Stopping the Alarnan guards and merchants from traveling past the plains surrounding Alarna proved to be a piece of cake. They tensed up the moment they laid eyes on Hati and I blocking their way. A short exchange of words and a few harmless lies later, they turned tail and returned to town, where they would undoubtedly report the encounter to the king. Now he would realize that not cooperating with us wouldn’t be easy.

While all this went off without a hitch though, I was growing thoroughly tired of playing the part of a final boss. With guards in particular I always felt compelled to mimic the Rulers in appearance and mannerism, since they considered them their natural leaders. It seemed to work well, since they regarded me with some respect beyond just being wary of me, but it was taxing to maintain, and I could do well without wearing a suit while riding a wolf, which was far from comfortable.

As such, the first thing I did upon returning home was to finally ditch the suit for the first time in days and slip into an agent’s outfit I borrowed from Reurig. Made of a mix of dark fabrics and leathers, it was designed to fit snugly against the skin and facilitate silent movement. However, given Reurig’s larger and more muscular physique, the clothing was somewhat loose on me, providing the comfort I craved. As I stretched and tested my mobility, a smile spread across my face.

Silly thoughts of wizards not being supposed to wear leather clothes crossed my mind, and in a traditional RPG setting, this thief-like hooded cloak aesthetic certainly wouldn’t have matched well with my magic specialization.

Good thing there are no class-limitations on clothes in real life, I chuckled to myself. If you thought about it, it was really a rather strange thing to do, to forbid magic users from wearing proper armor. They, more than anyone, would need the protection after all, and they were usually also the ones moving the least in a party. Forcing cloth armor on them was like building a tank out of cardboard.

My clothing choice made, I was about to head back out when Berla entered the room. “Hey, Brie wants to... talk to you...” Her speech slowed as she laid eyes on my outfit, scanning me with disapproval. “No, this won’t do,” she said decisively. “I get that you don’t want to wear a suit all day, but we can’t let you run around with agents’ clothes hanging from you like bags.”

The comparison was exaggerated, though I got the idea. She thought this outfit needed to be worn close to the skin. “Actually, this is perfect,” I corrected, pleased. “It’s comfortable, and the leather bits will still offer some protection. That’s what I’m going for.”

With a frown, Berla looked me up and down once more. Grabbing at my top and my pants, she tested how much empty air there was, noticeably displeased that I wasn’t wearing this uniform like it was supposed to be worn. She took a breath, about to say something, but swallowed her words as she stood there and stared at me in disapproving silence.

After a couple of seconds, a wry smile on my face, I said, “Come on, it can’t be that bad.”

“I don’t know,” she muttered, the skepticism clear in her voice. “I can’t help but think that this is all kinds of wrong. What about a priest’s robe? They’re comfortable as well, aren’t they?”

“Yea, but I’m kind of done with looking like a priest,” I replied, shaking my head. “And a robe sucks for riding.” Her frown didn’t waver in the slightest, regarding me as if I had put on a clown’s costume. “Give it a day or two, okay?” I said, hoping to end the conversation. “Maybe it’ll grow on you.”

“Maybe...” she said, finally turning her gaze to my face. “But I’m not promising anything.”

So much for there being no restrictions on choice of clothes...

“Okay,” I snickered. “What were you saying when you came in?”

“Ah. Right,” she said, snapping out of her reverie. “Brie wants to talk to you. She’s not happy with her assignment.”

“Huh? What’s the problem?” I asked, puzzled.

“She doesn’t know how they’re supposed to stop people from leaving Alarna. And frankly, neither am I. The guards won’t be intimidated by us like they are by you and Riala.”

Perhaps our biggest challenge right now was trying to appear like we were in control of the Wildlands, despite our limited resources and a limited number of magic users feared by the guards. If we stationed a typical Fighter on the road to Cerus, they wouldn’t be much of a deterrent.

“Right, I should’ve explained that in more detail,” I admitted. “Just had to get out of that suit first.”

Berla’s eyebrow arched at my flippant response for why I hadn’t shared such crucial information yet.

“It’s quite simple,” I continued, turning to the desk, where I had temporarily placed the contents of my pockets. I picked up an unassuming, flat stone, about five centimeters in diameter, and held it up for Berla to inspect.

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Her eyes bulged in shock at the sight. “What? I thought you made those for fighting beasts! That would kill half the caravan in an instant!”

I stifled a laugh at her reaction, assuring her that this particular stone was different. “No, this one won’t harm anyone. It won’t even leave a scratch on the wagons, so it should do the job perfectly.”

Berla didn’t need much time to contemplate before understanding dawned on her. “Oh... Okay, that might work,” she agreed.

“Do you think Brie will feel at ease with it as well?” I asked curiously.

Berla gave me a firm nod. “She knows the effect, so I suspect she will. Garn is entirely convinced that you know what you’re doing, by the way.”

I shrugged at her comment. “Well, he’s always been easy-going.”

“Perhaps, but it’s still a lot of trust,” she said, the undertone in her voice indicating that she still thought there was more to it. “Have you thought about my theory?”

I moved the items on the desk back into my pockets as I responded to her. “A little bit,” I said, while marveling at all the additional, small pockets hidden within this outfit. With a quiet murmur of approval, I tucked a stick of chalk into a small compartment sandwiched between layers of fabric and leather.

“And?” Berla prodded, urging me to elaborate. “If there is some truth to it, and you know how to make use of it, it could prove to be useful.”

“Yea, it could be,” I agreed as I patted myself down, grinning in joy over my new attire. “It’s just not on the forefront of my mind right now. I couldn’t help but notice how calm everyone was on our trip though. That was... abnormal,” I noted.

“At least you noticed it, that’s something,” Berla quipped.

A small sigh escaped me as I finished up and turned towards her properly. “It just seems pointless to ponder about,” I said, frowning. “I think we can definitively say that I’m not controlling people simply via vocal commands. But that’s the only thing we could test easily. We could question everyone about their personal experience... but say I am influencing them somehow, then I’m not sure I’d want that to be public knowledge. For now it’s probably safest to wait and monitor the situation.”

A hint of disappointment flashing over her face, Berla thought my words over. It seemed she was eager to investigate this theory of hers further. I could sympathize with her position, but I didn’t see how we should go about that without risking ruffling some feathers.

Eventually, she asked, “If I find a way, will you go along with it?”

I didn’t need to think long about her question. “If it’s safe and doesn’t cause any problems, sure.”

“Then I’ll do that,” she said, a confident smirk on her face.

I smiled back at her in turn, joking, “Well, that’s one less thing to worry about for me.”

“You have too many things on your mind,” Berla chided. “Sometimes Hayla is right, you know? You should delegate more.”

I was taken aback by Berla’s unexpected agreement with Hayla. It also seemed like they were talking more lately, as the last time Hayla had reprimanded me for working too hard, Berla had not been present. I eyed her suspiciously as I responded. “Right... Well, I'm trying. I’m sending Brie and Garn to guard the road, aren’t I?”

Berla seemed to concede, saying, “I suppose so.”

With a sense of accomplishment, I exclaimed, “We're in agreement then, I’m improving!”

Berla rolled her eyes, but didn’t comment further. With her by my side, I stepped forward, about to leave once more, when Riala burst into the office, her face beaming with excitement. “Miles! I can come after all!” she yelled.

I stepped back, startled by her sudden arrival. “Whoa! Careful!” I warned, but Riala was too excited to heed my caution.

“Asena said she sensed an anomaly! They’re leaving for at least two days, so I can come with you!” Riala continued, practically bouncing with enthusiasm.

“An anomaly?” I asked in surprise. “Hm, the timing could be better, I had hoped to go with them.”

I considered my options, but there was no other way. I was needed elsewhere, so I couldn’t go with the mods today. However, that didn’t mean Riala wasn’t needed here.

“But what if they’re trying to trick us?” I asked. “They might just wait for us to leave and then attack the others to weaken us.”

But Riala was undeterred. “No! Asena is nice, she wouldn’t lie! And Hati said she’s telling the truth too!”

I was positively surprised to hear it, both the information itself and that she had actually thought about this problem. “Is that so? He wasn’t sure yesterday. What changed?”

Riala shrugged nonchalantly. “Dunno, but it means I can come! Right?”

A hopeful glimmer in her puppy eyes, she stared at me, certain I would agree. I grimaced slightly, finding myself caving at the mere sight.

“Okay,” I relented, eliciting a joyous “Yay!” from Riala. “If he tells me the same thing and he’s certain.” I emphasized the importance of certainty, not wanting to take any risks.

“Uh-huh!” Riala nodded, hopping in excitement.

Berla leaned in, whispering into my ear. “Maybe Riala has a knack for convincing people to do her bidding as well.” I met her joke with a chuckle, though the possibility lingered in the back of my mind.

“Perhaps I should come as well then,” Berla mused. “It could be a nice little adventure. And someone needs to keep an eye on you two. Who knows what kind of trouble you’re going to get into otherwise.”

I arched an eyebrow, feigning offense. “What happened to your unconditional trust?” I teased, but Berla’s response was quick.

“Oh, it’s there alright. I trust that you’re going to find a way to get into trouble,” she joked. My reply was only a dry look. She continued, “We should get going then, right?”

“Yes, let’s go!” Riala exclaimed, pumping her fists in the air, her excitement palpable.

I laughed, starting to look forward to this planned trip more and more as well. “Alright. Let’s see what the situation in Cerus is like,” I said as we exited the house, the weight of anticipation heavy in the air.