“I expected as much,” I said, stretching my lethargic shoulders. “If I may suggest a future employer, you should consider working for Eadric.”

  “He’s not going to be attacked by that mage, is he?” Kinro asked.

  “Alexander Lee would have no reason to do that,” I said with a shrug.

  “I’ll do that, then,” Kinro said, turning away from me and beginning to walk away from the camp.

  “Hold on a second,” I said, taking a step toward him. “Before you leave, you might want to hear what I’m about to say to everyone.”

  “If you’re going to tell us about your plan or explain what happened last night, I don’t need to hear it. The only thing that matters to me is the contract, and everything else is outside my skill set,” Kinro said.

  “All right. I’ll see you later, Kinro,” I said, slightly disappointed in his actions. It was in his programming as a mercenary NPC to act in such a way, but I had foolishly hoped that I could engender a sense of loyalty in him. This wouldn’t affect my overarching plan, of course. There were plenty of mercenaries in Etronia.

  “Try not to bring too much trouble with you when we meet next,” Kinro said, waving lazily toward me.

  As Kinro disappeared into the foliage surrounding the camp, I walked toward Beltane and took a seat on the log next to Haydith.

  I said, “How are you two holding up?”

  “I feel perfectly fine,” Beltane said quietly, looking down at the back of his hand. “A year, eh?”

  “Tired, afraid,” Haydith muttered. “My body feels completely different now. Thale, what happened to me?”

  “What do you remember?” I asked.

  Haydith pulled her collar forward and looked at her own sternum where Alexander’s blade had pierced. “I remember the Blue Mage stabbing me, and then I woke up in the First Church.”

  “He hit your heart. I gave you a healing potion and used CPR to restart your heart,” I said.

  “So I was dead, and you brought me back to life,” Haydith said, looking down at the dirt on the ground again. “You did it again.”

  “Don’t think about it that way,” I said with more urgency in my voice than I intended. “You jumped in front of Alexander to protect me. You were the one who saved my life.”

  Knelt down over the half-constructed campfire, Beltane let out a snort of laughter that soon transformed into a low rhythmic chuckle.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “What’s so funny, jackass?” I asked, glaring at Beltane.

  Wiping away tears, Beltane said, “It’s so rare for you to act like a kid that it caught me completely off guard. You two are in the same party now. There’s no point in litigating who saved whose life and who owes who a life debt. The lives of adventurers are inextricably linked, and nothing more needs to be said.”

  Even after knowing the War Mage for so many years, he was still able to teach me new things. Still, that didn’t mean he could treat me like a kid.

  “Fine, whatever,” I muttered.

  “My brother, Erasmus,” Haydith said, continuing to stare at the ground, “what do you plan to do about him, Thale?”

  I sighed and steepled my fingers together, saying, “Circumstances have changed. Did someone tell you about the Death Blight?”

  “Yes. Miriam told me that Beltane and the King would be dead in a year,” Haydith said sadly.

  “To be clear…” I looked over at Beltane and caught his eyes in my resolute gaze, “there is one method to survive the Death Blight, and I intend to use that method to save you, Beltane.”

  The War Mage looked over to me with cautious hope tinged with lingering resignation in his eyes. “What method is that?”

  “The Death Blight does not affect liches,” I said.

  Both Haydith and Beltane looked at me like I was crazy. Beltane said, “No, that’s impossible. Archmages can spend their whole lives searching for the secret of lichdom without any success. How could I possibly become a lich in a year?”

  “Rector Blueshade in Hinnom knows the basics of the process. If I can get her notes, I believe that I can figure out the ritual within three months.”

  “Eh, well. We’ll see what happens,” Beltane said, throwing up his hands in a gesture of surrender. He did not dare to believe that it was possible. If he never believed in the possibility of his own survival, he could never be disappointed by the outcome.

  “Regarding Prince Erasmus,” I said, clearing my throat, “he will never have the strength to hold Etronia together. None of the King’s living children have enough power currency. With Rosa gone, the twins Maria and Sheena will fight over who is next in line. To prevent the civil war at this point, every belligerent needs to be neutralized within a year.”

  “Neutralized?” Haydith asked. “What do you mean?”

  “We’ll need to fight him at some point, but that doesn’t mean we need to kill him,” I said diplomatically. “If we can lock him up for a few months, that would work.”

  “What then?” David asked, stepping out from behind Eadric’s carriage. “If you guys somehow manage to defeat Erasmus and the others, who’s going to hold the country together? What’s stopping all of the minor nobles from breaking away the moment there is no Polaris left to take the throne?”

  “Well, we have a candidate right here,” I said, turning my head in an exaggerated gesture and giving Haydith a meaningful look.

  “What?” Haydith said, pointing at her own face. “Me?”

  “That’s the idea,” I said. “How does ‘Queen Haydith Polaris’ sound?”

  “It sounds impossible,” Haydith said. “How could I possibly hold Etronia together when Erasmus can’t?”

  “Because we’ll be much stronger by the end of this year.” I pointed to myself and David, saying, “You’ll have a [Philosopher] and a [Sword Saint] on your side by the time the King dies. You provide the authority, and I’ll provide the threat of force.”

  Haydith looked at me before clasping her hands together and looking back down at the ground. “If the only way to save the world is to become the Queen of Etronia, then I’m not going to say no. Who knows, it might be fun.”