Chapter 104: Three Days
Kael returned to his estate with the report tucked beneath his arm.
The afternoon sun had begun to fade, casting long shadows across the courtyard.
He walked through the gates without speaking.
The guards bowed.
Kael acknowledged them and continued toward the main building.
His mind remained on the map.
Three days.
That was how long he had before leaving.
He entered his study and placed the report on the desk.
Then he opened it again.
The river.
The villages.
The noble estate.
The poor harvests.
Something didn’t fit.
Kael pulled another blank sheet toward himself.
He drew the river.
Then the villages.
One after another.
He marked the upstream estate.
He stared at the drawing.
"If the river is the problem..."
His finger followed the line downstream.
"...why are the villages reporting bad soil?"
There was only one way to find out.
He needed more information.
The next morning, Kael was already awake when Darius entered the study.
The veteran wore a dark training uniform, his sword hanging at his side.
"You haven’t slept."
Kael didn’t look up.
"I slept."
"How long?"
"Enough."
Darius sighed.
"That’s not an answer."
Kael finally looked at him.
"I’m leaving in three days."
"I know."
"I’m going to the eastern farming provinces."
"I know."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Then why are you here?"
"Because you forgot something."
"What?"
"Your soldiers."
Kael looked toward the courtyard.
Darius continued.
"They’re wondering if they’re coming."
Kael leaned back.
"They aren’t."
Darius nodded.
"I thought so."
"This isn’t a military operation."
"That doesn’t mean you should go alone."
Kael was silent.
Darius placed several papers on the desk.
"These are the men who volunteered."
Kael looked down.
There were names.
Scouts.
Engineers.
A healer.
Two riders.
A small group of soldiers with experience working around farms and livestock.
Kael looked up.
"They volunteered?"
"Yes."
"I didn’t ask."
"I know."
Darius smiled.
"They asked me."
Kael studied the list.
It made sense.
He wasn’t going to fight an army.
He needed people who could observe.
Measure.
Investigate.
Speak with villagers.
"And you?"
Darius leaned against the desk.
"I’ll stay here."
Kael nodded.
"You’ll oversee the rest."
"That’s the idea."
Kael picked up the list.
"Send me six."
Darius smiled.
"I knew you’d say that."
Later that morning, Kael visited the training yard.
The soldiers were practicing formations.
The sound of wooden weapons striking filled the courtyard.
Kael walked among them.
He didn’t interrupt.
He watched.
A young soldier stumbled.
His partner immediately caught his arm.
Another soldier laughed.
The first man shoved him.
"Keep laughing."
"I will."
Kael smiled.
The expedition had changed them.
Not completely.
But enough.
Darius approached.
"I selected the six."
Kael nodded.
"Who?"
Darius pointed toward the far side of the yard.
The first was a lean man with dark brown hair tied behind his head. He wore a simple gray training uniform and carried a short bow.
"Seren."
The man noticed them and approached.
He bowed.
"Prince."
"You’re coming with me."
Seren nodded.
"I was told."
Darius pointed toward another soldier.
A broad woman stood nearby, wearing a sleeveless leather vest over a white shirt. Her dark hair was cut short around her shoulders, and a small scar crossed her chin.
"Lyra."
She approached.
"Prince."
"Your experience?"
"Farming before I joined the army."
Kael looked at her.
"Good."
The next soldier was older.
His gray-streaked hair was tied into a short tail, and his hands were rough from years of working with tools.
"Torren."
The man bowed.
"Engineer."
Kael nodded.
"Exactly what I need."
Three more soldiers stepped forward.
A young medic.
A rider.
And another scout.
Kael looked at all six.
"You aren’t going there to fight."
The medic smiled.
"Good."
A few soldiers laughed.
Kael continued.
"We’re investigating."
"That means observation comes first."
"If something seems suspicious, we don’t interfere immediately."
"If someone tells us something, we verify it."
"If there’s a problem..."
He paused.
"We find out why."
Seren nodded.
"Understood."
Kael looked toward Darius.
"I’ll leave at dawn tomorrow."
Darius nodded.
"I’ll have everything prepared."
That evening, Kael returned to his study.
The mysterious egg remained hidden inside the locked chest.
He opened the chest.
The egg was exactly where he had left it.
Kael picked it up.
Nothing happened.
He stared at it.
"You picked a strange time to become boring."
Nothing.
Kael smiled and placed it back.
Then his eyes moved toward another object.
The ancient fragment from the expedition.
He had brought it back.
He hadn’t shown it to anyone.
Not even his father.
Kael picked it up.
The fragment felt cold.
Not like ordinary stone.
He turned it over.
A faint mark was carved into the bottom.
He hadn’t noticed it before.
Kael brought it closer to the candle.
The mark looked almost like a circle divided by three lines.
He frowned.
He had seen something similar before.
Not in the capital.
Not in the forest.
At the lake.
Kael placed the fragment beside the egg.
Nothing happened.
He waited.
Still nothing.
He sighed.
"Fine."
He returned both to the chest.
Then locked it.
The next morning arrived quickly.
Kael stood at the estate gates with his six soldiers.
Their horses were prepared.
Supplies were secured.
The road ahead stretched east.
Darius stood beside the gate.
"Three days."
Kael looked at him.
"What?"
"That’s how long you said you had."
Kael smiled.
"And?"
"Don’t come back after three months."
"I’ll try."
Darius shook his head.
"You always say that."
Kael mounted his horse.
The six soldiers followed.
Before leaving, Kael looked once more at his estate.
Then toward the road.
He had expected his next assignment to be another adventure.
Instead, it was a farming problem.
No monsters.
No ruins.
No ancient guardian.
Just fields, villages, and a river.
Simple.
At least, that’s what it looked like from the capital.
Kael raised his hand.
"Move."
The horses began walking.
Behind them, the estate slowly disappeared.
Ahead waited the eastern provinces.
And somewhere along that river...
Someone had a reason for the harvests to be failing.
Kael intended to find it.