We were two hours into the road to Valebrook, and I was still sulking.
"I said I was sorry," Aelira muttered, kicking a small rock off the path.
"You said, and I quote, 'I lied because you needed to be knocked off your high horse,'" I replied, dragging my boots along.
She shrugged. "Same energy."
I groaned. "You made me think I wasn't special. I was ready to blend in and live a normal life."
"Riku, you made a noble army abandon a siege by yelling 'leave.' You're about as normal as a flaming wyvern at a tea party."
"…okay, fair."
---
The Journey
The path was scenic. Rolling green hills. Occasional carts passing by with goods or people who waved and immediately bowed once they realized who I was.
"See?" I said. "That guy just bowed because he recognized me."
"Or because you're wearing a crown while muttering angrily to yourself like a lunatic," Aelira said, smirking.
I adjusted my crown. "It's part of the brand."
She laughed quietly. For someone who claimed to dislike me, she sure enjoyed watching me suffer.
---
Entering Valebrook
By midday, we reached Valebrook.
Small village. Stone and timber homes. Quiet—too quiet.
No kids running. No merchants shouting. Not even a stray chicken.
"…Creepy," I said.
Aelira nodded. "Something's off."
We made our way to the town square. A few townsfolk peeked through shutters, one or two froze when they saw me.
I raised my hand. "Uh. Hi. I'm not here to conquer you."
A man cautiously stepped out of a bakery, flour on his sleeves.
"You… you're the one who ended the siege at Westmere, aren't you? With a word?"
"Yeah," I said. "That's me. But I also just want bread sometimes."
He hesitated, then said: "Please… if you're here about the disappearances, help us. People are vanishing. Leaving their homes in the middle of the night. No struggle. No noise. Just… gone."
Aelira and I exchanged a look.
"…Definitely not a bandit thing," she whispered.
---
We asked more villagers. Same story. No witnesses. No blood. No bodies. Just people who obeyed some unseen command… and walked away, never to return.
I clenched my fists.
"What if someone is using my power? Or something like it?"
Aelira looked serious for once. "That's not Obedience. Your power works when you're present, when you're heard."
"Then what is it?"
"…That's what we're going to find out."
---
[To be continued…]