In early summer, the fields of Tavitsky Province were already alive with tender green.
Newly sown crops stubbornly poked their heads out of soil once ravaged by war, forming a glaring contrast with the village ruins in the distance that had yet to be fully restored.
On this land of hope and scars, one figure seemed out of place.
Valentin.
He rode an equally elderly but steady-footed horse, slowly making his way along a country dirt road.
His graying hair was tied meticulously behind his head, and deep wrinkles marked his weathered face, yet his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, as though they could pierce any pretense.
His clothing stood apart from the atmosphere of farm labor without being grand or ostentatious. Its overall color was a subdued apricot yellow, and the fabric was thick, hard-wearing cotton twill rather than silk or fine wool, clearly chosen for long hours of riding outdoors and exposure to windblown sand and dust.
Slight wear at the collar and elbows spoke of an owner who was no bureaucrat sitting comfortably in an office.
He wore a neatly tailored, slightly loose jacket with a stand collar. It ended at his waist, making it convenient to ride or dismount to inspect the fields.
Black trim roughly a finger's width wide lined the collar, cuffs, and hem, the only decorative detail distinguishing him from an ordinary clerk.
The sole mark of his special status was an emblem carefully embroidered in silver-gray thread above his heart on the left side of his chest: the outline of a Double-Headed Eagle encircled by interwoven thorns.
The Double-Headed Eagle symbolized the Royal Family of Bagnia, while the thorns represented both the thorny duties of an Inspector and his role as a guardian.
The emblem was small but finely stitched,