Sarra knew the truth—what Nina truly enjoyed was playing.
However, over the past five years, the majority of Nina’s time had been dedicated to improving her abilities.
As for leisure time?
It was almost nonexistent.
All of this stemmed from one single thing.
That person had once told Nina there was only one condition for going home with him: defeating Ryze.
For this reason, Nina had pushed herself tirelessly over the past five years, honing her skills and sharpening her combat prowess.
And now, as Nina declared this momentous news, it could only mean one thing—she had won.
Additionally, that person had finished his business in Winterrealm and decided it was time to return.
“I’ll go with you, Nina,” someone said resolutely.
As for Rikki…
Wherever Nina went, Rikki was sure to follow. That much was certain.
Then there were the two others left in the room, who awkwardly realized that, apart from themselves, everyone else had already decided to follow the chief and leave.
Wait, what?
When did you all decide this? Why wasn’t anyone informed ahead of time?
“Chief, why make such a sudden decision about this?” one of them asked.
“Because the time has come, and it’s time for me to go back,” Nina replied.
“Honestly, I brought this up just to ask for your opinions.”
She continued, her gaze calm yet resolute.
“If you’re willing to leave with me, we’ll set out together. If not, you can stay here in Winterkeep and look after the Coven. The truth is, as you’ve probably noticed, with the Coven’s expansion in recent years, we’ve already hit our limit.”
Winterrealm was, after all, a limited space.
In such a finite place, the Coven’s growth had naturally reached its ceiling.
Influence, talent…
Everything.
With the decline of the Winterkeep Guild, this stagnation had become increasingly apparent to everyone.
What should they do next?
They didn’t have the answers.
But now, Nina’s words seemed to present them with a new choice.
Leaving Winterkeep to follow Nina southward.
“Even without the matter of going home, I was already planning to take the Coven out of Winterkeep. If we can’t continue to grow, decline is inevitable,” Nina stated firmly.
One of them hesitated. “Chief, what about the other members of the Coven? What happens to them if we just up and leave?”
Surely, there would be some who wouldn’t want to leave. What about them?
If left behind in Winterrealm, the Coven could very well plummet from its current heights to rock bottom.
So much effort had gone into building the Coven—were they really going to let it fall apart just like that?
“I’ve already spoken with the Winterkeep royal family,” Nina reassured them.
“They’ll look after things in our absence.”
Her words left them stunned. They had never expected that Nina had connections to the royal family.
The Winterkeep royal family…
That explained why, during the Coven’s rise, the Winterkeep Guild hadn’t resorted to any underhanded tactics.
It was well-known that older, established powers—especially one bearing the very name of Winterkeep—wouldn’t willingly accept being overshadowed.
No seasoned power would allow another to rise unchecked in their territory.
Yet, the Winterkeep Guild had done exactly that.
They hadn’t obstructed the Coven’s growth in the slightest. Instead, they had simply watched as the Coven grew, step by step.
Now, it all made sense—it was because the chief had ties to the royal family.
“So, Chief, one more question—if we all leave, who’s going to manage things here? Are we really going to leave it in the hands of the Winterkeep Guild?”
That was indeed a pressing concern.
At this point, Sarra interjected.
“If that’s the issue, I’ve got the perfect candidate in mind!” freēwēbnovel.com
…
Nossa dragged a drunken Cyre out of his room.
“What do you want now? I was in the middle of drinking,” grumbled Cyre.
The man who had once been the proud and commanding lord of Westwind Pass was now nothing more than a shabby, disheveled drunkard.
“Father, do you remember the Trial of Gods from five years ago?” Nossa asked.
“Of course, I remember. What about it?” Cyre replied, his tone tinged with impatience.
Cyre vividly recalled how, during that trial, a figure had torn through Bear Prime’s disguise, exposing the truth beneath.
Since then, he had grown increasingly withdrawn and disheartened.
“Father, there’s an opportunity now,” Nossa said, his voice filled with excitement.
“What opportunity?”
“You remember that strong figure’s protégé, Nina? She founded the Coven at Winterkeep Citadel. But now that they’re leaving Winterkeep for the south, they need someone to manage the Coven in their absence…”
Before Nossa could finish, Cyre had already understood his son’s intentions.
“You’re suggesting… that I manage this Coven?”
“Exactly, Father. This is an opportunity,” Nossa affirmed.
For the first time in a long while, clarity returned to Cyre’s eyes. He looked at his son and asked,
“You said ‘we’? Are you going south too?”
“Yes, Father. I’m going to follow the chief and leave Winterkeep,” Nossa replied.
“Good, good, good!” Cyre exclaimed, repeating the word three times.
“When you’re down south, take care of yourself… and be careful.”
…
“Is he really up to the task?” someone in the Coven’s leadership asked skeptically.
Cyre’s lingering stench of alcohol and his unkempt appearance made it hard to believe he was capable.
Sarra, however, defended him.
“This man was once the lord of Westwind Pass. His abilities are beyond question.”
Hearing this, the doubts began to dissipate.
After all, anyone who had been entrusted with ruling a major stronghold like Westwind Pass would surely surpass them in administrative capabilities.
“And can he be trusted? What if he betrays the Coven?”
“There’s no need to worry about that,” Sarra reassured them.
“His only son will be traveling south with us.”
With those words, the room fell silent.
After all, with his only son joining their journey, there was little reason to doubt his loyalty.
…
Within the mini world, Daniel stood aloft, surveying the many Trees of Origin below.
The time had come.
A vast surge of mana erupted from his body.
The first task was to reclaim the forges, taking back the majority while leaving a select few to nourish the Trees of Origin that had yet to be planted.
As the magic arrays were dismantled, the Trees of Origin instinctively began altering the mini world itself.
Streams of light radiated from the trees, resonating with the mini world.
Daniel swiftly severed the connection.
These Trees of Origin were meant for the main world. The mini world would have to wait.
Due to their unique properties, the Trees of Origin couldn’t be stored in standard spatial storage.
Fortunately, Daniel discovered they could be placed in his system space without issue. This allowed him to recover all the trees while leaving behind a few forges to sustain the unplanted ones.
Only once this was done did Daniel leave the mini world alongside Sif.
Outside, the Coven members were waiting.
“Nervous?” Sarra asked Nossa, who seemed uneasy.
“A little,” he admitted.
“This will be my first time leaving Winterkeep. I’ve only heard stories about the world outside Winterrealm, but now… I’m about to see it for myself.”
“Don’t worry,” Sarra said reassuringly.
“With the chief, you’ll be fine.”
Meanwhile, Nina turned to Rikki.
“Aren’t you going to say goodbye to your kin?”
“They’ve already sent me off,” Rikki replied with a hint of exasperation.
“They told me to bring back lots of food and fun things—or not to come back at all.”
Rikki, technically the first warbear to leave Winterrealm, found itself bearing these peculiar expectations.
At that moment, a powerful presence descended.
A man appeared, silencing everyone.
They all knew who he was—the chief’s elder and someone of unfathomable strength.
No one dared to speak out of turn.
Daniel gazed at the gathered members of the Coven, feeling a surge of pride.
Nina had done well.
To have so many people willing to follow her—she had truly grown over the years.