Snow fell gently from the heavens.
Not the violent blizzards Frostbound Coast was infamous for.
Not the merciless storms that buried roads and swallowed travelers.
This snowfall was calm.
Quiet.
Almost peaceful.
For the first time in many years...
The forest surrounding the western frontier was silent.
No distant howls.
No monstrous roars.
No shadows lurking between ancient trees.
No predators stalking the roads.
Only silence.
A silence earned through blood.
Through steel.
Through fourteen relentless days of battle.
Two weeks.
It had taken exactly two weeks.
Two weeks of hunting.
Two weeks of tracking.
Two weeks of destroying nests hidden beneath cliffs, inside caves, beneath frozen lakes, and deep within the ancient forests.
Two weeks of systematically tearing apart every major monster presence within the region.
And now...
It was over.
The final monster had fallen.
The final nest had been secured.
The first phase of Kel Rosenfeld's frontier campaign had ended.
The temporary camp stood atop a small ridge overlooking the wilderness.
The location would soon become Frostbound Coast's first permanent frontier outpost.
Workers were already marking construction locations.
Trees had been cut.
Supply routes had been identified.
Surveyors moved throughout the area.
The future was already beginning.
At the center of the camp...
Kel stood quietly.
The northern wind moved his silver hair.
His dark coat fluttered softly.
Golden eyes observed the forest below.
For two weeks he had watched this wilderness change.
The difference was remarkable.
What had once been monster territory...
Was gradually becoming human territory.
A faint smile appeared.
Small.
Yet satisfied.
Then footsteps approached.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Kel didn't turn.
"Gareth."
The veteran knight immediately stopped.
A respectful bow followed.
"My Lord."
Unlike two weeks ago...
The vice-captain looked different.
The exhaustion remained.
Yet something else had appeared.
Confidence.
Purpose.
The campaign had changed many knights.
Gareth included.
Kel finally turned.
"Compile everything."
The veteran blinked.
"My Lord?"
Kel nodded.
"Everything."
His voice remained calm.
"I want a complete report."
Gareth straightened.
The veteran immediately understood.
Not just a victory report.
A governance report.
A territorial report.
A development report.
Kel continued.
"Monsters killed."
"Monster cores collected."
"Cubs secured."
"Eggs secured."
"Injuries."
"Supply consumption."
"Harvested materials."
"Valuable resources discovered."
His golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"Every detail."
The surrounding officers exchanged looks.
Several appeared surprised.
Most nobles would only ask about casualties and profits.
Kel wanted everything.
Absolutely everything.
Gareth immediately nodded.
"It will be done."
Kel gave a simple nod.
Then walked toward the command tent.
The veteran stared briefly.
Then sighed.
"...I suppose we're not sleeping tonight."
Several nearby officers groaned.
The command tent remained illuminated late into the evening.
Stacks of documents covered tables.
Knights entered and exited continuously.
Records were gathered.
Numbers were verified.
Reports were rewritten.
Several officers nearly suffered mental collapse.
Fighting monsters was easier.
Much easier.
Meanwhile—
Kel quietly reviewed maps.
The wolf cubs slept nearby.
Though "cubs" was becoming less accurate.
Two weeks of proper feeding had already made them noticeably larger.
One currently occupied his chair.
Another slept directly atop a stack of reports.
Kel simply moved the reports elsewhere.
The surrounding officers pretended not to notice.
They had already accepted many strange things regarding their lord.
This was merely another entry on the list.
Several hours later.
Gareth finally arrived.
The veteran carried a thick bundle of documents.
His expression contained equal parts pride and disbelief.
"My Lord."
Kel gestured toward the chair opposite him.
"Sit."
The veteran obeyed.
Then placed the reports on the table.
The surrounding officers gathered as well.
Curious.
Excited.
The entire expedition wanted to know the results.
Kel opened the first document.
Then nodded.
"Begin."
Gareth took a deep breath.
His voice echoed throughout the tent.
"Total confirmed monster kills."
He glanced at the report.
Then continued.
"One thousand three hundred and seventy-six."
Silence.
Several younger officers blinked.
Even after participating...
The number still felt absurd.
Over a thousand monsters.
Two weeks.
Kel calmly nodded.
No reaction.
The veteran continued.
"Monster nests destroyed."
"Forty-three."
Several officers smiled proudly.
Those nests had terrorized the region for years.
Now they were gone.
Completely.
Gareth moved to the next page.
"Monster cores collected."
His voice became slightly strange.
"One thousand one hundred and eighteen."
The surrounding knights immediately exchanged shocked glances.
That number represented wealth.
Enormous wealth.
Monster cores were highly valuable.
Especially in large quantities.
Kel quietly noted it.
Then motioned forward.
"Continue."
The next report emerged.
"Cubs secured."
Gareth rubbed his forehead.
Apparently this section still felt ridiculous.
"Twenty-seven Frost Wolves."
Several knights smiled.
The wolves had become surprisingly popular.
"Eleven Frost Raptors."
"Eight Snow Lynxes."
"Four Ironback Boars."
The list continued.
By the end...
The total reached fifty-nine young monsters.
The officers stared.
That number was honestly alarming.
An entire future monster corps.
Kel remained calm.
"Eggs?"
Gareth immediately flipped pages.
"Eighty-three viable eggs."
Several officers nearly choked.
The young lord had practically established a breeding program.
Kel nodded.
Then asked another question.
"Injuries."
The tent became quieter.
This was important.
Extremely important.
Gareth immediately answered.
"Thirty-two injured."
Several officers lowered their heads slightly.
Even successful campaigns carried costs.
Then the veteran continued.
"Twenty-one minor injuries."
"Nine moderate injuries."
"Two severe injuries."
Kel listened silently.
Then asked.
"Deaths?"
The tent became completely silent.
Several knights unconsciously tensed.
Then Gareth smiled.
A genuine smile.
The kind rarely seen on his scarred face.
"Zero."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then several officers looked up.
Others blinked.
One younger knight nearly forgot to breathe.
Zero.
Not one death.
Not a single knight had died.
Two weeks.
Over a thousand monsters.
Forty-three nests.
And not one funeral.
The realization hit everyone simultaneously.
Normally campaigns like this ended with graves.
Letters to families.
Memorial ceremonies.
This one didn't.
A strange emotion filled the tent.
Pride.
Disbelief.
Relief.
Gareth himself still struggled accepting it.
Not one death.
For a frontier operation...
It bordered on miraculous.
Kel remained silent for several moments.
Then nodded.
"Good."
Only one word.
Yet somehow it felt heavier than praise.
The report continued.
"Resources harvested."
This section proved extensive.
Monster hides.
Monster bones.
Rare herbs.
Frozen medicinal plants.
Mana crystals.
Alchemy ingredients.
Construction timber.
Mining locations.
Several newly discovered resource deposits.
The more Gareth read...
The more absurd the expedition became.
It wasn't merely a military operation.
It had become an exploration mission.
An economic survey.
A resource expedition.
A territorial expansion campaign.
All simultaneously.
Then Gareth reached the final section.
The veteran paused briefly.
His expression became strange.
Kel noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
The veteran looked up.
"My Lord."
His voice carried disbelief.
"We calculated the total estimated value."
The tent grew quiet.
Everyone listened.
Gareth slowly answered.
"The monster cores alone are worth approximately four years of the previous frontier defense budget."
Silence.
Then more silence.
Then even more silence.
Several officers looked ready to faint.
Four years.
One expedition.
Two weeks.
Kel's eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
Far more profitable than expected.
The surrounding knights, however, were mentally collapsing.
They had unknowingly participated in a walking treasure expedition.
One officer suddenly spoke.
"My Lord."
Kel looked toward him.
The man hesitated.
Then asked.
"Was this your plan from the beginning?"
The tent became quiet.
Everyone secretly wanted the answer.
Kel looked toward the maps covering the table.
Toward the reports.
Toward the numbers.
Then toward the sleeping wolf cub occupying his chair.
A faint smile appeared.
"Partially."
The answer immediately caused several officers to suffer emotional damage.
Partially?
This level of success was only partial?
The veteran Gareth buried his face within his hands.
Sometimes speaking with Kel genuinely damaged a person's confidence.
Far away beneath Scarder Lake—
Seiren quietly listened.
Then her ancient voice echoed within his mind.
"Satisfied?"
Kel looked toward the reports.
The campaign had exceeded expectations.
No deaths.
Numerous resources.
A future outpost location secured.
Monster populations heavily reduced.
Future monster companions acquired.
A successful operation by every metric.
Yet...
Kel slowly shook his head.
"No."
The guardian became surprised.
"No?"
Kel's gaze drifted toward the darkness beyond the tent.
Toward the endless wilderness.
Toward the unexplored frontier.
"Satisfied people stop improving."
The answer carried calm certainty.
The ancient guardian laughed softly.
Of course.
She should have expected that answer.
The meeting gradually ended.
Officers departed.
The reports were finalized.
The camp slowly quieted.
Outside, snow continued falling.
The newly secured frontier slept peacefully.
For the first time in years.
Perhaps decades.
No monsters lurked nearby.
No hidden nests waited beneath the trees.
No immediate danger threatened travelers.
Only silence remained.
Human silence.
Safe silence.
The kind civilization created.
Kel stood near the tent entrance.
The cold wind brushed against his face.
His golden eyes gazed toward the distant city hidden beyond the horizon.
Two weeks.
The first campaign was complete.
The first outpost would soon be built.
The first frontier expansion had succeeded.
And this...
Was only the beginning.
Because Frostbound Coast was no longer merely surviving.
Under Kel Rosenfeld's guidance...
It had finally begun growing.
And once growth began—
There would be no stopping it.