"Take care. We'll meet here tomorrow at the same time", announced Julius Venlan when the next morning arrived and they had reached their destination.

  The group gathered in a small wooded area near a crossroads and went through all the points one last time. They would split up into pairs and each choose a place to visit and, if possible, gather information. All three locations were a good hour away from the mine and quite remote from the rest of civilization, with an unusually large number of people having moved there in recent years. But what made these places so interesting was the fact that this was where the very first children had disappeared - years before the issue had arisen in other provinces. There were many rumors at the time, saying that at night you could sometimes hear the cries of the abducted children or that confused people appeared in the area who claimed to have seen impossible things. Every village had a similar story from the past, which made their location so intriguing to Julius.

  "Very well, Sir Venlan", the four soldiers announced in unison and bowed to their superior, before Julius dismissed the men and set off with Cale for the village of Mirok.

  It was one of the largest towns in the region and was said to have a comparatively high crime rate, which is why Julius Venlan preferred to take a look around himself. He rode his horse in silence, deep in thought, while Cale discreetly let his mana wander through the area. He spotted a few people who were outside at lunchtime, eating together. Cale couldn't tell exactly what they were doing, but he didn't sense dozens of small mana sources. So he ignored the people and followed Julius discreetly.

  Just as he was about to speak to his new colleague, Fengari interrupted him.

  <"Caleb.">

  <"Good morning, Fengari.">

  <"Sorry, I don't want to bother you for long. Do you have a minute?">

  <"Yes, what can I do for you?">

  <"I stopped by our house this morning and received a letter from Lady Naria. She would like to meet with us next week to discuss the lessons.">

  <"Both of us?">

  <"Yes">, replied the dragon happily, causing Cale to sigh.

  With the stress of the last few days, his visit to Frignez, the Magistrat's visit to Bellator, and his current mission, he had completely forgotten that there were other, less important issues. Fengari's music lessons were one of them, but Mamoru's state of mind was also still an issue. And he couldn't just ignore Cedrik either, even though he had no use for either of the two men.

  <"Did she mention a date?">

  <"End of next week.">

  <"The Magistrat is coming to Bellator, so it's possible that it will overlap. Can you ask the Eldest when exactly he will arrive? Depending on that, you can then let your teacher know. Unfortunately, I can't really ask around at the moment.">

  <"Sure, I'll do that. Thank you very much, Caleb.">

  <"I haven't done anything...">, Cale began, but Fengari had already disconnected the call. Irritated, Cale shook his head and caught up with Julius Venlan, who was staring as if in a trance at the path ahead, which was surrounded by dozens of forests and exerted a certain oppressive feeling.

  "Are you okay?", Cale asked as he rode right next to Julius, who had a rather grim expression on his face.

  "I'm fine, just a little tense."

  "I can't blame you. It's not something you do every day."

  "You, on the other hand, are the picture of calm..."

  "I'm also nervous, it just doesn't show", Cale replied honestly. Julius gave him a skeptical look, but then let it go and concentrated on the road ahead. "What do you think about finding accommodation in town and then continuing on foot?"

  "On foot?", Julius repeated, somewhat surprised, as he spotted people on the road ahead, coming towards them. From their clothes alone, it was easy to see that they were commoners who probably did some kind of dusty work, judging by the light-colored dirt on their clothes.

  "Yes, riding through the area on horseback only attracts unnecessary attention. Especially when it's the people who are most likely to give us information."

  "Sounds like a plausible plan", Sir Venlan replied, stroking the horse as the group of people approached them.

  There were four adults and a teenager who looked to be about 15. They all stared at the riders and did not respond when Julius greeted them. They passed each other without a word, which Cale found both irritating and fascinating. He caught a glimpse of their clothes and realized that the dust was actually very fine wood. It was quite possible that these men were cutting down trees and making furniture out of them. Given the abundance of forest, Cale wouldn't be surprised.

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  "Very talkative people."

  "With your grim look, I wouldn't want to talk to you either", Cale interjected ironically, pointing to his face with his hand as Julius turned to him. "Do as I do. Put on a smile, relax your posture, and don't speak so formally. Otherwise, no one will believe that you're just a traveler."

  "Do you often conceal your identity?"

  "Maybe."

  "You're a strange person", Julius replied, looking down at himself. He unbuttoned a few buttons on his dark shirt and ran his fingers wildly through his hair before taking the horse's reins in one hand and turning back to Cale with a feigned grin. "Better?"

  "Better", Cale confirmed amusedly as the man changed from a highly educated official to a vagrant. "You learn quickly."

  "Since when did I become your student?"

  "Quite a while ago, or am I mistaken?", Cale replied, tilting his head.

  "I guess I missed that."

  "I'll teach you my tricks, so you're welcome to call me Master Adenia."

  "No way."

  "Oh, why not? It would be fun."

  "It would be weird. What would people think if they found out that a teacher was still being taught himself?"

  "There's nothing wrong with that. You learn throughout your whole life, Julius."

  Julius had no answer to that.

  "Besides that… have you ever had students before us?", Julius changed the subject in an unexpected direction. Cale fell silent abruptly and tightened his grip before putting on his usual smile. Just as he was about to evade the question with a counter-question, Julius interrupted. "I realize I shouldn't have asked that. I'm sorry."

  Cale stared wide-eyed at the man who had seen right through his facade. He hadn't said much, so how had Julius figured him out so quickly? Or had the man slowly developed a sense of how Cale behaved when he was uncomfortable with something?

  "It's okay", he finally replied, looking straight ahead. "I'm not a good teacher, I know. I lack the patience to teach people who have no interest in the subject at all."

  "So you were... a teacher too?"

  "You could say that. A long time ago, I taught numerous people about the creatures, and I also had some young Anuxers whom I taught personally. Only... unfortunately... that didn't prevent their deaths. That's why Loys and you are a big exception, so feel honored."

  "You didn't have to tell me that, I'll do it anyway", Julius replied meekly.

  "Well, that's good then", Cale replied and yawned before he could sense dozens of mana sources in the distance.

  They were getting closer to the village, and he could see the wooden walls surrounding it. There was a lot of activity inside, and the voices grew louder and louder with every meter. Cale didn't see any actual guards or soldiers in general, but that didn't stop him from taking a close look at the people in front of him. He spotted a group of women leaving the village together and turning west, while a few from the opposite direction entered together and headed straight for the center of town. He noticed some shabby-looking people squatting on the street, while others carried large boxes on their shoulders.

  "There really are no horses here", Julius stated the obvious. Even though the province of Mornet was generally recognized as a rich state, there still seemed to be a gap between rich and poor. Mirok definitely seemed like a village at the other end of the spectrum.

  Without comment, Cale pulled his hood over his head and walked through the open gate without encountering any problems. Some people gave them irritated looks, but most ignored their presence as if they were used to it. Cale slowly trotted his horse toward the large intersection ahead, where a wooden board was attached and dozens of people were standing in front of it. He noticed that sheets of paper were attached to it and suspected that it might be an outdated message board. Although he couldn't read what exactly was written on it, the sheer abundance of notes and curious passers-by reinforced his assumption.

  "Zod."

  Julius spoke up a few minutes later and nodded toward a house built of reddish stones. Sure enough, a horse was tied up in front of it, which somewhat relieved Cale that they weren't the only ones. The words 'Rooms and Canteen' were written in large letters on the wall of the house, so they moved toward the building. With a deft movement, Cale swung himself off the horse's back and tied it next to the stranger's mount, and Julius did the same. He released some mana and realized that some people inside were having lunch outside and people were sleeping in various rooms one floor above them. Some were sleeping together, some even on the floor.

  "Will you let me speak?", Cale began quietly as he stepped forward and approached the door with Julius.

  "If you want. Do you have something specific in mind?"

  "I want to make a certain impression", Cale replied without batting an eyelid. He swung the large door open in a high arc and shouted in a feigned, friendly voice, "Man, I'm glad to have a roof over my head again. I'm starving."

  "Good afternoon, gentlemen", a woman replied who was busy wiping down the tables.

  "Good afternoon, wonderful weather we're having, isn't it? My friend and I have been traveling for weeks and have gotten a little lost. Do you have a room available for us and something to eat?"

  "Of course, please take a seat, I'll bring you the menu right away."

  "Thank you very much", Cale exclaimed euphorically and took a seat at the table the lady had pointed out to them. Julius followed suit with a completely pale expression on his face, as if he had seen something he thought was impossible. He seemed to condemn Cale for his behavior, but didn't say a word because the waitress reappeared behind them at that very moment.

  "Here you are. You must be exhausted from your long journey."

  "We are. Ah, I completely forgot. We have horses with us. Can we board them with you?"

  "We have a barn behind the house where we can accommodate your animals."

  "Very nice, things can only get better. Can you recommend something from the menu?"

  "I can recommend number 3. My husband prepares the best barbecue in town."

  "Well, you don't have to tell me twice. Then my friend and I will both have number 3 and let ourselves be surprised."

  "Very well, sir."

  "And a large beer."

  "Of course. What can I get you?", the woman replied politely, turning her gaze to Julius, who seemed visibly overwhelmed by the situation.

  "I'll have a glass of water, please."

  "Coming right up", announced the strange lady and disappeared from the table as quickly as she had arrived.

  Cale leaned back in his chair and exhaled deeply, while Julius rested his elbows on the table and looked at him seriously. Cale, on the other hand, who had witnessed the behavior of travelers for years, grinned from ear to ear and fanned himself with the menu as if it was the most best thing in the world.