"Follow me," Ordyntsev's words contained no request, only a merciless command. Without waiting for a response, he moved through the corridors of the evening palace toward a long-picked room.

Quickly rising from the floor, Yuchi dashed after him. He was afraid to even imagine where this fearsome healer was leading him and what he intended to do.

All the terrible stories about the warmasters and those associated with them involuntarily flashed before the poor servant's eyes.

Could his life really end here so ingloriously?

Stas grabbed the door and flung it open with a jerk, making the wood protest with a squeak. The room was completely empty. Even tatami had long faded from age, and there were no cushions or tables to speak of.

The setting sun penetrated the window, illuminating the room with a red glow.

"Come in and close the door," came another order. Stas froze opposite the window, staring at the crimson horizon.

Yuchi did just that, then stood still in the center of the room, unsure of what to do next.

Each minute of this oppressive silence further shook his poor nerves, which, actually, was precisely what his interlocutor needed.

"Tell me, Yuchi, have you realized your mistake?" Stas's voice was surprisingly calm, unlike what it was five minutes ago.

"Yes, master," the servant nodded quickly. "I will never do it again. Please forgive me..."

"That's good, Yuchi," Stas turned, and his eyes coldly gleamed. "Understanding your mistake helps you not to repeat it next time. But there's a problem, Yuchi. You've already made a mistake, and there's a price to pay. Do you understand?"

"Yes," the servant squeezed out.

"Normally, I would demand the highest price, up to... life itself. But I like something about you. You're a hardworking lad, and even though life has been cruel to you, you try not to give up. You work a lot, don't you, Yuchi?" Stas's voice warmed a bit.

"Yes, master." Yuchi nodded timidly.

"Nevertheless, despite all your hard work, people don't appreciate you at all. Quite cruel on their part, don't you think? I see you agree with me. I would like you to tell me a little about those who have been most cruel to you."

"Master?" the servant asked, bewildered, his mouth agape. "But why, master?"

"You don't need to know why," Stas's voice filled with steel again, making Yuchi cringe in fear. "But I'll tell you anyway. Unlike you, many other servants work much less but receive far more respect. They deceive and are lazy, yet they get away with it, don't they, Yuchi?"

"Perhaps, master." The healer's words confused and flustered him, making it hard to think, hard to understand what to say and what not to.

"I'd like to hear about all their transgressions. And don't be modest, Yuchi, because they certainly don't hide when they mock you. They laugh and scorn you. So, isn't it fair for them to be repaid in kind? After all, justice should prevail in the end, shouldn't it?"

Confused, frightened, and angered by the earthling's words, the servant finally dared to speak.

And if at first he was shy, then the longer his "confession" went on, the faster anger and resentment spilled out of him.

Given the opportunity to report those above him, Yuchi sang like a nightingale, receiving the support he needed at that moment.

"And Hikaru constantly steals pieces of fish from the food that is to be served even at the table of Nobunoro-sama himself! I would never do such a thing, but he always does! So why is he treated better than me?! He's a brazen thief!"

"Injustice, Yuchi," Stas shrugged. "People don't always get what they deserve. And is this Hikaru the one with the ridiculous haircut, as if someone accidentally snipped off an extra bit of his hair?"

"Exactly so, master." Yuchi nodded eagerly. He enjoyed telling about the wrongdoings of his ill-wishers. The words literally flew from his lips.

However, as useful as Yuchi's information was, Stas was interested in bigger fish. And he needed to switch the servant's focus to that now, while his enthusiasm was still strong.

"Yuchi," Ordyntsev interrupted the tale of another servant who pilfered supplies. "Tell me, are the senior servants any better than the rest? Or do they behave just as horribly toward esteemed Nobunoro-sama, deceiving him?"

"Worse, master," Yuchi immediately agreed. "Many of them are even worse!"

"Is that so," Ordyntsev shook his head regretfully. "Does even senior servant Roku also commit misdeeds?"

"Of course, master, he's the worst of..." Yuchi abruptly stopped when he realized what he was about to say.

"I see how it is," Ordyntsev nodded to his own thoughts.

'So Roku is far from saintly. And that phrasing, "he's the worst of all," hmm. Come on, little bird, sing.'

But the younger brother, realizing he had almost revealed the affairs of the elder, fell silent for good.

Stas's thoughtful gaze made him tremble, but his mouth remained closed.

It was clear that the stick method had exhausted itself, so it was time to switch to the carrot.

"You know, Yuchi," the earthling's friendly tone slightly relaxed his conversational partner's tense nerves. "I can understand why you're silent. Moreover, I even respect you for it. Not betraying a brother and standing firm for your family, isn't that a pinnacle of proper behavior? But have you thought about what will happen next? And no, I'm not talking about my threats right now."

Ordyntsev turned again and looked at the sunset.

"Think about it, Yuchi. What your life is like. By chance, I had to live among you, the servants. You probably even saw me when you weren't tired from another insurmountable task and didn't collapse on your futon. And I saw very well how you are treated. You have no friends and not even those with whom you could exchange a couple of words. Worse, even your brother doesn't want to have anything to do with you and therefore assigns you the hardest and most unpleasant work."

Stas didn't need to look back to feel how his words hit home, weighing heavily on the servant.

"How much longer will this continue? How much longer will they tolerate you before throwing you out to the other outcasts? Or maybe you won't endure and will settle accounts with life? And you know, I can change all this," Stas turned sharply. "It's within my power to restore at least some of the respect and dignity you once had. You'll work like everyone else, no worse and no better. Shameful tasks will be a thing of the past, and you'll never be sent on them again."

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"How will you do that, master?" Yuchi cautiously clarified, but hope already flickered in his eyes.

"It's precisely the information you'll tell me about Roku that will help me in this," Ordyntsev chuckled. "Do you think I want to harm your brother? Not at all. On the contrary, it's in my interest for him to live and work as before. But what's to stop me from asking him to be gentler with one useful servant in the future? To treat him like a human, not an outcast?"

Yuchi froze, disbelievingly looking at the man.

"Come on, make your decision. I swear on all the kami, I won't deliberately harm your brother. In the event of success, your life will pleasantly change. I know how to be grateful." Yuchi gasped for breath, blinking rapidly. For a moment, it seemed to him that the healer's eyes acquired elongated pupils.

Greed and fear, hope and moral principles - all mixed in the soul of one of the most pitiful servants of the daimyo's son's palace.

Funny, but at that moment so much depended on Yuchi's decision that history would have gone a completely different way from any choice he made.

"I agree, master," Yuchi said in a trembling voice, his eyes wide as he looked at the smiling Stas. "Just please, don't hurt him."

"Do you understand that he has renounced you?" Stas asked with interest.

"Yes," Yuchi twitched as if struck. "But he's still my brother."

"Well then, I'm all ears. And please, remember all the details-s-s."

"My brother... always loved money too much. When I was still serving him, we were visited by people several times. Very dangerous people," Yuchi hesitated, gathering his strength. Stas did not rush him. "Later, it became clear they were working for warmasters."

"What do you mean working?"

"We, that is, I, my brother, and a couple of other servants, passed them information from the palace. Told them about the merchants and nobles who came there. Reported on their conversations. For this, my brother was always generously paid in gold, and he, in turn, paid us. Why, brother, did you ever start this?" Yuchi suddenly hung his head.

"So your brother himself disclosed confidential information and hired you for the same purpose," Ordyntsev muttered to himself, considering the new prospects. "And what do you mean by mentioning that he has started something?"

"They are very, very bad people. And their gold is bloodstained."

"As if any gold isn't bloodstained," Stas scoffed harshly. "And show me warmasters who live a peaceful life."

"They aren't just warmasters," Yuchi shook his head. Fear was evident in his eyes.

"A great clan?" Stas frowned. He disliked the look on the servant's face. There was an excessive horror in it, even for this situation.

"Yes. They were people... serving the clan of Deathbringers." Yuchi spoke the last word in a hissing whisper.

Stas nodded thoughtfully as if he understood. This was the second time he had heard the name of this clan. And in both cases, it sounded like something truly terrifying.

'A clan dabbling in forbidden arts. Outcasts even by the standards of warmasters. Interesting.'

"Tell me more. Where I lived before, little was known about Deathbringers."

"Well, I... I mean... Master, I also know very little," Yuchi stammered. "I heard they can talk to the dead. And once, one of them entered our house. He concealed his face and was only with us for a short time, but even then, I could smell the stench of death. People say they're all living dead, unable to pass on to the next world because they angered some powerful kami, and those inflicted a great curse on them!"

"Hmm, that's even more than I expected to hear," Stas chuckled. "Alright, I understand about your brother's connection with such dangerous people. Now I'm interested in the details. Exactly how did he contact them? How often did the meetings take place? Are there any secret signs?"

Ordyntsev was lucky that Yuchi had only recently fallen out of favor, so there was a chance that everything said had not yet changed.

Listening to the servant's answers, Ordyntsev diligently memorized every fact and tidbit of information. And he had never complained about his memory.

Finally, when Yuchi had given the last facts and night had fallen, Stas let him go.

"Live as you lived before. If I need you, I'll call you. I'll take care of the rest myself."

"And my brother..."

"I'll conceal your involvement," Stas assured his newly acquired agent. "When someone is involved in such things, they inevitably start suspecting anyone," the earthling's face distorted into an unpleasant smirk. "After all, as you said, there were other informants besides you. He'll suspect his own brother last." Stas laughed at his own joke.

*****

But even possessing such advantageous "cards" was only part of the job. Roku, being a senior servant, was always busy, and he was constantly surrounded by numerous subordinates.

Meeting him in private was almost impossible.

The only chance Stas managed to carve out occurred a whole week after his conversation with Yuchi.

"Hello, Roku-san," Ordyntsev greeted him quietly as he approached. Roku had just sent his assistant away at that moment and was counting bags of rice lying in a storeroom next to the kitchen.

"Oh, kami!" the senior servant jerked and almost dropped his records. The ink bottle hanging at his side dangerously teetered. "Shiro-san, you scared me. You can't just sneak up on honest people..." Roku stopped and looked at Ordyntsev with a different gaze. "But what are you doing here? This is a supply warehouse; you're not allowed to be here."

"Oh, don't worry, Roku-san," Stas waved his hands. "I'll leave you immediately. I just need to pass a couple of words to you."

"Which words and from whom?" Roku frowned. "Alright, speak and leave immediately, or we'll both be in big trouble."

"It's brief," Stas's innocent smile, had Yuchi seen it, would have made him clutch his heart. "The dead bird sends its regards to you. And it's very eager to talk to you, Roku-san, as soon as possible. Can it be arranged?"

With each word spoken, the man's facial expression changed from shocked to suspiciously pale.

The senior servant frantically looked around, then quickly approached Stas.

"What's happening?! You said that you wouldn't need anything for the next few months! There's a war going on, I told you it's too dangerous. They recently caught two spies and made all the servants watch the execution. They tortured them for hours, not letting them die. I don't want to end up like that!"

"Roku-san, don't rush, don't rush," Stas smiled promisingly. "Do you think the dead bird cares about your problems? They expressed a desire to talk, and they will, in a place where definitely no one will overhear. The question is whether you'll end up being happy about this meeting."

Footsteps sounded from above; presumably, Roku's assistant was returning after completing his task.

Roku's shoulders slumped, admitting defeat.

"Then we'll arrange it this evening. Be in the northern part of the palace at sunset, I'll come and take you to the right place."

"It's nice to deal with a smart person." Stas nodded in satisfaction, heading back upstairs.

The assistant gave Stas, who was walking towards him, a baffled look, but shrugged it off, concluding it wasn't his concern.

*****

There was still plenty of time before the new conversation with Roku, so Stas allowed himself to visit the prince.

The latter was found sitting opposite Leviathan, engaged in a staring contest.

Both Sumada and the snake sat on cushions, looking intently into each other's eyes.

Suddenly, Jishin flicked his hand towards Levi, and some small object flew off his palm. The snake made a quick, imperceptible jaw movement and swallowed, judging by the fleeting sight of a tail in her mouth, another mouse.

"She shouldn't be fed so often," Stas muttered, feeling a slight pang of jealousy. However, that feeling quickly passed when Leviathan, recognizing the newcomer, rushed to meet him, immediately wrapping around his leg and climbing onto his shoulder.

The snake's head gently nudged his neck, tickling his ear with her forked tongue.

"You're my good girl." The coiled spring in him slowly relaxed, and Stas affectionately stroked his favorite. "Snakes should be fed no more than once a week. Large ones are even fed no more than once a month. And what are you doing here anyway?"

"Once a week? Ha!" the prince laughed. "She'll eat your sandals if you give her such a schedule. She's a magical creature, just look how she's grown."

And there Sumada was absolutely correct. Leviathan had grown to three meters in the last two weeks on the palace fare. And that is considering that Texas rat snakes couldn't grow longer than one hundred eighty centimeters in principle.

And judging by the appetite, Leviathan had no intention of stopping her growth. It could soon become a real problem. Another reason to hasten the escape.

"As for what we were doing," continued Jishin. "I wanted to see how smart she is. After you talked to her, I couldn't help but try."

Stas nodded in understanding.

In the first few days, one of the lieutenants of the guard had visited. The guards complained about the presence of the snake in the bathhouse, and Levi faced a serious threat of being dealt with.

In the end, only the prince's intervention saved the snake from death. Jishin called her his pet and flatly refused to give her up, threatening with his father and future negotiations.

The lieutenant left empty-handed.

Ordyntsev understood that the prince had done this not out of natural kindness, but deep down, he was sincerely grateful to him. His resolve to save Sumada that day only grew stronger.

Stas then had to spend several days trying to convey to Levi the idea that roaming freely around the palace was not permissible.

Even more surprisingly, he managed to do it. The snake, which by definition only hears approximate sound waves, managed to understand the words of her master and no longer tried to go out for a walk.

This scene impressed Jishin so much that he was determined to teach her some tricks.

Stas, looking at what seemed to him to be a cunning expression on Leviathan's face, thought that the snake was playing along with the prince in his efforts, shamelessly extorting his stockpile of mice.

In any case, Ordyntsev was proud of his pet's resourcefulness and didn't intend to interfere with her scheme for obtaining sustenance.