"None of us do," Lyra replied. "That's what makes this work. We're all figuring it out together." She paused, then added more softly, "I'm glad you're awake. It was... difficult, not knowing if you'd ever wake up. Trying to hold everything together while wondering if we'd lost our leader permanently."

"You did more than hold it together," Satou said, turning to look at her properly. "From what everyone's told me, you basically ran the entire settlement together. Made all the important decisions, kept morale up, coordinated with Loki's people. You carried the weight of leadership alone."

Lyra shrugged, but he could see the exhaustion in her eyes. "Someone had to. And I knew what you'd want, what choices you'd make. It wasn't that hard to follow that template."

"Still, thank you. I don't say that enough. Thank you for everything you do."

She smiled, and for a moment there was something in her expression,something warm and complicated but then Grimnir leaned over with a plate of food and the moment passed.

"Try this!" Grimnir insisted. "The elves call it 'moonberry tart' and it's incredible. Sweet but not too sweet, and it practically melts in your mouth."

The rest of the evening passed in a pleasant blur. Satou talked with various people thanking the elven craftsmen for their help, discussing metalworking techniques with the dwarves, checking in with his named Hobgoblins to see how they'd been coping. Every conversation reinforced the same feeling: this settlement was becoming something special. Something worth fighting for.

At one point, Jessica dragged him into the dancing that had started. He protested that he didn't know how to dance, but she insisted, and soon he was attempting to follow the steps of some traditional goblin dance that involved a lot of hopping and spinning. He was terrible at it, but everyone else was laughing too hard to care.

Kelvin challenged him to an arm-wrestling match that drew a huge crowd. Satou won and the crowd cheered for both of them.

Urgak recounted the story of the battle with Vegeta, embellishing certain details but keeping the core truth intact. The crowd listened with rapt attention, gasping at the appropriate moments, cheering when he described Satou's transformation, and falling silent when he spoke of the casualties.

As the night wore on and the celebration continued, Satou found himself standing at the edge of the square, just watching. Watching his people enjoying themselves. Watching different species that supposedly hated each other sharing food and stories. Watching children play without fear.

This was what he'd fought for. What he'd nearly died for.

And he'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Cassius materialized from the shadows beside him, startling Satou despite his enhanced senses.

"Quite the celebration," the vampire remarked, sipping from his goblet. "Your people love you. That's rare. Most leaders are feared or respected, but rarely loved."

"I don't know about love," Satou said. "More like... we've been through hell together and survived. That creates bonds."

"Perhaps." Cassius's red eyes gleamed in the torchlight. "But bonds like these are valuable. Powerful. People who fight for love are far more dangerous than people who fight for duty or coin. Remember that when the next threat comes."

"You think there will be another threat soon?"

"I know there will be," Cassius said simply. "The humans will find out , and they won't let Vegeta's death go unanswered. Other heroes will come. And some of the demon lords are... displeased about the idea of a goblin taking one of the demon lord seat. You've made enemies simply by surviving."

Satou nodded slowly. He'd known this peace couldn't last. "Then we'll face them when they come. Together."

"Together," Cassius agreed with a slight smile. "You're learning. That's good. You'll need that mindset for what's coming."

The vampire melted back into the shadows, leaving Satou alone with his thoughts once more.

The celebration continued into the late hours of the night. Eventually, people began to drift away—children falling asleep in their parents' arms, workers who needed to be up early for morning shifts, elders who couldn't keep up with the younger crowd's energy.

But the core group Satou, Lyra, Jessica, Kelvin, Grimnir, Urgak, and a few others remained, sitting around one of the tables and talking quietly as the fires burned down to embers.

"This was nice," Jessica said, her head resting on Kelvin's shoulder. "We should do this more often. Not wait for someone to nearly die before we celebrate."

"Agreed," Lyra said. "Maybe a weekly gathering? Nothing this elaborate, but a chance for everyone to come together and relax."

"Festival days," Urgak suggested. "Many cultures have them. Days set aside specifically for celebration and rest. It's good for morale."

"I like that idea," Satou said. "We'll establish some. Maybe one at the end of each season? Give people something to look forward to."

They continued planning, discussing ideas for the settlement's future. A proper school for the children. Expansion of the healing hall. Perhaps a library to preserve knowledge. A marketplace for trade. Defensive improvements. The list grew longer and longer.

Eventually, exhaustion caught up with even their determination. One by one, people said their goodnights and headed to their homes.

Meanwhile

The underbelly of Clover City existed in a literal sense—a network of tunnels and caverns beneath the legitimate city streets where illegal trade flourished away from official oversight. Commander Aldric Thorne had been to the black market twice before in his career, both times on official business that required discretion. He'd hoped to never return.

But here he was, dressed in civilian clothes, his face obscured by a hood, following a guide through the twisting passages.

The black market was exactly as he remembered—a chaotic maze of stalls and shops selling everything from stolen goods to forbidden magic to information. The air smelled of incense meant to mask other, less pleasant odors. The lighting was dim, provided by enchanted crystals that cast everything in shades of blue and green.

His guide, a thin man with nervous energy, led him to the back of the market where the more exclusive merchants operated. They stopped before a door marked with a symbol Aldric didn't recognize.

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