The proceedings happened nice and smoothly, paperwork was taken care of in a matter of seconds, and the guards were so polite that it even made the Stonewake party uncomfortable.

Nonetheless, the work was efficient and satisfactory. Ryn decided to stick with the party since exploring the town alone could get a bit suspicious. They didn't mind as long as he paid for his own lodgings and food, which was basic manners, but some people can be a bit absurd.

As they left the frontier wall, a party of priests walked the opposite way. However, something was strange about them. First of all, they walked alone, no guards or anything of the likes.

Then, it was the fact that everyone on the street seemed to be avoiding them. Ryn could tell that this was more out of fear than reverence or respect.

Ryn planned to meet Stonewake again at the inn and slipped into a nearby alleyway, following on his instincts.

As soon as the priests got to the garrison, one of the knight captains went out to meet them immediately.

Ryn activated [Enhanced Senses] and honed it in on his hearing.

"Captain Rourke," the lead man greeted, voice smooth. "We heard you had new prisoners. Please hand them over to us."

The captain's reply was immediate, but uneasy.

"…Hand them over? On whose authority?"

"Our own," the priest at the front answered, voice calm and clipped.

"They are wanted for questioning by us Rokhan priests."

He continued.

"As you know, we serve Rokhan, even if he's the god of war, he's also the god of law and justice. They are wanted for more than petty theft, and we'll judge them accordingly."

Ryn narrowed his eyes.

Lie.

His skill didn't detect lies, but the cadence of the man's voice, the lack of breath between rehearsed lines, the manufactured confidence… it told him enough.

The captain stepped aside just enough to be polite, but not enough to concede.

"I wasn't informed of any transfer."

"You are now."

The captain's fingers twitched at his side.

Ryn didn't need [Enhanced Senses] to catch the shift in his expression, frustration tightening behind a professional mask, the look of a man who recognized danger but had no leverage against it.

"…Is that so," the captain said quietly.

The lead priest didn't reply. He didn't need to.

"Alright." the captain finally relented, giving a wave to his subordinates to bring out the tied-up bandits.

Ryn remembered the detail of when they first entered the gates. Dunwick had a measly total of 12 guards, and half of them were squires.

Even if he could theoretically win, the "priests" outnumbered the garrison by a lot.

"…Escort the prisoners," he muttered to his own guards, though they were no longer doing any escorting.

The fake priests didn't bother disguising their efficiency anymore. They took the chains, adjusted the grips, and began to move the bandits back toward the town.

The "priests" marched the prisoners away, disappearing down the road quickly, even with twenty prisoners in tow.

When the courtyard was finally empty, the captain remained still for a moment.

Then quietly, so quietly that only Ryn's heightened hearing caught it, he muttered:

"…Damn it all."

Ryn slipped back into the main street, letting the shadows swallow him.

Some problems weren't his to solve.

Not today.

***

Ryn left the alley and followed the main road toward the inn. Dunwick was already returning to its usual rhythm. Merchants shouting over prices, wheels grinding over stone, the occasional clatter of a dropped crate followed by curses.

Nothing in town reflected what had just happened. It all seemed to proceed like a normal town, on the surface, at least.

He exhaled and looked for the Inn they were supposed to meet at. After scrounging around for a while, Ryn finally found it.

The Inn itself was on the outskirts of town, far away from the town square and where most of the bustle is. It was small, unassuming, and almost like it was trying to hide itself. A strange choice from a party as big as Stonewake, but maybe they had their reasons.

Contrary to the outside, as soon as Ryn stepped in, he could feel how packed it was. The dining area itself was actually bigger than he thought, and even that was full of all kinds of people. With most of them looking like small-time merchants or adventurers.

The Stonewake party had claimed a large corner table that was already loaded up with all kinds of food.

As soon as Ryn approached, Braden waved a spoon at him.

"Eden! There you are. Thought you got lost or kidnapped."

Ellis cleared her throat sharply. "Braden."

"What? The suspicious lone-wanderer vibes are strong today."

Ryn took the empty seat beside Ellis.

"I had a little detour."

Hale finally turned toward Ryn. "Everything alright?"

Ryn nodded. "Just needed some air."

Hale accepted that without pressure. It was one of the few things Ryn liked about him—Hale read people well enough to know when not to pry.

The Amber Hearth Inn quieted as night settled over Dunwick. The dinner crowd had thinned; the last few patrons drifted upstairs or out into the cool air.

Stonewake finished their meal in their usual efficient fashion. Hale arranged the room keys while Tessa handled the equipment checks.

Ryn followed them up the narrow staircase, hood still drawn low.

Hale handed out keys one by one. "We'll leave at dawn, so get some sleep."

Ryn nodded politely. "Understood."

He waited until the group dispersed down the hallway, each door closing with a soft thud, then entered his own room.

Ryn had just loosened his cloak when a knock sounded on his door—soft and deliberate. He opened it to find Ellis standing there, lantern in hand. She carried a calm expression but her hands kept fidgeting.

"May I come in?" she asked.

Ryn stepped aside. "Sure."

She entered and sat on the room's single chair, leaving him the bed.

Ellis didn't circle around the topic.

"We need to talk about Dunwick."

Ryn blinked once. "Why?"

Ellis clasped her hands lightly. "Because this town isn't safe. And because you haven't been told the whole picture."

Ryn frowned. "Hale didn't mention anything."

"Hale wouldn't," Ellis said quietly. "The fewer people who know, the better."

That made Ryn sit straighter.

She continued, voice steady but low. "This inn, the Amber Hearth, it's not popular. Those who know about the situation tend to stay here."

"It's one of the only inns the 'priests' don't frequent," Ellis said.

Ryn kept his face neutral, though clearly surprised at the situation.

"We've known something was wrong in Dunwick for a while," she said.

"Caravans vanish. Civilians keep their heads down. And those priests…" Her jaw tensed. "They're not priests."

Ryn said nothing.

Ellis wasn't accusing—only confirming what she and her party already suspected.

"Stonewake can't act," she admitted. "If five adventurers start asking questions, it raises alarms. Hale's too recognizable. Tessa can't hide if she tried. Braden's loud. And me…" She gave a humorless smile.

"I know too much about how these places work. That alone makes me a target."

Ryn started to understand what she was getting at.

Ellis looked at him again.

"And then there's you."

Ryn stiffened. "…Me?"

"You hide it well," she said softly. "But during the bandit fight…. I don't know what you can do, but you have power. More than you let on."

He didn't confirm. She didn't need him to.

Ellis leaned forward.

"We need someone who can move without being noticed. Someone who can handle themselves if something goes wrong. Someone the priests don't know exists."

Her eyes met his.

"You."

…

Ryn felt his jaw clench. "No."

Ellis blinked. "…What?"

"No," he repeated. "Not my problem. I'm not here for Dunwick. I'm not here to get involved in the town's mess."

"I'm not asking you to fix it," Ellis said carefully. "Only to look. To see what's happening."

"Not interested," Ryn said, sharper this time. "We leave at dawn. I'm going to sleep."

Ellis inhaled… exhaled… nodded once.

"I understand."

She stood, stepped to the door, but paused before leaving.

"Goodnight," she whispered.

The door closed behind her.

Silence fell.

Ryn lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Not my business. There are bigger fish to fry.

He rolled over.

Another turn.

I'm not their solution. They can figure it out.

He flopped onto his back again.

Need to get to Lumen.

A minute passed. Then another.

Ryn's fingers twitched.

His expression tightened.

"…Damn it."

Sitting up abruptly, he changed into darker clothes that fit the night more.

Ryn sighed.

"I blame Amelia for rubbing off on me."

He jumped out the Inn window, darting around rooftops in the dead of night. Maybe the situation was not so simple after all.

The night air was a bit colder than it should be. A bad omen of what's to come.

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