"I'm so sorry. I didn't expect it to be this bad...", Loys said after a long complaint about the events with Duke of Nihmskell.

  At first, Julius remained calm and said that it was bearable, but after Cale made a casual comment from his point of view, Julius literally exploded and poured out his pain. Loys seemed somewhat dismayed by the disrespectful treatment of his colleague and listened attentively to him, while glancing at Cale from time to time. The only positive news he could give Julius was that the duke was no longer interested in staying in the capital and had traveled back to his home that same day.

  With some distance between him and the two advisors, Cale sat upright in his chair, exhausted from the many things that had gone through his mind today. In between, he had contacted Fengari and told her that it was quite possible he would not be coming home today. Cale had only given her a rough outline of the events in the royal house, as he had not had time to brief her in detail. He found it far too amusing to see how upset Julius Venlan could get about a single person - when he dared to.

  "I hate to interrupt", Cale said after a while. "I think we've complained enough about Sir Nihmskell, don't you think? We have other problems to deal with right now."

  "That's right, we should take care of Mornet", Julius interjected supportively, sitting up straight as if that would influence his way of working.

  Cale, on the other hand, rubbed his neck and thought about how to choose his next words. Since Loys had been so open today, Cale had been considering for a while whether he should take the risk. After all, he wasn't sure what Loys was really thinking.

  "Loys, I have a question for you first", Cale said cautiously, seeing the surprised look on Julius Venlan's face out of the corner of his eye.

  "I'm listening."

  "Why am I here?"

  "Ah, sorry. I completely forgot that... you..."

  "You like to forget that I'm an ordinary soldier, don't you?", Cale finished when the man paused and just stared at him. "So far, I've silently complied with your request, but we both know that today I've heard things that soldiers of my rank shouldn't hear."

  "I'm aware of that", Loys confirmed, glancing hesitantly at Julius. "I apologize for causing you both such problems today."

  "No need to apologize, I'm happy to help", replied Julius.

  "Me too", added Cale. "Except I've been with you all morning and I don't really know what you expect from me. Not to mention that I'm currently absent without permission."

  "That's easy to sort out", Loys replied, glancing thoughtfully at the papers in front of him.

  Cale moved forward in his chair, still maintaining an upright and confident posture. Although Cale didn't know exactly what to expect here, the slight hesitation in Loys' voice revealed more than words could. Loys seemed to want his support. Otherwise, Cale wouldn't be here. Loys' eyes narrowed as he leafed through the papers, and for a moment he seemed almost lost in the numbers and notes.

  "I need someone to back me up", he finally said, quietly but firmly. "Someone who isn't intimidated by the rules when it comes to doing the right thing."

  "How do you imagine that? I'm just a simple soldier, nothing more."

  "We both know that's not true", Loys announced, looking up and fixing his gaze on Cale. "I would like you to work for me, Zod."

  "Work for you?", Cale repeated slowly, not taking his eyes off Loys.

  "Yes. Not as a soldier under command, but as my confidant. Someone I can rely on when decisions have to be made that not everyone understands", Loys clarified, standing up. "So, what do you think of a promotion?"

  "A promotion?", Cale repeated nervously, unable to completely suppress his joy. "I see no reason to turn down the offer."

  "Shouldn't you check with Leonhardt first, Loys?", Julius cautiously interjected.

  "Actually, I already have his consent."

  "Really?", Julius replied in surprise, and Cale felt the same way.

  "I spoke to Leonhardt after Oriann, if you remember", Loys explained, shifting his focus back to Cale. "King Leonhardt was very impressed with your honest and attentive manner, you know. I've been toying with the idea of taking you under my wing for quite some time."

  "Is that why you agreed to my request the other day?"

  "Yes", Loys confirmed. "If you work for me, you'll learn everything firsthand anyway."

  "Cheeky", Cale retorted and sighed.

  Loys was clearly more sophisticated than Cale had given him credit for. Knowing that Loys had been toying with the idea of promoting him for several weeks now cast their entire relationship in a whole new light. On the other hand, Cale couldn't for the life of him understand why Loys trusted him so much - after all, they barely knew each other. Not to mention King Leonhardt, who had only spoken to Cale once.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "Basically, our deal has turned into one-sided exploitation", Cale added, sitting up straight. "Don't expect me to treat you with kid gloves after this, Loys."

  "Is that a yes?"

  "To skip my training and dozens of promotions?", Cale said ironically. "Of course it's a yes. Tell me what to do and consider it done."

  "That's what I call motivation", Loys said with a laugh and approached Cale.

  Like old friends, the two hugged and patted each other on the shoulder, while Cale desperately tried not to show how much he really appreciated this offer. After the affectionate exchange, the men stood facing each other with smiles, while Julius, standing a little apart, also had a satisfied expression on his face.

  "All right, enough sentimentality. What's the plan?"

  "We have to find out if there's any truth to what Jarle said about Mornet."

  "So we have to find out if the children are really in Mornet - and that relatively quickly", Cale summarized the statement from a different perspective as he leaned against the table and Loys sat down on the chair in front of him.

  "Exactly."

  "So someone should go to Mornet, unnoticed, and snoop around a bit", Julius replied, ignoring the fact that Cale was using his table as a seat.

  "Exactly. I can't do it myself, that would be far too obvious. So I'd like someone I trust and know won't die trying", Loys announced, shifting his gaze between Julius and Cale. "Two specimens are sitting right in front of me."

  "It was obvious where this was going", Cale replied casually. He had suspected from the beginning that Loys was toying with this idea, even though he hadn't hinted at it.

  "Great gods, are you out of your mind?", Julius replied, causing both of them to turn to the advisor. His face had turned as white as if he had been told he had to sacrifice humans. Julius was more than aware of how risky this undertaking was and what his colleague expected of him. "We can't do that."

  "We can", Loys said hesitantly, his gaze shifting from Julius to Cale. "Even though I myself have reservations about it."

  "How many days do you think we have to find useful information?", Cale asked calmly.

  "A week at most."

  "A week?", Julius interjected, but the others ignored him.

  "Do you think it's feasible, Zod?"

  "It is, yes. We know where we need to go, but getting the information will be difficult. Especially considering that we have to keep a low profile. I'm pretty sure the duke has covered up the whole thing well so that his own people don't find out about it. So it's not without danger, Julius is right about that."

  "I see it the same way", Loys agreed with a nod. "I know I'm asking a lot. Above all, you would have to leave your daughter alone for a week."

  "I was hoping I could leave Ahri in your wife's care during that time."

  "That would be feasible. She can stay with us during that time", Loys confirmed without giving his statement much thought. Cale thoughtfully held his hand over his mouth, even if he only did so to hide his grin.

  Now that he had obtained the necessary position and didn't have to worry about his identity, it would be easy to gain trust and influence. He could reduce the originally planned five years to one year if Loys continued to be so cooperative. Today's exchange of blows had unintentionally helped him a lot, as Cale had since realized.

  "Are you really thinking about it, Zod?", Julius asked.

  "I am. Do you have a better suggestion?"

  "You do realize that one misstep could start a war, right?"

  "I've lived my whole life with that attitude, believe me", Cale replied, sighing and dropping his hand. "What do you think, Julius? Will you join the plan and come with me to Mornet?"

  "I'm not sure if I can be of any help. Especially considering that I have work waiting for me here."

  "I think you would be a great help. I'm pretty sure you already have an idea where the children might be, right?"

  Surprised, Loys turned to his colleague, who didn't say a word after the statement. Cale, on the other hand, looked down with cool eyes at the unassuming man who, to his knowledge, was one of the most intelligent personalities in Bellator. Even though he had no proof, Cale suspected that the man had his own thoughts on the matter and had done some research on where the children were. After all, one only had to follow the path of the crystals until one reached a dead end.

  "If the words of the second son are to be believed, then I do have a few ideas. For me, there are five different locations that come into question, all of which are equally inconspicuous and mysterious."

  "Five?", Loys interjected, completely astonished by the unexpected statement.

  "I can't guarantee anything. I didn't have time to look into it further."

  "It would be a good starting point, even if they turn out to be wrong. Once I'm there and Jarle has told the truth, I should be able to locate the prisoners relatively quickly", Cale explained calmly, gesturing with one hand.

  Even if he had to leave Julius alone for a few hours, he could fly over the province and use his mana sensitivity to find out where many mana sources were located.

  "Are you confident you can do that?", Julius replied.

  "Yes. It's doable."

  "Well, if you say so, then let's do it. We'll go to Mornet and try to find answers", Julius said, turning his gaze to Loys, who said nothing for a few moments and then leaned back with a sigh.

  "In the meantime, I'll keep the Duke of Mornet in Bellator and try to find out something about this route", he finally said.

  "Don't mention the crystal right away, and don't mention that Jarle gave us this information", Cale quickly added.

  "Are you worried about the duke's son?"

  "Not really, but this gives you the opportunity to keep him on a short leash. If you don't tell him everything we know right from the start, he'll probably try to talk his way out of the whole thing. However, if you tell him all the facts right away, there's a chance he'll be alarmed and desperately try to get rid of all the evidence."

  "Feed him our findings slowly, and hopefully Zod and I will have enough time to find something usefull", Julius explained. "And let King Leonhardt speak with Jarle of Mornet. Just to be on the safe side."

  Loys nodded in agreement, though Cale wasn't sure what the point of that was.

  "The sooner you go, the better. Shall I send some of my men with you?"

  "Four, yes. Anymore would be too conspicuous. But don't tell them why we're going to Mornet, just that they should follow our instructions", Cale explained calmly, already working out a plan in his head for how he would deploy the soldiers.

  "Julius?", Loys asked.

  "Do what he says. Keep annoying questions and potential pursuers off our backs if you can", he simply confirmed and stood up with those words. He clasped his hands behind his back and stepped aside, his gaze falling on the shelf on the wall. Cale followed his movement, unaware of what the man found so interesting about it. None of the three swordmasters said anything for a few moments until Julius finally spoke up again. "I guess I'm really not a normal teacher anymore, am I?"

  Cale grinned contentedly at his words and jumped to his feet as well. The next few days could be exciting, and for some inexplicable reason, he was looking forward to experiencing something new.