Aryavarta had learned to live without its crown prince.
Eight years was a long time.
Long enough for ministers to grow comfortable.
Long enough for nobles to forget fear.
Long enough for corruption to believe it had survived.
On the morning Rudra returned, the eastern gates of the capital opened without command.
Guards stood straighter.
Citizens stopped walking.
Animals went silent.
A single figure approached on foot.
No banner.
No escort.
No armor.
Yet each step carried weight.
When Rudra crossed the threshold of the city, the system updated.
—
[Dharma–Karma Chronicle: Territory Recognition]
[Region: Aryavarta Capital]
[Authority Sync: Partial]
—
People felt it.
An old merchant dropped to one knee without knowing why.
A child stopped crying.
A corrupt official staggered, breath catching painfully in his throat.
Rudra did not look around.
He walked straight toward the palace.
The guards at the outer gate raised their spears—then hesitated.
Their hands trembled.
The captain swallowed hard.
"…Your Highness?"
Rudra met his eyes.
"Open the gate."
It was not a command.
It was reality.
The gates opened.
—
Inside the court, chaos erupted.
"He's alive?"
"After eight years?"
"No announcement—no protocol!"
King Rajendra rose slowly from the throne.
His hair had grayed.
His back had aged.
But his eyes—
They shone.
Rudra stepped into the hall.
Father and son locked gazes.
For a moment, no one breathed.
Then King Rajendra descended from the throne.
Not as a ruler.
As a father.
"You returned," the king said quietly.
"I finished," Rudra replied.
The system recorded the exchange.
—
[Royal Bond: Reinforced]
[Succession Probability: Absolute]
—
That same day, Rudra sat through court.
He did not speak.
He listened.
And judged.
One by one, petitions were brought.
Land theft.
False accusations.
Bribery hidden behind tradition.
Rudra's gaze moved from speaker to speaker.
The pressure in the hall increased.
Finally, he stood.
The sound of stone cracking echoed beneath his feet.
"This court," Rudra said calmly, "has mistaken patience for absence."
Silence fell.
"You believed that because I did not act, you were safe."
A noble collapsed unconscious.
Rudra turned to the guards.
"Arrest Minister Kalasha," he said. "Seize his accounts. Execute him at dawn."
Gasps erupted.
"On what authority?" Kalasha screamed.
Rudra looked at him.
The air crushed downward.
—
[Dharma Authority: Minor Release]
[Effect: Absolute Suppression]
—
"On mine."
Kalasha vomited blood and collapsed.
The system finalized the judgment.
—
[Judgment Enforced]
[Public Impact: Severe]
[Dharma Alignment: Strengthened]
—
That night, the kingdom burned—not with fire, but fear.
Corrupt men fled.
Honest ones slept easier.
In the royal chambers, King Rajendra spoke privately with his son.
"The throne is unstable," the king warned. "Many will resist you."
Rudra nodded.
"Then they will be corrected."
As moonlight washed over the palace, the system delivered a quiet update.
—
[Phase Complete: Return]
[Next Phase: Coronation & Conquest of Dharma]
Rudra stood at the balcony, overlooking his kingdom.
This time, injustice would not be allowed to grow.
The king had returned.
-- chapter 9 ended --