Chapter 99: The Road Home
The capital was only one day’s journey away.
For the first time since the expedition had begun, Kael could see the distant towers of the Imperial City rising beyond the horizon.
The sight changed the mood of the entire expedition.
Soldiers straightened in their saddles.
Merchants traveling alongside them began preparing themselves for the crowded roads ahead.
The rescued villagers grew excited.
Home was close.
But Kael wasn’t relaxed.
He kept thinking about the message from the Emperor.
Return directly to the palace.
Not his estate.
Not a rest stop.
The palace.
And the Emperor wanted the report personally.
Kael looked toward the capital.
"Something happened."
Darius rode beside him.
"You’re thinking about the fake soldiers."
"That too."
Darius raised an eyebrow.
"That too?"
Kael nodded.
"The expedition was supposed to investigate the situation in the western territories."
"We found more than we expected."
"Ancient ruins."
"Guardian beasts."
"Monster migrations."
"Unknown artifacts."
"Illegal hunters."
"And now people impersonating Imperial soldiers."
Darius sighed.
"That’s a lot."
Kael smiled faintly.
"And we haven’t even reached home."
The expedition continued along the Imperial Highway.
The road became busier with every mile.
Merchants.
Farmers.
Travelers.
Military patrols.
Nobles traveling in decorated carriages.
For the soldiers, it was a welcome sight.
For Kael, it was a reminder of how large the Empire actually was.
He had spent weeks traveling through wilderness.
Now civilization surrounded him again.
He realized something.
The Empire looked peaceful from the road.
But underneath that peace were thousands of problems.
Some were obvious.
Others weren’t.
And most of them couldn’t be solved by simply sending soldiers.
Around midday, the expedition encountered a large crowd blocking the road.
Gareth raised his hand.
"Stop."
The soldiers halted.
A group of villagers stood around an overturned merchant carriage.
A horse was injured.
Several crates had been broken open.
Kael dismounted.
"What happened?"
A man stepped forward.
"Bandits."
Darius immediately looked toward the surrounding hills.
"How many?"
"Six."
"Where did they go?"
The man pointed toward the trees.
Kael studied the damage.
Then he crouched.
There were footprints.
But something didn’t look right.
He touched the ground.
Fresh.
Too fresh.
Kael looked at the overturned carriage.
"Where is the merchant?"
The villagers looked at each other.
One answered.
"He ran."
Kael stood.
"Ran where?"
"Toward the capital."
Kael frowned.
"Alone?"
"Yes."
Kael looked toward Darius.
"Something’s wrong."
Kael sent Grom ahead.
The scout returned quickly.
"No bodies."
"No blood."
"No bandits."
Kael examined the road again.
Then noticed something strange.
The carriage had been deliberately overturned.
The crates had been opened.
But very little had been taken.
Darius crossed his arms.
"If bandits wanted the goods, why leave most of them?"
Kael nodded.
"They weren’t robbing the carriage."
Gareth looked at him.
"Then what were they doing?"
Kael looked toward the villagers.
"Questioning the merchant."
The villagers became nervous.
Kael noticed.
One man stepped backward.
Darius’s hand moved toward his sword.
"Nobody move."
The villagers froze.
Kael looked directly at the man who had stepped away.
"You know something."
The man shook his head.
"No."
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
"Then why are you afraid?"
"I..."
The man suddenly ran.
Two Black Dragon soldiers chased him.
He didn’t get far.
They caught him and brought him back.
Kael looked at him.
"Who are you?"
The man refused to answer.
Darius searched him.
Inside his clothing was a small metal badge.
Kael recognized the design.
Imperial.
But fake.
His expression hardened.
"Where did you get this?"
The man remained silent.
Gareth took the badge.
"This is the same type found on the western road."
Kael nodded.
"So they’re recruiting people."
Darius frowned.
"Or paying them."
Kael looked at the captured man.
"Who?"
The man finally spoke.
"I don’t know."
"That’s a lie."
"I swear!"
Kael crouched in front of him.
"You were given a badge."
"You were told what to say."
"You helped create a fake attack."
"And you were probably promised something."
The man’s face changed.
Kael noticed.
"Money."
The man looked away.
Kael stood.
"Take him."
Two soldiers grabbed him.
"Where?"
"To the nearest Imperial authority."
Gareth nodded.
"We’ll handle it."
Kael looked at the villagers.
"And find the merchant."
An hour later, the merchant returned with a small group of Imperial guards.
He looked embarrassed.
Kael approached him.
"You knew them."
The merchant sighed.
"I knew some of them."
"Who are they?"
"People who have been stopping caravans."
"Why?"
The merchant hesitated.
"They’re looking for something."
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"I don’t know."
"Then what did they ask you?"
The merchant swallowed.
"They asked about the expedition."
Kael became still.
"What about it?"
"They wanted to know what the Imperial expedition discovered in the western territories."
Silence.
Darius looked at Kael.
The merchant continued.
"They asked about the prince."
Kael’s expression became cold.
"What exactly did they ask?"
"Where you were."
"Where are you going?"
"What you found."
"And whether you were carrying anything unusual."
Kael’s hand tightened.
The egg.
The artifact.
The expedition had discovered things nobody outside the expedition should know about.
Yet someone was already asking questions.
Gareth’s expression hardened.
"Why didn’t you report this?"
The merchant lowered his head.
"I was afraid."
Kael understood.
Fear could make ordinary people silent.
The expedition finally reached the capital before sunset.
The enormous Imperial gates opened.
Trumpets sounded.
People gathered along the streets.
News had already spread.
The expedition had returned.
Soldiers who had left weeks ago were finally coming home.
Some families waited near the road.
Children ran alongside the horses.
The atmosphere was almost celebratory.
Kael looked around.
He had almost forgotten how crowded the capital was.
Darius smiled.
"Home."
Kael nodded.
"Yeah."
But they weren’t going home yet.
The palace waited.
The moment the expedition entered the military district, Imperial guards approached.
"Prince Kael."
Kael turned.
The guard bowed.
"The Emperor awaits."
Darius looked at Kael.
"Already?"
The guard nodded.
"Immediately."
Kael looked at the Black Dragons.
"Get the soldiers settled."
Darius nodded.
"And you?"
"I’m going to the palace."
Grom appeared from behind him.
"Should I come?"
Kael shook his head.
"No."
Grom frowned.
"Why?"
"Because this isn’t a mission."
Kael looked toward the palace.
"This is family."
Grom understood.
The Imperial Palace
Kael entered the palace alone.
The familiar halls stretched before him.
Servants stepped aside.
Imperial guards watched him pass.
He could feel the eyes of nobles following him.
Whispers traveled through the corridors.
"The expedition returned."
"Prince Kael survived."
"I heard there was a battle."
"I heard he discovered something."
"Did he really command fifty soldiers?"
Kael ignored them.
He continued forward.
Eventually, the palace doors opened.
The Emperor sat at the head of the chamber.
Several officials were present.
Kael recognized some.
Others were military commanders.
His siblings had also been summoned.
Kael paused when he saw them.
The First Prince was there.
The Emperor’s eldest son.
The prince, who, if the Empire had followed the traditional system of naming a crown prince, would have held that position.
But there was no crown prince.
There never had been.
Every child of the Emperor had to prove themselves.
The First Prince simply had the advantage of being older, more experienced, and already respected by many nobles.
Kael also noticed several of his other siblings.
For once...
The Emperor wasn’t looking at only him.
The First Prince had his own report.
Another sibling had returned from a different assignment.
Another had apparently been sent to oversee a provincial matter.
Kael’s earlier thought returned.
His father wasn’t simply testing him.
He was testing all of them.
The Emperor looked at Kael.
"Come forward."
Kael walked toward the throne.
He bowed.
"Father."
The emperor nodded.
"Welcome home."
"Thank you."
The Emperor looked around the room.
"Before we discuss the expedition..."
He turned toward his children.
"I want every one of you to understand something."
The chamber became quiet.
"You were not sent into the world to prove that you are stronger than your brothers and sisters."
The First Prince remained silent.
The emperor continued.
"You were sent to learn how to rule."
His eyes moved across each of them.
"Strength matters."
"Intelligence matters."
"Military ability matters."
"But an emperor who cannot understand his people..."
The Emperor paused.
"...will eventually lose them."
Kael listened carefully.
The emperor turned back toward him.
"Now."
His expression became serious.
"Tell me what happened in the West."
Kael took a breath.
Then began.
"The expedition discovered more than a monster problem."
The room became completely silent.
Kael looked at his father.
"We discovered a problem with the Empire itself."
The Emperor’s eyes narrowed.
"Explain."
Kael placed the first report on the table.
"Monsters are moving into human settlements."
Another report.
"Some creatures are being driven from their territories."
Another.
"Independent hunters are operating without regulation."
Another.
"Ancient ruins exist beneath territories that the Empire barely understands."
Another.
"People are impersonating Imperial soldiers on the western roads."
The room changed.
Several officials exchanged glances.
Then Kael placed one final object on the table.
The false Imperial badge.
The Emperor stared at it.
"Where did you find this?"
"On a man who helped stage an attack on a merchant caravan."
The Emperor picked it up.
His expression became colder.
"Why?"
Kael answered honestly.
"We don’t know yet."
The Emperor looked at the badge for several seconds.
Then placed it back down.
"Then we’ll find out."
He looked toward the First Prince.
Then toward his other children.
"All of you will hear this report."
Kael noticed the change.
This wasn’t only about him anymore.
The Emperor wasn’t interested in creating a favorite.
He was teaching all of them.
And Kael suddenly realized something.
His journey wasn’t over.
It had simply changed roads.