The atmosphere inside the Elder’s Hall was entirely unrecognizable.

For the first time since I had arrived in Elderglen, the village leadership wasn’t gathered around the table to discuss impending doom. Instead, they were arguing about developments. And they were getting annoyingly loud.

"We need to clear the southern riverbank before the ground freezes completely," one of the veteran hunters argued, stabbing a finger at a crude map on the table. "If we expand the farmland now, we can plant a double crop in the spring. We finally have the seeds from the Guild. We need to use them wisely."

"And we need to rebuild the northern watchtowers," Korin grunted, crossing his massive arms. "Just because the Blood Iron Tribe is dead, it doesn’t mean the mountain is empty. We need new patrol routes established by the end of the week."

"The road out to the weeping pines needs repairing, too," Jace chimed in. "If we want the Silver Coin Guild to come back next season, we can’t have their magic tech wagons breaking axles on our territory. Varis already complained about the ruts."

"We can’t repair the road if we don’t have shovels," A hunter shot back.

"We bought shovels," Jace said.

"We bought four shovels," The hunter corrected. "Because four shovels cost exactly two silver pieces, which was all the quartermaster would allocate to the perimeter team."

"These are all excellent, necessary projects," the Village Elder interrupted, raising his weathered hands to quiet the room. He leaned on his cane, looking around the table with a heavy sigh. "But they require lumber, iron tools, and labor. And while the caravan brought us desperately needed supplies, it also drained nearly every single piece of silver this village possessed."

The room fell quiet. The excitement of the previous day’s market was wearing off, replaced by the cold reality of economics.

"Freedom is really expensive," the Elder stated bluntly. "We are safe, but we are also dirt broke. We cannot pay the hunters for the extra patrols, and we cannot buy the raw materials to expand the palisades."

The council began throwing out solutions. "We double the hunting quotas," Jace suggested. "More pelts for the next caravan."

"The winter beasts haven’t migrated down yet," Korin shot that down immediately. "You’ll be hunting snow-hares. You can’t buy an enchanted axe with rabbit fur."

"What about logging the eastern ridge?" A hunter asked.

"Without draft beasts to haul the timber?" Korin scoffed. "You’ll break your back for three logs a day."

"We could try to open a small mining operation in the lower caves," another elder offered weakly.

"And sell it to who? The merchants won’t be back for twelve months!"

I rubbed my temples, letting out a long, slow exhale. I slowly raised my hand. Everyone turned to look at me.

"Didn’t we just wipe out a tribe of bandits?" I asked.

Korin frowned, his scarred brow furrowing. "So?"

"A tribe that has spent the last decade violently raiding villages, collecting exorbitant tribute, and extorting passing merchant caravans?" I continued, looking around the room.

The Elder nodded slowly. "That is correct, Ren."

"Then why are we acting poor?" I asked flatly.

Absolute silence dropped over the hall. I looked at the veteran hunters. I looked at Korin and then I looked at the Elder. Nobody said a word. They just stared at each other.

"Where does Malakar keep his money?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"He’s... well, he’s dead," Jace offered unhelpfully.

"I know he’s dead, Jace. I’m the one who killed him," I said, my voice perfectly level. "Did his money die with him?"

"No," Korin said slowly. "No, it wouldn’t have."

"Did anyone check?" I asked.

"Huh," Korin muttered, his eyes widening slightly.

"Huh?" I echoed.

"By the Demon ancestors," the Elder whispered, pressing a hand to his face.

The entire room slowly, collectively realized that they had completely forgotten about the treasury.

I stared at them in absolute disbelief. "You won the boss fight, and you just walked away? Without taking your loot?"

"We were a little distracted!" Jace argued defensively.

"Distracted by what? It’s a warlord’s fortress," I said. "They literally hoard things for a living. That is the entire point of a warlord."

"It was an incredibly emotional day, Ren!" A female hunter shot back, her face flushing. "We were marching to our deaths! Then you blew up a black-iron gate! Then we fought for our lives! Then a terrifying shadow-monster wearing a mask stepped out of a portal of blood and started decapitating people!"

"That took exactly ten minutes," I pointed out. "What did you do after we won?"

"We returned to the village!" Jace yelled.

"And nobody, at any point on the walk back, thought to say, ’Hey, maybe we should grab the money they stole for the last ten years’?" I asked.

"I was carrying a wounded man!" Korin protested loudly.

"I’m not saying it wasn’t a stressful afternoon, Korin," I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I’m just saying, it’s basic logistics. You kill the tyrant, you take his wallet." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Well," Korin cleared his throat loudly, suddenly looking very authoritative. "This is an outrageous oversight. We must correct it immediately. We need a team to go back up to the cavern and secure the Chieftain’s vault."

Korin turned his head and looked directly at me.

"No," I said instantly.

"Ren makes an excellent point," Korin announced to the room, completely ignoring me. "He is highly qualified for this."

"I am a swordsman," I argued. "Send Lyra, she likes numbers."

"It sounds exactly like your kind of job," The female hunter nodded, crossing her arms. "Humans are smart, you must know where they keep the money."

"I was only in the courtyard and the main altar room," I argued. "I don’t know where the vault is."

"You’ll find it," Korin grinned, clapping his hands together. "You have excellent instincts. We trust you."

"I am not hauling a cart up a mountain to count pennies, it won’t fit inside my storage ring." I warned them.

"All in favor of officially appointing Ren to the treasury retrieval team?" the Elder asked, raising a hand. Every single hand in the room went up. Even Jace raised both of his.