The Kingdom of Avernor did not sleep peacefully.
In the council hall, torches illuminated tense faces and half-empty wine cups. Nobles argued around a long table, covered in maps and royal seals.
"Dreisburg," one of them spat with disdain. "A useless border village. Why are we even wasting time with it?"
"Because it has stopped paying its taxes," another replied. "And because there are reports of strange movements."
A third noble laughed. "Movements? From who? Starving peasants? Surely it's just bandits playing at being rebels."
The king was not present. That decision did not merit his attention.
"Send a detachment," said a portly-bellied count, finally. "Nothing excessive. Just enough to remind them of their place."
"And let someone of noble blood lead it," added another. "I don't want some mere captain negotiating with trash."
Laughter spread through the hall.
Thus it was decided.
A "sufficient" detachment.
And an arrogant noble in command.
The kingdom's first mistake.
--+
The sound of hooves echoed through Dreisburg at noon.
The villagers tensed upon seeing the armors bearing Avernor's emblem. A dozen soldiers. Well-equipped. Weary from the journey.
At the front, a young noble dismounted from his horse with an air of superiority.
"By order of the Kingdom of Avernor," he proclaimed. "This village must pay its overdue taxes. Furthermore, we demand the immediate handover of the local leaders for questioning."
His gaze settled on Kaito.
"And who are you? You wear no insignia. A mercenary playing king?"
Kaito observed him in silence.
There was no anger. No immediate response.
Only calm.
"You may enter," he said finally. "Rest. We will talk later."
The noble frowned, bewildered.
"That's it?"
"For now."
Adelheid, a few steps behind, watched the scene.
And she smiled.
---
As the detachment settled in, something began to move beneath the surface.
Two soldiers exchanged a look. A barely perceptible signal. A gesture learned elsewhere.
"…Did you see the symbol on the granaries?" whispered one.
"Yes," replied the other. "Black. It's not the kingdom's."
Another soldier, farther back, listened in silence.
He recognized the guard distribution. The unnatural calm. The way the villagers did not lower their heads.
"This is no normal village…" he thought.
The seed was already there.
--
The noble walked through Dreisburg with an expression of annoyance.
"Look at them," he said aloud. "They're still rats, even if you give them bread."
One of the villagers clenched his fists. Another took a step back.
"Who do you think you are, standing straight in front of me?" the noble snapped at an older man. "Kneel when you speak to your superior."
The silence grew heavy.
Kaito took a step forward.
"That was unnecessary to say."
The noble laughed.
"Oh, it wasn't? Or what? Will you attack me? You and your peasants?"
Adelheid slowly approached Kaito's ear.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Do you permit me… to correct them, Commander?"
Kaito did not respond immediately.
But his eyes hardened.
And in that instant, the noble felt something strange—
As if the very air had changed.
---
The Kingdom of Avernor had reacted.
But it did not understand where it had set its foot.
Because Dreisburg was no longer a village.
And the man before them
was no longer a mere, failed summoned.