The journey back to Elarion was much quieter than the ride out.

Not because the storm had weakened.

If anything, the wind had become worse during the night, cold enough that even armored men kept their heads lowered while snow gathered over cloaks and shoulders.

No—

People were quiet because everyone was thinking about the same thing.

The Royal Intelligence Bureau.

Even Seraphin still felt uneasy about it.

The prisoners walked through the snow ahead of the patrol line with bound hands while northern knights kept careful watch around them. A few were injured from the fight, though Malen had apparently shown remarkable restraint by his standards.

Which honestly worried Seraphin slightly.

The younger investigator rode beside him while rubbing warmth back into his hands.

"I signed up to investigate a poisoning," he muttered bitterly.

Seraphin pulled his cloak tighter against the wind.

"And now?"

"Now there’s a dragon, hidden agents, armed infiltrators, and a northern lord who may accidentally start a political crisis."

Ahead of them, Malen spoke without even turning around.

"Accidentally?"

A few knights nearby laughed quietly.

The younger investigator groaned.

"I’m serious."

"So are we," one of the northern soldiers answered.

That somehow made the situation feel even stranger.

Seraphin had spent years around nobles, military officers, and political envoys.

Conversations usually felt careful there.

Measured.

Every word weighed before speaking. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

But here?

People just... talked.

Not disrespectfully.

Just honestly.

One of the prisoners stumbled in the snow a little further ahead before a guard grabbed his arm and pulled him upright.

"Careful."

The infiltrator blinked in surprise.

"You’re helping me?"

The guard frowned.

"If you freeze to death, Lucas will spend three hours complaining about paperwork."

Another soldier riding nearby nodded seriously.

"He really will."

"He once complained for an entire afternoon because inventory forms got wet."

"That storm flooded the whole storage room!"

"Didn’t stop him."

A few men laughed softly despite the weather.

Even one of the prisoners looked confused.

Seraphin noticed that too.

Nobody here behaved the way northern frontier soldiers were supposed to behave.

They should’ve been bitter.

Exhausted.

Broken.

Instead they acted like tired people trying to survive together.

That difference mattered more than Seraphin wanted to admit.

Above the forest, Aurethar’s massive shadow occasionally passed through the storm clouds overhead.

The younger investigator glanced upward nervously.

"Does he always follow patrols?"

Malen finally answered this time.

"Only when he’s bored."

"That’s somehow worse."

"It usually is."

Hours later, the first lights of Elarion finally appeared through the storm.

Warm orange glow beneath the snow-covered mountains.

Smoke rising from distant furnaces.

The settlement looked alive even before reaching the walls.

Workers were already moving through the roads despite dawn barely approaching. Someone near the gate was arguing loudly about coal deliveries while two guards stood beside a brazier trying unsuccessfully to warm frozen hands.

One spotted the returning patrol.

"They’re back!"

The gates opened slowly after that.

Warm air and torchlight spilled outward into the storm while stable workers hurried forward to help with horses and equipment.

Lucas was already waiting in the courtyard wrapped in a heavy winter cloak with documents tucked beneath one arm.

Seraphin honestly wondered if the man ever slept.

Lucas looked toward the prisoners first.

Then toward Malen.

Then sighed deeply enough that visible breath rolled into the cold air.

"...That many?"

"Twenty-three," Malen answered.

Lucas closed his eyes briefly.

"Of course it’s twenty-three."

The administrator looked toward Seraphin afterward.

"Well?"

The investigator handed him the recovered token silently.

Lucas took one glance at the symbol and immediately looked more tired than before.

"That bad?"

Seraphin nodded once.

For a few seconds Lucas just stared at the token quietly before muttering:

"I miss normal problems."

"You complained about normal problems too," Malen reminded him.

"Yes, but normal problems usually didn’t involve secret royal organizations."

Fair point.

The courtyard grew quieter when Lucien finally stepped outside.

He wore a dark winter coat over lighter armor, probably from training earlier before the patrol returned.

Snow settled across his shoulders almost immediately.

Unlike the others, he didn’t look toward the prisoners first.

He looked toward Seraphin.

"What happened?"

Direct.

Simple.

Seraphin appreciated that more than expected.

"This wasn’t random."

Lucien nodded slightly like he already expected the answer.

"The south?"

"Yes."

The investigator hesitated briefly before continuing.

"And not just nobles anymore."

That caught Lucas’s attention immediately.

Lucien’s expression didn’t change much, though Seraphin noticed the slight quietness behind his eyes afterward.

Not fear.

Calculation maybe.

Lucas rubbed his face tiredly.

"...Wonderful."

The younger investigator looked between them.

"You all seem surprisingly calm about this."

Malen answered first.

"The north teaches adaptation quickly."

"That sounds poetic."

"It wasn’t meant to."

A loud rush of wind suddenly swept across the courtyard.

Several guards instinctively ducked as Aurethar landed atop the fortress wall with enough force to shake loose snow from the battlements.

The dragon folded his wings while staring down at everyone below.

"You all look miserable."

Lucas pointed upward immediately.

"We discovered royal spies entered the territory."

Aurethar blinked slowly.

"...That explains the mood."

Then the dragon looked toward Lucien.

"So the smaller kingdoms are finally noticing you."

Seraphin frowned slightly.

"Smaller kingdoms?"

Aurethar looked genuinely confused.

"...Yes?"

Nobody even bothered correcting him anymore.

The dragon shifted slightly atop the wall.

"In fairness, this was inevitable."

Lucien looked up at him.

"Comforting."

"I was not attempting comfort."

"That part was obvious."

A few nearby soldiers laughed quietly.

Then Gandalf appeared through the courtyard entrance carrying a cup of steaming tea while still looking half asleep.

The old mage blinked once at the captured infiltrators.

"...Why are there more enemies?"

Nobody answered immediately.

Gandalf sighed heavily.

"I leave for one evening."

Even Seraphin laughed a little at that.

Not much.

Just enough to surprise himself.

For a brief moment the tension eased beneath the snowfall and furnace smoke.

Only briefly.

Because everyone there understood the truth now.

Elarion was no longer hidden.

And somewhere far beyond the northern mountains—

People had started paying attention to Lucien Valcroix.