Chapter 159: Restructuring and New Perspectives
Kellar walked back along the main thoroughfare, feeling how the village atmosphere was beginning to shift gradually. The whisper about the enforcement of the new rules and Nomre’s public punishment had already spread through the workshops and residential huts. The Great Shaman’s severity left no room for doubt: anarchy and social disorder would not be tolerated.
Reaching the warehouse sector where the young former slave was still gathering his belongings with trembling hands, Kellar stopped. The boy shrank into his own shadow upon noticing the tribe leader’s presence, hugging his old clothes as if they were his only shield.
"What is your name?" asked Kellar in a calm voice, marking a sharp contrast to the commanding authority of minutes before.
"T-Tobias, Great Shaman..." said the youth, keeping his forehead pressed to the mud without daring to look him in the eye.
"Mentz informed me that you are among those who have yet to learn the new words or enlist in the main workshops," said Kellar, crossing his arms. "You kept your head down waiting for an opportunity to run away, didn’t you?"
Tobias turned pale and panic reflected in his face.
"I didn’t mean to cause trouble, Great Shaman!" Tobias pleaded through gasps. "I was just... just afraid that the change was an illusion and we’d end up as slaves again."
Kellar formed a cold smile while extending a hand to signal him to stand up.
"Freedom in the Overlord Tribe is not given away; it is built with discipline and work," said Kellar. "If you stay on the sidelines, you will be easy prey for the harpies who think they can take whatever they want. Starting tomorrow, you will report to Mentz’s watchmen recruitment team. You will learn to defend yourself and use the club. No man in my village will bow his head out of fear again."
"Y-Yes, Great Shaman! I will fulfill it without fail!" replied Tobias with a voice full of a strange new relief.
Leaving the boy catching his breath, Kellar headed to security headquarters to iron out logistics with Mentz before the caravan left the next morning for the other village where Vael managed the mines.
Upon entering the office, Mentz was laying out new patrol maps and transport schedules.
"Great Shaman," Mentz greeted, standing up. "Everything is prepared for tomorrow morning’s departure. The guards already have orders to escort the group of prisoners to Vael’s post at the second settlement’s mines."
"Make sure to send a clear directive to Vael," said Kellar, resting his fists on the table. "Nomre must be placed in the deepest level of the iron vein. Have her work chipping stone in narrow conduits where her physical strength will be consumed in useful labor for the tribe’s weapons."
"I will hand it in writing to the escort," Mentz nodded. "Furthermore, we will take the opportunity to intensify physical training for the entire police force and the new watchmen, just as you ordered."
Kellar stayed silent for a moment, looking out the window toward the streets where night was beginning to fall.
"I admit I made a mistake," Kellar said in a low voice, reflecting aloud. "I underestimated the women of this world. My mind... at times I still considered them fragile, helpless flowers, but nothing is further from reality. They possess a endurance and aggressiveness we cannot waste."
Mentz listened carefully, nodding even though he didn’t quite understand what Kellar was referring to, but chose to say nothing.
"If they have that excess energy and raw strength," Kellar continued with a calculating smile, "we will put them to work at the same pace as the men. Whether in logging, hauling stone, or in the mines, that energy will be channeled into the progress of the Overlord Tribe."
"It is the best decision, Great Shaman," Mentz replied. "Hard labor will tame their temper and strengthen our infrastructure."
Night finally fell over the Overlord Tribe. The wall torches illuminated the village in shadow and the night chill hardened the mud in the streets once more.
Upon opening the door to his residence, the warmth of home greeted Kellar along with the aroma of roasted meat and dried spices. Mila and Maya looked up from the main table, while Naya finished setting out the wooden plates with a much calmer and more smiling demeanor than that afternoon.
"It seems you had a busy afternoon in the village," said Mila, stepping up to remove his traveling cloak with a sly smile. "The whole square is talking about your little lesson in the warehouse alley."
"Order had to be restored before disorder ruined our logistics," Kellar answered, sitting at the head of the table while Lia poured him a pitcher of freshly made wine. "Starting tomorrow, the forces will be well divided and the troublesome women will learn to channel their strength into heavy labor."
Maya let out a mocking giggle while leaning against the back of Kellar’s chair.
"I heard you sent the ’bear’ toward Vael’s territory," Maya teased in the Great Shaman’s ear. "I guess now Naya won’t have anything to worry about while she gets used to living with us."
Naya, hearing her name, blushed and lowered her head timidly, though the subtle smile on her lips betrayed her deep relief.
"Don’t worry about the bear or any of the others," Kellar answered, casting a slow, commanding look across the table before locking eyes with Maya and then Naya. "I will personally take care of subduing every rebellious woman in this village... and keeping the ones under my own roof thoroughly disciplined. I won’t allow anyone to interfere with the tribe’s progress, whether in the streets or in this bed."
Naya let out a soft gasp and hid her flushed face behind her hands, while Maya flashed a provocative smile and Mila muffled a seductive chuckle.
Kellar took a sip from the tankard and looked over the group of women sharing his home, enjoying the contrast between the unyielding firmness required by his leadership in the streets and the absolute, fiery control of his personal sanctuary.