For the first time in months—

Elarion celebrated.

Winter had finally ended, and somehow the territory was still standing.

That alone deserved celebration.

The fortress courtyards transformed over three days as workers hung banners between stone walls, merchants reopened market rows buried beneath snow all season, and massive fire pits were built throughout the settlement for the spring festival.

Even the factories slowed production slightly.

Slightly.

The dwarves had argued against stopping entirely.

Violently.

"We are losing productive hours!"

Cedric stared at them in disbelief.

"You fought monsters for four months."

"And now we celebrate surviving by producing more steel!"

"That is not celebrating!"

"It is dwarven celebrating."

Fair enough honestly.

By evening the entire lower district glowed beneath torchlight and bonfires while music echoed through the valley for the first time since autumn.

Children ran through the streets again.

Workers drank openly beside the market fires.

Soldiers finally removed armor without expecting warning bells every six hours.

One rifleman held a mug toward the sky dramatically.

"To surviving!"

Another nodded seriously.

"To the cannon not exploding!"

From somewhere nearby, an offended dwarf screamed:

"SHE NEVER EXPLODED!"

The crowd burst into laughter immediately.

Near the central square, merchants sold hot meat stew, roasted bread, and spiced ale while exhausted workers spent half the festival sleeping beside the fire pits.

One older laborer stared into his bowl quietly.

"You know..."

His friend looked up.

"What?"

"I genuinely thought we were going to die."

A pause.

"...Several times."

The second worker nodded slowly.

"Same."

Then both started laughing tiredly.

Above the celebration, Aurethar rested atop the fortress walls while watching the festival below with open confusion.

"Humans celebrate survival strangely."

Lucas stood nearby holding warm wine.

"We almost died repeatedly. People need this."

"They are singing badly."

"That is also part of the celebration."

The dragon listened to the distant music again.

"...I dislike how correct that sounds."

Meanwhile the First Rifle Regiment occupied nearly half the eastern taverns already.

One soldier proudly attempted explaining rifle mechanics to a completely uninterested merchant girl.

"So technically the rifling stabilizes projectile trajectory—"

"You fought monsters, right?"

"...Yes."

"Lead with that next time."

Nearby another marksman drunkenly pointed toward the western battlements.

"I’m telling you the cannon talks."

His friend sighed deeply.

"That’s because the blast damaged your brain."

"No seriously. She’s encouraging me."

At the center of the square, Lucien quietly watched the festival from beside one of the large bonfires while snow melted slowly across the valley roads around them.

This.

Was more than the walls.

More than the rifles.

And this mattered.

Because Elarion finally felt like home to its people.

Not merely survival.

Not an exile territory.

A future.

Cedric approached carrying two mugs afterward before handing one over.

"You look thoughtful."

Lucien accepted the drink.

"I’m thinking about how impossible this would’ve sounded a year ago."

Cedric snorted.

"A year ago I was still a slave trader."

A pause.

"...Actually that sounds worse out loud."

"It does."

Nearby, Gandalf argued with three dwarves while attempting to explain steam pressure using festival sausages.

"This one is the boiler."

"Why is the boiler edible?"

"Because science should inspire people."

"That sausage is leaking."

"That means the pressure system works."

One dwarf slowly walked away afterward.

"I miss simpler technology."

Then—

Ding.

Lucien froze slightly.

The system window appeared instantly before his eyes while festival lights reflected across the screen.

[Seasonal Event Completed]

First Spring Festival Successfully Held

Conditions:

Civilian morale stabilized

Population survival maintained

Territory prosperity increased

Military loyalty strengthened

Reward Granted:

[10x Uncommon Lottery Voucher]

Special Note:

Usable for advanced industrial, military, civilian, or infrastructure rewards.

Higher rarity probability slightly increased due to territorial milestone.

Lucien’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

A ten-pull voucher.

And based on previous system rewards—

That could mean almost anything.

Blueprints.

Machines.

Materials.

Knowledge.

Potentially dangerous knowledge.

Unfortunately Lucas noticed the expression immediately.

"...No."

Lucien blinked once.

"What?"

"That look means the system gave you something."

Cedric looked alarmed instantly.

"How can you tell?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Because he suddenly looks optimistic."

"That IS terrifying."

Aurethar lowered his massive head from the wall above.

"The human has received another terrible idea?"

Lucien considered answering honestly.

Then decided against it.

"...Possibly."

The dragon groaned loudly.

"Every time you say that, civilization changes."

Meanwhile the festival below continued growing louder.

Music echoed through the valley.

Workers danced badly.

Soldiers drank too much.

And somewhere near the western district—

Someone apparently allowed the dwarves to launch small experimental fireworks.

This proved to be a catastrophic mistake.

A loud explosion shook half the settlement.

Several guards reached for weapons instinctively.

Lucas closed his eyes slowly.

"...I knew peace wouldn’t survive the night."

From the distance, a dwarf proudly screamed:

"THE BLUE ONES WORKED!"