Chapter 644: Ash Holds Morning

Rushing water swirled around the submerged timbers of the approach culvert, threatening to wash away the temporary support props.

Across the muddy embankment, half a dozen tenders strained against the sodden ropes, their muscles trembling with exhaustion.

Ash jogged down the rocky slope, his leather tunic flapping against his knees as he reached the water’s edge.

The rear wheel of the supply wagon was jammed between two jagged boulders, trapping the axle in the rising current.

"We cannot budge it, lad!" the lead teamster shouted over the roar of the rapids, wiping mud from his eyes.

"If the main stanchion slips another six inches... the whole carriage will flip into the gorge!"

Ash looked back over his shoulder toward the Watcher, who stood calmly upon the embankment above.

"Tell me when the load shifts, grandmother!" he called out, his young voice ringing clear and steady.

"I will watch every inch, little guardian," she answered with a reassuring nod. "Trust your footing... and breathe slowly."

The Watcher pointed to the cracked shore prop, showing Ash where the cart would tip if he lifted too hard.

"Give the wheel room, little one. Do not try to raise the whole wagon."

A teamster pushed a chock beneath the front axle, keeping the mules from surging before Ash settled under the beam.

"Your signal?"

"I will count the wheel across the stone. When I say clear, you set the relay down."

He repeated the plan aloud so the teamsters heard the same limit before the rushing water drowned their voices.

Ash stepped into the rushing water, planting his feet firmly against the submerged gravel bed.

He remembered what Hajin told him back in the Sixth District courtyard during morning sword drills.

True strength was never about showing off or carrying the entire world on a child’s shoulders.

It was about stepping forward when someone needed a hand, and having the discipline to let others help.

He placed both hands beneath the splintered crossbeam of the approach relay, feeling the immense downward pressure of the wagon.

The spray soaked through his sleeves, but the core within his chest burned with calm, steady warmth.

He closed his eyes for a single heartbeat, remembering the slow, deep breathing the ancient guardian taught him.

He did not wait for an accidental spike of terror or adrenaline to trigger his latent power.

With a deliberate act of will, he reached deep into his spiritual core and called upon his chosen duty.

Behind his right shoulder, a luminous ringlet of golden radiance materialized, rotating in steady, tranquil circles.

This was no uncontrolled burst of survival reflex, but his first consciously chosen, sustained manifestation of divine authority.

A warm surge of celestial strength flooded through his small limbs, anchoring his bones like rooted ironwood.

"Heave!" Ash shouted, straightening his legs and pushing upward with all the focused might in his body.

The multi-ton wooden relay creaked loudly as it lifted three inches clear of the mud, freeing the trapped axle from the rocks.

The front wheel rolled first, but the cart pulled sideways when a trailing trace caught around the broken rail.

"Hold the mules! Free that strap before you pull again!"

One teamster reached from the bank and cut the snagged leather while Ash held the beam at its agreed height.

’One wheel at a time... that is the job.’

"The wheel is free!" the teamsters cried in astonishment, hauling frantically on the mule traces.

"Keep pulling, move the wagon forward!" Ash grunted, his young face turning red as he held the entire load on his shoulders.

The teamsters shouted in unison, their feet churning the river gravel as the mules lunged forward with renewed vigor.

Suddenly, a snarling growl echoed from the roadside brush as a surviving restraint beast lunged into the clearing.

The construct was shaped like an armored brass wolf, its glowing hollow eyes locked directly onto the exposed teamsters.

With his shoulders wedged beneath the wooden beam, Ash could not draw back or abandon his post without crushing the wagon.

’I made a promise to hold this beam until the cart is safe!’

He shifted the full weight of the relay onto his left shoulder, gritting his teeth against the searing strain.

As the mechanical wolf leaped toward the lead mule, Ash swung his free right arm in a devastating horizontal backhand.

His fist, wrapped in the blazing golden light of his sustained ringlet, struck the construct squarely across the muzzle.

The impact shattered the mechanical beast’s bronze jaw, sending gears and sheared rivets spraying across the riverbank.

The construct was hurled ten feet through the air, crashing into the rocky shallows where the swift water swept it away.

Ash kept his shoulder beneath the relay until the last wheel crossed the stone, watching the teamsters guide the mules clear.

"Almost there!" the Watcher called, tracking the wagon’s rear rim instead of the shattered beast washing downstream.

He waited for her raised hand, refusing to release the load while even one axle remained above the unsteady prop.

"Wagon is clear of the culvert!" the Watcher’s voice rang out from the bluff, sharp and commanding.

"You called it clear, grandmother... I am setting it down."

Ash exhaled a long breath of steam, releasing his upward heave as the wooden beam settled back onto its foundation.

The seasoned axle showed minor splintering along the collar, but remained structurally sound enough for the return journey.

He immediately willed the golden ringlet to disperse, watching the glowing circle dissolve into gentle motes of light.

His knees felt wobbly from the brief physical exertion, but his core remained perfectly calm and uninjured.

The reinforced supply cart rolled onto the high gravel road with a loud creak of relieved axles, surrounded by cheering teamsters.

The lead driver glanced toward the next wagon above the slope and opened his mouth to request another lift.

"I promised one wagon. The road is clear for your crew now."

The driver looked at the cleared track, then nodded and sent his strongest teamsters to check the next cart’s harness.

Morning daylight broke through the thinning mountain mist, warming the muddy grass where young Ash sat chewing on his crust of bread.

The teamsters crowded around the boy, offering him dried fruit, fresh cheese, and gentle praise with tearful gratitude.

"You are an absolute hero, little master!" the lead driver declared, trying to hand him a silver coin.

"If that wagon tipped over, forty barrels of field flour would have washed straight down the waterfall," the teamster sighed in relief.

"Flour makes fresh bread for everyone, so losing it was not an option," the boy replied with a proud, beaming smile.

"Keep the coin for your mules," Ash laughed, taking a hearty bite of the sharp cheddar cheese instead.

"Grandmother said I was only allowed to help with one wagon... and now it is time for breakfast!"

The Watcher descended the slope, wrapping her woolen cloak around the boy’s shoulders with deep pride in her eyes.

She handed him a clean handkerchief to wipe the river mud from his scraped forearms and dusty knuckles.

"You held the line with honor, Ash," she told him softly, handing him a canteen of sweet mountain water.

"And more importantly... you knew when to put the burden down."

Down the cleared road, two agile shadows flickered through the morning mist, moving with breathtaking feline speed.

Rumi and Nari darted past the convoy, giving Ash playful salutes with their daggers as they sprinted toward the viaduct.

"Thanks for clearing our highway, little prince!" the elder twin called out with a cheerful purr as she bounded across the rocks.

"Leave the rest of the stations to us!" Nari added, her four Wings shimmering like rubies in the morning sun.

Ash waved back happily, leaning against the Watcher’s knee as he finished his bread in the daylight.

The road behind them was completely secure, allowing supply carts and medical wagons to flow unimpeded toward the front.

Above the open approach, the celestial broadcast interface was overflowing with adoration and cheering messages.

[ Seoul_Tactician: "Ash held his first Ringlet by himself! Watcher, catch him before his knees give out!" ]

[ StarlightScholar: "’And more importantly, you knew when to put the burden down.’ The Watcher is such an extraordinary mentor!" ]

[ IronVanguard: "Holding up a multi-ton bridge with one shoulder while punching a brass wolf into scrap with the other! Mini-chad!" ]

[ HearthKeeper: "Seeing him happily eating bread and cheese with the teamsters... my heart is completely full!" ]

[ ShadowMage44: "The approach road is open. Rumi can reach the second tracing station now!" ]

"The workers can inspect the props now," Ash said, pointing toward the cleared culvert while the teamsters gathered their tools.

The road was open, the young guardian proved his heart, and the final encirclement of the viaduct moved into its decisive phase.