Chapter 19: Cracks in the Crown
The attacks did not stop.
If anything, they became worse.
Over the next three days, incidents erupted across Yggdrasil.
A warehouse burned.
A guard patrol vanished.
A merchant convoy was ambushed.
Two city officials were found dead inside their homes.
The city grew restless.
Rumors spread faster than the truth.
Demons.
Cultists.
Assassins.
Corrupt nobles.
Every citizen seemed to have a different explanation.
What they shared was fear.
And fear always demanded answers.
Kai sat inside a tavern near the central district.
The room buzzed with conversation.
Almost every table discussed the same topic.
"The king has lost control."
"I heard demons are living beneath the city."
"My cousin says soldiers are disappearing."
"The military should take over."
Kai frowned.
That last one caught his attention.
The speaker wasn't even whispering.
Others around him nodded.
Andre leaned back in his chair.
"See?"
"What?"
"People are stupid."
Kai sighed.
"That's your conclusion?"
"Always."
Before Kai could respond, the tavern door opened.
Several soldiers entered.
Their armor immediately drew attention.
People moved aside.
The soldiers weren't here for a drink.
They were escorting someone.
Commander Jack.
The room noticeably relaxed.
Not because they feared him.
Because they trusted him.
Kai noticed it immediately.
People nodded respectfully.
Some greeted him.
Others thanked him.
Jack responded politely to each one.
The commander looked completely at ease.
Like a man among his people.
Andre clicked his tongue.
"Popular bastard."
Jack eventually approached their table.
"Mind if I sit?"
Andre looked around.
"There are fifty empty seats."
Jack sat anyway.
"Good to see you too."
Kai couldn't help but chuckle.
The commander ordered tea.
Not alcohol.
Tea.
For some reason that felt fitting.
Jack leaned back.
"How are you adjusting to Yggdrasil?"
The question was directed at Kai.
"Still figuring things out."
"That's normal."
Jack smiled.
"This city confuses everyone."
Even the king."
Andre snorted.
"Especially the king."
Jack actually laughed.
The sound surprised Kai.
The commander seemed far more approachable outside military settings.
For nearly half an hour they talked.
Nothing important.
Stories.
Travel.
Life as drifters.
The conversation felt natural.
Comfortable.
Normal.
Which made what happened next even more effective.
A soldier suddenly burst through the tavern doors.
"Commander!"
The room immediately fell silent.
The soldier looked panicked.
"There's been another attack!"
Jack stood instantly.
"Where?"
"North district."
The commander didn't waste a second.
"Mobilize everyone."
The soldier saluted.
Jack turned toward Kai and Andre.
His relaxed demeanor vanished.
Completely.
Only the commander remained.
"We'll talk another time."
Then he was gone.
The tavern remained silent.
Everyone watched through the windows as soldiers rushed through the streets.
Andre slowly took a drink.
"You know what?"
Kai looked at him.
"What?"
"If I was a citizen..."
Andre pointed toward the departing soldiers.
"I'd trust him too."
Kai couldn't disagree.
That was the problem.
Later that evening, the attack was stopped.
The culprits escaped.
Again.
But the city only talked about one thing.
Commander Jack.
How quickly he responded.
How many civilians he saved.
How many soldiers followed him without hesitation.
Each story made him seem larger than life.
Meanwhile Akshay remained trapped inside meetings.
Reports.
Investigations.
Politics.
One man was becoming the face of action.
The other was becoming the face of failure.
Neither realized it yet.
But the balance inside Yggdrasil was beginning to shift.
And somewhere in the city—
Someone was making sure it continued to shift in exactly that direction.