CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 31 - UNDERGROUND SYSTEM FOR HYGIENE.

A while later.

The ground trembled.

It began as a soft vibration, a quiver in the floorboards of every woven-root house, then deepened into a resonant shudder that made bowls clatter and babies wail.

Demihumans spilled from their homes in alarm, ears twitching, tails bristling, and wings flaring.

"What’s happening?" Someone cried.

"An earthquake?" Another gasped, clutching her child.

But the moment their eyes turned upward, the panic stalled.

For there, hovering above the center of the village, robes shifting lazily in the morning wind, was Kael.

His black hair rippled like ink in water, and his golden eyes gleamed with the kind of casual amusement that belonged not to a man, but to something far more untouchable.

"Good morning," Kael’s voice rolled across the village, smooth and resonant, carrying without effort.

He raised a hand lazily in greeting. "I bet none of you expected this kind of wake-up call. Don’t worry. No monsters. No disaster. And definitely not enemies."

He paused, lips curving into a grin that seemed far too amused at the chaos he’d caused.

"This is just... a quick update."

The villagers blinked. Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

Then, suddenly—

Vwooooom.

Beneath Kael, the earth split open.

From the very heart of the village, a sapling shot upward like a spear of light, its bark smooth and silver, its leaves unfolding in emerald bursts.

It grew, and grew, and grew—thicker and taller—until it dwarfed every house, stretching toward the heavens with roots that snaked beneath the soil like veins of life.

Gasps erupted as the shadow of the colossal tree spread over them.

At the center of the village square, before the Japanese-style two-story house, stood Selene.

Her silver eyes lifted calmly, wings tucked close as the towering miracle expanded overhead. Moments later, Alenia and Evethra emerged, their steps hurried but composed.

"What in the heavens is he doing?" Alenia breathed, her mature tone carrying both awe and worry.

Selene, without looking away, answered smoothly, "He’s building a container and a passageway."

Alenia blinked. "What?"

Selene lifted a hand, gesturing toward the roots that spread like veins across the ground, then vanished. "He’s shaping the roots and making them hollow. He’s creating channels under the earth while he grows the tree above. A vast network."

Her silver eyes narrowed with admiration. "He’s making infrastructure."

The villagers crowded closer, staring upward at Kael as though a god had descended. Every echoing clap of the tree’s growth thudded in their chests.

Selene went on, her tone patient, almost as if she were explaining to children. "This tree isn’t for beauty, though it may seem so. If its trunk is this vast, then its roots will be vaster. He will use them as tunnels. One network for water... and another for waste."

Alenia’s brow furrowed. "Waste? You mean—"

"Yes," Selene nodded. "A place to relieve themselves. Instead of the woods. Kael is solving... sanitation."

Murmurs rippled through the villagers, disbelief turning slowly into wonder.

Up above, Kael drifted lower, smirking faintly as if he’d heard their confusion. His golden gaze swept lazily over them.

"You all don’t know it yet," he drawled, "but your homes are being upgraded."

CLAP.

The sound reverberated like thunder as his hands met, and suddenly, the tremor stopped.

The tree stood finished now, a colossal sentinel whose branches stretched wide enough to shade the entire village. The roots, unseen below, hummed faintly with magic.

Kael’s voice carried again, smooth and unhurried.

"From this moment, each of your houses has gained a new room. Inside, you’ll find a little... throne." His smirk deepened. "Humans call it a commode. It’s shaped just so, and its inside has a nice, slippery lining. Whatever falls inside the commode will slide straight down into the roots below and away into a flowing channel that will carry it out of the village."

Some—especially the children—didn’t understand what he meant, but the elders, who had seen and heard of how humans sit on the commode, knew what he meant.

Some gasped, and some stared at Raven in awe, as this was one of those few times they felt like they weren’t animals.

For years in Veldera City, they had done this work in their cells. They were forced to carry their own waste out once the buckets they were given were filled.

The ladies in the brothel street had things a bit easier, but even they were all forced to use a single commode.

They had to stay in line to use it.

So, they had never expected to get a private toilet in all of their houses.

Kael then waved a hand lazily. "Not yet, though. Don’t use it for now—the channel still needs finishing."

The villagers exchanged bewildered, almost horrified glances. A fox-eared man muttered, "Throne? For... that?"

Kael only grinned wider.

"As for the water problem..." He gestured, and from the sides of the tree, slim, hollow roots snaked out, invisible beneath the ground, until—Pop!—they sprouted in every house, curling into elegant spirals that ended in capped wooden spouts.

"These," Kael announced, "are taps. Corked at the ends. Open them, and you’ll have clean, running water. Don’t confuse it with the other passage—I’m not cruel. This one flows from an underground spring, found and drawn through roots designed for drinking water. Running water, mind you—not stagnant. Pressure included, free of charge."

He winked.

The villagers gaped. Some clapped their hands over their mouths. Children tugged at their parents’ sleeves, whispering about "water pipes" and "toilet thrones."

Evethra, Selene, and Alenia just stared in awe, unable to put it all in words.

After all, only Kael could do something like this and still treat it like he hasn’t done anything special.

Meanwhile, Kael, floating above, stretched like a cat in the sun.

"Well," he said, voice dripping with lazy amusement, "consider this your morning upgrade. Water, waste, and hygiene—all handled. No applause necessary... though I wouldn’t mind."

As soon as his words fell, below him, the villagers—stunned, overwhelmed, yet undeniably awed—broke into nervous, scattered claps that quickly grew into roaring cheers.

Kael only smirked, golden eyes half-lidded, as though even this miracle was simply him amusing himself on a slow morning.

Above all, he knew that there was still one thing left to do before he could call the waste management system a success.

The cheers, on the other hand, rippled through the square, awkward at first, then growing in strength as the villagers realized what they were witnessing wasn’t a dream.

Children hopped up and down, pointing at the enormous tree, while elders wept silently, hands trembling as they touched the new wooden spouts in their homes.

"Running water... in my house?" A goat-headed man muttered in disbelief, his deep voice cracking.

His daughter tugged at his sleeve. "Papa, does that mean I can drink more than a gulp of water when I’m thirsty?"

The father would only hug his daughter as he heard those words.

Another woman clutched her chest, whispering, "A private... thrones? No more... no more buckets in the night?"

The younger ones laughed, repeating the word "throne" over and over, until the whole village was buzzing with it.

Kael, still hovering lazily above, let out a satisfied hum.

He rolled onto his side mid-air, resting his cheek against his palm, golden eyes sweeping across the stunned faces.

"You all look like I just handed you a second sun," he teased, voice warm with amusement. "Relax—it’s just plumbing. Civilization, as humans call it. Don’t faint on me now."

That only made the whispers grow louder.

Some villagers exchanged glances that brimmed with reverence, others with suspicion, but all were too shaken even to move.

They were all merely wondering what good things they did in their past life to deserve a life like this, despite being treated like criminals everywhere else.

Then, of course, the comedy began.

A squirrel-eared boy suddenly cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "THANK YOU FOR THE POOP-THRONE!"

The crowd exploded into laughter—half from shock, half from the sheer absurdity. Mothers scolded their children for being rude, though even they were hiding their smiles.

Kael, for his part, snorted and raised his brows. "At least someone appreciates innovation."

Selene tilted her head at the boy, her expression calm as ever.

"He’s not wrong," she murmured.

Evethra covered her lips with a delicate hand, crimson eyes dancing with amusement, as she muttered. "Master... I believe they’ll remember you not as a savior, but as the bringer of thrones."

Kael stretched again in the air, utterly unbothered. "Could be worse. I could’ve brought them more buckets."

Alenia sighed at those words, while the laughter among the villagers swelled louder, nervous yet genuine now, the fear slowly giving way to wonder.

They looked not only at the colossal tree but also at Kael himself—dark-haired, golden-eyed, floating in the morning sun like a creature out of myth.

A young dog-girl whispered, almost reverently, "No matter what happens in the future, I wish lord Kael stays our lord."

For the first time in their lives, many of them began to feel as though they weren’t just surviving in the shadows of Veldera but taking their first step toward something greater.

It was then—

"Big brother!"

—A cry came from the far edge of the clearing, shrill and desperate.

Every villager’s head turned just in time to see Rue and Rina racing toward the square, their tails puffed like startled foxes, water still dripping from their damp hair.

Lyra followed close behind, her cheeks flushed, clutching at her half-dried braid as she tried to keep pace with the twins.

They had clearly run straight from the stream—clothes tugged hastily into place, cheeks pink not from the bath but from the shock of seeing a colossal tree erupt out of the earth where their new home stood.

"Big brother!!" Rue and Rina wailed in unison, eyes wide with panic as they stumbled into the square, barreling toward Kael without pause.

Kael sighed softly, golden eyes lowering from the tree he had just finished. The lazy smirk lingered on his lips as he descended, landing lightly upon the trembling earth.

Before the fox twins could crash into him, he caught both of them under his arms, scooping them up with effortless grace.

"Calm down, you two." His voice came smooth and unhurried, an assurance that immediately slowed their frantic wriggling. "The village isn’t under attack. This isn’t a monster."

"But—the tree..." Rina muttered, clinging to his shoulder like he was the only thing keeping her safe.

"It just—just appeared!" Rue added, her wet tail flicking anxiously.

Kael chuckled low in his throat, golden eyes narrowing with amusement as he patted their heads, water droplets dampening his hand. "Well, it’s just me. I made it appear."

Still holding them both with ridiculous ease, he turned slightly, letting their eyes fall on the stunned but cheering villagers. "See? No one’s screaming. Well, not anymore."

The twins blinked, their wide eyes flickering between the enormous silver-barked tree and the villagers who were still buzzing about "water taps" and "poop thrones."

Slowly, their frantic kicks subsided into reluctant pouts, though their ears stayed pinned back.

"Big brother, you scared us..." Rue mumbled, cheeks puffed.

Kael smirked and leaned his forehead briefly against hers. "Then consider that payback for treating me like a pillow the whole night."

Rina flushed scarlet, muttering, "T-That’s not the same..."

Kael merely chuckled at that, loving how they reacted to his tease.