Sion walks into the war room of General Shard’s home. There’s a coziness to the room, family portraits hanging side by side on the walls. Several soft couches surround a large square table, a map held down flat on top of it. The general and Adalwolf sit in opposite couches, facing each other. Although both are now out of uniform, neither has lost their powerful presence, even in the comfort of their own home. They both look up from the map of Clea when they hear the door open. They turn to look at him as he walks in.

  “General Shard, Mr. Adalwolf, I have something important to tell you.” The general responds bluntly.

  “Come on then, shut the door behind you and take a seat.” Sion sits on the couch closest to the door, his back straight.

  “I’ve discovered the identity of one of the higher-ups of the True Dracabanan Army.” Both of the other men jump up from surprise.

  “Is that it, Sion boy? You’ve done a wonderful job then.”

  “Thank you. I discovered the true identity of Gitsung the Desire, the one who attacked the castle and the academy.” Sion hesitates for a moment, wishing he were more capable. “She’s actually Lufe. Mr. Feoh’s daughter.”

  “Who?” Adalwolf answers the general.

  “I imagine it must be the minister of Ecg.”

  “Ah, him. Good man, that one. I can’t imagine he’d raise a traitor. So, Sion boy, how did you figure it out?”

  “I… just had a feeling. Something was off about her. And she’s hiding her true strength. And her body was burning hot.”

  “Did she let anything slip?”

  “No. I confronted her about it,” the general groans but says nothing, “but she didn’t say anything back.”

  “Well, first things first, you’re too earnest for this. And it doesn’t sound like we can be sure of anything.”

  “No, I’m sure.”

  “Well, this still helps us out a bit. Even if it’s just being able to follow her movements.”

  “Ah! Actually, I do know something about that. Mr. Feoh told me that she was planning on coming to Clea during the festival.”

  “Ahh, I remember now. Adalwolf, we’re changing that plan. Pick out a team and replace whoever we were going to send to escort this girl. Have them monitor her the whole time and be ready for a fight.”

  “Yes sir, I was thinking the same thing. I’ll see who we can move around.” Adalwolf stands up, but Sion continues talking before he can leave.

  “Also, I have two requests. The first is that I don’t want Scima to know that I was doing this.” The general seems confused.

  “Scima boy? How could that be a problem?”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “He wanted me to come here to fight, but I refused because I didn’t think it would be smart to agree with him all the time.”

  “I understand. I won’t tell him a single thing about this. And I’ll smack him once or twice for you.”

  “You don’t need to hit him, but thank you. My second request…” Sion takes a moment to find the right words. “I told Lufe that if she chose not to fight, she could go back to her normal life. But… I’m already telling people, even though she might still choose to give up. So, if it’s possible, I want the fewest number of people to know about this.”

  “What’s the point in being so considerate of an enemy? She doesn’t need your help. She’s almost blown you up twice now, you know.”

  “I know. But… sometimes, people just have trouble taking hold of the hand extended to them. I gave her my word. So I want to protect her everyday life, as much as I can. I already failed to save somebody, so I want to be able to save her.” Sion looks at the general, a deep resolve etched into his heart.

  “Really just too earnest… Well, it’s not like I was planning to share it around anyway. But, Sion boy, if it came down to it, would you be able to kill your enemy?” Something in the air changes around the general, but Sion does not let himself be changed.

  “I won’t let it come to that anymore.”

  “Really…” The general shakes his head in disbelief. “Well then, Sion boy, I assume you just got into the city recently, and a growing kid like you needs to rest. If you need a place to sleep, then stay here for the night.” Sion lowers his head to the general.

  “Thank you, General.” Adalwolf begins to talk.

  “Then I’ll tell them to prepare a room.”

  “Don’t bother. Sion boy, just use Scima boy’s room.” Sion seems unsure.

  “Is that really okay?”

  “I can’t imagine he would care. He kept that room empty anyway.”

  “Also, there’s somebody else with me. But she doesn’t know about any of this.”

  “Why did you bring somebody!?” Sion answers bluntly.

  “She asked to come.”

  “Damn it, Sion boy!” The general sighs. “Well, then I suppose we have to meet this other guest of ours.” Before anyone leaves, Sion looks at the family portraits and has a thought.

  “Can I ask for advice for a personal problem?” Adalwolf sits back down.

  “Of course. You’re my daughter’s friend, so of course I’ll help.” The general chides him.

  “Stop getting so excited that somebody is finally treating you like a proper adult. So what’s the problem, Sion boy?”

  “I bought a gift to apologize to someone, but I don’t know how to give it to her.” Adalwolf is far more interested than the general.

  “Is this the same person you came with?”

  “It is.” The general gives a blunt answer.

  “It’s the same as a fight, you need to choose the right moment to strike. If you go into it in a rush, then it won’t work right.”

  “I agree. I might seem insincere if you do it too quickly. If you’re giving a gift, then you need to give it a little time, or else it might feel like you’re trying to bribe them. But you also can’t sit around and wait, or else whatever happened will just stay unresolved. If I had to choose, it might be good to wait until some time tomorrow.” Sion nods.

  “I see. Thank you, Mr. Adalwolf. I’ll try my best.”

  The three of them stand up and leave the war room, returning to where Anima should be waiting. However, when they reach the area around the front door, she’s nowhere to be seen. A maid is walking nearby, and Sion calls out to her.

  “Excuse me, miss, do you know where Anima went?”

  “Anima? Is that the name of the girl Ms. Theyni took to her room?” General Shard turns back around and starts for the war room once more.

  “Well, seems that this problem has been resolved. Come, Adalwolf.”

  The general walks away, Adalwold right behind him, leaving Sion on his own.