Chapter 296: Talira’s Request
Walking through the ground-floor hallway, Silas was genuinely impressed by the interior craftsmanship.
The corridor was wide, high-ceilinged, and illuminated by soft, enchanted lighting crystals embedded along the crown molding... eliminating the need for smoky oil torches.
Silas opened the first door on the left, stepping into a Private Suite.
"Woah..." Thora muttered, stepping past him into the room.
The suite was remarkably spacious. It featured a plush, king-sized bed with a thick down mattress, clean linen sheets, and heavy woolen blankets.
Against the far wall sat a polished ironwood writing desk paired with a cushioned leather chair, a tall double-door wardrobe for clothing storage, and a wide glass window overlooking the green forest.
"This is incredible, My Lord," Rowenna praised softly, running a delicate hand over the smooth wooden desk. "The insulation spell built into the walls completely blocks out external wind and noise. Anyone resting in this room will enjoy total privacy."
"Let’s check the bathroom," Silas said, walking toward a secondary door on the right side of the suite.
He turned the brass handle and pushed the door open, revealing a private, fully tiled En-Suite Bathroom.
The bathroom was pristine.
Pale white stone tiles covered the floor and walls, giving the space a clean, modern aesthetic.
On the left sat a deep clawfoot porcelain-lined soaking tub with brass fixtures, while on the right was a glass-walled rainfall shower stall.
A polished mirror hung above a double-basin stone sink, complete with enchanted runic faucets.
Thora’s eyes went completely wide.
"Is that... a personal bath in every single room?!"
"Yep," Silas smirked, stepping over to the shower stall. He reached in and turned the brass handle.
PFT-SHHH!
Instantly, a smooth heavy stream of perfectly heated, purified water cascaded down from the rainfall showerhead, venting a light cloud of warm steam into the air.
The runic water pumps built into the building’s foundation operated flawlessly, drawing from the reservoir without a single hitch.
’Or at least that’s what I’m guessing... the Barracks and every other building that has water were connected to the major one in the center of the territory.
"Hahaha! The pressure is amazing!" Thora cheered out loud...
Before Silas or Rowenna could even process what she was doing—
THUD!
Thora kicked off her leather apron, unbuttoned her shorts, and literally vaulted herself straight over the porcelain rim of the deep clawfoot soaking tub, landing inside the empty tub with a loud clatter!
"Thora!" Silas sweatdropped hard, clapping a hand over his face. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"Testing the equipment, Boss!" Thora yelled back from inside the tub, her muscled legs kicking up over the edge.
She reached over and yanked the tub faucet handle to full blast!
FWOOSH!
Steaming hot water began pouring rapidly into the tub, filling the basin in seconds.
Thora leaned her head back against the porcelain rim, letting out a loud contented groan of bliss as the hot water submerged her shoulders.
"Ahhhhh~ This is divine!" Thora giggled, splashing water over her arms. "The enchantment in the pipes heats the water instantly! The craftsmanship on these brass valves is top-tier! Boss, I’m never leaving this tub!"
Rowenna covered her mouth with her hand, letting out a soft melodic chuckle at the dwarf’s antics.
Silas shook his head in deadpan exasperation, turning back toward the door.
"Get out of the tub and put your apron back on, you crazy dwarf. We’re finishing the tour."
"Fine, fine!" Thora grumbled playfully, turning off the faucet and grabbing a thick white towel from the warming rack.
After Thora dried off and put her apron back on, the three of them spent another fifteen minutes exploring the upper two floors.
Every single one of the forty private suites was identically equipped with plush bedding, insulated walls, spacious wardrobes, and private heated bathrooms.
It was a massive dramatic step up from standard military barracks living.
Exiting through the double oak front doors, Silas sat down on the top stone step, pulling his leather boots back on and tying his laces.
Rowenna and Thora sat beside him, slipping their shoes on as well.
Silas looked back up at the magnificent three-story building, letting out a satisfied breath.
"This turned out even better than I expected," Silas remarked, pulling his laces tight. "I plan to build three more of these residential complexes over the next few hours to hit our target of one hundred and sixty private suites... but for now, I need to go find Elu."
Rowenna and Thora stood up beside him, nodding in agreement.
"That is a wise decision, My Lord," Rowenna agreed warmly. "Lady Eluned has been waiting in the Keep since morning."
Thora, however, puffed out her chest, crossing her arms over her apron with an intensely smug grin.
"Hey, Boss~" Thora pitched slyly, winking at him. "Since I’m the Master Smith of the entire territory and the one who tests all your plumbing... I think I deserve two whole private suites in this new building, don’t you think~? One for sleeping, and one to store my extra anvil collection~"
Silas stood up, looked at her smug face, and immediately raised his hand...
CHOP!
He delivered a swift affectionate karate chop directly onto the top of her head!
"Ow!" Thora yelped again, rubbing her head with a toothy grin.
"You get one suite just like everyone else, Thora," Silas replied with a dry smirk. "If you want extra inventory space, build a secondary shed in your Foundry."
"Bah! You’re a stingy landlord, Boss!" Thora laughed loudly.
Thora then turned her head, grabbing Rowenna by the sleeve of her arcanist robes and tugging her forcefully down the stone path toward the Foundry.
"Come on, Rowenna!" Thora cheered excitedly, dragging the Grand Runemaster along. "You promised to help me! I’ve got a whole crate of newly forged broadswords and heavy shields down at the shop, and I need you to etch hidden offensive explosion runes onto the crossguards... When Sky’s troops try to parry our blades during the war next week, those fuckers are gonna get a face full of runic fire! Hahaha~"
Rowenna stumbled along beside her, letting out a sweet, helpless laugh as she was dragged away.
"Alright, Thora, alright! Lead the way!"
Silas stood in the grassy clearing, watching the two women walk off toward the Foundry together.
As he watched Thora’s energetic, muscular frame lead Rowenna down the path, a quiet, contemplative expression settled across Silas’s face.
’Thora really is the literal backbone of our territory’s industrial power,’ Silas thought deeply.
Without her tireless work at the forges, his troops wouldn’t have refined steel armor and his territory wouldn’t possess special gadgets.
She worked day and night with unyielding enthusiasm, never once complaining about fatigue.
’Seriously... she hasn’t complained seriously, she always jokes around with it.’
’I really have to use my System UP to upgrade Thora soon...’ Silas resolved internally. ’She deserves a major stat boost, higher-tier forging skills, and better hammer techniques.’
And more importantly... Silas knew that running a massive expanding territory’s industrial sector was too much work for a single dwarf.
Thora desperately needed a dedicated team of dwarven assistants and apprentice smiths to help her manage the bellows, pour the molten steel, and fold the alloy billets.
Silas turned his eyes toward the northern horizon, a sharp, confident smirk touching his lips.
’I’ll capture a whole squad of skilled dwarven craftsmen from Sky’s territory after we win the war,’ Silas planned. ’That will give Thora a full crew to command.’
With a long relaxing sigh, Silas turned away from the new residential complex and began walking across the paved stone central square toward the Keep.
The territory was alive with quiet, productive energy.
As he walked past the central courtyard, he saw Gunnhild leading a group of girls through physical stance drills near the armory.
Over by the garden plots, Aeliana was carefully inspecting a row of blooming mana-fruit trees with her white robes fluttering gently in the breeze.
Reaching the massive, reinforced oak-and-iron doors of the Keep, Silas pushed the heavy handles open, stepping inside the quiet interior.
"Elu?" Silas called out, his voice echoing cleanly off the polished stone walls of the main entrance hall. "Eluned?"
There was no immediate answer from the foyer.
Knowing her morning habits, Silas walked down the wide stone corridor, heading straight toward the Keep’s spacious kitchen area where she usually spent her mornings preparing tea or organizing food supplies like she had.
Silas pushed open the swinging wooden kitchen doors and stepped inside—
CLINK!
The soft sound of glass against stone echoed near the central obsidian prep island.
Silas paused, looking over at the counter.
Standing beside the prep island was Talira, the dragon.
Talira looked stunning.
She wore her fitted dark combat tunic, her slender dragon tail swaying nervously behind her legs, while two sleek dark dragon horns emerged gracefully from her hair.
She was currently holding a heavy glass pitcher filled with a vibrant deep-purple mana-fruit juice that Aeliana had freshly squeezed earlier that morning.
A small glass cup sat on the counter beside a large crystal jug where Aeli usually stored the leftover beverages.
Talira was in the middle of pouring herself a drink, but the exact second Silas stepped through the door...
WHOOSH!
Talira startled so violently that her dragon tail shot straight up into the air...
She nearly dropped the glass pitcher with her hands trembling as her pale face turned bright red.
"M-MY LORD!" Talira squeaked out in panicked embarrassment, frantically setting the pitcher down onto the counter.
’She calls me my Lord? And why the hell is she so shy too? It’s kind of cute...’
She raised both of her hands in front of her chest, waving them wildly as she stumbled over her words.
"I-I wasn’t stealing! I promise I wasn’t stealing the juice! I just... I was thirsty from training and I saw Aeliana leave the jug here and I—"
’Training too? Seems like the Loss did a number on her.
Silas couldn’t help but let out a soft warm chuckle, stepping into the kitchen and waving his hand placatingly.
"Relax, Talira," Silas smiled gently. "You don’t have to explain yourself. You’re part of this territory now. Anything in the kitchen is yours to drink whenever you want."
Talira blinked her wide reptilian-slitted eyes, her chest heaving with a sigh of immense relief.
"R-really...?"
"Really," Silas confirmed, walking over to the counter. "Go ahead, pour yourself a full glass."
Talira swallowed nervously, her cheeks still flushed a pretty shade of pink.
She carefully lifted the glass pitcher, filled her cup with the cold purple juice, and took a slow delicate sip.
The refreshing, sweet mana-fruit juice instantly invigorated her, and a soft contented expression touched her features.
Silas leaned against the edge of the prep island, looking down at her.
"By the way, Talira, do you know where Eluned is? I called for her in the foyer, but she wasn’t down here."
Talira wiped a tiny drop of purple juice from her lip, setting her cup down as she looked up at him.
"Lady Eluned is upstairs, My Lord," Talira answered softly, gesturing toward the staircase behind the kitchen wall. "She went up to your private Lord office about twenty minutes ago to review something."
"Ah, got it. Thanks, Talira," Silas nodded warmly.
Silas turned on his heel, taking a step toward the kitchen doors to head upstairs toward his office.
...However, before his boots could even cross the threshold—
TUG!
Silas stopped in his tracks. He felt a soft gentle pressure pulling at the fabric of his dark shirt sleeve.
Silas paused, turning his head back around to look down.
Talira was standing right behind him. She was holding onto the cuff of his sleeve with her delicate claw-tipped fingers and her head bowed low.
"Huh...?"
Her face was completely flushed bright red... from the tips of her pointed ears all the way down to her neck.
Her slender dragon tail was curling tightly around her leg in agonizing nervousness.
Silas raised an eyebrow with his gentle.
"What’s wrong, Talira?"
Talira fidgeted with her fingers, her heart hammering so loudly against her ribs that Silas could practically hear it.
She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep, trembling breath, and finally mustered the courage to look up into his blue eyes.
"M-My Lord..." Talira stuttered out nervously, her voice barely above a shy whisper, "...c-could you... train me?"
"..."