The journey back to Sylvander felt significantly faster than the outbound voyage, mostly because Kane knew exactly what he wanted to do next, and his mind buzzed with strategies.

Passing through the vibrant borders of the Elven territory, the gladiator didn’t waste time admiring the ancient architecture or the sprawling gardens lining the roads.

After dropping Misha off at their estate, he headed straight for the capital without bothering to wash the southern salt from his armor.

’I need to play this perfectly,’ Kane plotted, feeling the hidden pulse of the World Shard resting deep within his system inventory.

’Sylva thinks she holds my leash. If she realizes I plan to uproot her precious tree, she will send every ranger in the forest after my head before I can finish training my new army. I have to feed her ego until my foundation is completely solid.’

Guards parted immediately as the towering gladiator strode into the throne room, their spears snapping to attention.

Queen Sylva sat on her elevated seat, her long blonde hair cascading over elegant emerald robes, looking every bit the untouchable monarch.

She dismissed her courtiers with a careless flick of her wrist, waiting until the brass doors clicked shut before leaning forward in her chair.

"How did it go?" she asked, her pointed ears twitching slightly with anticipation.

"Morvak is dead," Kane replied.

A flicker of surprise crossed her features, though she quickly masked it behind a smile.

"I expected as much, since you rarely leave a job unfinished. Did his forces scatter into the wetlands?"

"He wasn’t the one controlling the attack," Kane corrected, crossing his arms over his chest.

"His wife was running the entire board from the shadows. Morvak was just a loud decoy wearing shiny armor to distract everyone from the real threat."

Sylva tilted her head, visibly intrigued by this turn of events.

"And you got her under control?"

"Yes," Kane smirked, remembering the widow’s submission back in the imperial bedchamber.

"She knows who her new master is, and she is busy auditing my new treasury as we speak."

"Good," Sylva nodded, rising gracefully from her seat.

"So now what is the plan? Do we establish a blockade and starve the remaining southern nobles until they surrender their lands?"

"I plan on taking over Menual completely," Kane stated casually, as if discussing a simple change in the weather.

The Elven Queen paused on the top step, her eyes narrowing sharply at his casual tone.

"The whole empire?"

"Yes."

Sighing softly, Sylva began descending the stairs with slow steps.

"Kane, being too ambitious might get you killed. You are a mercenary, not a politician. Managing human capital requires resources and diplomatic tact that you do not possess."

"You need a proper army to secure your borders," Kane countered, standing his ground as she approached.

"I will train the Menual soldiers myself. They have numbers, but they lack discipline and proper leadership. I can forge them into a real vanguard that follows orders."

"But then you would have their control," Sylva pointed out, stopping right in front of him, her gaze piercing into his.

"A warlord with an empire of his own does not need to take orders from an Elven Queen."

’She’s sharper,’ Kane mused, watching her calculate the shifting power dynamic with caution.

"Yes."

"Will you betray me, Kane?" she asked, her voice dropping to an intimate whisper that echoed in the quiet room.

Stepping directly into his personal space, Sylva reached down boldly.

Her slender hands grabbed his pants, her fingers curling possessively over his cock.

It was a blatant test of dominance, a physical reminder that she considered him her personal weapon and property.

Kane didn’t flinch or step back from the sudden contact.

Looking down into her eyes, he kept his expression perfectly neutral while his blood warmed at the brazen, unexpected touch.

’It’s not worth fighting back now.’

"I won’t, Queen," Kane lied, his voice a convincing rumble.

Satisfied by his physical response and his verbal confirmation, Sylva released her grip and smoothed the front of his leather harness with a patronizing pat.

"Anything else you found in their capital?" she inquired, stepping back to regain her royal composure and crossing her arms.

"Southern kings always hide their best toys when they know a siege is coming."

"Just treasure," Kane lied again, deliberately omitting any mention of the core in his inventory.

"I already brought the excess gold to your quartermaster to settle my tab and pay for the ships we damaged."

"You are a great commander, Kane," Sylva praised.

"Yes," Kane agreed, perfectly comfortable with his own abilities.

"You can go," Sylva instructed, waving her hand toward the exit as she turned her back to walk up the dais.

"Make the Menual empire submit. Change their warriors into something useful for us."

"Okay," Kane nodded, turning on his heel and striding out of the throne room.

Leaving the palace behind, Kane let out a slow, calculated breath.

’That went exactly as planned,’ Kane figured, navigating the bustling city streets.

Walking back through the Elven avenues, his thoughts drifted toward a hot bath and a quiet evening with Thora, eager to finally rest his muscles after days of endless slaughter.

Approaching his manor, however, Kane noticed a significant disturbance blocking his path.

A large crowd of humans camped directly in front of his iron gates, bringing a chaotic energy to the usually quiet Elven neighborhood.

Wagons were parked haphazardly along the paved road, and small campfires smoked in the fading evening light, drawing disgusted stares from passing Elven citizens.

Narrowing his eyes, Kane recognized the rugged clothing of border villagers.

Standing at the front of the crowd, arguing vehemently with one of Kane’s estate guards, was a very familiar woman.

Her generous curves were wrapped in a simple traveling cloak, but her fiery demeanor remained unmistakable even from a distance.

"Greta," Kane called out.

The beautiful leader of the border village spun around, her face lighting up with profound relief at the sight of the towering gladiator.

Her people immediately parted, scrambling out of the way to create a wide path for him.

Greta walked towards him, maintaining the composure that made him like her.

"Lord Kane! It’s good to see you again."