Cale led his group of three through the streets at a brisk pace. There was only one place where the men could have taken Jarle, and that was the dungeons of Sylve. He had seen them once before in his first life, when he and his siblings had wandered through the streets as children and watched as a man getting locked up. Mother Nicolette had shown them this to make it clear that they should stop stealing. They didn't... at least not until the day they learned that the royal house had been providing more funding to orphanages for some time. Mamoru knew just as well as they did how they got there, but he was just as speechless as Cale when he received this information.

  Instinctively, Cale had taken command and simply followed the source of mana.

  "Do you think... do you think Jarle really... that he?", Cedrik stammered as he looked up at Cale, who had given him hope through his actions.

  "I don't think anything. If Jarle is guilty, then he is guilty. If not, then he isn't. But there must be a reason they took him away. How did he react when the soldiers came?"

  "He was calm, just calm. They broke down our door and had Jarle surrounded when I woke up. He got up without saying a word and let them take him away."

  "Did he say anything to you?"

  "No, not at all. I asked a soldier what was going on, and only then did he explain the situation to me", replied Cedrik, fear in his voice.

  Cale, on the other hand, ran his hand through his hair and stared ahead at the entrance to the dungeons. He didn't find it strange that Jarle hadn't defended himself during the arrest. He was a nobleman and had always been one of the quieter types. But the fact that Jarle hadn't said anything at all to Cedrik seemed strange to him. After all, Cedrik was the only person besides Mamoru and himself whom he could call a friend. Jarle didn't know anyone else, and his family was on the other side of the continent.

  Just as he was about to speak up, Cale noticed Sir Freigoud's mana and became angry. The advisor was standing at the entrance talking to a soldier, who just nodded and then disappeared in the direction of the palace. Cale hissed through his teeth, let mana flow into his feet, and suddenly closed in on the swordmaster. Surprised, Loys turned around and stared at Cale, who had easily passed the soldier and appeared directly behind him. Swords were immediately pointed at Cale when the guards realized he was there, but Cale ignored them and looked up with a deadly serious expression. Loys of Freigoud responded silently until he finally raised his hand to signal the soldiers to lower their weapons.

  "You are faster than I thought", Loys finally spoke up, ignoring the fact that Cale's eyes were piercing through him, even though his face did not betray a single emotion.

  "Would you please explain to me what is going on?", Cale said, forcing himself to remain calm and swallowing his anger, while Cedrik and Mamoru appeared behind them.

  "I can understand that you are worried about Jarle of Mornet. Nothing will happen to him."

  "That wasn't my question, Duke Freigoud", Cale said somewhat sharply, causing the guards to exchange surprised glances. The fact that Cale was in close contact with the duke was only known to the upper ranks - ordinary guards knew little about it.

  "Let’s discuss this... in private", Loys of Freigoud replied, casting a dry glance at the men, who could do nothing but watch the events unfold in silence. "Don’t let anyone else in."

  With this warning, Loys of Freigoud entered the dungeon, followed by Cale, who did not look back at Cedrik and Mamoru. His colleagues were denied access as he followed the duke. The winding dungeon system was dimly lit, but there were soldiers at every corner who bowed to Sir Freigoud when they noticed him.

  Cale, on the other hand, ignored the people and let his mana run free to locate Jarles' exact position. It took less than 10 seconds for him to spot him in a single, large room guarded by 12 soldiers. The mere fact that so many men had been deployed just for a duke's son made Cale doubt his opinion.

  "I guess this kind of information is no longer part of our agreement", Cale said in an audibly annoyed tone.

  He felt used, and for the first time, he truly understood how other people felt in such a situation. It wasn't the action itself that made him angry, but the obvious fact that his counterpart had shown him no trust whatsoever.

  What irony.

  "I only found out about it myself about four hours ago", Sir Freigoud defended himself without turning around. "During the night, there was an accident at the border with the province of Nihmskell involving a carriage carrying dozens of unconscious children. The soldiers arrested the men and informed the Duke of Nihmskell, who then sent a messenger to the royal house. According to his statement, the carriage bore the coat of arms of Mornet."

  A chill ran down Cale's spine. So they had found kidnapped children tonight and arrested the men who appeared to be working for Jarle's family?

  

  "And you believe this story?"

  "I don't believe anything", Loys replied gruffly. "The Duke of Mornet is also being arrested as we speak and taken to Sylve, and the Duke of Nihmskell will arrive here on his own in an hour. The children will remain in his province until they wake up, for the time being."

  "And I suspect Jarle was arrested only as a precautionary measure."

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  "So to speak", Loys of Freigoud replied, but his tone did nothing to put Cale at ease.

  Cale followed the broad-shouldered duke and finally arrived at the cell where Jarle was being held prisoner. The soldiers greeted them appropriately and briefly informed Loys of what had happened in the last few minutes. He then ordered the men to step back a good distance from the cell, as he wanted to talk to Jarle. For a moment, however, he turned to Cale, who had resumed his proper position so as not to cause any negative attention.

  "Normally, I would forbid you to follow me", Loys replied. "But I doubt you would take no for an answer."

  "I would not dare to disobey your orders, Duke", Cale replied, forcing himself to remain calm. This statement made him realize that Loys clearly did not believe Cale was involved in the events.

  "Just this once", Loys said sharply. "I'm giving you this order just this once. Don't test my patience, understand?"

  "Understood."

  "Hold back and let me do the talking. No matter what happens."

  "Of course", Cale replied to the subtle threat that resonated in Loys' words, keeping his anger under control. Loys allowing him access to this room was undoubtedly a sign of great trust - but it also made it clear that Sir Freigoud was by no means willing to grant him unlimited freedom.

  Without a word, Cale followed the duke into the large room and closed the door behind him before his gaze fell on Jarle. He was crouching in the middle of the room, chained to the table and dressed only in his nightclothes. Faint morning light fell through a single small window behind him, set so high and barred that an ordinary prisoner could not even look out.

  Sir Freigoud took a seat on the opposite side of the table, while Cale remained standing behind him, his hands clasped behind his back. He nervously kept his gaze on Jarle, who sat motionless before them with his eyes closed.

  "Jarle of Mornet, second son of Mornet. You arrived here in the capital this year at the tender age of 24 and began training as a soldier of the royal house", Loys of Freigoud began, without introducing himself or mentioning what was going on.

  "That is correct, Duke", Jarle replied calmly, finally opening his eyes. His attention first fell on the duke opposite him, but when he shifted his gaze to Cale, he seemed surprised.

  "Well then, I'll ask you straight out. Are you involved in the kidnapping of children?", Sir Freigoud blurted out, turning Cale's stomach.

  He was quite good at assessing personalities, and Jarle did not seem like someone who could do such a terrible thing. The fact that the soldier was now in such a dilemma made him strongly doubt his judgment, which was reinforced by Jarle's refusal to comment. Duke of Freigoud seemed to dislike the reaction just as much, which is why he spoke up in a louder voice.

  "We know that Mornet is involved in the kidnapping. This morning, a wagon carrying children was stopped, and the trail leads back to your family, Jarle of Mornet. So I ask you again. Are you involved in the kidnapping of children?"

  Jarle did not answer the question, however, but only grinned and remained silent for a few moments before raising his head and turning his attention to Cale. Cale, in turn, did not dare to move and stared down at the man, who seemed almost relieved, with a blank look.

  "How long have you known, Zod?", he finally asked, causing Loys of Freigoud to turn around and look at the blond-haired soldier as well. But Cale did not answer, because he was following Loys' instructions not to intervene.

  "That Mornet is responsible for the kidnapping of children", Jarle added with a matter-of-factness that made Cale's blood run cold. He clenched his hands behind his back without letting the men in front of him notice.

  "Answer the question", Loys finally announced.

  "I didn't know", Cale replied immediately.

  "Come on, do you think I'm that stupid? From the moment you learned my name, you were incredibly dismissive and cautious toward me. Do you think I didn't notice? You've known for much longer than you're willing to admit, haven't you?"

  Cale was completely speechless. His entire behavior toward Jarle was solely influenced by his sword teacher, Master Paseru, and had nothing to do with the child abduction. Jarle's statement was not only wrong, but also miles away from the truth.

  "How about you stop focusing on me and answer Sir Freigoud's question instead?", Cale replied dismissively, glancing at Loys, who couldn't quite hide his surprised expression. At that moment, however, Cale remembered what he had mentioned to Loys when they first met. The reason he had come to Bellator was for the safety of certain children.

  , he thought to himself and suddenly became nervous.

  "I myself am not involved in the abductions, but I cannot speak for the rest of my family", Jarle finally confessed, keeping his gaze fixed on Cale. It almost seemed as if he was uncomfortable talking to Duke of Freigoud.

  "Explain that in more detail", Loys of Freigoud demanded.

  "It's no secret that the Mornet Highlands in the south have a large gemstone mine that makes our province so rich", Jarle began in a calm voice, but did not move. "My father and brother are the ones who take care of these mines, but a good decade ago, there was a problem. The precious gems became scarce and the entire income budget threatened to collapse. However, my father discovered something that prevented our ruin."

  "What did he discover?"

  "One of the miners had been seriously injured at work and lost a lot of blood. When my father inspected the working conditions in the mine a few days later, he discovered a completely new crystal at the spot where the man had been injured. A blood-red, evenly colored, clear crystal that the world had never seen before."

  "A Levione", Cale blurted out before a chill ran down his spine.

  He remembered the beautiful red crystal that was often worn as jewelry or adornments by noble women and men in his other lives. The crystal was the pride and joy of the Mornet family and was known throughout the world. They were as valuable as the magic crystals found in the creature planes. The same crystal he had given to Yusuf in his last life.

  "Yes, a Levione. A crystal that only exists in myths and hasn't been seen for centuries. My father discovered that his worthless crystals took on this red hue when human blood was added, thus increasing the value of the mine a hundredfold", Jarle explained dryly, finally taking his eyes off Cale. "The reason the children are disappearing is that young blood is the best way to color the crystal."

  Loys of Freigoud stood up with a powerful jerk and knocked the chair aside with such force that it was thrown against the wall and broke. He turned away from Jarle without a word when he heard the statement, while Cale didn't move an inch. The truth made Cale so sick that he had to pull himself together to keep from gagging. Cale remembered the many people who unknowingly carried a true blood crystal, for which children had given their lives.

  Suddenly, everything made much more sense. Why the children disappeared, and why he hadn't noticed anything at the time. The attack on Groka must have made Duke of Mornet afraid that his business would be discovered, which is why he had probably scaled back his work and only put the crystals up for sale in small quantities. On the other hand, it could just as well be that he had found another source of blood to nourish his crystals. However, Cale had no way of finding out what had happened in his past lifes.

  All he knew was that it was connected to the events in Groka.