I left Zolast behind as I returned to Town Yoentia, looking forward to a chance to rest. I stayed in Town Maell for another day, both to ensure the destruction of the nearby cultist presence and to make sure the Baron actually listened to Takis' orders.

Luckily, the Baron was suitably impressed by Takis' new title, Sunspear, which marked him as the military commander of the church forces along with his new role as the guildmaster of the new guild, the Spears of the Sun.

Not exactly a creative name, but I never had been particularly impressed with that topic.

Two roles at once were a bit much, but Takis had exceeded my expectations. His performance was already noteworthy during the siege, but what truly impressed me was his decision afterward. He refused Zolast's bogus order to the point of accepting the death penalty without blinking.

His Awakening was a nice surprise. I had no doubt that Charisma would be useful, especially once he hit his next promotion. Zolast already passed him several valuable abilities, already hoping that he would receive a class with Attunement. Apparently, the Scholar class was suitable for it.

I doubted it would be the best fit. Takis had the best strategic mind I had ever seen, and I had no doubt that his stats helped, it wasn't all stats. After all, he wasn't the only one with those stats… and the less that was said about the general approach of the military, the better.

But it was up to Takis' Divine Patron to decide.

Either way, I expected Takis to manage the security of the wide area that surrounded Town Maell, large enough to cover both directions. Not an easy challenge, but considering he could ask for my aid in particularly thorny areas, as the assassin or as the knight based on the circumstances, I trusted him to handle it successfully.

He had already proven himself capable in strategic areas. More importantly, I trusted him to handle any situation with courage once the cultist spies in the military tried to intervene, especially after his promotion.

Luckily, we had a grace period in this area. Considering the cultists almost killed a member of the royal family, I expected their spies in the military to stay put for a while, no matter how unsatisfied they had become. Even when they started to act, they couldn't be too overt, thanks to the deal Zolast had with the princess about protecting Town Yoentia.

It was certainly convenient — at least for now.

Every single instinct I had developed in my long life warned me against this agreement. That particular entanglement would create a lot of trouble in the future.

But, that was a problem for future Edward to worry about.

For now, I wanted to check and make sure everything was in order before taking a very well-deserved, long nap. Now, that was an excellent plan.

One that crashed and burned the moment I entered the town, and noticed the subtle shimmer from an otherwise invisible figure, moving closer.

Bertnam.

The fact that he was here, waiting at the outer town like a common thief meant that he had something urgent to address. Something urgent enough to keep him waiting for me.

That something was, most likely, the combination of the cultist attack and our sudden absence. For a moment, I considered whether there was a chance that he suspected our disguises, but I ignored that possibility just as quickly. If that had been one of his concerns, he wouldn't have waited for our arrival at the roof.

Certainly not alone.

Even when invisible, I could see him relaxing the moment he saw me, no doubt happy because I had his only clue about the location of the hero.

I sent a message to Zolast, along with a message to not bother returning for the moment. I had some concerns about handling him before, but at the moment, those concerns were gone. On the contrary, it was much easier to manipulate him without Zolast around, as he would try to leverage the opportunity far more.

He didn't make contact immediately, probably waiting until I was alone — meaning there wouldn't be any naps. I didn't go to the headquarters or my office immediately, since I did not know how long he would hold me. Instead, I walked around town once, making sure there were no urgent issues to be addressed.

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Fascinatingly, there was none, probably because Artmiss had put the town on alert for the day in case the cultist army picked Town Yoentia as their next target, and every single force was still trying to make sure the emergency was truly over before they continued with their games.

All this was a relief, as Bertnam proved to be more impatient than I had expected. Before I could complete half of my trip, he stepped down to an alley, and abandoned his invisibility before walking forward.

"Euon, what a coincidence," he said with a smile, trying to look confident and threatening at the same time.

Not exactly an impressive attempt, as it mostly relied on his invisibility ability, but I still jumped back and reached for my dagger. "I-inquisitor," I said, doing my best to give the impression of respect and fear.

Soon, it turned into purely respectful — outwardly only, naturally — as a wave of Charisma hit me. One that awakened an intense sense of trust in me. A Charisma skill, I identified easily, one that felt similar to my emotion-manipulating trick, but hitting hard enough to be noticeable even with my Resilience.

It was not a simple skill to use, as I was already seeing signs of strain on his face.

I acted unaware of his trick. Our earlier encounters had shown that he was not the kind of man that would question his success. Rather, he was the kind to expect the world to bend to their will. For them, every bit of success they had was proof of their deserving nature.

Ironically, his brand of operator seldom survived in the less legal side of business. The criminal world was not for the men who expected the world to bend to their expectations. Eventually, they pushed too much, then crashed and burned.

However, I had met with too many businessmen from that vein, their reckless disregard for others allowing them to climb the steps to success far more efficiently.

I knew exactly how to play with such men. Just let them believe they have the upper hand, and watch as they proudly walk off a cliff.

He gestured for me to follow him into the alley, and I did, soon stepping under a silencing ward. Not a particularly good one, but enough for our purposes.

"Sir Bertnam, how may I help you?" I said, putting just enough respect in my tone as I looked down.

"No need for that, Euon. Just call me Bertnam," he said. "I was worried when you didn't answer your messages."

I made a show of flinching very subtly, like I was feeling a mixture of shame and anger. "I'm sorry about that, Bertnam. Zolast insisted that we didn't bring anything with us as we went into hiding."

"Is this about the cultist attack?" he asked, trying to sound gentle and understanding. He wasn't particularly successful in that, but I acted like he was.

"Yes," I answered simply, putting as much venom in my voice as I could manage.

"And, a brave man like you didn't agree with hiding like a rat," Bertnam followed. It was, admittedly, a much better way to manipulate me. Tapping into my insecurities, elevating them further, and showing sympathy at the same time.

For all his faults, he was a good manipulator. I might have been tempted to recruit him if it wasn't for the signs of boundless ambition.

No need to invite a snake into my home.

"I wouldn't say that Zolast is a rat," I said, smiling widely like I was proud of my not-so-subtle dig.

"You really don't like this, do you?" he asked, once again trying to show sympathy, which was far less natural than his ability to play to my negative emotions.

"Like what, sir?" I said, deliberately slipping to a more respectful tone as I did my best to look like his skill was brainwashing me successfully.

"Being a quartermaster, being ordered around. You're a warrior, a leader. You want to fight, to lead, to destroy armies," he said, then gestured to a merchant stall. "Not handle peasant work."

I didn't say anything, just shifting my expression to a combination of wistful and frustrated, like I actually wanted everything he listed, but didn't dare to admit.

Even to myself.

A perfect bait, especially for a manipulator like him. I had to admit, the cultural context about honor and other expectations worked wonders — though, after my own performance on the battlefield, I understood that context better.

It was much easier to idealize knights when they could act as a combination of a tank, artillery, and aircraft.

"Maybe that doesn't have to be your fate," Bertnam suggested.

I sighed loudly. "Unfortunately, it is, sir. I have already had my third promotion. There's no class change for me. Even … he … helped, I know that my fate is sealed."

"Not necessarily," Bertnam offered with a subtle smile.

"R-really," I stammered, doing my best to look like a poor man who just realized he had four numbers in a row for the lottery. Hopeful, yet still thinking the ultimate reward was too distant to be possible.

"Yes, as long as you know the right people … and gods," Bertnam suggested, giving the bait. My expression told him that he succeeded. "Of course, you need to prove yourself first."

"Whatever you need, sir," I declared.

"Nothing for now," Bertnam said as he reached for his back to draw a sword. "But, a man like you should carry a weapon that's worthy of your status," he said, giving me his sword. Not just a gift, but a symbolic move that showed his respect, giving me his weapon.

I acted suitably awed, while he hit me with that trust trick one last time, trying to solidify all the goodwill he had managed to seal. "I need to leave now, but keep that communication plate with you. I'll need your help very soon," he said.

"Thank you, sir," I said even as he turned invisible once more and moved away.

Ironically, my last words of appreciation were accurate. I was very happy when he passed me a very familiar sword, both in terms of structure and shape.

The first magic weapon I used was one that I had taken from the corpse of a member of the group that had tried to kidnap me that fateful day.

Finally, a clue.