NOVGO.NET Chapter 504: “Fine, we’ll talk.”
Chapter 504: “Fine, we’ll talk.”
“Chief Gruumak, we meet again,”
Kael spoke, his flat, neutral face turning into a light, gentle smile as he greeted the Stonefang Chief. Then, as if to nudge him, he turned towards the third Velmourn who had accompanied them, and after a moment of hesitation—
“Th-tharn Gruumak, Z-Zul’raak draak.”
The Velmourn soldier spoke, looking into the Chief’s eyes as if waiting for approval. His tone was hesitant, full of doubt; after all, he still hadn’t used the Stonefang language he had studied since the Velmourns were never sure that their translations were accurate. And just as he expected, the moment he spoke, a confused look appeared on the Stonefang Chief’s face. He tilted his head and stared at Kael, waiting for an explanation.
And Kael’s smile just widened—
“If you were the only one with a translator, I would feel left out. So I brought one of my own.”
He answered, and after a second, he once again turned towards his own translator, waiting for him to continue. The translator hesitated; he still did not know if his translations were even making sense, so being told to continue was… embarrassing.
But the moment Kael stared at him and raised an eyebrow, his body flinched on its own and—
“I-If zul alone hold zul’vark, th-then I be nar’zul. So I bring my z-zul’vark.”
Again, he was unsure, and the more he spoke, the more he stuttered. He desperately stared at the other Stonefangs to get some sort of approval, but the only look he got in return was one of disapproval, making him even more nervous.
“Vak’tar Drokh’dul dul’kaan. Why zul dul’zarn?”
The Stonefang Chief, however, ignored this little interaction between the Velmourn translator and his warriors and directly questioned Kael. And unlike Kael’s translator, the Chief’s translator did not wait.
“Called Flying Man alone. Why come with more people?”
Zakaar translated, and this time, the one who answered wasn’t Kael, but Morvain—
“I see no reason to send my greatest asset into enemy territory alone.”
The Velmourn Matriarch spoke up.
Ever since the Velmourn group came here, Kael, for some reason, automatically became the group’s leader.
But that wasn’t the case—
No matter how excellent Kael was, Morvain was still the Velmourn Matriarch, the one who should lead this conversation.
And seeing how her hesitations were being utterly ignored and the conversation still continued, the Velmourn translator, Freyal, continued—
“Nar’raak vak dul’kaan send my zul’mar into shaal’land.”
But Gruumak completely ignored the Velmourn Matriarch and kept his gaze on Kael.
“Drokh’dul nar’graakh us. Zul nar’shaar dul.”
“Flying Man spared us. We not attack him.”
Zakaar translated, and Kael raised an eyebrow at those words, turning towards Lavinia, who just looked at him, not showing any strong reaction.
Kael then turned back to the Stonefang Chief and—
“Why did you call me here?”
He asked directly.
“Why zul vak’tar me draal’ven?”
Freyal translated. He was still hesitant and doubtful, but it was a feeling he was now getting used to.
But again, Gruumak or the other Stonefangs weren’t helping him. The Stonefang Chief’s eyes still stayed on Kael, as if Freyal’s, Kayden’s, or Morvain’s existence did not matter.
It still wasn’t clear whether he understood what Freyal said or not; he just lifted his hand and pointed at Kael.
“Draal’zul… vak draal’me.”
He spoke.
“Only you. Talk with only you.”
The words were translated quickly by Zakaar, his rough accent breaking the cold silence.
“Only me?”
Kael frowned as he pointed at his own chest.
Gruumak nodded, understanding Kael from his actions.
“Yes,”
Zakaar repeated for him.
“Chief says—he and you alone. No Stonefang warriors. No… others.”
He spoke, staring at the ’others’ present here. Seeing his gaze, Kayden and Morvain narrowed their eyes.
The mother and son weren’t used to such treatment; the Stonefangs were showing clear hostility, and they did not like it one bit.
Freyal, on the other hand, just flinched. In his mind, he began wondering why he was even brought here. Wasn’t the Stonefang translator enough? Why was he brought to this place that could very well be his resting spot?
The Stonefang warriors weren’t calm either. They had either seen or heard about Kael; they did not wish to leave their Chief alone with such a dangerous existence.
Gruumak, however, was different.
He did not flinch; he stayed where he was and looked at Kael with a confident look on his face.
“Zul graal’mor. Zul draak’mor.”
“You stronger than me. I know.”
The translation came in an instant, and the moment Zakaar stopped, Gruumak continued in a quieter, deeper tone.
“But zul’raan, vak’tar Drokh’dul.”
He spoke as he placed his heavy hand over his chest.
This time, Zakaar did not translate, almost as if he was hesitating to say those words, but he wasn’t the only translator here.
“But I still trust Flying Man.”
Freyal repeated the words fluently this time, his eyes shining with determination.
Since he was already here anyway, he would rather do what he came here for before death. He wanted to show that he wasn’t useless, that he too was prepared to face death for his people.
Kael’s frown deepened at those words, Lavinia’s brows furrowed too, but before either of them could say anything,
Morvain stepped forward.
“This is absurd.”
Her sharp voice cut through the air like a blade.
“You called us here, to your valley, and now you ignore us completely?”
“Zul’kaar. Vak’tar zul draal’ven, now nar’raak?”
Zakaar flinched at her tone but still translated it carefully.
Gruumak’s head turned—but instead of answering her directly, he looked past her. His cold eyes found Kael again, the meaning behind his action clear.
He was not going to acknowledge Morvain’s or any other Velmourn’s existence, and that action was the final nail—Morvain had had enough.
She wasn’t here to be humiliated—
“Chief Gruumak—”
She began again, but this time—
“Why?”
Someone else interrupted.
Lavinia.
Her voice was calm, but her tone carried quiet power—power firm enough to stop both sides from speaking for a moment.
Morvain blinked, sharply turning toward her.
Lavinia, however, wasn’t even looking at the Stonefang Chief. Her violet eyes were fixed directly on Morvain.
“Why does Chief Gruumak wish to speak to just Kael?”
She asked softly. Her words addressed Gruumak, but her gaze—her unwavering, cold gaze—addressed the Velmourn Matriarch.
This is not your place to speak.
For a moment, there was silence.
The Matriarch’s lips parted, ready to argue, but Lavinia didn’t look away—not even for a second. There was no hostility in her expression, no open disrespect… just… certainty, an unshakable confidence.
Morvain’s hands tightened into fists at her sides, the fine leather of her gloves creaking faintly. Her jaw clenched, her pride bristling, but the longer she looked at the woman beside Kael—the more she saw it.
That unwavering belief in her eyes.
It wasn’t challenge—it was… protection.
As if she wouldn’t be letting it go, no matter what.
And in front of that gaze, even the Matriarch said nothing and turned silent.
Knowing that she had won, Lavinia finally turned toward Gruumak and—
“Why do you want to speak with Kael so desperately?”
She asked again without any change in her tone.
“Why zul vak’draal Kael zol’raak?”
Zakaar translated her words, and the Chief of Stonefangs studied the Magic Girl for a few moments. Yes, unlike Morvain and the other Velmourns, he did not ignore Lavinia. He treated Lavinia differently.
“Vak’tar Drokh’dul… aan Zor’gul’dra. But…”
His gaze shifted, just slightly, toward Morvain and the soldiers standing behind Kael.
“…nar’zul.”
“I trust Flying Man… and Magic Girl. But… not them.”
Zakaar translated it faithfully, and the moment his words reached the Velmourns, the air changed.
“What…?”
And this time, the Matriarch snapped.
“You don’t trust us?You?”
She spoke, her tone laced with sarcasm.
Freyal tried to translate, but this time, Gruumak didn’t need his translation. He once again ignored Morvain and—
“Vak’tar Drokh’dul.”
He repeated his words.
“Zul graakh, nar’graakh. Zul’draal, nar’burn.”
The Stonefang Chief then paused for a moment and—
“Zul graal… but zul’raak.”
“I trust Flying Man. Because he fight, but not kill. He win, but not destroy. He strong, but… he see.”
Morvain finally lost patience.
“It was your tribe who attacked the Velmourns! We Velmourns never once went beyond the Wall to directly harm your tribe or any other tribe for that matter!
If anything, we should be the ones who should be distrustful of you, not the other way around!”
This time, Freyal didn’t back down either and repeated Morvain’s words in the Stonefang tongue. Since the conversation was flowing smoothly, he could tell his translations were correct, so he too had become much more confident.
“Zul’raag shaar Vel’morun! Vel’morun nar’pass draal, nar’shaar zul’raag or any’raak!
If vak’dar, zul’vak me, nar’mor zul!”
And the Stonefang Chief—this time—he did not ignore the Velmourns.
“Zul’mor dul’kaan.
Zul’mor build draal, leave us nar’kaar.
Vak’tar zul’mor how?”
He answered, looking right into Freyal’s eyes, and when the Velmourn flinched, he looked at Morvain.
“Outsiders came to our land.
Outsiders built the Wall, left us with nothing.
How trust outsiders?”
Zakaar translated his words, but the Matriarch—she did not back down.
“That happene—”
She tried to answer but—
“Matriarch.”
Kael’s quiet voice cut through her words. Morvain turned towards him, only to see him looking at her with calm, quiet eyes that carried a strange sense of power and suppression—something that silenced even her.
Then, Kael turned towards the Stonefang Chief and—
“I am with the Velmourns.”
He spoke directly, his words calming the tense Velmourns.
“You do not trust them—that is your choice.
But I stand with them.”
“Me’raak Velmourns.
Zul nar’vak zul—zul’kaar.
But me’raan Velmourns.”
Freyal quickly translated those words, and the Stonefangs grew quiet, their leader’s sharp eyes narrowing slightly at that statement. He studied Kael’s face in silence, as though weighing his words against his instincts.
The translators on both sides kept pace now—their once-halting translations flowing more easily, the rhythm of speech smoother, the meaning clearer. Even Freyal had stopped hesitating completely, his voice certain as he translated each word.
(A/N: from here on, just imagine the two sides talking in their own language and translators translating it to continue the conversation; writing it on my own is pointlessly increasing word count.)
Gruumak exhaled slowly, the mist of his breath rising in the cold air.
“I know,”
He spoke in a low tone.
“Flying Man with Velmourns. I know.”
He paused for a moment, then looked into Kael’s eyes while his own eyes softened.
“But still…
I ask again,
You and me. Alone.”
Kael’s expression didn’t change, but behind him, Lavinia’s hand tightened slightly around his arm.
She didn’t say anything; she couldn’t.
The decision was his.
And Kael…
He held Gruumak’s gaze for a long time and finally—
“Fine,”
He nodded.
“We’ll talk.”
Source: .com, updated by novlove.com