And there he sat, hands clasped together, elbows resting on the table, staring down at the faint reflection of himself in the polished wood.
Velena was right.
But Valkari was right too.
Fighting for their people was the very reason he fought so hard within Kairos Castle. Not just to protect. Not just to grow strong enough to stop those who would hurt his people.
But to one day, truly set them free.
Strength wasn't just about preservation. It was about liberation. It was about breaking the chains that had bound his kind for centuries.And no matter how much he told himself that patience was the better path—that waiting was safer—some part of him still burned with the same fire Valkari carried in her heart.
One day, Lukas would free them all. That was the promise he made himself as he sat in that quiet room, a silent vow he would carry until the end of his days. A vow he'd keep even if it meant he'd have to give up his life for it. For why would Lukas fear death?
Why fear death when he knew who was waiting for him on the other side?