The Kingmaker System-Chapter 407 - 406. The Heroes’ Homecoming (2)

I brought Kai all the way back to Ryujin and gently set him down in my office. Enora, Remi, Roan, and Lyall were already there, waiting—tension shadowing their features.

The moment they saw him, Enora and Remi rushed forward, enveloping him in a tight embrace.

"Young Master, Kai!" Enora exclaimed, relief clear in her trembling voice.

"Where were you?" Remi added, almost at the same time. "We were looking for you all over!"

"Do you even know how worried we were?" Enora scolded, pulling back to check his face.

"You could have at least told us where you were going!" Remi’s brows were knitted in frustration, his worry bubbling just beneath the surface.

I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly. My gaze shifted to Lyall, who stood by the side, shoulders slouched in obvious relief. But I couldn’t let this go.

"Lyall," I said sharply. My voice cut through the concern in the room like a blade.

He straightened immediately, his tone attentive. "Yes, Master?"

"Make preparations."

He blinked. "Pardon, for what, Master?"

"Kai is going to live at Fairisles Mansion for an indefinite period of time," I said coldly. "I’ll speak with the Marquis. Get his things ready. He’ll be leaving in two days."

The room froze. Even the air seemed to still.

"What?!" Kai gasped, stepping forward. His wide eyes shimmered with disbelief. "But, Master—"

I cut him off, my voice firm. "I took you on one mission. One. It was meant to be a test, to see if you were ready for the responsibilities that will eventually be entrusted to you. But today—today, you acted recklessly, without a shred of forethought. If that’s the path you choose, I have no choice but to keep you away from here for the time being."

Kai’s bottom lip trembled. His eyes welled with tears as he tried to hold back a sniffle. He clutched the edges of my cloak that was still wrapped around his shoulders, his fingers white with tension.

"But Master... at least Young Master is safe," Enora said softly, trying to calm the fire.

"Safe?" I echoed, my tone sharp. "Do you even know where he was?"

Everyone turned to look at Kai. My eyes narrowed. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

"Why don’t you tell them?" I asked him coolly.

Kai’s hands tightened around the fabric. He didn’t meet their eyes.

"I-In the morning, I came to see if Master was in here... but then I heard the emergency call for help," he began, his voice barely above a whisper. "The Princes’ entourage was under attack, and the forces present couldn’t hold up. They were calling for Master, but... but he wasn’t here, so I..."

"So, you went there yourself?" Roan’s voice was low, laced with disbelief.

Kai nodded slowly, tears trailing down his cheeks.

"No wonder he’s so angry," Roan muttered under his breath.

"That could have been dangerous!" Remi cried, voice cracking as he gripped Kai’s shoulders.

"But Master does it all the time!" Kai argued, his voice rising in desperation. "He rushes into danger, alone, constantly—why is it different for me?"

I clenched my fists tightly at my sides. My nails dug into my palms.

"That’s because I’ve trained for it. I’ve been doing this for years. And more importantly, the Princes aren’t that weak. They were caught off-guard, yes—but they could’ve handled it."

Kai looked down, defeated. His hands trembled as they held the cloak.

"Make preparations," I repeated, turning away from him. "You’ll be stripped of all magical devices—communication device included."

"No..." Kai whispered. His voice broke. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but his words failed him.

"And Remi," I called.

"Yes, Master?"

I reached into my pocket and handed him the earcuff—Ace’s disguise. He froze for a moment, staring at it, then glanced quickly at Kai, realization dawning on his face.

"Place it back in my room."

"I-I’m sorry, Master..." Kai sniffled, clutching the cloak tighter around himself as if trying to hide inside it.

"Go back to your room," I ordered. My voice was softer now, but there was no room for argument. "You are not to leave the mansion for the next two days. I’ll take you to Fairisles myself."

He didn’t speak. He only bowed his head, tears rolling down his cheeks. Remi placed a comforting hand on his back, guiding him wordlessly out of the study.

As soon as the door shut behind them, silence reigned. The kind that feels too heavy for comfort.

"You were... a bit too harsh, Master," Enora said hesitantly, her hands clasped tightly together.

I placed the communication device down with a heavy thud.

"He doesn’t understand the way things work yet, Enora. He’s inexperienced. He’s been on one mission—just one—and I was with him the entire time."

I turned, my eyes meeting hers.

"Do you think I could ever forgive myself if something happened to him while I wasn’t watching?"

My voice was quiet, but the gravity behind the words echoed in the silence that followed. Enora’s lips parted, her brows drawn together in regret, yet no sound came out. She didn’t need to say anything—my words had landed where they needed to. Roan looked away, jaw clenched, while Lyall lowered his head, guilt pressing down on all of them.

I felt the simmering in my chest begin to boil again.

"And where the hell are Asher and Sylvia?!" I snapped, my voice sharper now, slicing through the heavy air.

"I’ll go look for them—" Lyall began, stepping forward.

But before he could reach the door, it swung open.

"Ah, everyone’s here!" Sylvia beamed as she stepped in beside Asher. The cheer in her voice felt so jarringly misplaced it made my eye twitch.

Asher, however, seemed more perceptive. His expression darkened as he scanned the room. "What happened?" he asked cautiously.

"Where were you two?" Enora demanded, marching forward with narrowed eyes.

They blinked, visibly confused.

"Um, we went into town for a bit," Sylvia said, her smile faltering.

"Which town?" Lyall asked sharply. "I checked all over Oasis."

"We... actually went to Aurelia," Asher replied, the caution in his tone growing. "We weren’t planning to be gone for long."

"Did something happen while we were out?" Sylvia asked, eyes darting from one tense face to another.

Lyall stepped forward, his voice cool but accusing. "Why Aurelia?"

"Well, with the Princes returning today, they’re preparing for the parade. We thought we’d looked around so that we could take Young Master out for a bit during the festivities. Maybe even find a birthday gift," Asher said, glancing my way.

My brows lifted slightly at that, the mention of Kai’s birthday tugging at a memory that had evidently been buried under the weight of the last few hours.

"Oh!" Enora gasped. "That’s right... Young Master’s birthday is in two weeks. I was supposed to start preparations today."

Roan sighed, his hand on his hip. "Guess we were all too shaken by his disappearance to remember."

He looked over at me, frowning slightly. "But you... forgetting? That’s not like you, Master."

"Pardon, disappearance?" Sylvia asked looking at us.

I ran my fingers through my hair, exhaling slowly. "I’ve had my hands full lately..."

"But why did you leave him alone?" Lyall asked Asher and Sylvia, tone clipped. "You were responsible for him."

Sylvia looked uneasy. "It was early... he was still asleep. We thought we’d be back before he even noticed we were gone."

Roan scoffed. "Do you even know what happened in your absence?"

He crossed his arms, then launched into a brief but biting recount of the morning—of how Kai heard the emergency call for backup, how he rushed into battle in my stead.

Sylvia’s eyes widened in horror. "He did what?!"

Asher didn’t even hesitate. He fell to his knees, Sylvia following a heartbeat later.

"I apologize, Master. I’ve failed in my duty."

"Please punish us for endangering Young Master’s life," Sylvia added, bowing so low her forehead nearly touched the floor.

I stared at them for a long moment, cold and silent.

"You’re both stripped of your positions for the next two weeks," I said finally, voice steady but firm. "Asher, you’ll be assigned as a guard. Sylvia, you’re to return to Eldarf. You won’t be allowed back until the punishment period ends."

Neither of them objected. They bowed again, murmuring apologies, then left with slumped shoulders.

The moment they were gone, I shut my eyes and pressed two fingers to my temple.

Roan, tried to lift the mood. "Now, now, Master. Don’t stress yourself too much. Everything turned out fine in the end."

I looked at him flatly, unimpressed, then shifted my gaze to Enora.

"Make preparations for Kai’s birthday party," I said.

Her eyes brightened. "Does... does that mean you’re calling off the punishment?"

"No," I replied immediately. "He needs to learn that actions have consequences, even when intentions are good."

She nodded quietly, the light dimming just a little in her expression.

"What about us then?" Enora asked, lifting her head slightly. "Even we overlooked this. Shouldn’t we be held accountable too?"

I exhaled and turned to Roan, fixing him with a look.

"Did you actually lock the office last night?"

Roan blinked. "Eh? I... I thought I did?"

"You’re not sure?"

He fidgeted. "Well... now that you ask..."

"If the office was locked, Kai wouldn’t have gotten in."

His face fell, and I didn’t wait before doling out the sentence.

"For the next two weeks, you’ll be in charge of compiling tax records and city reports of all the domains under me—for the past two months."

Roan’s jaw dropped. "Two months?! That’s insane!"

"T-Two months is practically death by paper! You may as well just exile me!"

"If you had done your job right," I said coolly, "we wouldn’t be in this situation."

He whimpered and slumped dramatically onto the nearest desk.

"As for you, Enora," I said, turning to her, "you’ll handle the birthday preparations, as well as the festival that will be held in Oasis to celebrate the homecoming of the Princes."

She bowed. "Yes, Master. I will take full responsibility."

"Lyall," I said at last, and he met my gaze.

"I’ll accept any punishment you give me, Master."

"You’ll be sent to Aurelius. You’re to stay there until Kai’s birthday."

He blinked. "Understood."

Roan’s head snapped up. "Hey! That’s not even a punishment! Why does he get a vacation?!"

I gave him a look. "Would you like me to double your paperwork?"

He shrank. "N-No... I’m sorry."

Just then, the doors opened quietly. Blake, Esme, and Julio walked in, their expressions unreadable.

"Master," Blake began cautiously, "we just saw Young Master heading to his room. He looked... upset."

"We tried to talk to him, but he didn’t say anything," Esme added, concern written all over her face.

"Did something happen?" Julio asked.

"Nothing happened," I said firmly, without looking at them. "Get back to your work."

They exchanged glances with the others, reluctant, but ultimately nodded and walked over to their desks.

"You two can leave now," I said to Lyall and Enora.

Enora hesitated. "Should I prepare breakfast for you, Master?"

I shook my head. "No. I’ve lost my appetite."

They bowed quietly and exited, leaving behind a room that felt far too large, far too quiet, and far too heavy with everything unsaid.

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