The next morning, the palace was quieter than usual.
Cold air moved through the courtyard while knights prepared the horses for the journey.
John stood near the stairs of the palace wearing a dark coat over his royal uniform.
His expression looked calm, but his mind was already thinking ahead.
Wilhelm Kingdom.
In his previous life, he barely paid attention to them.
Back then, he only cared about Elena.
About earning her trust.
About becoming someone she would finally look at.
And while he wasted time chasing her-
The kingdoms around him slowly started moving like pieces on a chessboard.
This time, he would not make the same mistake again.
Nick walked toward him while adjusting the sword hanging near his waist.
“You look like you didn’t sleep again.”
John calmly grabbed the reins of his horse.
“I slept enough.”
“That’s definitely a lie.”
John ignored the comment.
A few royal knights soon gathered behind them while servants loaded supplies for the trip.
Then suddenly-
The king appeared near the palace entrance.
Everyone immediately bowed.
The king looked directly toward John.
“This meeting with Wilhelm is important,” he said seriously.
“Do not create unnecessary conflict with Sir Carol.”
John nodded once.
“I understand.”
The king stayed silent for a moment before speaking again.
“And John…”
John looked at him.
“Be careful who you trust.”
For a brief second, those words strangely bothered him.
Because trust was exactly what destroyed him in his previous life.
John quietly lowered his head.
“We’ll return soon.”
Soon after, the palace gates slowly opened.
The group finally left Aerith Kingdom and started their journey toward Wilhelm.
For several hours, the road remained peaceful.
Large forests surrounded the stone path while cold wind moved through the trees.
Nick rode beside John lazily.
“You’ve been quiet since morning.”
John kept his eyes forward.
“I’m thinking.”
“Again?”
John almost smiled slightly.
Nick sighed dramatically.
“At this point, I miss the old John.”
John looked at him briefly.
Nick laughed immediately.
“Well, that’s true.”
For the first time in days, the conversation felt normal.
But that feeling disappeared quickly when John suddenly noticed something ahead.
A broken wagon near the side of the road.
Several guards were standing nearby while arguing loudly with a merchant.
Nick frowned.
“What’s going on there?”
John slowed his horse slightly.
The moment one of the guards noticed the royal crest of Aerith-
His expression immediately changed.
The guard quickly stepped forward and bowed.
“Your Highness.”
John calmly looked toward the damaged wagon.
“What happened?”
The merchant looked furious.
“These people stopped my shipment for no reason!”
One of the guards immediately protested.
“We received reports about illegal weapon transportation.”
Weapons?
John’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Something about this situation immediately felt strange.
Nick leaned closer quietly.
“Want to ignore this and continue?”
John stayed silent for a second.
Then slowly looked toward the wagon again.
“No,” he answered calmly.
“Check everything.”
Because deep inside-
He had already learned one thing after returning from the past.
Sometimes the smallest incidents became the beginning of disasters.
The guards immediately began checking the wagon while the merchant stood nearby looking nervous.
John quietly watched everything without saying a word.
One of the knights suddenly opened a large wooden box from inside the wagon.
At first glance, it looked normal.
Clothes.
Food supplies.
Travel equipment.
But then-
“Your Highness.”
John looked toward the knight.
The knight slowly pulled out a hidden sword from beneath the supplies.
Nick’s expression changed slightly.
The merchant immediately panicked.
“T-That’s not mine!”
John calmly stepped closer toward the wagon.
“Then whose is it?”
“I-I don’t know! Someone must’ve put it there!”
Soon, more weapons were discovered hidden beneath the cargo.
Swords.
Daggers.
Even military arrows.
Nick crossed his arms.
“That’s not something ordinary merchants carry around.”
The merchant’s face turned pale.
“Please believe me, Your Highness! I’m just transporting goods!”
John quietly stared at him for several seconds.
The man looked terrified.
Too terrified.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Just afraid.
And strangely-
That reminded John of the poor man from the mines.
Someone being used by another person.
John slowly looked toward the guards.
“Where was this wagon heading?”
One of the guards answered immediately.
“Toward Wilhelm Kingdom.”
John’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Wilhelm again.
Nick noticed the change in his expression.
“You thinking what I’m thinking?”
John stayed silent.
Because his instincts were already warning him that this was not a coincidence.
He looked back toward the merchant.
“Who hired you?”
The merchant hesitated.
“I… I don’t know his name.”
Nick immediately sighed.
“Of course.”
“But,” the merchant quickly continued, “I know where I was supposed to deliver the cargo.”
John immediately focused.
“Where?”
The merchant swallowed nervously.
“A trading post near the Northern border of Wilhelm.”
Silence fell for a moment.
Then John calmly turned toward Nick.
“We’re changing routes.”
Nick blinked.
“…What ?”
“We’re going to that trading post first.”
Nick stared at him.
“You think this is connected to something bigger?”
John slowly looked toward the hidden weapons again.
Then quietly answered:
“I think we just found the beginning of something we weren’t supposed to see.”