Cale sat silently in his chair, looking out of the window at a large garden decorated with dozens of flowers and beautifully trimmed trees. He spotted some soldiers making their rounds through the garden, but compared to the room he was currently in, it was eerily quiet.

  "So what exactly do you expect us to do? Sit around and wait for whatever that man has to say?", one of the ministers shouted - who worked for the royal house but was ranked below Loys.

  Loys of Freigoud had been discussing the current situation with a group of men since mid-morning, after informing the king. Julius, on the other hand, was now talking with the Duke of Nihmskell, who had arrived in the capital an hour ago, along with several other soldiers. Cale didn't know what they were talking about, but he understood even less why he was still there. Had Loys forgotten that he was here?

  "That's exactly what I'm asking for", Loys retorted, and you could see in his eyes how hard he was trying to remain calm. With an amused look, Cale reached for his glass and took a sip while continuing to watch the argument between them.

  "The man kidnapped children from our province for his own profit, and you don't want to do anything about it?"

  "It's currently one person's word against another's. Without evidence, we can't do anything."

  "We have evidence!"

  "That one carriage and two completely unknown men are not evidence."

  "Well then, let's get some. If we go to Mornet..."

  "We will certainly not invade Mornet, have you lost your minds!", Loys countered, now much more sharply, causing his guests to flinch in surprise. They all found the advisor's behavior irresponsible, which had led to this argument in the first place, even though the king had explicitly said that he wanted to speak to the Duke of Mornet first.

  "If we wait any longer, what do you think will happen? He could have all the evidence destroyed in that time!"

  "We will not start a war with Mornet, and that is the end of the discussion. Go back to your work."

  "Duke of...!"

  "Leave!", Loys shouted loudly, silencing his opponents.

  The men looked at each other with dissatisfaction, but gave in and took their leave with a polite bow. Cale watched silently as the men left the office in a large stream before the last one slammed the door behind him. With a sigh, Loys slumped into his chair and sighed. For a brief moment, Cale thought the man was about to cry. Loys himself would love to have the duke executed, but his position and work meant that he had to think of the future of the country first. Simply invading another province was considered a declaration of war, and since there were three other provinces between Mornet and Sylve, including his own country, that was not an option. It would inevitably lead to a conflict between Mornet, Sylve, Nihmskell, Wittgen, and Freigoud, not to mention the other provinces when they learned what had happened and why the royal house had attacked the south. Politically speaking, it was therefore not an option, even if it meant that children might lose their lives in the meantime and Mornet would destroy all the evidence.

  "Those bastards", Cale heard the advisor say again.

  Since their conversation with Jarle that morning, Loys had not had a moment to himself and had been so angry the whole time that Cale feared he would murder someone at any moment. The fact that Loys' own staff were working against him certainly did not help, but the longer he waited, the more dangerous the situation could become. Cale understood this quite well, as Altona repeatedly had problems with such conflicts in the past, only that not so many lives and relationships were at stake. Altona had no provinces, but was a single, large country dotted with dozens of towns and villages. There were certainly disputes between cities, but it was unlikely that an entire group of cities would take action against another. This was mainly because the Eldest strictly monitored such conflicts and, in an emergency, the High-Magicians intervened to prevent a bloody confrontation. Unfortunately, Sylve did not have this option, which was both her strength and her weakness.

  Cale quietly placed his glass on the table before standing up and approaching the man, who was hunched forward in his chair, his head resting on his hands. Without a word, he stopped in front of Loys and quietly began pouring him a glass of water.

  "I'm really sorry you had to witness all of this. And for my outburst this morning too."

  "It's okay", Cale replied simply, placing the glass directly in front of Loys. "I'm not angry with you anymore, and besides, I can understand how you feel."

  "What do you think about all this?", Loys asked, gratefully taking a big sip. "What do you think I should do?"

  "I think you did everything right. Time may be our enemy, but acting recklessly would be much worse. You need knowledge to prepare yourself properly, even if that involves a certain amount of risk."

  "Sir Ad... Zod... you're being far too ambiguous again."

  Cale paused in surprise when Duke Loys suddenly stopped addressing him formally and switched to the informal form of address.

  "We can't take Mornet until we know what to expect there", Cale explained calmly. "The Duke of Mornet will certainly have made sure that the children are not easy to find. The inhabitants of Mornet would perceive us as intruders, without understanding why we are attacking. Not to mention that such an action would cause considerable mistrust among the other dukes. "

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "At least someone who understands what I'm talking about", Loys replied with a loud sigh, causing Cale to look down at the man on his right. "I should go to Julius. The poor guy has been stuck with the Duke of Nihmskell for quite some time, and the man can be... to put it mildly... exhausting."

  "He'll survive a few more minutes... Loys", Cale said cautiously, watching the duke's reaction to being called by his first name. "Take a break, eat and drink something, sort out your... your thoughts, and then go to him."

  "I shouldn’t keep him waiting. Julius hates talking to nobles more than anything", Loys explained, sitting up straight, which made Cale take a step back. The statement made him think of Aaron, which made him smile briefly before looking Loys in the eyes.

  "Then I'll go ahead, check that everything is in order, and let him know that you'll be joining us in a few minutes. What do you think?"

  Loys seemed to weigh the pros and cons for a moment before standing up and fiddling with the brooch on his uniform.

  "Okay, I'll take you up on that offer. Tell them I have something to take care of and I'll join you in 15 minutes. And... take this", Loys replied, handing him the badge he usually wore on his chest. It was the badge that every high-ranking employee of the royal palace wore to prove their identity. "But don't lose it, the coat of arms is valuable."

  "I'll take care of it", Cale replied irritably, reaching for the badge. He skillfully attached it to his white shirt, which he probably owed to his former life. "Then... I'll be on my way."

  "See you soon, and thank you... Zod."

  "You're welcome", Cale called back as he was already halfway out the door.

  With one last glance back into the office, he stepped out of the room and closed the massive door behind him before turning left and making his way through the palace. He had barely taken 10 steps when he noticed one of the shadows lingering in front of the office, following him.

  Since there was one less than when Cale had arrived, he assumed that one of the guards was following the group of people. He hadn't really paid attention to it and didn't understand why they were doing it anyway.

  He turned into the hallway and ran along a wall, from which he could see the courtyard. William was probably on the other side of the palace, but with the shadow following him, Cale didn't dare to pay his old friend a quick visit with his newly acquired rank.

  Somewhat disappointed, Cale walked toward the room where Julius Venlan was currently staying, who was being guarded by two soldiers from the royal house and three soldiers from the duke himself. The three men differed in appearance from the royal guards, who were dressed in black, as they wore blue uniforms. Cale quickly ran his fingers through his hair several times and discreetly used his magic to tidy up his appearance before arriving at the door. The two men from the royal house saluted first, followed by the three other soldiers. Without saying a word, as Cale was accustomed to doing, he knocked three times on the door and announced himself, as none of the guards knew his name.

  "Zod Adenia here, I come on behalf of the Duke of Freigoud."

  "Come in, Sir Adenia", he heard Sir Venlan's voice say, so he took a deep breath and opened the door. He quietly pushed it open a crack before entering and closing it behind him. The first person he saw was Julius, who looked at him expectantly, almost relieved, before his gaze fell on the portly duke, who was accompanied by an advisor and a soldier.

  "It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Duke Rion of Nihmskell, Sir Dolin Fem", Cale greeted the high nobleman and his advisor, who was himself a nobleman. It was thanks to Cale's persistence that he could now recognize every nobleman by his face and immediately name his name, rank, and affiliation. "My name is Zod Adenia, I work for the royal house and report to Duke Loys of Freigoud."

  "The pleasure is all ours", the duke replied politely, but there was a condescending undertone in his voice.

  Cale knew from rumors that the duke had a high opinion of himself and considered the common people to be of little value. Accordingly, he was one of those who had spoken out against the general education that Gloria of Freigoud had initiated for all children. He was also one of the nobles who had spoken out against the financing of orphanages, a fact that bothered Cale personally more than his condescending tone.

  "The Duke of Freigoud is currently busy with another matter, but he will join us in the next 15 minutes. Please forgive us for keeping you waiting."

  "No need to mention it, kid. We know that today's event is causing quite a stir in the palace", replied the duke, while Cale straightened up and twitched involuntarily.

  He had never expected to hear the term 'kid' from anyone other than Aaron. But the way the duke used the word filled him with disgust. He didn't even consider it necessary to address a commoner by name just because he didn't know him? Julius had been sitting in a room with this man for an hour? How many more of these dismissive words would he have to put up with?

  "Thank you for your understanding, Duke", Cale confirmed, biting his tongue, straightening up, and stepping behind Julius Venlan, who himself looked somewhat surprised. Cale wasn't sure if it was because of the Duke or Cale's behavior, but he seemed to be thinking his own thoughts.

  "May I ask where you come from?"

  "From Sylve, Duke. I moved to Bellator with my 6-year-old daughter at the beginning of the year", Cale tried to avoid another insult, but it didn't seem to work.

  "From Sylve? Really? You don't seem like someone who is from here."

  "I am often mistaken for a member of the Healers, but I can assure you that I have no family ties in Frignez, Duke. At least not that I am aware of."

  "I see. Your face is completely unfamiliar to me. How long have you been working for the palace?"

  "Since the beginning of summer, Duke", Cale replied honestly, as that was when he officially began working as a soldier in training for the palace.

  "A few months, then. I see. No wonder I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you before. If I may ask, how did you come to this position?"

  Cale, who stood upright behind Julius Venlan and did not flinch at the statement, clenched his hands behind his back. He was no longer used to people looking down on him like this. Sir Venlan and Sir Freigoud, even the King of Sylve, knew his worth. The Magistrat knew it too, and the chiefs, along with the Eldest and the dragons, were the only ones who truly understood the role Cale played in the future of the world. Being insulted by a fat, conceited man for his origins hurt his ego more than it should have. Presumably, Loy's behavior today had bothered him more than he wanted to admit. Since he couldn't afford to make an enemy of the duke, he swallowed his pride and replied in a dry tone.

  "Sir Freigoud challenged me to a duel and lost. That's how I came to be in this position, Duke."

  The smug expression on the man in the fine clothes disappeared after Cale gave his direct answer. Even the duke must have realized that Sir Freigoud was one of the strongest swordsmen in the country, which put his own position in a completely different light. Suddenly, he was no longer the strange, blond soldier without a title of nobility, but the swordsman who was stronger than Duke Freigoud.

  For a brief moment, Cale saw something in the rude man's eyes that could have been fear.