Night and shadow

Two figures, their faces hidden beneath dark cloaks, leaped from rooftop to rooftop above the nocturnal city of Iringar.

"Do you think they're still behind us?" the cloaked figure in black with a hint of purple asked their companion, who was running ahead.

"You have no idea!" replied the second figure in a dark gray cloak, clearly irritated by the unfolding situation. "I told you we should have done this quietly!"

The two figures were fleeing from guards pursuing them through the city streets. The guards wore lightweight armor and couldn't keep up with the pair's speed, but they outnumbered them and worked well as a team, herding the criminals into traps.

"What should we do now?" asked the black figure, stopping on a rooftop with a covered shelter, hidden from view from the ground or neighboring rooftops. However, staying in one place for too long was not an option. "You're the specialist in infiltration and hidden alleys."

The gray figure silently leaped onto the same rooftop.

"Our only way is to reach the catacombs in the harbor. There, we'll be safe," the thief said, unfolding a map of the city before them.

They found themselves in the eastern part of the city, not far from the main gates. The harbor was located in the farthest corner of the city from their current position.

"Ahem, isn't there a closer way in? The sewer system stretches under the whole city," the man in black examined the map, trying to choose a possible route.

"Unfortunately, there are very few passages in the center, and they could easily set up an ambush there," the other person replied.

"Damn, looks like they have reinforcements coming from the west," another group of guards approached. "We need to get out of here."

"Yeah, what a day it's turning out to be, and it's all your fault!"

"Well, maybe partially my fault," another voice came from nearby.

"Who's there?" The man in black quickly drew his dagger and turned towards the voice.

"Easy now, it's just me," a small figure emerged from the shadows. It could even be called a child of around ten years old. The figure was wrapped in lightweight black clothing, which allowed them to blend seamlessly with the darkness. Their face was covered by a tight black fabric mask with only a thin slit for the eyes.

"Young one, what are you doing here?" the man in black tried to contain his anger at not noticing the presence earlier.

"Don't worry, it seems like our aspiring follower," the thief reassured his companion.

"Don't worry so much, assassin and thief. I wasn't following you. I'm just hiding from those pesky guards," the child said, approaching the edge of the balcony and peering outside.

"Assassin?" It seemed like the assassin was about to break his dagger's hilt out of anger. "Do you know that I'm the best assassin in the guild?"

"Quiet down," the thief tried to calm his comrade.

"Well, what are you going to do? Get rid of a witness?" the cheeky kid taunted the assassin.

"No," the assassin finally sheathed his dagger. "I only kill my targets; otherwise, I would be no different from an ordinary killer."

"Haha, and I thought assassins had to conceal their actions."

"Hmph," the assassin stumbled. "Of course, we do, but assassins serve the king, and unwarranted casualties are not permissible. Only if someone interferes with eliminating the target, then we can kill them, but only if there's no other choice."

"How noble of you," sarcasm dripped from the child's voice.

"Well, you know! We care about the safety of the country, but we must never forget the reasons for our struggle."

"And whom did you kill today for your ideals?"

An awkward silence ensued.

"That's none of your business," the assassin grunted and headed toward the balcony's edge. "Enough sitting here; they'll find us soon."

"In any case, we have to make our way to the harbor," the child added.

The small figure smirked and addressed the two criminals.

"Well, I could lead you out, for instance."

"Really?" The news only pleased the thief.

"Why should we trust you?" However, the assassin remained inflexible. "If you knew ways to escape, why didn't you leave yourself and sat on this rooftop?"

"Well, you see, I could hide perfectly here, and no one would have found me. But with you, they'll definitely discover this hiding spot soon," the little one chuckled, glancing at the street again. "On the other hand, can I trust you? You could well be enemies of the king. I heard there was an assassination attempt on him recently. And I'm not planning on helping you then. Besides, it's rare for a Thief and an Assassin to work together."

"I won't bother explaining anything to you; we can handle it ourselves."

The thief managed to stop his companion before he jumped to the neighboring rooftop.

"Hold on, maybe he can really help us?"

"I can handle it alone, even if they surround me."

"But we must keep the mission's target a secret, don't forget that!"

"Hmph," the thief always knew how to press the right buttons to persuade his friend. "Alright, fine, we'll accept your help."

"No-no-no, first you tell me what you were doing here? What's your involvement in the assassination attempt on the king?" Only the eyes with a fiery glint were visible under the mask, but they emanated the strength of a true leader.

"Hehe, we were supposed to prevent the assassination and eliminate the clients," the thief smirked and continued, "of course, no one should know that the king ordered the conspirators' elimination, so you mustn't tell anyone."

"Alright, I'll help you," the little one stood up from the floor and brushed off the dust. "But you'll have to leave unnecessary things here."

"WHAT? Do you think we'd follow you so easily without our weapons?" The assassin reached for his dagger again. "This is an obvious trap; we can't trust him."

"Are you daft? I purposely chose a passage that only I could fit through. Chubby guys like you won't get in there without losing weight immediately. So, it's better to leave your weapons and belts here, or you won't get out from there."

The partners exchanged glances; the child's words had some sense to them, but could they trust him?

"Alright, fine, I hope you won't deceive us," the assassin removed his belt and concealed the blades under a pile of straw in the corner.

"Show us the way," the thief followed his companion's lead.

"Run after me; we need to make it before dawn," the little one leaped off the balcony and dashed across the rooftops to the west.

The dawn was approaching, and the eastern sky was starting to glow with a crimson hue. Three figures ran as fast as they could toward the palace.

"Hey, kid, we actually want to get as far away from the palace quarter as possible!" Doubts began to torment the assassin.

"Don't worry; the passage starts over there, and they won't be able to follow us!" the child assured.

"They," the thief turned around, and a couple of hundred meters away on the rooftops, guards in leather armor were running after them. "Damn, we should've left earlier."

"It doesn't matter; we're almost there."

"Hey, wait, it's here!" The assassin stopped at the edge of the rooftop. In front of them was the central square, and a wide alley led to the royal palace. "We have nowhere else to run! What do you suggest now?"

"It's alright. I hope no one noticed," the child threw a small stone onto the square, hitting a metal plate on the ground. "Perfect, it's still open."

"What?" The assassin didn't understand what was happening.

"Follow me exactly!" The child dashed and jumped off the rooftop. It was more than five meters to the ground, and he would've simply smashed, but there was always a fruit stall on the square, covered with a fabric canopy, which saved the daring jumper's life. Pushing off the canopy, he somersaulted and landed on the metal plate. With a creak, the metal turned, and the child's figure disappeared underground.

"Heh, you too, don't fall behind!" The thief ran and repeated the trick he had seen a moment ago.

"HALT!" A pair of daggers struck the ground next to the assassin.

"Damn it," the last fugitive slipped into a mole's burrow.

"Aaaaaaaa!!!" Twenty seconds later, the assassin appeared at the other end of the passage. A very slippery and long pipe extended far beyond the palace quarter.

"The sea?" The assassin couldn't believe his eyes; they had covered a couple of kilometers in just a few seconds. "How did that happen?"

"It's a drainage pipe," the child sat on a stone embankment not far from the pipe, watching his two partners struggling in the water. "Rainwater flows here, and that's why the pipe is so slippery due to the mold. But it's not very large, less than half a meter in diameter. So you would've gotten stuck in it if you hadn't left your things."

"And that's why you didn't want to come in here?" The criminals were slowly swimming to the shore.

"Um, no," the child carefully lifted his legs out of the water and stepped aside. A rumbling came from the pipe, and a wave of filth washed over the unfortunate partners. "At sunrise, when everyone wakes up, all the sewage also flows here. That's why I wouldn't want to become their victim."

"Damn, that's disgusting!!!" Spitting out the water, the assassin reached the shore. "Why didn't you say that before?"

"Then it wouldn't have been as fun!" The gleeful kid grinned.

"But at least we managed to escape. It's time to go back," the thief climbed onto the shore. "Thanks for your help; maybe we'll meet again."

The pair quickly headed to the nearest entrance to the catacombs.

The main halls of the thieves' and assassins' guilds were located in the catacombs of the old city beneath the capital. Historically, despite their ideological differences, they were very close and even had a common hall for gatherings, where retired assassins and thieves set up a bar.

"Well, even after diving into the sea three times, I couldn't get rid of this smell," the assassin sadly looked at his cloak. "And it's my pride, the cloak of an assassin that I received not long ago. Everyone will laugh at me now."

"Come on, why is it that when we're alone, you turn from a tough and stern killer into a pitiful whiner? You'll never find yourself a girl that way," the thief didn't miss the opportunity to tease his companion.

"I don't care; first, I want to achieve the pinnacle of the assassin's art, and then I'll think about my personal life."

"Watch out, or it might be too late then."

"That's still better than running after every chick who comes to us for help," the assassin casually rolled his eyes.

"But I'm popular among them; you can't take that away from me."

"Stop!" The assassin abruptly stopped his partner. He gestured to a corner, and they ambushed in a secluded spot. As soon as they hid, barely audible soft steps followed, and a small silhouette trailed behind them.

"And what are you doing here?" The assassin grabbed the small figure of a recent acquaintance by the collar in one swift motion.

"Just taking a walk," the fidgeting spy tried to avoid eye contact while sweating nervously.

"It's useless; what should we do with him?" The assassin turned to his partner. "I've never been good with kids."

"I'm not a kid! I'm almost ten!" The child protested, still dangling in the assassin's grip.

"That's exactly what being a kid means. Besides," the assassin carefully removed the lower part of the soaked-through mask, "judging by your smooth skin, you didn't grow up in the slums on the streets."

"Meh, fiery eyes give you away as a descendant of fire mages," the thief joined the conversation. "Those guards... they weren't chasing you because you stole something, right? They wanted to bring you back home?"

The child frowned and turned away while still hanging in the assassin's arms.

"So what? I've lived my whole life as my father wanted, and only at night, I could be whoever I wanted. As long as I hide my face, I'm free from all his teachings."

"Haha, what do you suggest we do with him?" The assassin looked at his friend with a doomed expression.

"Let him come with us?! I'll join the guild, and I'll finally be free!" The child's eyes lit up with fervent desire.

"Damn it, let him go; he'll stick with us anyway. Let the guildmasters deal with this," the thief said.

"Alright," slinging his hand behind the head, the assassin hoisted the child over his shoulder like a sack and carried him further.

"Hey! Let me go, I have my own legs! Are you even listening to me!?!?"

Soon, they reached the "Black Hole", an underground bar where assassins, thieves, and other seasoned criminals gathered. Most of the bar was filled with representatives of the two main guilds, but some visitors came from other cities and even countries. Rarely did anyone unrelated to the criminal world venture here, but there was a bulletin board where new contracts for theft or assassination, brought from different corners of the continent, were posted every week. So, every Sunday, representatives of assassin guilds from all over the world were on duty here. Of course, contracts that could lead to significant changes in the economy and politics were not posted without the prior consent of the guilds.

"Well, well, our heroes have arrived," one of the assassins sneered at their appearance.

"And it seems you're not too happy about it, brother?" The assassin gave him a scornful look.

"No, why would I be? It's just that if you hadn't returned, the contract would have been mine. Now, it's a shame that it fell to such bunglers."

"We did everything that was agreed upon, do you have any complaints?"

"No, of course not. Raising an alarm because you couldn't kill the bodyguards of the last target, that's very professional."

"There was no need for that; we managed to evade the pursuers and handled it without unnecessary casualties."

"Yeah, then what's THAT baggage behind you?"

As required for baggage, they put the load on the floor for everyone to see.

"He helped us escape and intends to become a recruit. Let the masters decide what to do with him."

Clap, clap, clap

Quietly applauding, a man in a dark purple cloak with a gold trim on the inside descended the stairs. "I knew you would succeed," the master spoke with a quiet, confident voice. His beard, showing signs of gray, was visible under the hood. Clearly, he was not young and spoke from the position of many years of experience. "The ability to complete a mission and avoid unnecessary killings deserves praise, not reprimand. We protect peace and order in the country, not commit bloody massacres on someone's orders."

"But we are still just assassins," the assassin, who addressed his brother with unkind words, stood up from his chair and left.

"Don't you want to hear the report on the mission's success?"

"Why should I listen to this nonsense? You assigned me to monitor the mission's execution."

Waving him off, the assassin walked away.

"Master, maybe it's not necessary; there are outsiders here," the assassin pointed to the uninvited guest, but the leader just shrugged.

"He helped you, so let him know what he accomplished. We share information about missions not to boast about our successes but for the young ones to learn from our mistakes and gain experience."

"Alright."

The assignment played a critical role in the history of our country. Its failure could have led to a civil war, so when the guild master chose the young assassin Serzen for it instead of his more talented brother, it caused much discontent among the assassins.

His brother had an impeccable reputation and top-notch skills, but the old guild master favored him less. The reason was simple: the elder brother would go to any lengths to complete a mission. The assassin's code allowed killing only those who directly hindered the elimination of the target, if it was impossible to do otherwise. However, for the elder brother, accomplishing the mission and preserving the secrecy always came first. If the bodyguards never left their master's side, he would get rid of them along with the target. If the target hired tasters for food, fearing poisoning, he would simply use a slower-acting poison. If there were multiple targets gathering in one place, he could poison them all along with random guests. His talents deserved respect, but his principles, supported by many comrades, raised doubts.

Therefore, his brother was chosen for the assignment. Extra casualties were unacceptable to avoid casting a shadow on the king. The task was to find conspirators planning to assassinate the king and eliminate them if necessary. Only two names were known, so they needed to cleverly extract all the names from them. To help the assassin with this, his comrade from the thief guild, Tein, volunteered.

It was known that the conspirators were gathering in a secret underground place outside the city, but the entrance there was blocked. The thief examined the entrance and found a strange mechanism that was supposed to open the door, but they didn't have the key. They waited at the exit for their targets, but besides those they followed, no one came out of there, meaning there were other passages. They needed to find the key and infiltrate one of the meetings.

The thief got into the houses of the conspirators but didn't find anything suitable for the lock in the underground chamber. So, he resorted to pickpocketing and skillfully managed to fish out everything from the conspirator's pockets. There was nothing unusual in the pockets that could open the door, so we didn't know what to do.

However, the target noticed the loss and panicked, running to another conspirator. Learning about the theft, they agreed not to show up at the meetings anymore, but that meant the key to the cave was already in our hands.

Tein noticed one peculiarity: one gold coin in the pouch differed from the others. Its edges were sharper and it glinted slightly brighter. It turned out to be the key, with a carved pattern on its sides opening the secret door.

Leaving the thief to watch over the buried conspirators, I went to the cave to attend the next meeting. I had to wait for several days, but they finally came. There were more of them than I thought, many nobles and officials who fell out of favor with the king, usually due to their dark dealings.

There was no doubt that the main conspirators were Oregol and the Reds, but others were equally guilty. I recorded everyone who was among the conspirators, but we couldn't kill them all, as it would tarnish the king's reputation. And if we were to consider killing the leader of the Red House, it could ignite a new war.

Then there was only one option: they had to get rid of those chosen to organize the assassination. They were not particularly high-ranking officials, constantly working in the capital, and it wouldn't be difficult to eliminate them if their nerves couldn't handle it.

The first two posed no problem, but the third conspirator was the most nervous of all and never parted with bodyguards, even when going to the toilet. There was only one moment when he passed the window for a couple of seconds at night. That's when I killed him with a single shot.

Of course, the sound of shattering glass alerted the guards, and they chased after me, but with the help of that little lad, we managed to escape.

"And this," Tein emptied the contents of a small pouch onto his hand, "I took from the conspirators. If we deliver these to the organizers, they will think twice before attempting a new conspiracy."

In the thief's hand were three blood-stained coins used as passes to the conspirators' meeting.

"You did the right thing; by making small sacrifices, you prevented greater bloodshed," the master took the coins from the thief's hand. "I will deliver them as intended, and you will receive the deserved reward."

"I don't understand," a thin voice interrupted the guild master. The only outsider in the room seemed dissatisfied with the result. "Everyone is living peacefully now; taxes are not high, ordinary people live in peace, and the wealthy don't have to fear for their savings. So why do they want to overthrow the king?"

"People always desire power, and even if their power is great, they still want more. That's why such conspiracies happen sometimes, and that's why we stand guard over the king – to prevent such attempts."

"But then why not kill them all!? That would teach them a lesson! Without hesitation, they would have killed all of you!"

"If we killed the top of the noble families, their relatives would surely seek revenge. We cannot simply kill the most influential people in the country without direct evidence. The words of one assassin against the words of a dozen wealthy dignitaries mean nothing."

"And if the main conspirators themselves took charge of the organization, wouldn't you do anything then and just wait until they kill the king?!"

"You're still too young to understand this. Important figures like to push the dirty work onto their subordinates. We didn't kill them, but seeing these coins, they will understand that the king is aware of their conspiracy, and they will be next if they don't stop."

"What nonsense," no one in the room dared to contradict the guild master, except for the lad who found himself here for the first time and didn't know the extent of his authority.

Everyone waited to see how the guild master would react to this.

"I like you, little one. But alas, you are not yet ready to become one of us, and I doubt thieves would accept someone with such ideology, wouldn't they?" The old man looked back, and from the shadows emerged the second master, clad in a gray cloak with gold trim on the inner side.

"However, something good may come out of him," the master thief's voice was higher and quieter than the assassin's, and a gray beard was visible under his hood. "I would like to see what I can teach him."

"Well then, I guess I'll teach him a few tricks too," the master assassin stood up from his chair.

"Does that mean I can stay with you?!" Hope sparkled in the fiery eyes.

"No," the guild master of thieves pondered and scratched his beard. "You don't seem like the kind of person who usually wants to join us. You probably have a home and a family."

"That doesn't matter... I don't want to spend my whole life in a gilded cage. If necessary, I'll give up my name," the lad didn't give up.

"Hmm, why not," the master assassin made a decision. "Since you already know where we are, we probably won't stop you from coming here. So you can come whenever you want, but don't forget your family, go back home."

"Mmm, then promise to teach me cool tricks!"

"Alright, alright. You'll be our unofficial member of the guild," the master patted the boy's head, seemingly resolving our problems with him.

But that wasn't the end of it. The lad continued to come to our hideout every week, sometimes even two or three times. I don't know how he managed to sneak away from home so often, but he always appeared at night, dressed in his now familiar all-black attire and with his face wrapped in cloth.

Only I and Tein eventually remembered what the child's face looked like; they had nicknamed him "Fire Eyes" because the only thing he showed others were his flame-colored eyes.

He unabashedly begged the great thieves and assassins to train him in their spare time, and to everyone's surprise, he excelled at everything. Within a couple of years, he learned to hide from prying eyes, bypass traps, and pick locks. He also adopted the assassins' close combat techniques, although he persistently refused to use weapons. Though sometimes his good manners hinted at a noble origin, he became a friend to many people living in the shadows of this city.

Before he even turned twelve, he managed to sneak into the treasury of a corrupt official and distributed the stolen goods to the poor on the streets.

Though not officially a member of the thieves' guild, he quickly gained popularity among the people, and countless legends were crafted about him.

And so it happened, something that hadn't occurred in many years - the guilds of assassins and thieves were invited to the palace. Once upon a time, there were times when the king relied on their power and sometimes abused the assistance of assassins, but after the civil war, the royal family ceased official relations with the guilds. Although unofficially, they often resorted to their help. The only ones who occasionally visited the palace were the guild masters.

But now the king had invited not only the masters but also the best members of the guild, which could only mean that he wanted to restore friendly relations with the guilds.

My friend and I were also invited to this gathering.

"Pst, Serz, do you know anything about this gathering?" Even as we were on our way to the formal reception, Tein couldn't contain his curiosity.

"I only heard that there is a reception in the palace today, and we were invited to its unofficial part."

"Ho-ho, so there will be noble ladies there, and I think I'll have a chance."

"I doubt they'll allow you to get close to them, and we were invited to a meeting with representatives of the council and the royal family only."

"What? Almost all of those stuffy rich old guys will be there. Pfft, there go my modest dreams."

"Your dream is to charm the daughter of an important dignitary?"

"Why not?"

"Both of you, be quiet!" My brother walked ahead of us, and seriousness came naturally to him. "We are in the palace, behave appropriately. Today is not just a ball; today the princess turns twelve, and she will be officially proclaimed the heir to the throne."

"Hoo, I've seen her a couple of times from afar, she's adorable!" Tein, oh how I sometimes hate you.

"I didn't know you had THOSE thoughts," I grinned, making a gesture imitating the figure of a child.

"Hey, hey! I'm not that much of a pervert! But in five years, I wouldn't mind meeting her in a less formal setting."

"Damn it, I've long been suggesting to your guild master to cast a spell on you to get rid of these thoughts, maybe you'd become somewhat human."

"Yeah, yeah, you're boring."

We approached the grand doors of the reception hall. It was slightly smaller than the hall where grand balls were held on the first floor and was meant only for small receptions.

The doors opened, and we silently made our way into the hall. Two guild masters and two groups of ten people were a surprise to some of the guests. Judging by the murmurs about our arrival, the king had only informed the guards and a few trusted nobles.

"These are assassins and thieves." "They came to kill the king?" "No, it's more likely the opposite; he invited them."

It seemed many of the guests were wary of our presence. To my friend's delight, the nobles were accompanied by their families; however, now the lovely ladies mostly trembled, trying to hide from us.

Everyone was waiting for the king's words.

"For you, it may come as a surprise, but today they are my guests," King Severin spoke with a calm voice, calming those present. "In ancient times, the kings of Leran relied on the help of two secret guilds that could prevent conflicts before they even began. Although this tradition was forgotten after the elemental war, I wanted to revive it."

The guild masters stepped forward.

"A few years ago, these people saved me and our country from a coup. If it weren't for them, a civil war like the one that shook Verania for the last decade could have erupted. Their methods are not always lawful, but if they served righteous goals, they could bring peace and stability to our society."

"Your Majesty?" The master assassin understood where the king was leading, but perhaps he wasn't ready to accept it yet.

"Do not object. I would like you to serve the royal family once again from the shadows and protect the peace of our country."

The king fell silent, awaiting a response, and the guests began whispering even more nervously. It seemed not everyone knew about the attempt on the king's life, but they still feared that the times might return when assassins eliminated anyone displeasing to the king. The masters exchanged glances.

"We would consider it an honor to serve your Majesty," the master assassin knelt before the king.

"Under your rule, life has become more prosperous, and traders have found considerable wealth in their deep pockets," the master thief also knelt, grinning.

We followed the masters' example and bowed before the ruler.

"But today, I invited you not only for that reason. My daughter will be the heir to the throne, and I would like you to protect her in the future," the king gestured toward a beautiful young girl who had been standing slightly in the shadows of the throne.

"Hello, thank you for protecting our kingdom," her voice was kind, but at the same time, there was something familiarly playful about it.

"Then we would also like to say something," the master assassin stood up and motioned for us to come closer.

"Tein, Serzen, come closer," the master thief called us. I didn't yet understand their intentions, but unpleasant forebodings were already creeping in.

"Your Majesty, we have been leading the guilds for many years, secretly assisting your father and your grandfather. But I think it's time for us to retire now," the master thief said.

"The old should make way for the young," the master assassin supported his colleague. "That's why we gave these two young men the most challenging tasks, to test their abilities."

"Master, please don't say that..." Tein was interrupted by the king.

"Haha, so you've been saving pleasant news for them, for some important occasion. Well, if you trust them, then so can I."

"But is it the right choice?" I was not the best assassin in the guild, and I didn't consider myself suitable for this role. "There are more worthy candidates."

"Oh, there you go again!" Tein slapped me on the shoulder with force. "Who was the one telling me that he wants to become the best assassin in the guild and has been training for it? Why are you hesitating now!?"

I looked at the assassins gathered in the hall. In terms of strength, I ranked third, possibly fourth among them.

"A leader must not only be strong but also have convictions and principles that set an example for his followers. That's why I would like you to be my successor," the Master unfastened a small brooch in the shape of a bat from his neck and took off his mantle.

It had been a long time since anyone saw the Master without his mantle. In fact, hardly anyone remembered the guild master's face anymore. Too much time had passed since he last went on missions. He was already an elderly man with gray hair, although regular training had kept him in shape, it was evident that it had become more challenging for him than before.

The master thief followed his example and removed his mantle. He appeared even older than his colleague. Generations had passed since the last time new guild masters were chosen.

Two mantles with golden trims on the inside were laid out before us. I had worked for the guild for ten years, but I could never dream of something like this.

"Well, what are you standing there for?" Tein pushed me into action again. If it weren't for him, I might have never taken the next step. "Now, we will uphold peace in this country."

He boldly took the offered gift and removed his old mantle. I followed his lead and did the same.

We put on the mantles and kneeled before the ruler.

"We swear to serve the people of Leran."

"And protect the royal family from external and internal enemies."

The ruler liked our bold oath, but we still didn't raise our heads. Before us stood delicate girl's legs in red shoes.

"What if you have to choose between peace in the country and the king's life?" the princess spoke to us, and her voice still sounded familiar to me.

"Do you want to know if I can kill the king if it saves the people of Leran?"

"Yes, if an external enemy threatens us, far superior in strength, and I refuse to surrender to them. Will you be able to kill me to save the people?"

"If there is no other choice, then yes!" My words shocked those present in the hall.

"But the duty of a king is primarily to protect his people," only Tein decided to support me, "and therefore..."

"If the time comes when I face such a choice, you won't have to ask me again," I hesitantly raised my gaze. My response was abrupt, and if it scared the princess, the king could order us to be killed on the spot. But I felt that it wouldn't happen.

"If the time comes when I have to choose between my life and the lives of my people, I will die without hesitation. Leran will live as long as its people are alive, not its rulers," I met the gaze of the young princess. A very familiar mischievous smile adorned her cute face. Fiery-red locks peeked out from under the crown, and her eyes, the color of flames, gave no sign of wavering.

"With such a ruler, working may indeed be interesting."