"What a wild morning", Julius muttered quietly as he walked behind Loys through the palace's wide corridors. The servants and guards who were going about their work at this hour stepped aside and bowed politely to them.

  "Indeed", Loys confirmed. They had only parted from Zod Adenia a few minutes ago, but the tension remained. "It's really unusual to see how serious Sir Adenia can be. Not that I think it's bad, it's just... unusual. He always seems so cheerful and polite that this cold, harsh manner is disconcerting."

  "He didn't seem to really to be happy about what we did today."

  "I had the same impression. Especially after you mentioned the dragons", Loys replied in a low voice so that only Julius could hear him.

  "I shouldn't have done that", Julius replied. "I was way too nervous and didn't think about what I was saying at all. I already had that queasy feeling when he asked us to take off our uniforms. In retrospect, it makes sense when you consider how we experimented with mana today - and how much we moved around while doing so."

  "I have to admit, I didn’t think these exercises would make you so tired. I probably couldn’t even walk in full gear... even now, my limbs are aching."

  "At least he prevented something worse from happening."

  "At least", Loys of Freigoud nodded in agreement and stopped abruptly when Crown Prince Edward came around the corner with a few guards. The two men immediately stepped to the side and bowed to the eldest prince, wishing him good morning. Edward calmly returned their greeting but walked past them without further ado, so that the two advisors straightened up and looked in his direction. "He seems sad."

  "Who? Crown Prince Edward?"

  "Yes, don't you think?"

  "To me, he seems the same as always. Calm and neutral."

  "Maybe", replied Loys skeptically, continuing on his way. "I always wondered why Sir Adenia was in the possesion of the sword of Kama, but I think today I really understood."

  "In what way?"

  "I mean, he's strong and definitely a better swordsman than you or me, but on top of that, he's incredibly smart. His knowledge of the world isn't limited to the books in Sylve, if you know what I mean. He always seems so confident in what he does, as if he can always accurately assess what he's getting himself into."

  "I also noticed early on that he is well-informed. No wonder he maintains a friendship with the High-Magicians. They must also realize what an asset Sir Adenia is to humanity, even though he always seems to try not to reveal his knowledge to the outside world."

  "That's a good point", replied Loys, coming to a stop a few meters in front of his office. With a scrutinizing glance around him, he entered the large office, followed by his colleague. The moment Julius Venlan closed the door behind him, he spoke again. "Is it just my imagination, or did you also feel that Sir Adenia was hiding something about the dragons today?"

  "Hiding?", Julius repeated, confused. "I wouldn't have noticed. I mean, my question was a bit ridiculous."

  "Did Sir Adenia ever tell you that he had already encountered a dragon?"

  The two men stared at each other silently for a few seconds before Julius Venlan had fully processed the statement and stood in front of him with his mouth half open.

  "Pardon?"

  "Apparently not. The others thought it was an exaggeration to make himself seem more interesting... but I didn't get that impression."

  "What if he was simply lying? I mean, we're talking about dragons here."

  "Does Sir Adenia seem like someone who would lie to us?"

  "Not really, but he doesn't tell us everything either. Which no one can expect him to do."

  "Still. With him, I feel an inner urge to learn more about him."

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  "Doesn't everyone feel that way when they look up to someone?"

  "Look up to someone?"

  "Don't you admire Sir Adenia? For his talent and abilities, I mean", Julius Venlan said bluntly, sitting down exhausted on a chair in front of the desk, while Loy remained standing behind it without saying a word.

  "Do I admire him?"

  "Haven't you noticed? In his presence, you behave like a child looking up to his father, eagerly absorbing his every word. Normally, you would never give in to such a nonsensical demand - especially when it comes to sharing information about the royal house with him", Julius explained. "Quite apart from that, I wonder why King Leonhardt agreed to it in the first place. What were you thinking?"

  "I just asked Leonhardt for a favor because I..."

  "Because you?"

  "I'm not sure. I guess my curiosity got the better of me."

  "And your trust in Sir Adenia as well, otherwise you would never have considered it."

  "Do you consider him a potential threat?"

  "Not at all", Julius quickly denied the question. "We both know that he doesn't want to harm Sylve. I just mean that we shouldn't act so rashly. We hardly know him."

  "Maybe you are right", replied the right-hand man, looking at the table. "That reminds me, a message from the Eldest of Altona arrived here yesterday."

  "Oh? Really?"

  "Yes."

  "What did he want?"

  "A private conversation between the Council of the Magistrat and the royal house."

  "Did he say what exactly it was about?"

  "They want to work more closely with us."

  "Eh? They want what? We're not hostile towards them, or have I missed something?"

  "No, not that, but we're not really friendly either. We're like two neighbors who acknowledge each other but rarely, if ever, speak to each other. Since no one has complained about it so far, we haven't changed anything about this situation, but for many merchants and Anuxers, this state of affairs is somewhat problematic."

  "And why now?"

  "I guess because of Groka. I've been told that the Magistrat has tightened the border to the creature plains and set up a kind of early warning system. They seem to be afraid of another attack."

  "Isn't that a bit... excessive?"

  "I'm not sure, you haven't seen the village with your own eyes. The damage was enormous. Personally, I don't think their actions are so wrong, even if the effort involved is enormous, of course. And the safety of the people always has to be the top priority."

  "That's true", Julius nodded in agreement, watching attentively as Loys sat down on the chair in front of him and sighed. "Have you already spoken to King Leonhardt about this?"

  "Not yet, but I'll do it today. It's just that we currently have more problems with our own regions and therefore we can't really focus on Altona. Slowly but surely, the other dukes are becoming unbearable. They feel compelled to disobey our orders and take action themselves because the kidnappings are not stopping, and the investigation is not progressing."

  "Understandable", Julius confirmed, leaning back exhausted.

  "I'm sorry for always burdening you with these things."

  "Huh? What are you talking about?"

  "Sometimes I don't realize that I'm talking to you about all the problems of the royal house."

  "You don't have to. I'm always happy to help, even if it's just with words."

  "Thank you", Sir Freigoud replied with a relieved smile on his face as he recalled his wife's words. For a few moments, he stared at Julius without saying a word, then responded with a direct question. "Have you ever thought about becoming an official advisor to the king?"

  "ME?", Julius exclaimed in surprise.

  "Yes, you, Julius. You're the only one in the room."

  "By the gods, no way. I'm a teacher, not an advisor, and certainly not to the king himself. I can't do that."

  "You already are, don't you think? We almost always consult your opinion, in case you haven't noticed. In my eyes, you've been an advisor for a long time and take some load off my shoulders."

  "Loys, it's really nice of you to say that, but I can't do it. I'm not a nobleman and never had your education, not to mention the fact that I'm not cut out for such public appearances. What do you think people will say about me?"

  "You're worrying too much about that. Everyone knows you're overqualified for this position. Otherwise, they wouldn't have entrusted you with the three princes", Loys explained with a smile on his face, but this look only put unwanted pressure on Julius.

  Overwhelmed by the situation, Julius did the only thing that came to mind.

  "I should go, Loys. My class is about to start."

  "Will you at least think about the offer, Julius?"

  "I...", Julius began hesitantly as he stood up and pushed his chair back into place. "I'll think about it."

  "Thank you", replied Loys of Freigoud with relief, but a hint of regret was still noticeable.

  Julius, on the other hand, quickly said goodbye to his colleague and left the office as fast as he had entered it. With his heart pounding, he ran back down the hallway and headed for his own office, which he had moved into a few weeks ago. When he closed the door behind him, he finally managed to calm down, only to look around the almost empty office with skeptical eyes. Only on one wall were dozens of documents and folders piled up that he was currently working on. Even though he had evaded Loys' question, he realized at that moment how true his words were.

  He had long been dealing with economic and political issues that went beyond his remit. He hadn't even realized how much he had settled into Sylve and how much joy it gave him to help others. Furthermore, he didn't mind having to deal with dozens of sheets of paper. On the contrary, he actually enjoyed the peace and quiet.

  But officially becoming the king's second advisor was crazy. No commoner had ever attained such a position, and the fact that he had become the princes' private tutor was already a miracle in itself. He could already imagine the faces and voices condemning him and telling him that he wasn't cut out for this position. The mere thought that Loys might regret his decision made him feel cold.

  He would rather do almost anything else than betray the trust of those who believed in him.