Chapter 24: The Missing Convoy
The next morning arrived with clear skies.
For the first time in days, sunlight touched the stone walls of Yggdrasil.
The city seemed relieved.
Merchants reopened stalls.
Children returned to the streets.
People smiled again.
As if the storm had carried their worries away.
Kai knew better.
The problems hadn't disappeared.
They had merely stopped raining.
Kai sat at a table in the palace courtyard.
A plate of breakfast sat before him.
Andre sat opposite.
His own plate was already empty.
Along with most of Kai's.
"I was eating that."
Andre shrugged.
"Skill issue."
Before Kai could argue, a messenger hurried into the courtyard.
One look at the man's face told him this wasn't good news.
"Sir Kai."
"What happened?"
"A royal convoy has disappeared."
The humor vanished instantly.
"What?"
The messenger swallowed.
"The convoy never reached its destination."
Andre stood.
"How many?"
"Twenty soldiers."
Neither man spoke for a moment.
Twenty wasn't a small patrol.
It was a properly armed convoy.
People didn't simply lose twenty soldiers.
Not near Yggdrasil.
Within minutes, an emergency meeting was underway.
The throne hall filled with officers, council members, and merchants.
Akshay stood at the center of the room.
A map spread across a large table.
Commander Jack stood nearby.
"The convoy disappeared here."
Akshay pointed toward a mountain road.
"It should have arrived yesterday."
Jack folded his arms.
"We've already sent search teams."
Several council members nodded.
"Good."
The commander continued.
"We'll find them."
The confidence in his voice seemed to calm the room.
Kai noticed it.
People trusted Jack.
Perhaps too much.
One merchant raised a hand.
"What was the convoy carrying?"
Akshay hesitated briefly.
"Several demon cores."
The room grew quiet.
Kai recognized the term.
The core taken from the slain demons like the cockatrice.
Beyond that, he knew very little.
Only that they seemed valuable.
And dangerous.
The council immediately became concerned.
The discussion continued for nearly an hour.
Search plans.
Military deployments.
Security measures.
Eventually the meeting ended.
Jack gathered several officers.
"I'll oversee the investigation personally."
Akshay nodded.
"Keep me informed."
"Of course."
The commander saluted.
Then departed.
Kai watched him leave.
For reasons he couldn't explain, a sense of unease lingered in his chest.
By late afternoon, Jack's search party reached the convoy route.
Several military officers accompanied him.
Along with members of the city council.
The first body was discovered beside the road.
Then another.
Then ten more.
The convoy had been destroyed.
Broken wagons littered the area.
Weapons lay scattered in the dirt.
Signs of battle covered the road.
One council member turned pale.
"My God..."
Jack remained silent.
Studying the scene.
Then one of the soldiers shouted.
"Commander!"
Everyone turned.
The soldier held a document.
"Found this in the lead wagon."
Jack approached.
The paper appeared damaged.
Blood stained.
Partially torn.
Yet the writing remained visible.
The commander's eyes narrowed.
Then widened.
One of the council members stepped closer.
"What is it?"
Jack slowly handed over the document.
The man's face drained of color.
"No..."
Another official grabbed it.
Then another.
Shock spread through the group.
Disbelief.
Confusion.
Anger.
At the bottom of the page sat the royal seal.
And beneath it—
King Akshay's signature.
The document ordered the convoy to abandon its assigned route.
To take an alternate path.
The exact path that led into the ambush.
Silence fell over the road.
Jack stared at the paper.
His expression unreadable.
Finally, one council member spoke.
"This must be a mistake."
Nobody answered.
Another official clenched his fists.
"Twenty soldiers are dead."
The argument began immediately.
Fake.
Real.
Forgery.
Treason.
Negligence.
Jack remained silent throughout.
Watching.
Listening.
Until eventually he spoke.
"We return to Yggdrasil."
The officials looked at him.
The commander's voice was calm.
Professional.
Controlled.
"As of this moment, this matter concerns the crown itself."
And before sunset—
The rumors had already reached the city.
By the time darkness fell over Yggdrasil, soldiers were moving toward the palace.
And for the first time since becoming king—
Akshay was about to find himself surrounded by his own men.