The Order of Knights!

Bruce's heart was as calm as still waters as his gaze landed on the building...

He walked through the gates.

A pair of guards moved to block him out of routine, but froze the instant their senses registered his aura. Not power, not exactly, but something older, heavier, coiled beneath the surface like a sleeping storm.

"State your purpose," one guard said, but it came out gentler than intended.

"I'm here to settle royal debt under the Ackerman name," Bruce answered simply.

Those words alone drew several heads.

Royal debt… Bloodline clause… Impossible sums…

One guard cleared his throat. "Y—you'll need to speak to the Senior Debt Executor. I'll escort you."

Inside, the air was colder, thick with authority and law. Burning incense masked the scent of iron from the knight training halls. Ash sniffed sharply, then huffed, unimpressed by all the armor and rigid posture. If Bruce didn't hold him, he would already be bullying half the knights by glaring alone.

They reached an office at the far end of a corridor.

A plaque read:

Senior Executor Valyria Crestborne, Enforcement and Royal Liabilities

Bruce stepped inside.

The woman behind the desk lifted her head slowly, quill pausing mid–stroke.

She wasn't old.

In fact, she looked barely thirty, her silver-blonde hair pinned into a disciplined knot and her uniform immaculate. Cool blue eyes studied him with quiet intelligence, the type of gaze that saw everything and forgot nothing.

"You must be Bruce Ackerman," Valyria said, setting her quill aside. "We received notice regarding your family's liabilities. We were expecting you… but you came early."

Bruce raised a brow. "Early?"

"Most people come when the enforcement squad is already on their doorstep." She gestured to a chair. "Sit."

Bruce didn't. He isn't in the mood to sit.

"I won't take much of your time," he said. "I'm here to pay the entire debt. In full."

Silence washed over the room.

Valyria blinked once, almost slow.

"…Excuse me?"

Bruce placed two heavy pouches on the desk. "Process it."

Valyria stared at the pouches, then at him, then back at the pouch, as if she needed to confirm she wasn't hallucinating.

"That debt totals more than—"

"Five million, sixty-five thousand gold for the royal loan," Bruce said calmly, "and one hundred and eighty thousand gold for Merchant Guild penalties."

Valyria straightened almost imperceptibly. "You've done your homework."

Bruce shrugged. "I pay what's mine."

"And what isn't," she added, eyes narrowing pointedly. "Because the Guild penalty is clearly not your father's doing."

His silence confirmed she was right.

"…I see." Her gaze softened into something like respect. "Very well."

She pulled out a crystalline terminal, inserted the gold card, and began transferring funds. Runic circuits lit up around the desk, humming quietly.

A soft chime echoed.

[Transaction Complete]

Valyria exhaled a single, controlled breath.

"It's done. The debts are cleared. Royal records will reflect this within the hour." She folded her hands together. "Your family is free from enforcement."

Bruce nodded, but she wasn't finished.

"However," Valyria continued, tone sharpening, "I want you to understand something. Debts of this size do not simply appear. Especially when a man like your father had no history of economic recklessness. Someone engineered this."

Bruce's eyes flickered. "I know."

"I also know," she added, watching his expression shift, "that you recently gave sworn testimony against a man named Dante Ackerman."

Bruce didn't react visibly, but the air around him darkened.

Ash growled, a soft, rumbling warning, sensing Bruce's mood shift.

Valyria held up a hand to reassure the dragonling. "Relax. I'm not here to obstruct you. In fact… quite the opposite." She pulled out a different file and slid it across the desk. "Your testimony triggered a background investigation. It appears Dante's group had deeper involvement with forged records and illicit property transfers."

Bruce's jaw tightened.

"Your relatives visited your home before, didn't they?" Valyria asked quietly.

Bruce didn't answer. He remained mute. But he didn't have to, she already knew.

"Good," Valyria murmured, leaning back. "Because now that your debt is cleared, you are protected by the Crown. The Order will continue the investigation without pressure or bribery from their side."

Bruce studied her carefully. "Why tell me all this?"

The slightest ripple of unease broke across her composure.

"Because," Valyria said, a small, cold smile forming, "I dislike parasites. And your family has suffered enough."

Bruce scoffed inwardly. He shifted the chair backwards and casually sat down.

"No, Miss Valyria. That's not why I asked." His smile sharpened, refined yet faintly mocking. "I'm asking for the real reason you're telling me all this."

A faint shiver slipped down her spine.

Because the truth was simple: after the trial, the Adventurer Guild had… stepped in. Quietly. Efficiently. The Order of Knights may have worked for the Crown, but power, real power, was influenced by more than politics.

The Adventurer Guild and the Reign family had pushed the investigation forward. Sophie's unseen influence guided it from the shadows. Magical and mundane methods exposed the feud between Bruce and his relatives. Evidence was gathered. Directives were given.

And one message was made very clear:

Do not antagonize Bruce Ackerman.

He will be invaluable to the kingdom, and the world.

The Anomaly title came with weight. It had only ever been given to adventurers with the highest probability of shattering the world's restrictions. The previous title holder had been respected.

Bruce's estimated potential was more than three times higher.

The Guild's reverence toward him was unprecedented.

Valyria didn't want to admit any of this.

Bruce already knew.

He could smell the hypocrisy in the room.

"If the Order truly cared about my family," Bruce said softly, "this situation wouldn't have reached this point in the first place. You and I both know that."

Valyria's lips tightened, but she didn't argue.

Bruce shook his head lightly. "Since you already know what they've done, I won't waste breath explaining."

He leaned forward slightly, voice steady, cold, yet disturbingly calm.

"For colluding to poison their own blood… I want you to confiscate their assets. Revoke their trade rights. Reduce them to paupers overnight. Strip them of the Ackerman name. Strike them from the baronial registry and remove their nobility."

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