As they approached the castle, the guards at the gate stepped forward to stop Kaelen, but the knight behind him signaled them to back off. The signal was clear: if they touched this man, their deaths would be a mercy compared to what awaited.
Kaelen noticed their hesitation and smirked. He pushed past the guards and entered the castle like he owned it.
The escorting knight gulped, thinking this would be the end of them all.
Kaelen stopped and turned. "Where is your lord?"
The knight, sweating, rushed off and returned shortly with the local lord.
Kaelen didn't wait for pleasantries. He barged into the lord's chamber without knocking.
"How dare you not welcome me, son of the Leonheart family?" Kaelen said loudly.
The lord, stunned, stuttered, "W-We received no letter…"
Kaelen raised his hand dramatically. "Excuses? I'll be sure to report this insult to my father."
Terrified, the lord panicked and bowed deeply. "Please forgive us! What can we do to make it right?"
Kaelen kept a stern face. "I lost my purse during travel. Provide me with enough funds for the time being."
Without question, the lord handed him two gold coins and five copper.
The knight beside Kaelen was shocked. That amount could fund a luxurious life for six months.
Kaelen, unfazed, turned to the knight. "Take me somewhere I can find people who like to… debate."
The knight looked confused. "Debate?"
Kaelen realized quickly that such a concept might not exist here. "Fine. Just take me to the nearest tavern."
The knight nodded and obeyed. When they arrived, the knight excused himself and left.
Inside the tavern, Kaelen overheard a drunk man ranting about his ruined crops and sick daughter. "The monsters destroyed everything," the man cried. "The knights don't care. The taxes rise and the priests ask for money to heal my daughter! Three copper! My entire harvest isn't even worth that much!"
Kaelen approached. "I'm not here to mock or rob you. I want to understand."
The man blinked. "Understand what? You nobles don't care about us!"
"I do," Kaelen said. "And I want to help."
Then, raising his voice, he declared, "I accept. Here, take three copper."
The tavern quieted.
Others began to approach.
Kaelen stood. "Those who need help, I will give it. But I ask for one promise—when the time comes, help me too. I have a dream, one most would call impossible."
He gave three copper coins each to seven people—twenty-one total. Adding the man before, it made twenty-four. He still had two gold, two iron, and six copper left.
He returned to the lord's castle, furious.
"How dare you!" Kaelen yelled. "What are your knights for? Decoration? And your taxes—what are they funding? If nothing is done by tomorrow, I swear my family will destroy your entire domain."
The lord raised his hand to strike Kaelen, enraged—but stopped just before contact. He remembered: this was a Leonheart. Touching him meant death.
He forced a smile. "Of course. I'll look into it."
Kaelen demanded a place to sleep.
Seeing an opportunity to redeem himself, the lord offered him a room in the castle.
But that night, things did not go smoothly.
An explosion echoed—one of magical origin, not gunpowder.
Kaelen saw the attacker—it was someone from the tavern. Their eyes met.
The next thing Kaelen knew, he was knocked unconscious and taken away.