Reincarnated as the favorite of an obsessive goddess: gave me a system-Chapter 34: The Arrival.

The city of Athelgard had always been a prosperous and perfect place for common folk. To Qaxy, it was nothing more than an anthill whose ants were unusually agitated. Under his merchant’s disguise, Qaxy crossed the main gate without the guards giving him more than a superficial glance. His skin, now a bronzed tone, and his worn clothes made him invisible to suspicion. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

He didn’t need to ask questions. Questions left a trail, and Qaxy was a master of observation. He moved through the main streets, stopping at fruit stalls or pretending to check the quality of some leathers, while his ears filtered the city’s noise in search of the specific sounds or conversations he sought. It was near the royal guard barracks where he fished out the first piece of the puzzle.

"...I still can’t believe it," a young guard was saying, leaning on a spear while his companion finished adjusting his breastplate. "If it weren’t for those adventurers King Gabell hired, we’d be organizing a royal funeral today instead of cleaning up Zenit blood."

"The new captain says they were flawless," the other replied, lowering his voice. "Especially that guy Kai. They say he moved like lightning. He wasn’t wearing a palace uniform, but the king trusted him to be on the front lines."

A few meters away, Qaxy pretended his sandal had come undone so he could linger. Kai. The name resonated in his mind with a discordant note. Why would a monarch as cautious as Gabell who had always relied on his own guard and the diplomatic influence of the Church of Lyla, turn to outside adventurers for such a critical counterintelligence operation? Qaxy wondered as he walked away. And more importantly, how did he learn of Zenit’s plan so far in advance? Someone had delivered that information.

The trail led him, logically, to the Adventurers’ Guild. If Kai was a high ranking adventurer, there would be records of him there. As he entered, the usual bustle of the guild greeted him, his face showed evident disgust, as if he were surrounded by scum and inferior beings, but he quickly masked it. He approached the counter, acting like a simple merchant looking to hire a cheap escort.

Dilya, the receptionist, looked up with a professional smile. "Good morning. Are you looking to post an ad or review the available ones?"

Qaxy rested his elbows on the wood, adopting an expression of casual curiosity. "Actually, I was looking for an acquaintance. I was told about a certain Kai, an adventurer with an... interesting reputation. I was told he might be able to help me with a delicate transport."

Dilya’s expression softened, her eyes shining with genuine recognition. "Kai? Ah, he’s a good boy. Very polite, which is rare to see these days. But I’m afraid you won’t find him here. The last time I saw him was a couple of weeks ago. He was with another adventurer, a large demihuman named Thorne."

Qaxy nodded slowly, memorizing the name. Thorne. "Do you know if they took a long term contract?"

"They didn’t check the board for that," she commented, lowering her voice as if sharing gossip. "They did a mission posted by a noble to recover stolen cargo. I remember Kai mentioning they needed the money to buy quality horses and mares."

Qaxy thanked her for the information with a silver coin, which the woman accepted gladly. He left the guild with a mental destination: the livestock and horse market.

It wasn’t hard to get the vendor talking; the man was proud of the sale he had made. "The kid with daggers and the big guy with wolf ears?" the seller laughed. "Of course I remember them! They took the best I had. Seven horses in total, including a grey mare that seemed born for that boy, they had a connection I’ve never seen before. They didn’t skimp on equipment, saddles, blankets, or even agricultural supplies."

"They seem to be preparing for a long journey," Qaxy suggested.

"More than a journey, it seemed like they were going home," the seller corrected, scratching his beard. "They mentioned something about a village on the outskirts, a place they were building up. The boy talked about rebuilding. They don’t seem like the typical mercenaries who spend their gold on wine and women. These ones had a purpose."

Qaxy nodded, his brown eyes flashing for a millisecond with a golden light before returning to normal. A village. A group of adventurers with skills exceeding the elite of Zenit, buying agricultural supplies and horses, led by a young man who was becoming more and more intriguing. The pieces were starting to fit into a shape that Malk was not going to like. There was a force emerging in the lands of Athelgard, one that, for reasons unknown, sent a shiver through his own body.

As he walked away, everything continued to spin in his mind: who was this boy, why was he so well known here, why was he rebuilding a village, and worst of all, why did he have the exact same name as someone he didn’t want to remember?

He left the city before sunset. He didn’t take the main roads, but instead moved through areas of the great forest known to few, following a trail of mana invisible to mere mortals. After hours of walking, he saw nothing, he knew the forest was immense and it could take days, or even weeks, to find anything even while following mana trails. He looked around to ensure no one was there and began to rise into the air, reaching a height that wouldn’t attract too much attention. This allowed him to cover great distances in a short time.

By the next morning, as the sunlight began to appear, Qaxy felt a presence. Without hesitation, he descended back to the ground. It was professional surveillance, someone who knew how to use the environment to their advantage. Once on the ground, he faked confusion, looking at a paper map he pulled from his pack.

"Are you lost, traveler?" a firm female voice, laced with a silent warning, resonated from the shadows of an oak tree.

Qaxy turned slowly, showing empty hands. From among the trees emerged a woman with sharp features and piercing eyes. She wore tight leather clothes and carried a bow that, while not drawn, was only one movement away from being so. It was Mira.

"Ah, thanks" Qaxy exclaimed, forcing a heavy breath. "Yes, I think I took the wrong turn after the stream. I was looking for the trade route to the south, but this forest is so vast I ended up getting lost."

Mira did not lower her guard immediately. Her eyes scanned the merchant from head to toe. She noted his clothes, his footwear, and the lack of heavy weapons. However, something in the tracker’s instinct told her this man wasn’t as harmless as he seemed. Furthermore, the village was still on alert after the events involving Gabell, but leaving a stranger wandering the perimeter was worse than having him under direct supervision.

"The trade route is several kilometers from here," Mira said, stepping closer. "You are on... private land, so to speak."

Qaxy’s face filled with surprise at those words. The king doesn’t control this area? he thought, quickly masking his shocked expression.

"Private? I didn’t know the king had ceded these lands. Is there somewhere I can spend the rest of the day?"

Mira nodded. "I’ll take you to our village. We don’t want a merchant out here alone and lost. Follow me, and don’t stray from the path."

As they walked, Qaxy maintained his role. He observed how Mira moved, every step was silent, every glance covered a blind spot. She was an experienced warrior, not a simple peasant.

"It’s a very quiet area to be so alert," Qaxy commented naturally. "Have you had trouble recently?"

Mira fell silent for a moment before responding. "The world is changing, merchant. Peace is a luxury that must be protected. Luckily, we have someone who understands that better than anyone."

"Your leader?" Qaxy ventured.

"Kai," Mira said, and this time her voice softened with a hint of respect and affection. "He is someone incredible. He’s not just a leader, he’s a great person. He has a heart that doesn’t match how dangerous he can become if you touch his own. If it weren’t for him, many of us would be dead or in cages."

Qaxy processed the information. Kai again. The center of gravity for this place.

"He sounds like someone worth knowing," Qaxy said, smiling. "As a merchant, I always seek to speak with the minds behind successful projects. I’d very much like to exchange a few words with him, if it’s no trouble."

Mira, without suspecting she was leading a subordinate of the god Malk straight to the heart of her home, nodded slightly as they emerged from the thick of the forest. "We’ll see if he has time," she replied. "He’s had a few long days in the city. But Kai rarely denies an ear to someone who comes in peace."

In front of them, the village began to reveal itself. These weren’t simple huts like Qaxy might expect from a run of the mill forest village, it was a settlement with a logical structure, one that even he, after living hundreds and hundreds of years, had never witnessed before. But what caught his attention most wasn’t that, but the mana enveloping the place. It was something he couldn’t describe, but it made his body tense for the first time in years.

He had found the nest. Now he just needed to see the person who ruled it.

"Let’s look for Kai," Mira said, entering the village perimeter. "He should be near the central building."

Qaxy followed her, his brown eyes registering every face, every weapon, and every corner.