"Like I said, it was a crappy job. Trapped in that dark cage for hours on end - with dozens of sweaty beasts hacking away at stupid rocks. Thank gods we don't have to go down there anymore", Zeron interjected as he emptied his ninth glass and now openly complained about his former job. "It was awful. Compared to what we're doing now, it's laughable. AND we're getting paid even better!"

  "May I ask what you're doing right now?", Cale asked deliberately in a slightly drunken tone, looking at Avon, who was propping himself up with one arm and returning his gaze.

  The older brother had tried to keep up with Cale, but failed miserably. After the eleventh beer, he had given up and left the victory to Cale, who had drunk a total of 18 glasses. Neither of the brothers was aware that Cale had been drinking with Julius from the third glass onwards.

  "Something like couriers, I don't know if there's a proper term for it. We escort the cleaned gemstones from our village to the next big city. Come to think of it, we're more like bodyguards who will be thrown to the dogs if we're ever attacked."

  "Isn't that pretty dangerous?"

  "Possibly - but definitely better than that shitty mine. We're only supposed to accompany the goods, not guard them. There are soldiers from Gueladann for that."

  "Basically, we're their babysitters, showing the soldiers where to go and which areas they need to watch out for thieves", Zeran interjected again, with a slightly dismissive tone. "I don't know what they're thinking, but I don't mind. More money for less complicated work, and we have a lot more free time."

  "Well, that sounds good. Do you know what kind of goods they're transporting?", Cale asked rather directly, taking a big sip of his drink. Behind him, he could hear a plate or glass break, but his attention was focused entirely on the men in front of him.

  "No idea, some new, extremely rare crystals they discovered in the mines a few years ago. Don't ask me, nobody tells us anything", Zeran replied, slumping back onto the bench.

  Cale, on the other hand, glanced questioningly at Julius, who was having difficulty keeping up with the conversation. No wonder, considering that Cale had been talking to the men for about five hours, getting them drunk and trying to slowly extract information from them.

  "Sounds really questionable. Be careful that nothing happens to you."

  "Are you worried about us?", the older man replied amusedly, followed by a loud burp.

  "Absolutely, drinking partners as good as you are hard to find", Cale replied, raising his almost empty glass in the air, before receiving a weak laugh from the brothers. Their pride had been blown away since they had been completely ripped off by an apparent healer from Frignez. With one last sip, Cale emptied his last glass and leaned back, stroking his belly and speaking with satisfaction. "But I have to pass now, too. I can't takeanymore. I can hardly speak clearly anymore."

  "The fact that you can still think after so many beers is nothing short of a miracle. Some people die after doing things like that", Julius said, squinting at him with narrowed eyes. Julius himself had completely slumped over and was ignoring how he appeared to others.

  "I guess murder is still on the table, judging by the look on your friend's face", Zeran whispered to him, indistinctly, leaning forward slightly so that he had to hold on to the table to avoid crashing into Cale.

  "If tomorrow the rumor gets around that a healer was found dead, then you know who did it. I trust you'll report it", Cale replied, receiving only a snort from Julius, which made the two brothers laugh. Cale raised his hand and rubbed his eyes as he glanced around the room, where dozens of men had already fallen asleep on their tables.

  "I think I should stop teasing my friend."

  "You want to leave already?"

  "I really should. We actually wanted to leave early tomorrow morning and move on, but that's probably going to be a little difficult now", Cale replied calmly.

  "No way, we're getting up on time tomorrow, Zod", Julius interjected grumpily, causing Cale to turn to him in irritation. All along, Cale had the feeling that Julius couldn't really handle much alcohol, but almost blurting out the truth was dangerous.

  "All right, all right. We'll stick to the plan. But then we should get going."

  "I know", Julius retorted defiantly and sat up, which Cale immediately did as well. He stood up next to him, grabbed both cloaks, and then offered his hand to Julius, who indignantly pushed it away and sat up gloomily, leaning against the back of the chair and the table.

  "I thank you gentlemen for the pleasant evening. May the gods accompany you on your way and may your wishes come true", Cale said politely as he took his leave.

  "Likewise, get home safely and come back and see us again sometime", Zeron called after him, while Avon just waved his hand, as if speaking were more strenuous than the hand movement.

  Cale left the table and watched Julius slowly stagger toward the exit. A few moments later, he spotted a waitress and approached her before asking how much the table owed her. Somewhat surprised, the lady told him the total amount, and Cale simply took Julius's wallet out, placed it in her hand, told her she could keep the rest of the money, and said goodbye. He heard her calls of thanks several times before stepping out into the fresh air and stretching.

  Cale had hardly moved for hours and had to be careful what he said without coming across as too pushy. However, his work had ultimately paid off, as he had actually obtained useful information from the men, which he would pass on to the other soldiers tomorrow. It was highly likely that the children were in or near Leszeben.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  But right now, he had a completely different problem.

  "Julius", Cale called out to the man who had slumped against the nearest wall and wanted to sleep on the floor.

  "I hate you."

  "You get pretty snappy when you've been drinking. And it was only... what? Five glasses?"

  "Shut up, that was only the second time in my entire life that I've ever drunk that much. I really don't understand how you guys can drink beer. It's disgusting", Julius announced defiantly, without opening his eyes. "Not everyone is an animal like you."

  "I'll take that as a compliment, and now get up, you can't stay here."

  "I don't want to", Julius said childishly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

  "You don't want to? You'd rather sleep on the cold, hard floor than in your soft bed?"

  "Yes."

  "Oh, come on. Don't be like that."

  "I'm exhausted", Julius retorted. "So be quiet."

  "I can see that. I told you last night that you should rest, but you wouldn't listen to me."

  "You talk too much."

  "Julius", Cale began again, but the man ignored him completely. Cale sighed, slung the cloaks over his shoulder, and bent down to the man. If anyone knew he was the king's second advisor, they would declare him insane. "I'll carry you, okay?"

  "No, thank you", Julius replied, but Cale had enough of his childish behavior. He crouched down in front of the exhausted man and grabbed his arm, causing Julius to open his eyes in annoyance.

  "Either you get up now, or I'll carry you. Make up your mind."

  "I don't want to..."

  "Five", Cale began to count.

  "Don't test my patience. Four."

  "Don't test my assertiveness."

  "Three", Cale ignored the statement, but Julius also paid no attention to his threat. "Two."

  "You're not going to change my mind."

  "One."

  Since Julius hadn't moved an inch, Cale gave up completely and slid his hands under the man's body. With a jerky movement, Cale lifted the surprisingly light body into the air before Julius grabbed him and clung to him.

  "Hey, stop it. Let me down", Julius complained, hitting him several times in the chest before he started wriggling like a child and Cale almost dropped him. He carefully set Julius' legs back on the ground, but held the advisor for support as he was clearly having difficulty with his balance.

  "Careful."

  "Idiot."

  "Watch your language, my friend. Don't be rude", Cale admonished him.

  He watched Julius closely before setting off and walking down the street. Julius swayed as he let himself be led, then started walking on his own, much to Cale's relief. He looked ahead and spotted a few groups who were also out and about in the early hours of the morning. If Julius realized that they would also have to set off in two hours, he would probably want Cale dead.

  "High-Magician Thopas…"

  "What?" Cale replied, irritated. "Why are you suddenly talking about the High-Magicians?"

  "I'm curious", Julius mumbled to himself. It was a miracle in itself that he was even able to form complete sentences. "You seem to enjoy the Magistrat's trust."

  "What makes you think that?"

  "Just my observation. Did you know they asked for a meeting with our Majesty?"

  "Julius, I have no idea what you're talking about", Cale explained, exhaling deeply. The next moment, however, Julius lost his strength and slumped to the ground, causing Cale to give way in surprise and try to hold him upright. "You really can't hold your liquor."

  "That's nothing to be proud of", Julius countered, holding himself upright with his free arm. For a few moments, Cale was afraid Julius would vomit, but the advisor did not. So he gave up and discreetly produced a bottle of water before holding it out in front of Julius's face.

  "Here."

  "Where did you get that all of a sudden?"

  "What do you mean? I've been carrying the water around with me the whole time", Cale replied provocatively, causing Julius to doubt his memory and take the bottle without comment. He dropped to his knees and took a few big gulps while Cale watched him. "Are you okay?"

  "Do I look like I'm okay?"

  "No, not at all. Next time, don't force yourself to do something you don't want to do. You can talk to me."

  "I wasn't so sure about that, given how you behaved today", Julius retorted.

  "What do you mean?"

  "What is your real personality? The reasonable swordmaster I know or the man in the tavern who was having fun?"

  Cale fell silent at the statement and thought briefly about how to respond. Finally, he slid forward a bit and reached for the bottle in Julius's hand, since he apparently didn't want to drink anymore.

  "Neither", Cale replied, putting the bottle away before standing with his back to Julius. "Come on. I'll carry you on my back. Is that okay with you?"

  "Do I have a choice?"

  "I won't force you if you don't want to", Cale announced quietly.

  Cale seemed to have gone a little overboard tonight, even though he had enjoyed the last few hours. Doing new things that he didn't really know how to do himself gave him pleasure.

  After a moment's hesitation, however, Julius straightened up and climbed onto Cale's back, so that Cale held his legs and carefully stood up. With a little help from Mana, he carried the royal advisor and continued on his way.

  "Can you give me an honest answer?"

  "To what?"

  "To my question just now."

  "I'm enjoying the trip", Cale replied honestly, glancing up at the sky for a moment, while Julius clung to Cale's neck with his hands and rested his face on his shoulder. "You'll know the feeling when you're so busy with work that you can't think about anything else."

  "Somehow... yes."

  "That's how I feel all the time. Ever since I was a child, I've lived with the attitude that nothing lasts forever, and I've become extremely cautious. When I do have some free time once in a while, I realize how much the whole situation weighs on me. Like today", Cale explained calmly. "I have fond memories of the tavern, so I was just happy."

  "Fond memories?"

  "I met my best friends in a tavern. People I've spent my whole life with and who have always been by my side."

  "They're dead, aren't they?"

  "Yes", Cale replied. "Without them, sometimes I don't even know who I am. In a way, I hide behind a mask... out of fear of what people would say about my true personality. About my words and actions, my thoughts and the things I consider important."

  "We're alike", Julius said calmly, noticeably relaxing his body. "Do you remember what I told you that evening on the beach?"

  "Yes."

  "In reality, I was very happy", Julius replied vaguely. "I didn't realize myself that I had slipped into this position, but I enjoy the work. Just as I enjoy teaching the princes or spending time with Loy. But when he asked me about it, I got scared. Suddenly having to take real responsibility for what I say and really being asked to reveal my own opinion on the issues. I just don't know if I can handle something like that."

  "And that's why you hide behind a mask in front of strangers, like you did with Duke of Nihmskell the other day. It bothered you that he insulted you like that, but you were afraid to say anything. Even though you have more power than he does."

  "Yes", Julius confirmed, followed by a quiet sigh. "Although I wouldn't say I have more power than he does. I just have closer contact with Loys and King Leonhardt."

  "Relationships are just another form of power", Cale replied with a smile. "I speak from experience. If you have the right contacts, everything becomes much easier. Whether at work or in your private life. With the right people by your side, you can achieve a lot."