Preparations for hunting the magical beast did not all go smoothly.
Inside the study at the Lord's Manor.
A tremor rose from deep underground.
Parchment scrolls tumbled from the shelves, sending up a cloud of dust.
Veylin reached out and steadied the trembling cup of red tea on his desk.
Ripples spread across its surface.
Barrett rushed into the study, covered in dust, his expression anxious.
"My lord! Another section of farmland in the southern district has collapsed!"
"This time it's worse. A fissure more than ten meters long has opened up!"
"The horses pulling the Golden Sail Merchant Guild's newly arrived grain convoy panicked. One broke its leg on the spot, and the supplies from three wagons all tipped into the ditch!"
Veylin said nothing. He simply stood and walked over to the enormous map of his territory on the wall.
He picked up a charcoal pencil and drew another cross.
Similar black marks crowded the map, stretching from the southern Swamp all the way to the outskirts of Newborn Town.
"Notify everyone." Veylin set down the charcoal pencil. "The Garrison, the craftsmen, the townspeople. Gather in the central square in fifteen minutes."
Barrett froze, then stepped forward to block Veylin's path.
"My lord, what are you planning to do?" he asked urgently. "People are already on edge. If you gather everyone and reveal that monster's existence... it'll cause a riot! We should reassure the people first, give them some other explanation, and wait until we've dealt with the threat!"
Veylin stopped and turned to look at his loyal guard captain.
"Barrett, have you ever seen a flood held back?"
"What?" Barrett could not follow his train of thought.
"When you hold it back with sandbags and levees, the longer you contain it, the higher the water rises and