"No. I never will," I answered firmly. "You’re the only one for me."

The words came out naturally, without hesitation.

Not only because they were true. But because I feared what would happen if I hesitated for a moment,

Zarah smiled after hearing that and leaned against me once more, her body relaxing in a way that made it obvious the answer genuinely mattered to her.

"That’s a relief," she murmured quietly.

Meanwhile, I had gone completely stiff.

Despite answering honestly, my heart was pounding far harder than it had any right to.

Why was I suddenly nervous?

I had fought monsters far larger than buildings. Faced things capable of crushing me into the ground with a single strike. Stood in front of beings that radiated enough pressure to make entire groups freeze in fear.

And yet somehow, a single question from Zarah had nearly made me panic.

Scary. This might’ve been the scariest situation I’d dealt with in a while.

After about an hour of interacting with everyone, I eventually decided to call it a day.

Tomorrow was going to be busy, and there was still a ridiculous amount of work waiting for us now that Caius and his people had officially joined the clan.

There were supplies to organize, responsibilities to assign, patrol structures to adjust, and most importantly, an actual meeting that needed to happen once everyone was properly rested and thinking clearly.

Besides, today had already been packed with enough activity to mentally exhaust anyone.

The duels, the introductions, the tension between both groups, the oath ceremony, the constant social interactions...

A lot had happened in a relatively short amount of time.

So rather than forcing everyone through another serious discussion while exhausted, I decided it would be better to handle everything tomorrow instead.

I made that clear to Caius and the others before dismissing everyone for the night.

"So where are we going to sleep?" Sheera asked.

At her question, Caius and the others turned toward me almost at the same time, clearly waiting for an answer.

"Well, there should still be some tents available," I replied while instinctively turning toward Narg.

Only to realize Narg was gone.

Zivra was nowhere to be seen either.

I blinked once before my gaze shifted around briefly, searching for someone else to delegate the task to, but before I could say anything, Nira suddenly stepped forward.

"Yes, Chief. There are plenty of empty tents available," she said quickly. "I can take them there."

A small wave of relief immediately hit me.

"Good. Lead the way."

Nira nodded and began walking, while the rest of us followed behind her soon after.

The path happened to head in the same general direction as my own quarters, so naturally, Zarah and I ended up walking alongside the others for a while as the group moved through the settlement.

The atmosphere felt calmer now compared to earlier.

Not completely relaxed, but noticeably lighter.

Some of Caius’ followers were quietly looking around as they walked, taking in the sight of the clan properly for what was likely the first time since arriving. Others spoke in low voices amongst themselves while several of my goblins occasionally glanced toward them with open curiosity.

Still, as the route eventually split further ahead, leading toward the section where the spare tents had been set up, I slowed slightly before glancing toward Zarah.

"You should head back first," I told her quietly.

Zarah looked at me for a second but didn’t argue.

Instead, she simply nodded before separating from the group and continuing down the path toward our quarters.

Meanwhile, I followed behind the others instead.

As chief, it would’ve felt strange to leave immediately after bringing new members into the clan, especially on their first night here. Even if I trusted the oaths, it was still better to personally oversee things until everyone settled in properly.

Despite the level of trust that had already been built between both sides, it still wasn’t wise to handle things too casually.

Eventually, we arrived at the area where the spare tents had been set up.

There were two massive tents positioned beside one another, both large enough to comfortably fit Caius and the rest of his people for the night.

Personally, I would’ve preferred gradually mixing them in with the rest of the clan instead of keeping them grouped together like this. It would’ve probably helped integration happen faster and reduced the invisible divide still lingering between both sides.

But at this hour?

That was unnecessary trouble.

Everyone was already exhausted, and forcing complicated arrangements tonight would only create stress for both groups, so for now, I decided it was better to simply let them stay together.

The Chosen themselves didn’t exactly look thrilled by the sleeping conditions either.

Back in their former clan, most of them had likely been used to proper beds, enclosed shelters, and a level of comfort far beyond what the Emerald Midget Clan currently possessed.

Here, all they had were reinforced tents, layered furs, and the natural cold air creeping through the settlement at night.

Still, none of them complained.

Mostly because they understood they didn’t really have much of a choice right now.

As I observed the tents, Doro suddenly approached from the side before speaking up.

"Is it all right if I make an actual building?" he asked. "With my abilities, I should be able to do it."

I immediately turned toward him, raising a brow in mild surprise.

"You can make something that detailed?"

He nodded calmly, and I couldn’t stop the small gasp that escaped me.

Caius immediately noticed my reaction and looked at me strangely for a second.

"Chief..." he said slowly. "If he could create a wall that gigantic, then what’s a small building to him?"

I paused for a moment before realizing he actually had a point.

To create something on the scale of the wall surrounding the clan—especially one reinforced enough to withstand direct impacts and support the garnet system—required an absurd amount of precision and control.

And I had already witnessed firsthand how refined Doro’s abilities were during his fight against Zonk.

The guy wasn’t simply throwing earth around randomly.

He manipulated terrain with frightening accuracy.

Doro himself, however, looked completely unmoved by the conversation surrounding him. There wasn’t even the slightest hint of pride on his face despite the praise being directed toward him.

If anything, he mostly looked tired.

Like he wanted this discussion to end so he could finally go to sleep.

And honestly, I couldn’t blame him.

Today had been exhausting for everyone.

Still, the more I watched Doro use his abilities, the more attractive his Skill Line started looking to me.

Other than Caius’ abilities, this was probably the second Skill Line that had genuinely made me feel tempted to steal it for myself.

Because it was better than the dozens of Skill Lines I possessed? No.

Because with it I could do something cool? Yes.