A king could cleanse his house.
But only a ruler could stabilize the land beyond its walls.
Three weeks after Rudra's coronation, the first border report arrived—sealed, urgent, written in a trembling hand.
"Bandit coalition," the general reported. "Backed by foreign coin. Villages burned. Borders tested."
Rudra read the report once.
Then handed it back.
"Prepare the army," the general said instinctively.
Rudra shook his head.
"No," he replied. "Prepare witnesses."
The system logged the command.
—
[Dharma Campaign Expanded]
[Scope: External Injustice]
—
Rudra rode at dawn.
Alone.
Again.
By the time he reached the border villages, smoke still curled from burned homes. Bodies lay covered in cloth. Survivors watched him with hollow eyes—hope dulled by years of abandonment.
An old woman stepped forward.
"They will come again," she said. "They always do."
Rudra met her gaze.
"They won't," he replied.
That night, the bandits returned.
Two hundred men.
Armed.
Confident.
They laughed when they saw one figure standing between them and the village.
Then the pressure fell.
—
[Dharma Authority: Controlled Release]
[Effect: Battlefield Suppression]
—
Horses screamed and bucked.
Men dropped to their knees, gasping.
Rudra walked forward calmly.
He did not kill all of them.
He killed the leaders.
Precisely.
Publicly.
The rest fled.
The system finalized the judgment.
—
[External Deterrence Established]
[Foreign Influence: Disrupted]
—
Two days later, a delegation arrived—not with threats, but gifts.
Among them was a woman.
Calm.
Sharp-eyed.
Unbowed.
She spoke last.
"I am Princess Devika of Malava," she said. "My father sends… respect."
Rudra studied her.
Not her beauty.
Her composure.
"You watched," Rudra said.
"Yes," Devika replied. "You didn't enjoy it."
"No," Rudra agreed. "I accepted it."
Something passed between them.
Recognition.
The system noted it.
—
[Social Thread Detected]
[Classification: Potential Bond]
—
That night, Rudra returned to the palace.
Anaya ran to him, demanding a story.
He told her one.
About a king who protected villages.
She fell asleep halfway through.
Later, alone on the balcony, Rudra looked toward the horizon.
The borders were quieter now.
But far away, the great dynasties of the Mahabharata age were stirring.
He would not interfere.
Not yet.
But when dharma was crossed—
Bhairava would wake.
The system updated quietly.
—
[Future Conflict Probability: Rising]
[User Response: Unrestricted]
The world had felt a warning.
Soon, it would feel judgment.
-- chapter 12 ended --