Kael Draven remained in Elarion for six days before sending his first report south.

And even then—

He omitted half of what he had seen.

Not intentionally.

He simply lacked words precise enough to explain it properly.

The northern territory no longer resembled anything familiar.

Factories operated through the night beneath towering smoke stacks. Workers moved with strange efficiency. Steel production never seemed to stop. And the soldiers—

The soldiers disturbed him most.

Not because of numbers.

Discipline.

Every patrol moved with purpose. Every guard carried advanced rifles. Every checkpoint functioned with military precision.

This was not a recovering frontier territory anymore.

It was becoming something else entirely.

Kael sat quietly inside a rented upper room overlooking one of Elarion’s outer industrial districts while finishing another coded report for House Valcriox.

To Lord Kassian Valcriox

The northern reports are accurate.

Industrial development exceeds expectations.

Firearm technology significantly surpasses southern capabilities.

Military organization highly disciplined.

Civilian loyalty toward Lord Lucien remains exceptionally strong.

Further observation required.

— Kael Draven

Kael stared at the finished report for several seconds afterward.

Then added one final line.

Recommendation: Do not underestimate Elarion.

The knight sealed the document quietly afterward.

Because for the first time in years—

He genuinely felt uncertain.

Outside his window, Elarion remained awake despite the late hour.

Steam hissed endlessly from massive pipes running between factory buildings while workers continued transporting steel under torchlight.

The city never rested.

That unsettled him deeply.

The next morning only worsened things.

Military activity increased before sunrise.

Entire sections of the western valley became restricted while rifle regiments moved through the roads in organized formation.

Kael observed everything carefully from a distance.

Something was happening.

Workers cleared sections near the outer artillery range while soldiers established layered security positions around the valley walls.

Too much preparation for ordinary drills.

Then Kael noticed the cannons.

At first glance they resembled ordinary magical artillery pieces used by larger noble houses.

The kingdom already possessed cannons powered through mana crystals and rune formations.

But those weapons were rare. Expensive. Heavy enough to require massive transport crews.

And worst of all—

Slow.

A magical cannon could destroy fortress gates or obliterate charging formations.

But after firing once, the barrel required cooling and mana stabilization before firing again.

Some needed several minutes.

Others longer.

That limitation had always prevented them from completely replacing traditional warfare.

Yet the cannons positioned across Elarion’s western range looked different.

No glowing mana circuits. No visible crystal arrays. No runic stabilizers.

Just steel.

Long reinforced barrels mounted upon heavy field carriages.

Kael frowned slightly while observing the crews moving around them.

Too efficient.

Far too efficient.

Nearly two hundred soldiers handled the artillery positions with practiced coordination.

Powder loaded.

Barrels adjusted.

Elevation corrected.

The crews moved quickly enough that Kael immediately noticed the difference.

This was not how magical artillery teams operated.

Then the targets arrived.

Large steel-plated defensive slabs dragged across the valley floor by heavy horses.

Armor penetration testing.

Kael’s expression hardened slightly.

Why would Lucien prioritize anti-armor artillery?

The answer came moments later.

An officer raised one arm sharply.

"FIRE!"

The valley exploded.

The blast slammed across the mountainside with terrifying force while smoke erupted violently from the cannon line.

Kael instinctively braced himself against the rocks.

Not magical.

Pure explosive force.

And far louder than expected.

The steel target shattered apart instantly.

Not cracked.

Not damaged.

Destroyed.

Twisted fragments scattered across the valley floor while nearby soldiers shouted in celebration.

Kael stared silently.

The destructive power alone rivaled magical artillery.

But that was not what frightened him.

The crews began reloading immediately.

Fast.

Too fast.

Traditional magical cannons required stabilization after every shot. Mana pressure distorted the barrel interiors. Cooling periods slowed repeated firing.

But Elarion’s artillery crews simply continued working.

Powder. Shell. Ram. Adjust.

Another cannon fired less than a minute later.

The second target vanished beneath the impact.

Kael slowly felt genuine unease creeping into his chest.

Because he finally understood the danger.

Lucien had not created stronger cannons.

He had created practical cannons.

Weapons weaker than the kingdom’s largest magical siege artillery perhaps—

But cheap enough to mass produce. Mobile enough for battlefield deployment. Fast enough to dominate conventional armies.

That realization disturbed him far more.

One magical cannon threatened a fortress.

An entire line of these weapons could erase armies.

The artillery crews continued firing afterward in disciplined rotation while smoke rolled across the valley.

Then suddenly—

One officer standing below turned directly toward Kael’s observation ridge.

Even from this distance, the movement felt deliberate.

The officer calmly raised one hand toward the hidden knight in greeting.

Then simply walked away.

Kael froze.

Silence settled around him.

Cold realization followed shortly afterward.

They knew someone watched them.

And instead of hiding the artillery—

They demonstrated it intentionally.

This was not a secret accidentally discovered.

Lucien wanted House Valcriox to see this.

Wanted them cautious.

Wanted them aware.

The confidence behind that decision unsettled Kael deeply.

Because only someone absolutely certain of his position would reveal military strength so openly.

That evening, Kael abandoned further infiltration entirely.

There was no longer a point.

He had already seen enough.

More than enough.

The next morning, the elite knight departed Elarion beneath heavy snowfall while the industrial smoke of the northern valley continued rising endlessly behind him.

And during the entire journey south—

One thought refused to leave his mind.

If Elarion continued developing at this pace for another few years—

Even the great noble houses might no longer match it militarily.

Three days later.

House Valcriox.

Kassian read Kael’s full report in complete silence.

The study remained quiet except for rain tapping softly against the tall windows nearby.

Seraphine stood opposite the desk while Kael waited nearby with arms folded.

Finally Kassian lowered the report slowly.

"...Rapid-fire field artillery."

Kael nodded once.

"Not stronger than high-grade magical siege cannons."

"But mobile."

"Yes."

"And mass-producible?"

Kael hesitated briefly.

"...I believe so."

That answer darkened the room immediately.

Because everyone present understood the implication.

The kingdom’s magical artillery remained powerful precisely because it was rare.

Difficult to craft. Expensive to maintain. Limited by mana resources and specialized operators.

But Lucien’s weapons bypassed all of that.

Steel. Powder. Industrial production.

Kassian slowly stood afterward before walking toward the northern territories marked upon the wall map.

"He showed you intentionally."

"Yes."

"Meaning he wanted House Valcriox to understand his military capability."

Kael nodded again.

Silence followed.

Then finally Kassian spoke quietly:

"...He’s becoming uncontrollable."

This time nobody disagreed.

And that silence alone said enough.

The heir of House Valcriox stared toward the distant north while rain continued falling beyond the manor windows.

Then slowly reached his conclusion.

"If observation changes nothing..."

The atmosphere inside the study became heavier.

Kassian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"...Then we begin applying pressure."

Not war.

Not yet.

But the era of passive watching had ended.

Because kassian had finally realized something dangerous:

Lucien was no longer merely rebuilding the north.

He was changing warfare itself.