Ren had faced many challenges in his life.

Dodging angry merchants? Done that.
Outrunning debt collectors? Easy.
Explaining to city guards why he definitely wasn’t leading a hostile takeover with a golem army?

Yeah. That was new.

"Okay, listen," Ren said, raising his hands as the guards surrounded him. "I know this looks bad."

One of the officers, a woman in a plumed helmet, squinted at him. "Looks bad? You marched sixteen war constructs into the capital. That’s not bad. That’s an act of war."

Ren winced. "Okay, yeah, I hear it now."

His companion stood behind him, arms crossed, looking like she was seriously debating letting him get arrested.

The guards weren’t taking chances. Half had crossbows trained on them, while the other half had spell sigils glowing in their palms. The lead officer took a step forward, hand resting on her sword. "By decree of the Crown, I am placing you under arrest for—"

"WAIT!" Ren said, grinning as an idea struck him. "What if I was… an ambassador?"

Silence.

The officer blinked. "What?"

Ren gestured grandly at the constructs. "Think about it! What if, instead of an invader, I was actually a foreign dignitary here on official business?"

The officer’s eyes narrowed. "From where?"

"...The—uh—Lost Kingdom of Valthoria!" Ren said, making up a name on the spot. "Ancient, mysterious, very secretive. Hard to verify, honestly."

His companion audibly choked.

The guards exchanged looks.

"Never heard of it," one of them muttered.

"Exactly!" Ren said. "Because it’s lost."

The officer stared at him, suspicion heavy in her gaze. "...And why would an ‘ambassador’ sneak into the city in the dead of night with a military force?"

Ren thought fast. "Cultural exchange?"

A pause. Then:

"That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard," the officer said flatly.

"Alright, rude—"

"Take them into custody."

Ten Minutes Later – The Dungeon

Ren sat on the floor of a very cold cell, arms crossed. "Okay, so, minor miscalculation."

His companion sat on the other side, glaring daggers at him. "You don’t say."

"To be fair," Ren continued, "I think my ‘mysterious ambassador’ plan had potential."

"You literally made up a country."

"And they couldn’t prove it didn’t exist," Ren pointed out. "I think that’s a win."

She groaned and buried her face in her hands. "You are going to get us executed."

Ren waved a hand. "Nah. Worst case, we rot in here for a while, and I make some new friends."

A deep rumbling noise suddenly echoed through the stone halls.

His companion sat up straight. "What was that?"

Ren paused. "That sounded a lot like—"

The wall exploded.

Through the smoke and rubble, one of Ren’s constructs stepped through, glowing eyes scanning the cell.

The guards outside screamed in alarm.

Ren sighed and got to his feet. "Well. Looks like the cavalry arrived."

His companion stared at him. "You mean the ‘totally-not-a-military-force’ you brought?"

"...Yes."