The walk back to Millbrook felt longer than usual. Ryo could sense the town's anxiety even from a distance – a collective tension that hung in the air like static before a storm. News of his true nature had probably spread already, and that massive magical battle couldn't have gone unnoticed.

As he approached the town limits, he saw Elena waiting for him, along with a group of her knights who were trying very hard not to look nervous.

"So," she said as he got closer, "want to explain why my mages just detected a dimensional collapse that nearly broke their sensing crystals?"

"Would you believe me if I said I tripped?" Ryo tried, then sighed at her unamused expression. "Fine. Let's just say our blood mage problem had a bigger boss, and now that boss is going to need some time to pull itself back together."

"And the part where you rewrote local reality?" One of Elena's mages spoke up, then immediately looked like he regretted drawing attention to himself.

"Ah, you felt that?" Ryo rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. I tried to keep the effects contained."

Elena dismissed her knights with a gesture, waiting until they were alone before speaking again. "The blood mages are secured in the chapel. Turner's being treated for minor injuries. And the entire town is waiting to hear why their supposedly magic-inept tavern keeper just unleashed enough power to make veteran war mages wet themselves."

"How are they taking it?" Ryo asked, genuine concern in his voice.

"Better than you might expect. Turner's been telling everyone how you saved him. Anna's practically bouncing with excitement about all the magic theory questions she wants to ask you. And Old Man Turner just wants to know if you can still make his favorite ale or if you'll be too busy being powerful now."

Ryo felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. "The ale won't change. Though I might start using magic to wash the mugs. Doing it by hand was getting tedious."

"This isn't a joke," Elena said sharply. "That being you fought – I felt its power even from the town. What exactly are we dealing with?"

"The Old Ones," Ryo replied, his voice turning serious. "Ancient beings that helped shape this realm. They're supposed to be dormant, sleeping away the ages. But apparently, some of them are waking up, and they're not happy with how their 'creation' has developed."

They reached the town square, which was conspicuously empty except for a few people peeking out of windows.

"Everyone's gathered in the chapel," Elena explained. "Seemed safest, given the magical lightshow you put on. Want to tell me what you really are before we face them?"

Ryo stopped walking. "You sure you want to know? It's going to sound pretty unbelievable."

"More unbelievable than watching you rewrite dimensional laws?"

"Fair point." Ryo looked up at the sky, gathering his thoughts. "I'm what they call a worldwalker – someone who can travel between different realms of existence. But I'm... different from normal worldwalkers. When I died in my original world, something went wrong with the transition. Instead of just visiting this realm, I became fully part of it. My power merged with the fundamental forces here."

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Elena processed this for a moment. "And you decided to use this immense power to... serve ale?"

"Hey, it's good ale!" Ryo protested. "Besides, after experiencing corporate life in my original world, a quiet tavern seemed like paradise."

"Corporate...?" Elena shook her head. "Never mind. We should head to the chapel. People are waiting."

The chapel was packed when they entered. Every resident of Millbrook seemed to be there, along with Elena's knights who stood guard over the bound blood mages. The room fell silent as Ryo walked in.

Then Old Man Turner spoke up from his seat near the front. "Boy, you better not have let my stall's goods get ruined in all that magical nonsense!"

The tension broke. Several people laughed, and Ryo couldn't help but smile. "Everything's back in place, old man. Even reorganized it better than you had it."

"Show off," Turner grumbled, but there was no heat in it.

Anna pushed her way forward, her eyes bright with excitement. "Is it true? Can you really reshape reality? Can you teach me? Was everything about the mana scarring a lie? How did you make those magical stones? Can you—"

"Anna," Ryo interrupted gently, "breathe. Yes, most of what you saw before was an act. No, I don't really have mana scarring. And teaching... might be complicated."

"But why pretend?" someone called from the crowd. "Why hide what you could do?"

Ryo looked around the chapel, meeting the eyes of people he'd served drinks to, shared stories with, helped with small problems. "Because I wanted to be normal. In my original world, power meant responsibility, obligations, endless demands. I came here hoping to live quietly, to just be another face in the crowd."

"Well, that plan's shot," Turner commented dryly.

"Yeah," Ryo agreed. "Especially since those blood mages were just the beginning. There are beings waking up – ancient, powerful things that want to 'refresh' this realm. Which basically means destroying and remaking it in their image."

The chapel erupted in worried murmurs. Elena stepped forward, her presence commanding attention.

"The Crown will want to know about this threat," she said. "They'll want your help dealing with it."

"Probably," Ryo admitted. "But first..." He turned to address the town directly. "I owe all of you an apology. I lied about who and what I am. If you want me to leave—"

"Don't you dare!" Beth, the baker, stood up. "Who's going to keep the drunks in line at the tavern? Those knights?" She gestured dismissively at Elena's men.

"And who'll help me with my herb garden?" Anna added. "Even if you were pretending to be bad at magic, you still have the best eye for healing plants I've ever seen."

More voices joined in, each listing reasons why Ryo couldn't leave. He felt something tight in his chest loosen. These people didn't care about his power or his origin – they just wanted their tavern keeper to stay.

"Besides," Turner said with a sly grin, "now that we know you can actually use magic, you can start helping with real problems instead of pretending to fail at lighting candles."

"About that," Ryo replied, "there might be some problems heading our way. Big ones. The being I fought today – it'll be back, and it won't be alone."

"Then we'll deal with it," Elena stated firmly. "The Crown's forces, plus whatever allies we can gather, and..." She gave Ryo a significant look. "A tavern keeper who's apparently capable of rewriting reality."

"I don't suppose we could just serve them ale until they go away?" Ryo asked hopefully.

The laughter that filled the chapel was genuine, if slightly nervous. These people didn't fully understand what they were facing, but they understood loyalty and community. They were choosing to stand with him, despite the danger.

"Right then," Ryo said, straightening up. "First things first – those blood mages need to be properly contained. Elena, your mages might want to step back. I'm going to put some real bindings on them."

As he moved toward the prisoners, his power flowing freely for the first time in years, Ryo felt something he hadn't expected – relief. No more hiding, no more pretending to be less than he was. Whatever came next would be difficult, probably dangerous, but at least he could face it honestly.

"Oh," he added, turning back to the crowd, "the tavern's still open for business. Just... maybe don't be surprised if your drinks stay cold without ice now."