"There is every reason to believe the killer is among us," Katrina repeated, and murmurs rippled through the assembled soldiers. Everyone was stunned, casting suspicious glances at those around them.

  "Which is why, effective immediately, no one leaves these walls without permission from one of us." The old man nodded toward his granddaughter. "Throughout the day, we will question each of you. Any unusual behavior from anyone is to be reported to me at once. Questions?"

  There were none.

  "Dismissed!"

  "Günther, Maximilian — you're with me," Katrina stopped the mage and me. Gera didn't appreciate the attention her mistress was giving me, but she kept quiet, merely boring a hole in the back of my head with her glare.

  Katrina led us to a room everyone had taken to calling the Council Chamber. Originally a dining room, it had been converted into a meeting space for the leadership after some furniture was removed. The table was buried under papers and maps, one of which was a detailed map of County Vular.

  "So who was killed?" Günther asked right away.

  "Kaltar, from the Lord Commander's squad. Multiple stab wounds to the abdomen. Likely hit the liver."

  "The abdomen?" The mage thought about it. "If he let the killer get that close, there's a good chance he knew them."

  "Could've been one of the servants," I suggested, earning an attentive look from Katrina.

  "That was the first theory," she answered. "But we'd already dismissed most of the servants before his death. Only three kitchen women remained, and they were practically chained to the kitchen scrubbing dishes all night. Multiple witnesses confirm it."

  "Speaking of which, my lady," the mage caught himself. "What's he doing here?"

  That question stumped me too. Fair point — what was I doing here? I wasn't a full member of the squad, whatever anyone said. First I needed to be taken to the Order of the Swallow's main headquarters in Trilor and registered. Only then would I officially be part of the Order.

  "I decided we could use an extra pair of hands," she shrugged.

  "Still, there's something we should clarify first," the mage disagreed, turning to me. "Where were you after you left the back courtyard?"

  "Went to my room," I answered. "Spent the whole night there. Gera can confirm it."

  "You're sure about that? What if she stepped out while you were sleeping?"

  "I'm a light sleeper," I found an answer. "I would've heard the door opening or someone moving around."

  "Fine," Katrina waved it off. She clearly didn't believe the murder was my handiwork. And really — why would I stab someone with a knife multiple times when I could snap a person's neck without breaking a sweat? With my current strength. "Günther, my grandfather is going to interrogate everyone. Keep an eye on him, please. If anything gets problematic, come get me immediately. He can get a little overzealous trying to get to the truth."

  "Understood," the mage nodded. "Absolutely."

  "Then you're free to go," the girl said, turning to face the large window that offered a decent view of the back courtyard. "But you, Maximilian, stay. I want to discuss something else."

  The golden-haired beauty was in no rush to continue, though — she waited until Günther's footsteps had receded considerably.

  "Since last evening, I've been having strange sensations," she frowned.

  "Like what?" Telepathy wasn't exactly on my list of abilities.

  "First there was thirst, but no matter how much I drank, it wouldn't go away. And then some light sensitivity. Direct sunlight feels like needles pricking my skin. Nothing dangerous, but quite unpleasant."

  As she spoke, the girl was clearly worried — the way she furrowed her brows was almost too cute. After hearing her confession, I just smirked.

  "What are you laughing at?!" she snapped.

  "Relax," I tried to calm her down. "It's normal. Most likely, the meat last night was undercooked."

  "Meat?" Her eyebrows climbed upward.

  "Yeah. Better to avoid poorly cooked meat. The blood in it acts as a catalyst, but since there's not much of it and it's not human, the body's reaction is fairly mild. The thirst and sun sensitivity will pass. Just give it time."

  "So…" she sighed. "I really am like you."

  "Yes, and it's genuinely surprising. I've never heard of anything like this." I thought about it. "By all rights, you should've become a regular vampire, but you're like me."

  "I'm a monster," she muttered.

  "It's not that bad," I tried to encourage her. "Do you feel the urge to rip someone's throat out and drink their blood?"

  "No…" she answered thoughtfully.

  "There you go. So don't fill your head with unnecessary worries. Yes, there's a part of a vampire in you now, but if you don't feed it, you won't even remember it's there."

  "You're a terrible comforter," she smirked, but her expression said she'd actually calmed down. Who knows what she might've imagined — that she was turning into a vampire and would soon start attacking people. Good thing she'd talked to me before doing something stupid. "So it'll pass?"

  "Possibly by tomorrow," I told her. "It's unpleasant, sure, but compared to real hunger, it's nothing."

  "Real hunger?" she asked, interested.

  "Yeah," I nodded. "Real hunger — or thirst, call it what you want — is far worse than what you're feeling now. It's like hellfire in your stomach, burning you from the inside. Your muscles start aching horribly, like they're being ripped out of you. And feeling that pain, you'd do anything to make it stop. Even sink your teeth into your best friend's throat. Or a family member's."

  "Scary things you're telling me, Max," she said in a strange tone, watching me through narrowed green eyes.

  "I'm just saying — don't blow this out of proportion. Sudden, unquenchable thirst can appear on its own. Same with light sensitivity. Even if you've eaten nothing but plants for a year. I think it's the body's way of reminding itself what it really is. You just have to ride these periods out. Drink more water, stay out of the sun, and in a day or two you'll feel normal again. That's how it works for me, at least."

  "Alright," she nodded. "You've calmed me down a bit."

  "Good."

  "My grandfather is definitely going to want to interrogate you."

  "Ugh…" I sighed.

  "Don't say more than you need to, okay? You're not involved in the murder — I know that. Just act like you don't know anything and stick to your story. Without evidence, he can't do anything to you. I won't let him."

  "Why is he so fixated on me, anyway?" I protested. "I haven't done anything to him! If anything, I saved you."

  "That's just how he is," the beauty answered. "The moment he latches onto some small detail, he can't resist the temptation to dig out what's underneath. Also, he may have felt the same thing I did when we first met."

  "So what am I supposed to do?"

  "Nothing. Unless you tell him yourself what happened, he'll never find out. But he won't stop pressuring you, hoping you'll crack."

  "Don't crack. Got it," I nodded.

  "Good boy," she smiled sweetly, and then did something I absolutely, completely did not expect.

  She kissed me.

  On her own initiative.

  With undisguised desire and passion that set my blood boiling.

  But the kiss ended just as suddenly as it had begun. She pulled back, and her gaze darted around the room with a hint of confusion.

  "Sorry," she said. "You can go."

  And she turned to the window, making it clear the conversation was over. I stood there looking stupid for a moment, trying to process what had just happened, then headed for the door. But right at the exit, Katrina called out. "Max, send Gera in. I have work for her, and I want to verify your alibi while I'm at it."

  "Of course," I answered, stepping out.

  The conversation with Lady de Shinro left mixed impressions. On one hand, I really didn't like the attention from her grandfather. No idea how to change that. On the other, my relationship with the paladin had clearly become much friendlier. She still didn't let me address her casually in front of others, but the old dismissive tone was gone.

  Did that mean I'd become "one of hers"? Like Günther and the rest of the squad. Good question. And then that kiss… What did it mean? A side effect of her sharpened vampiric nature, or something more? Maybe I should've asked directly instead of running away.

  I hadn't even left the building when Rol intercepted me, eager to pump me for information and share his own.

  "Max! There you are!" he exclaimed. "Can you believe there's an actual murderer walking among us?!"

  "Most people here are killers," I shrugged. "I've killed too, you know."

  "That's not what I mean!" the kid protested. "Dark mages and demons are one thing — but a fellow member of the Order!" Then he switched almost immediately to the next question. It was remarkable how effortlessly he did that. "Has the Lord Commander called you in for questioning yet?"

  "No. But I'm sure it's just a matter of time."

  "I already went. Terrifying man, honestly. Our commander is such a beauty, and this guy… feels like he's crawling into your head through your eyes. I wouldn't want to serve under him."

  "Same."

  "But on the other hand," the kid continued, "he's a living legend who's defeated hundreds of powerful dark mages and put down hordes of demons. You could follow a man like that straight into Inferno without fearing for your life."

  "Is that all you needed me for?" I asked.

  "Why, are you in a hurry?"

  "Sleep," I answered honestly.

  "Seriously?! Sleep in a situation like this?"

  "Exactly," I told him, and as if to prove it, let out a luxurious yawn.

  "You're unbelievable…" he groaned. "I couldn't close my eyes in a situation like this. There's a killer among us!"

  "I'm not Sherlock Holmes, and I'm not the killer in question, so let other people run around like headless chickens looking for him. I'll be resting."

  I waved him goodbye and was heading toward my quarters when Torig intercepted me.

  "Max, the Lord Commander wants to see you. Let's go."

  Resistance was pointless, so I sighed in defeat and followed him to the "interrogation room." In reality, it was a perfectly ordinary room stripped of all furniture except two chairs and a table. On one side sat Katrina's grandfather; on the other, naturally, was where I was supposed to sit.

  He interrogated me with everything he had, nitpicking every possible detail. Just as the golden-haired paladin had warned. He even asked about my world, probing certain topics and seemingly trying to catch me in a lie.

  Sometimes questions repeated, but he'd rephrase them and drop them in unexpectedly, apparently trying to catch me off guard.

  He tortured me for probably over an hour, and by the end I was thoroughly wrung out. Throughout, the old man kept scribbling in a notebook — unclear whether for his own reference or to make me nervous. This grandfather should've been catching spies, not fighting demons. He clearly had a talent for it.

  "Fine. You're free," the old man said curtly when he'd exhausted every interrogation method short of actual torture. And that was it. Not a word about his observations or what he'd been scrawling.

  Despite all the ordeal, I was no less sleepy, so before Rol could launch another "verbal assault," I needed to hide in my room and sleep. I didn't think anything else extraordinary would happen today.

  The room was empty, so I immediately stretched out on the mattress and sank into sleep — only to be jolted awake by a painful, all-too-familiar kick.

  "What are you doing?!" I exclaimed, seeing Gera standing over me.

  She was staring at me with a strange, unblinking gaze. Then she dropped to her knees and pressed a knife to my throat.

  "Talk," she said, continuing to stare. She was always weird, but this was weird even for her.

  "Hey! That's dangerous!" I cried, but she only pressed the cold blade harder against my neck.

  "One more word that isn't an answer, and I'll slit your carotid."

  "Okay…" I muttered, deciding to play along. I didn't know what had gotten into her, but I very much wanted to find out.

  "Did you meet with Lady Katrina and the Lord Commander today?"

  "Yes."

  "Did they say anything about the Advisor?"

  "What Advisor?" I didn't understand, and immediately felt the blade nick my skin.

  "I ask the questions," Gera said. "Did they say anything about the Advisor?"

  "Alright, that's enough," I snorted, pushing the girl away. And that's when she went completely haywire. The instant I did it, Gera went feral. She lunged at me with the knife, trying to kill me. I dodged nimbly, and once I realized this was no joke, I pinned her down. But even then the girl kept thrashing and trying to bite me.

  Was she the killer? No way — she'd been with me all night!

  After tying her hands and feet, I immediately reported to Katrina. The news that Gera had attacked me with a knife shocked her, but her grandfather reacted with surprising urgency. He immediately took a group of soldiers and moved the girl to the basement, where they put her in chains.

  "Did she ask you anything?" Lord de Shinro asked once Gera was shackled.

  "Something about an Advisor," I answered honestly, since there was no point hiding it.

  "Good thing you didn't kill her, just tied her up," he praised me.

  "Are you going to torture her?" I asked.

  "No," he shook his head. "That won't be necessary. Shali, your turn." The old man nodded to a young woman with short chestnut hair. As I understood it, she was his right hand and also a mage. Attractive, but nothing more. Nowhere close to Katrina's beauty.

  The female mage approached Gera, rolled her onto her stomach, and bared her back. Then spells began flowing from her fingers, and I saw something strange and deeply unsettling. Between the girl's shoulder blades, along her spine, something began to move. I'd only seen things like this in movies — like a bug crawling under the skin.

  "There it is," the woman smiled, as if this wasn't her first rodeo and she considered it perfectly normal. Günther, however, raised an eyebrow in surprise. Apparently even for him, this was an extraordinary sight.

  Meanwhile, the sorceress immobilized the "bug" with magic, then drew a small dagger from her belt, carefully cut the skin, and extracted an unknown creature from the wound.

  "Grandfather!" Katrina began urgently, staring at the disgusting, larva-like thing. "I want an explanation!"

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "Of course, of course," he nodded. "But let's have the extras leave first." He shot brief glances at me and Günther.

  "Günther is my lieutenant. He stays," the paladin declared immediately.

  "I'm not going anywhere either!" I stepped forward, hands on my hips. "Gera nearly killed me, and until I get an explanation, I'm staying!"

  "I think your squire, my dear, needs a few lashes of the whip. He's getting above himself."

  "I don't see a problem," Katrina unexpectedly took my side. "Max was genuinely attacked and deserves an explanation. Not to mention that I trust him."

  "Trust him?" The old man scoffed. "He's the last person you should trust. But fine — if you want him here, so be it. If he's behind all this, it'll be easier to grab him."

  "Behind what?" I didn't follow.

  "An intelligence leak," the old man said coldly. "We have a mole."

  "Come on, that's impossible," Katrina disagreed, but seeing her grandfather was completely serious, she fell deep into thought.

  "You suspect Gera?"

  "No," the female mage spoke up, getting to her feet. "Gera is merely a victim of this person. As was Kaltar."

  "So the traitor killed your man?"

  "No," the old man shook his head. "I killed Kaltar."

  "What?!" Katrina exclaimed, staring at her relative. "Then what was the point of all those interrogations and everything else?"

  "It's fairly simple," the Lord Commander began to explain. "Our enemy is a mage capable of using bugs for mind control. A rare and tricky form of magic, but it has specific limitations."

  "Such as?" Günther asked with interest, moving closer to the woman and examining the unusual larva in her hands.

  "He can only control one person at a time. If he implants two or more control bugs simultaneously, he risks severe physical and magical exhaustion. Potentially fatal."

  "So you killed one of your own men because he was being controlled?" Katrina asked. "Are you out of your mind?"

  "That's exactly right. I feared the enemy mage would obtain information about one of the Advisors."

  "I don't understand," she blinked in surprise. "What do the Advisors have to do with this?"

  "It so happens that I was simultaneously overseeing an important mission concerning one of those Advisors."

  "Who are these Advisors?" I couldn't contain myself.

  "Care to explain to your squire?" the old man asked, looking at his granddaughter. She sighed and turned to me.

  "You know Trilor is governed by the Council of Three?"

  "I've heard," I confirmed.

  "Well. We're talking about one of the councilors. But there's one critical detail. The Advisor must not die before transferring their authority."

  "Why?"

  "Promise you won't tell anyone?"

  "Of course."

  "I'm serious. You've given your word, and breaking it means losing your tongue."

  "I understand."

  "The Advisors simultaneously serve as conduits of divine power. Anos, the great Light patron of our state, channels power to paladins through them. When a knight receives the title of paladin, they must receive the blessing of one of the Advisors. If an Advisor dies, the paladins they've blessed lose their powers."

  "That's extremely serious…"

  "Obviously, the situation is correctable — their successor can re-bless all the paladins who lost their powers. But imagine what happens if a paladin loses their abilities in the middle of a battle."

  "Yeah, that wouldn't go well…" I agreed.

  "Not to mention it would require recalling dozens of squads from across the country."

  "And this information is really that valuable?"

  "Yes. It would enable a strike against one of the Advisors, and if I hadn't killed my subordinate, the mage would most likely have gotten what he wanted."

  "Then I understand why Gera was asking me about the Advisor," it clicked. "The mage must've thought I'd been entrusted with that information. Or something useful that could lead to it."

  "And we can use that," the old man mused, scratching his clean-shaven chin.

  "Meaning…?"

  "You see, Maximilian, the control technique doesn't work on mages, since their internal energy structure would burn out the bug within an hour of implantation. So everyone in this room except you is safe."

  "And? I don't follow."

  "Most likely, the mage will try something again, and you're the best candidate for infiltration."

  "Wait! But I have magical abilities too! Günther can confirm!"

  "Having magical abilities doesn't equal actively using them," Katrina's deputy disagreed. "As I understood from speaking with Günther, you haven't yet formed your magical core."

  "That's right — he's only approaching it," our mage nodded.

  "Precisely," Shali confirmed. "It affects the control, but in your case the mage could control you for several days before the implanted organism burns out."

  "Absolutely not!" I protested. "I'm not letting that thing inside me!"

  "That won't be necessary," the old man said. "We don't need him to actually take control of you — we just need him to try."

  "So I'm bait?"

  "Exactly," Lord Commander de Shinro agreed.

  "What about Gera? Maybe when she comes to, she can identify the mage?" I immediately latched onto another idea.

  "No," the female mage answered. "She most likely won't remember the few hours before the attack. This mage knows how to cover his tracks."

  "I refuse to believe there's no other way," I pressed. "Can't you track him by his aura or something?"

  "Only at the moment of casting. This wizard is quite cunning and clearly no novice. He can conceal his abilities so well that detecting him through normal means is nearly impossible."

  "Wonderful…" I drawled, scratching the back of my head. "Just — if things go sideways, please try to just knock me out. Okay?"

  "Of course," the old man nodded. Katrina, however, looked worried. And rightly so. If the mage took control of me, he'd have a rather powerful living weapon on his hands. And yet, she didn't say a word against using me as bait. A little hurtful, honestly. Or maybe deep down she wanted this? For me to just die and the problem to solve itself? But then again, she'd kissed me.

  Women. How do you even figure them out?

  "So what exactly am I in for?" I asked. "He'll try to implant a bug in me? Are there any covert ways to prevent it?"

  "No methods exist — at least none that wouldn't arouse suspicion."

  "Great…" I sighed.

  "Don't worry, kid. We'll be watching you. If anything happens, we'll just extract the bug."

  "But if I manage to grab him first, we're good?"

  "Yes, more than good," the old man nodded.

  Now that plan I liked a bit better. The thought of something foreign crawling around inside my body made me sick.

  They decided to keep Gera under guard for the time being. Not so much from concern she might still be controlled, but so the mage hiding among us would know for certain that re-controlling her wasn't an option.

  I still couldn't believe there was an actual spy in our midst. Knife fights were one thing — maybe two soldiers had a disagreement and one stabbed the other. But an actual agent trying to steal state secrets?

  What I didn't understand was why Lord de Shinro had even needed to come here in the first place. Too much strange and contradictory information. Why had this mysterious mind-controlling mage suddenly appeared at this exact time and place? And I still wasn't clear which squad the spy belonged to — ours or his. I suspected his.

  My thoughts were tangled, but I decided I was getting in too deep. I was nobody in this world, and their internal politics weren't my concern. Whether this spy stole the intelligence or not, I couldn't care less. All that mattered was coming out alive and in one piece.

  To my relief, nobody bothered me for the rest of the day. Even the annoying Rol had vanished somewhere. So I got to sleep my fill. Though the chatty young man showed up in the morning and was quite surprised to find I'd barricaded my door.

  I obviously didn't tell him a mind-controlling traitor-mage might come calling. I just said I hadn't appreciated him barging in yesterday.

  "But you were alone!" he said, surprised. "What if Gera had wanted to come in?"

  "I would've opened for her," I shrugged.

  The morning brought group training that everyone attended, though the recruits got it especially hard. Besides the now-routine laps around the estate, they made us do a whole battery of exercises.

  Then Torig, now walking around with his arm in a sling, decided to organize sparring matches. He assigned the pairs himself, and whether by design or ignorance, my partner was Unar. The big kid whose jaw I'd broken.

  The way he looked at me as he picked up the wooden sword… If it had been real, I wouldn't be surprised if he'd actually tried to kill me and called it an accident afterward.

  "Fight to first blood!" Torig announced.

  First blood? With wooden swords? You could beat someone to death without drawing a drop. Where there's a will, there's a way. Or was that the point?

  Unar received this news with suspicious enthusiasm. He adjusted his grip on the wooden blade and bared his teeth. Thought he could settle the score? Then he was a complete idiot who didn't understand the gap in our abilities.

  His attack was pretty sudden — without vampiric reflexes, I'd have struggled to deflect it. Physically, I was stronger and faster than this kid, but my actual swordsmanship left much to be desired.

  After parrying his attack, I launched an immediate counter, but he seemed to anticipate it. He spun and cracked me hard across the thigh.

  "Not so tough now, huh?" my opponent smirked.

  "Enjoy it while it lasts," I answered, settling into the fighting stance Katrina had taught me. The combo she'd drilled into me wasn't enough for victory, but it was better than nothing.

  His next strike was just as fast. He was nowhere near Katrina's level, but the kid definitely had fencing experience. Someone had trained him before.

  My own modest attacks usually ended in punishment. Every time I swung, Unar managed to parry and counter. My counters usually resulted in more damage to me.

  As galling as it was to admit, he was head and shoulders above me in swordplay. And the kid knew it too. Grinning ear to ear, savoring the humiliation of the fearsome "demon-slayer."

  At some point I just snapped. I stopped holding back and poured most of my strength into the next swing. The result exceeded all expectations. Both wooden swords exploded into splinters, and the kid was thrown back about two meters. He wasn't smirking anymore. No — his eyes were full of fear.

  Torig immediately rushed over. Unar was already looking at me nervously. The sword had injured his hand, blood dripping from it.

  "I'm done," I said curtly, tossing aside the wooden handle that remained of the training weapon, and walked away. Enough training for today.

  "Recruit!" Torig called after me, but I didn't react. I was technically Katrina's squire, which meant I answered only to her. Besides, the rules said fight to first blood. I'd drawn it.

  Despite my abrupt departure, nobody hassled me, and I was grateful for that. Once the adrenaline ebbed, I realized I'd gone too far. I'd lost control for a moment, and that wasn't good. Being capable of that kind of strike — that clearly wasn't normal.

  "Maximilian, follow me," Katrina ordered, catching me leaving the mess hall. Sighing, I trailed after her. Alone in the Council Chamber, she sat down, crossed her legs, and gave me a questioning look. "So what happened at the training grounds?"

  "I lost control a little," I admitted.

  "Yes, I noticed. Torig talked my ear off about it, as if I don't have enough on my plate already."

  "It wasn't intentional. It's just that Unar and I have history, and being paired up, he decided to prove he was better."

  "And you decided to kill him for it?"

  "What? No!"

  "I'm joking," she smiled with just the corners of her lips, and I caught myself thinking she was simply enchanting. That I was drowning in her gorgeous emerald eyes. And she seemed to notice. "Is there something on my face?"

  "Huh? No… no! Everything's fine!"

  "Sure? Because you're staring like I've grown a mustache."

  "Were you supposed to?" I feigned surprise.

  "You're about to get hit with something heavy, squire," she said, and she was completely serious.

  "Sorry," I smiled at her, then blurted out something I hadn't planned to say at all. It just came out. "Want to go somewhere together?"

  "Go somewhere? What are you talking about, Max?" The girl didn't quite understand.

  "You know, wherever a guy and a girl usually go together?"

  "Ah, that's what you mean," Katrina nodded, but wasn't rushing to answer. "If I decide I want to go somewhere, I'll be sure to let you know." Then she returned to the previous topic. "Next time, try to keep it together. A normal person shouldn't possess that kind of strength. And it would've been one thing at another time, but right now my grandfather is here. He already suspects you. Don't give him more ammunition, okay?"

  "I'll try," I sighed. "Am I free now?"

  "No. Sit in the chair in the corner and don't interfere," Katrina said, then began working with the papers spread across the table. Reading some things, marking others with a quill on parchment.

  "Uh…" I lingered, still standing.

  "What?" The paladin frowned, turning to me. "Which part of 'sit in the chair in the corner and don't interfere' was unclear?"

  "I understood perfectly. I just don't understand why."

  "You don't need to," she sighed. "I deliberately pulled you aside publicly so the mage knows you're in the Council Chamber."

  "You want him to think I'm deeply involved in your and Lord de Shinro's affairs?" I guessed, covering my head with my hands.

  "Glad you're not completely stupid," she nodded, returning to her papers. "So be a darling and don't interfere."

  "Fine, fine…"

  Sitting in a chair waiting while Katrina worked was mind-numbingly boring. At one point I decided to meditate, which killed about half an hour. But when I asked if I could go, the beauty gave me a firm "no."

  "Tell me, Katrina — why don't you think I'm the traitor-mage?" I decided to voice what had been nagging me.

  "You? You may be a halfblood, but you're definitely not a mage. Too dumb for that."

  She didn't even seem to notice I'd addressed her informally this time.

  "Now that's just hurtful."

  "Fine, I'll tell you something. My grandfather wasn't sent to hunt vampires by accident. I've long suspected there was a traitor in my squad, but I couldn't say who exactly. We walked into an ambush just a little over a month ago under very suspicious circumstances. That's when I became certain it wasn't coincidence. Grandfather's arrival is actually part of a plan to flush the traitor out."

  "So your reaction to his surprise visit was an act?" I guessed.

  "Exactly."

  "And the valuable Advisor intelligence is also part of the plan."

  "Correct."

  "Still, this all seems overly complicated. Couldn't they have come up with something simpler?"

  "It's much worse than you think, Maximilian."

  "Oh?" My interest was piqued.

  "Catching the traitor is only part of the plan. The real problem is bigger. Most likely, one of the Order of the Swallow's high-ranking officers is working for the enemy, which is how the mage ended up in my squad."

  "The enemy? Who specifically?" Everyone kept saying "traitor" this and "traitor" that, but I still didn't know who they worked for. Dark mages seemed too disorganized to properly exploit this kind of information.

  "That's a question for my grandfather — he's the one hunting traitors. My job is simple: assist and hunt dark creatures. But I think it's either Yundor or the Empire."

  "Full-on spy games…"

  "Trilor has many enemies," Katrina shrugged.

  "Alright. Different question then. Why can't this 'bigwig' —" I pointed upward, indicating the Order's leadership "— just get the information themselves?"

  "You don't understand the Order's command structure. We have clear divisions of responsibilities and access. If someone in leadership starts poking around outside their jurisdiction, it's immediately noticed and questions get asked. It's much easier to get information through subordinates without exposing yourself."

  "Makes sense," I nodded. It actually did, though personally I thought using important intelligence as bait to flush out a spy was extremely risky. But that wasn't my call. As I'd said — I personally didn't care if one of the Advisors got killed.

  At that moment, the door opened and Katrina's grandfather appeared. He looked first at her, then at me, and said:

  "He's already here? Excellent."

  "What about the girl?" Katrina asked.

  "She's come to. As we expected, she remembers nothing. Though her initial reaction to the chains was somewhat disproportionate."

  "She's a former slave of the long-ears," the girl explained.

  "That explains it." Then the Lord Commander turned to me and pondered something. "We don't have much time, so we act today."

  "How?" the paladin asked.

  "It's fairly obvious. We announce to everyone that Gera turned out to be the killer, and send our young man on a secret mission."

  "What mission?" I was surprised. "And anyway, can you really pin a murder on Gera?!"

  "It's a temporary measure — to justify lifting the lockdown on leaving the residence."

  "You want me to leave, and the mage to attack, thinking I have secret intelligence?" I guessed, clutching my head.

  "Sharp," the old man approved. "Exactly. You'll set off, and the traitor will most likely try to intercept you."

  "And if he sends a puppet after me instead?" I suggested.

  "Possible, but there's an important caveat. According to Shali, the control range is limited to a couple hundred meters. So worst case, the mage will be hiding somewhere nearby. Best case—"

  "He'll personally participate in the ambush."

  "Precisely."

  "Let me guess — I don't have a choice?" I asked, just to be sure.

  "You're a convict serving the Order. Of course you can't refuse."

  "Be careful, Maximilian. He may try to kill you or wound you critically. We won't be able to help you quickly," the girl warned, and I was grateful for at least that much concern. From the old man's tone, I understood that if things went sideways, they'd prioritize catching the mage over helping me. Wonderful.

  "It's fine," I sighed, thanking every god that I wasn't an ordinary human. If I were a normal mortal, I'd have died several times over by now.

  "This evening we'll give your squire a horse and send him on his way. We'll follow under an invisibility cloak. Shali can create one."

  "Um, there's one problem. I can't ride."

  "What?" This clearly didn't fit the Lord Commander's plan. "You're kidding!"

  "Well, that's how it is."

  "I'll teach him," Katrina stepped in.

  "Make it fast! We're running out of time."

  With that, the meeting ended. Katrina took me to the stables for a crash course in horseback riding. To avoid attracting attention, most of the personnel were sent to train on the other side of the grounds.

  Unfortunately, I'd been picturing the wrong kind of training with Katrina. On the way to the stables, I was imagining romantic horseback rides and similar nonsense. Instead, all I got were bruises and the warrior's furious glare. She wasn't about to coddle me, and no wonder — catching a spy was at stake.

  In the end, I managed to learn to sit in the saddle passably and ride at a slow pace.

  "How'd it go?" the girl's grandfather asked toward evening.

  "It'll do," Katrina said, lips tight. Clearly she wasn't satisfied with the results, but time was against us.

  The old man shared his own progress. He and Günther had staged a little performance, ensuring most of the soldiers overheard that I was being sent to Trilor with important intelligence.

  Personally, I thought it was a clumsy and obvious method, but they believed it would work. Fine. Worst case, I'd just waste a day riding around the countryside.

  Then they briefed me on the route and gave me a small map I supposedly couldn't get lost with. After that, they returned my elven sword, fitted me with leather armor, put me on a horse, and sent me on my way.

  I rode slowly, still horribly unsteady in the saddle, secretly hoping the spy wouldn't fall for this Advisor-intelligence scheme. That he'd wonder: why would they entrust important information to this kid instead of one of Katrina's trusted people?

  The paladin naturally had a perfectly reasonable explanation: the old man couldn't send any of his people because they still had vampires to chase. As for Katrina's people, she wanted to use this mission to build my reputation. I'd already tangled with vampires, contributed significantly to killing the executioner demon. If I could complete a critical state-level mission, they might give me an officer's rank straight away. And Katrina herself would get a commendation, since I was her squire.

  And yet… I really, really hoped the mysterious enemy wouldn't bother chasing me.

  The first half hour passed relatively calmly. I knew that close to the estate full of Order soldiers, there was little to fear. But the farther I rode, the more anxious I became.

  Yes, I had vampiric abilities — which, incidentally, were already fading. A few drops of blood to halt the degradation would've been nice, but thanks to the lockdown, I hadn't been able to visit the butcher. And worst of all, my opponent was a mage! One solid spell and it was game over.

  Katrina had given me a protective amulet but immediately warned it would only block weak spells, and only once or twice depending on the magic's strength. I shouldn't rely on it too much, since they had no idea how powerful this mage was.

  I saw ambushes in every shadow, but each time it turned out to be my imagination. And wouldn't you know it, the road I'd been told to take was barely traveled. Once darkness fell, I didn't see a single soul.

  That was probably the plan, but it brought me zero comfort.

  The danger came from where I least expected it. At some point I heard a click nearby, and the next instant my horse collapsed like its legs had been cut from under it. I was thrown from the saddle and only by some miracle didn't break my neck. It probably wouldn't have killed me, but being paralyzed for an extended period wasn't exactly a party.

  I leaped to my feet and scanned the area — no one in sight. But I noticed a crossbow bolt protruding from the dying horse's flank. Not good.

  I missed the next crossbow shot. It struck me square in the back. Though if the shooter was aiming for the heart, he'd missed badly. Only hit my left kidney.

  "Better not move," came a voice from nearby, and then, as if materializing from thin air, a man appeared with a crossbow in his hands. He'd apparently been hiding under some kind of dome, the remnants of which were slowly dissolving in the air.

  "Agnish?" I recalled the name of one of Katrina's men.

  Instead of answering, he put another bolt in my thigh.

  "Just in case — so you don't try to run."

  Where were Katrina and her grandfather?! Here was the traitor they'd been searching for! I could've killed him, but the paladin had forbidden it — otherwise they'd never learn the identity of his handler inside the Order of the Swallow.

  "I wasn't planning to," I said, faking a grimace of pain, though in reality I'd almost entirely suppressed it. Even with these wounds, I could've easily jogged a couple of kilometers without breaking a sweat.

  Keeping an eye on me, the traitor walked over to the horse and started rummaging through the saddlebag. He pulled out the sealed parchment, tore the seal without hesitation, and found a completely blank sheet.

  "A trap, then?" he said, lips tight, surprisingly calm. "Something felt off from the start."

  "That's right." At that moment, an invisibility cloak dissolved nearby — almost identical to what Agnish had used. Beneath it stood three people: Katrina, her grandfather, and the female mage. "I didn't expect it to be you, Agnish. You've served under me for over ten years, and to be leaking information…"

  "Nothing personal," the traitor sighed, tossing the useless paper aside. "I don't want to make excuses, but my sister is enslaved by the elves. They promised her freedom in exchange for my cooperation. So…"

  "That doesn't change your betrayal. And you know the punishment."

  "I know," he nodded, drawing his sword.

  "So you won't surrender peacefully?" Katrina clarified.

  "Peacefully isn't an option," he shook his head. "Besides, I had a feeling this was a trap."

  "And you risked it anyway? Awfully overconfident."

  "The kid might not have the intelligence, but he does." The man pointed his sword at the Lord Commander.

  "You overestimate yourself, boy," the old man smirked ominously.

  "Myself — no. But, you see, I didn't come alone." Agnish traced a magical symbol in the air, pouring mana into it. Moments later, lightning struck nearby — despite clear skies. Not once, but five times.

  But that quickly became a secondary concern, because five large figures appeared at the points of impact.

  Five knights, encased in coal-black armor. Their armor looked strange — I couldn't spot a single joint. And the warriors themselves looked thoroughly menacing.

  The smirk vanished from the Lord Commander's face.

  "Who the hell are they?!" I shouted to my allies.

  "The elves have come to visit," Lord de Shinro answered shortly.