Chapter 112: The Governor’s Records
The next morning, Kael stood outside the village hall with a bundle of documents beneath his arm.
The sun had barely risen.
Farmers were already working in the fields.
Water moved through the repaired channels, carrying a thin stream toward the crops.
It wasn’t enough yet.
But it was moving.
Kael looked toward the road.
A carriage approached.
Two mounted guards rode ahead of it.
Behind them came a second carriage.
Lyra stepped beside Kael.
"Who is that?"
Kael watched the carriage stop.
The door opened.
A middle-aged man stepped out.
He wore a dark blue robe beneath a long brown cloak. His thinning black hair was carefully combed, and a silver seal hung from his belt.
He looked around the village.
Then at Kael.
"His Highness."
Kael recognized the Imperial seal.
"You are the provincial governor?"
The man bowed.
"Governor Halric."
Kael’s expression didn’t change.
"I’ve been expecting you."
Halric looked toward the repaired irrigation channels.
"So I see."
His eyes moved across the fields.
"You restored the water."
"Part of it."
Halric nodded slowly.
"I received word that the matter had been resolved."
Kael looked at him.
"Resolved?"
The governor hesitated.
"That was the report."
"From whom?"
Halric’s expression became uncomfortable.
"Several local officials."
Kael held out the documents.
"Then they lied."
The governor stared at the papers.
"Your Highness..."
"Three villages nearly lost their harvests."
"I understand."
"No."
Kael’s voice remained calm.
"I don’t think you do."
Halric looked toward the farmers.
"They sent petitions."
Kael nodded.
"I read them."
"And?"
"Your office received them."
Halric’s face tightened.
"Yes."
"Then why didn’t you act?"
The governor remained silent.
Kael waited.
Finally, Halric spoke.
"The reports suggested the problem was temporary."
"Who wrote them?"
Halric hesitated.
"Local officials."
"Names."
The governor looked uncomfortable.
Kael extended the papers again.
"I don’t need excuses."
Halric took the documents.
He scanned them.
Then his expression changed.
"You found the dam."
Kael watched him carefully.
"You knew."
The governor didn’t answer.
"You knew there was a dam."
Halric looked toward the river.
"I knew House Valen had altered the waterway."
"And you allowed it."
"I was told the alteration was temporary."
"By whom?"
The governor’s lips tightened.
"Lord Garrick."
Kael stared at him.
"And you believed him?"
"He provided documents."
"What documents?"
"Imperial authorization."
Kael went silent.
"Show me."
Halric looked toward his carriage.
"I brought copies."
The documents were spread across the table inside the village hall.
Kael stood over them.
Torren stood nearby.
Lyra watched from the opposite side.
Halric remained seated.
The first document carried an Imperial seal.
Kael examined it.
"It looks genuine."
Torren leaned closer.
"May I?"
Kael handed it to him.
Torren studied the seal.
"Could be."
Kael looked at Halric.
"Where is the original?"
"In the provincial archives."
"Then we’re going there."
Halric blinked.
"Today?"
"Yes."
Kael gathered the papers.
"I want the original authorization, every report concerning the river, and every petition sent by these villages."
The governor swallowed.
"That may take some time."
Kael looked at him.
"Then begin."
The provincial archives were housed inside a stone building overlooking the town.
It wasn’t impressive.
But it was large.
Rows of shelves filled the interior.
Kael entered with Halric, Lyra, Torren, and two soldiers.
The archivist nearly dropped the book he was carrying when he saw them.
"Your Highness."
Kael nodded.
"I need the river records."
The archivist immediately bowed.
"Of course."
"And the petitions from the affected villages."
"Yes."
"And all correspondence between House Valen and the provincial office."
The archivist hesitated.
"All of it?"
"All."
The man nodded quickly.
"Yes, Your Highness."
The search began.
For nearly two hours, they examined records.
Kael read petitions.
One farmer had written that his crops were dying.
Another wrote that his livestock had become sick.
Another begged the governor to send workers to inspect the river.
Kael placed each petition into a separate pile.
Then he found something.
A report from eight months earlier.
The handwriting was different.
The report stated that the river’s condition had been investigated.
The conclusion was simple.
No unusual activity found.
Kael stared at it.
"Who wrote this?"
Halric leaned over.
"One of my inspectors."
"Name?"
"Marrec."
"Where is he?"
Halric looked at the archivist.
The archivist checked another record.
"He resigned six months ago."
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
"I don’t know."
"Find out."
The archivist bowed.
"Yes."
Kael continued reading.
Then he found another document.
A payment record.
His eyes moved down the page.
A large sum had been paid to Inspector Marrec.
By House Valen.
Kael slowly placed the document on the table.
The room became silent.
Halric stared at it.
"I didn’t know."
Kael looked at him.
"That’s the problem."
The governor’s face reddened.
"I swear to you—"
Kael raised a hand.
"I didn’t accuse you."
Halric stopped.
Kael looked back at the payment record.
"But now we know someone was paying officials to keep quiet."
Torren stepped closer.
"And if the dam was built to contain the chamber..."
Kael nodded.
"Then someone may have wanted the entire matter buried."
Halric looked confused.
"What chamber?"
Kael looked at him.
For a moment, he considered telling him.
He didn’t.
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with yet."
Halric frowned.
Kael gathered the records.
"There’s something else."
He picked up the Imperial authorization.
"The seal."
Halric looked at it.
"What about it?"
Kael turned the document over.
There was a tiny mark beneath the Imperial seal.
Three curved lines surrounding a circle.
The same symbol.
Kael’s expression became unreadable.
He had seen it beneath the river.
He had seen it on the strange fragment.
And now it appeared on an Imperial document.
But the document was dated twenty-three years ago.
Kael slowly folded the paper.
Someone had known about the river long before the villagers began suffering.
And whoever knew...
Had access to the Empire’s official records.
Kael looked toward the governor.
"Take me to your archives."
Halric frowned.
"We’re already here."
"The restricted archives."
The governor went pale.
"Your Highness, those records are sealed."
Kael’s gaze hardened.
"Then unseal them."
Halric stared at him.
"By whose authority?"
Kael placed his hand over the Imperial seal on his coat.
"Mine."
The governor swallowed.
Then slowly nodded.
"Very well."
Kael followed him deeper into the building.
Behind them, Torren quietly looked at Lyra.
"What do you think we’re going to find?"
Lyra shook her head.
"I don’t know."
Kael heard them.
Neither did he.
But one thing was becoming clear.
The river wasn’t simply a local problem.
Someone had been hiding something for decades.
And Kael had just begun pulling at the first thread.