The Mana Crystal Cavern remained alive with noise.
Or rather—
It remained alive with hissing.
Endless.
Unrelenting.
Merciless hissing.
Thousands of serpents had gathered together.
The moment the translation spell had revealed their conversation to everyone...
They had somehow become even more enthusiastic.
Especially regarding one particular topic.
Their ancient guardian.
And a certain silver-haired human.
The serpent woman stood near a crystal pillar.
Golden eyes twitching occasionally.
Forehead veins becoming increasingly visible.
Around her.
Thousands of serpents continued hissing.
To normal ears it sounded like:
"Hisssssss."
"Hiss hiss hiss."
"HISSSSS."
Nothing unusual.
Nothing understandable.
But the knights knew better.
Because they had already heard the translated version earlier.
Which meant...
Every time the serpents hissed.
The knights immediately started imagining what they were probably saying.
And that made everything worse.
Much worse.
One knight looked away.
Trying very hard not to laugh.
Another knight covered his mouth.
A third had turned completely red.
The veteran Gareth looked exhausted.
"We are soldiers."
Nobody responded.
"We are professional soldiers."
Still nobody responded.
"We should behave with dignity."
A young knight immediately burst out laughing.
Gareth sighed.
Deeply.
Very deeply.
The serpent woman heard the laughter.
Her eye twitched.
Again.
Then another serpent hissed loudly.
"HISSSSSSSS!"
The woman immediately pointed.
"I CAN STILL UNDERSTAND YOU."
The serpent hissed again.
The woman's expression darkened.
"NO."
More hissing.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT."
Even more hissing.
The nearby knights instantly looked elsewhere.
One began studying a mining pickaxe.
Another became fascinated by a random crystal.
A third suddenly found geology extremely interesting.
Kel watched the entire scene.
Then slowly rubbed his forehead.
Far beneath Scarder Lake.
Seiren laughed.
"You adopted a kingdom of idiots."
Kel looked toward the arguing serpents.
"I'm beginning to realize that."
The Guardian laughed harder.
Meanwhile.
The ancient serpent woman had finally reached her limit.
She turned toward Kel.
"Please."
A pause.
"Make them stop."
Kel blinked.
"I thought they respected you."
"They do."
Another hiss emerged from the crowd.
The serpent woman's eye twitched again.
"They're simply choosing not to show it."
The young Count nodded.
That made sense.
Unfortunately.
The situation wasn't improving.
Which was why Kel finally sighed.
Then raised his hand.
A pulse of mana spread through the cavern.
The translation spell vanished.
Instantly.
The understandable words disappeared.
The knights sighed in relief.
The serpents continued hissing.
Yet now everyone only heard:
"Hisssss."
"Hiss."
"Hiss hiss."
Nothing more.
Peace.
Wonderful peace.
The serpent woman nearly cried from happiness.
For approximately three seconds.
Then she remembered she could still understand them.
The peace vanished.
Far away.
Several serpents were apparently still discussing her future.
The woman grabbed her forehead.
"...I need stronger mana."
Kel silently agreed.
Then work finally began.
The massive relocation effort moved forward.
Storage boxes enchanted with spatial magic were brought into the cavern.
The serpents entered surprisingly willingly.
Mostly because their guardian ordered them to.
Partially because several younger serpents thought it was an adventure.
And partially because one serpent convinced everyone they were migrating toward a legendary mating valley.
The serpent woman spent ten minutes denying that rumor.
Nobody listened.
Eventually.
Half the knights departed.
The enchanted containers filled with serpent monsters were loaded onto wagons.
The expedition began heading toward the northern valleys Kel had selected.
As the group disappeared into the tunnel entrance...
The remaining knights watched them leave.
One knight muttered.
"May the gods help them."
Another nodded.
"Especially if the snakes start talking."
The entire mining group agreed.
Meanwhile.
The second half of the knights remained behind.
The Mana Crystal Mine now officially belonged to Frostbound Coast.
And the mining operation began immediately.
Pickaxes struck crystal deposits.
Workers marked extraction zones.
Engineers inspected support structures.
Logistics teams recorded crystal density.
The cavern transformed rapidly.
Not into a battlefield.
But into a workplace.
Kel quietly observed everything.
The operation was progressing smoothly.
Much smoother than expected.
The young Count felt satisfied.
A powerful ally gained.
A valuable mine reclaimed.
Thousands of serpents relocated.
Everything had worked out surprisingly well.
Which naturally meant something was wrong.
That was usually how life worked.
Far beneath Scarder Lake.
Seiren laughed.
"You sound disappointed."
"I'm suspicious."
"Of success?"
"Yes."
The Guardian laughed so hard ancient ruins trembled.
Eventually.
The noise of mining filled the cavern.
Mana crystals sparkled beneath magical lanterns.
The remaining knights worked efficiently.
The serpent woman stood quietly near one of the larger crystal formations.
For the first time since the battle began...
She appeared calm.
Almost peaceful.
The constant hissing had moved several kilometers away.
A blessing.
Kel eventually walked toward her.
The woman noticed immediately.
Golden eyes turned toward him.
Several moments passed.
Then Kel suddenly stopped.
A thought appeared.
An obvious thought.
A very obvious thought.
One that somehow neither of them had addressed.
The young Count tilted his head slightly.
"By the way."
The woman blinked.
"Hm?"
Kel looked genuinely curious.
"What is your name?"
Silence.
The cavern became strangely quiet.
Even the sound of mining seemed distant.
The serpent woman froze.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Because the question caught her completely off guard.
Her name.
The word echoed inside her mind.
Name.
Identity.
Self.
For centuries.
Nobody had asked.
Nobody cared.
To humans she was simply a monster.
To monsters she was simply stronger.
To wandering adventurers she was a threat.
To merchants she was a rumor.
To historians she didn't exist.
The woman slowly lowered her gaze.
Her reflection appeared upon a nearby mana crystal.
Then memories surfaced.
Ancient memories.
Lonely memories.
Memories from centuries ago.
A cave.
A book.
A story.
A human story.
The first story she ever stole.
Borrowed.
Eventually returned.
Probably.
Maybe.
The memory was unclear.
Within that book existed a character.
A wise woman.
A traveler.
A seeker of knowledge.
Someone who wandered the world searching for answers.
The ancient serpent remembered reading that story beneath moonlight.
Remembered admiring that character.
Remembered wondering if she too could walk such a path.
And eventually...
When she realized she needed an identity.
She chose a name.
A name nobody else gave her.
A name she chose herself.
A name representing the person she wanted to become.
Slowly.
The serpent woman looked up.
Then answered.
"My name..."
The words felt strangely heavy.
Because it had been a very long time since she introduced herself.
"...Lyra."
The cavern became silent.
The name echoed softly through the crystal mine.
Simple.
Elegant.
Ancient.
Kel smiled faintly.
"Lyra."
The woman nodded.
"Yes."
The young Count extended his hand.
A simple gesture.
Nothing grand.
Nothing dramatic.
Yet somehow...
It felt meaningful.
"Then."
His golden eyes reflected the light of countless mana crystals.
"Welcome to Frostbound Coast, Lyra."
The ancient serpent stared.
Then slowly...
Very slowly...
She smiled.
A genuine smile.
The first one she had shown all day.
And somewhere deep within her heart...
The road she had walked alone for centuries no longer felt quite so lonely.