"First of all, I would like to express my respect to you," Ordyntsev said softly, bowing. "How should I address you? We are in for a long conversation, and I wouldn't want to offend you inadvertently."

"What made you think, former peasant, that by the stupidity of the samurai you rose to the top, that we will have a long conversation? Only the phrase about the honor and power of the main family that you foolishly uttered makes me still talk to you. And believe me, if you don't say something significant right now, you will never leave this house," the voice of the secret cell leader didn't rise an iota, but anyone who heard it would get goosebumps.

"Alright, I'll tell you the reason why I dared to distract you," the earthling's modest smile did not waver despite the continuous threats. "Did you know that the clan leader's son, Jishin Sumada, planned an escape? He respects his family's honor, so he doesn't want to cause them trouble with his captivity. Escaping will solve at least some of the problems."

"Escape?" the head of spies asked with rough mockery in his voice. "You mean to say he sent you to beg me to pull him out of the trap he's found himself in? That sounds more like the truth than him being able to escape on his own... What are you smirking at, healer?!" Anger woke in his interlocutor's voice.

Ordyntsev's smirk didn't disappear at all, which annoyed and confused his interlocutor.

Perhaps politeness could be a good weapon, but sometimes it should be alternated with psychological tools that help throw the opponent off balance.

Of course, Stas wasn't planning to push his interlocutor to the brink, because that could go very, very wrong.

But for a second, to knock the self-satisfaction with a smirk, to shuffle the cards with a light threat from the main family, or to abruptly change the manner of behavior - all these tools seemed very useful to the earthling.

Back on Earth, Ordyntsev liked to read books on psychology from the category of "written by failures for successful people."

There was an ironic truth in it when experts on the human soul, telling how to live correctly, could not use their own advice in their own lives.

For example, the author of the books on successful family life killed his wife; the writer on how to be liked by people was divorced twice, and similar stories.

However, those who read their books often managed to implement them in life.

So, reading these books and their advice, Ordyntsev tried not so much to remember as to incorporate them into his way of life.

And often his reflections were built not only on pure calculation but also on a complex mixture of intuition, knowledge, and some phenomenal flair for people.

"Excuse me, head. I am glad to hear that Jishin Sumada's situation is not as dire as you think. And if you don't know about it, it means our enemies don't either. Isn't that a reason to smile?"

"What are you trying to say?" the leader of the Shadow Stone frowned. Ordyntsev's eyes adjusted to the darkness, so he began to make out the outlines of the chief's face.

"Thanks to my actions and knowledge, I managed to organize a secret network inside the palace made up of people loyal to Sumada. Servants, senior servants, guards, and even some samurai are currently working to help the prince leave the palace and safely reach the clan lands."

Ordyntsev didn't try to downplay his own merits. If he did manage to reach the Sumada clan, he would need even the smallest merits to keep his right to life.

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Having calmed down, the head tried to understand why Stas had come to him at all. Was all this just pure deception?

But before he could say a word about it, Ordyntsev, anticipating his reaction, cut him off.

"If you don't believe me, head-san," here Stanislaw pricked at the interlocutor's reluctance to give his name or even a nickname. Moreover, using the fact that spies had a low status, the healer, due to his closeness to the prince, put himself on an equal level with the cell leader. "I would advise your men to talk to my people. Igisaka is a confidant of the senior servant Roku, and Kensei is subordinate to the palace guard lieutenant Akiro Yori. I would suggest you find people who know the inner circle of these distinguished masters..."

"Enough," the irritated chief cut Stas off. "Hanzo, check!"

'Dead Eyes,' as Stas decided to call him, bowed without a word and exited just as silently.

"Head, you do understand that I wouldn't bother you if my lie was so foolish?" Stas inquired cautiously. "So, maybe while Hanzo-san is verifying my words, we can still discuss something?"

'Come on. I see you're interested. Stop pretending you aren't!'

"Call me Naito," the head finally said. "There's no need for you to introduce yourself, healer. I already know your name. And if you didn't lie to me, then why did you decide to come to us specifically?"

'You know only the local nickname given to me by a murky peasant-trader,' the earthling thought with a mental smirk, 'And no one in this world knows my real name. Maybe Leviathan remembered it somehow from her time on Earth? Though no, then her ability to catch complex sounds wasn't as developed.'

"It's simple, Naito-san. Although I managed to organize the prince's escape from the palace and maybe from the city, we still need someone's help to get Jishin to another country. He is too frail for such long journeys, so even the weakest Sansa squad could be our end. We would like to ask you to help the clan leader's son reach his father..."

"That's completely out of the question," Naito cut him off instantly. "We are not warriors but spies. We can't do much if Sansa or Kiatto send combat groups. And they will send their best, make no mistake. Besides, we already have important tasks here, given by the clan leader, Goro Sumada, himself."

"I understand, but there are problems with the latter," Stas noted modestly. "As you know, negotiations about returning Jishin will soon begin. But Nobunoro will most likely demand something impossible. Even if he asks for something real, the Sumada clan will not agree in any case."

Naito listened attentively, not interrupting Stas's story.

"And when both sides reach a mutual deadlock, the clan leader will have to do something," Stas shook his head regretfully. "Because if he does nothing, Sansa will gut his son like a quail, extracting the secret knowledge along with the blood. Now, head-san, think about who he will entrust to save or kill his own son?"

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Judging by the grim look on the leader's face, he clearly imagined the answer to this question.

"Besides, even if everything goes the best way, and you manage to break through the samurai and warmaster cordons without losses, do you think the main branch will be grateful for killing one of their own? Let him be a rotten bough, and even though they ordered you to do it, he still remains one of their own, doesn't he? Unlike you. They won't forgive you for that, Naito-san."

"I need to think." The plan presented by Stas didn't please the leader of the spies, but he couldn't find a good solution to this problem.

Ordyntsev didn't rush his interlocutor, allowing him to stew in his own thoughts for the necessary time. Meanwhile, Stas was recounting in his memory the prepared speech blocks for various cases.

Like an experienced soldier counting magazines and bullets, Stas was counting arguments in the upcoming discussion.

When Hanzo returned, he approached the head and began to whisper something in his ear. Ordyntsev surmised that he spoke not only about the earthling's assistants but also mentioned something else. The report was too long.

The head nodded and dismissed him. Stas appreciated the sign of trust, but the negotiations were far from over.

"But we still won't be able to handle a Sansa combat unit," Naito remembered his previous argument.

"You're right," to the leader's surprise, Stas agreed. "That's why the unexpected and vile betrayal of the Sansa clan comes into play."

Ordyntsev feigned grief.

"Poor Nobunoro-sama. Despite his best efforts to endure this damned clan of poison lovers, they still repaid him with such dark ingratitude! To attack his dear sister and himself – isn't that the act of real bastards? And as if that wasn't enough, they dared to attack their allies, the Kiatto clan. Haven't they lost their minds?"

Naito, assessing the scale of the plan, looked at the healer standing before him with different eyes. Now, it was the look of a man who, preparing for sleep, suddenly found a royal cobra in his bed.

A frankly creepy creature, even by snake standards, which primarily feeds on other species of snakes, including very venomous ones. The royal cobra has so much venom that it can kill even a whole elephant, let alone smaller animals.

A creature that chose the path of destroying its kind. Humanity could be proud of itself - it still wasn't the scariest species in certain aspects.

"Who will believe that?" the leader finally said. "Obviously, it will be recognized as actions of enemies. It won't do any good."

"You're abs-s-solutely right," Stas happily agreed. "Only you underestimate the degree of contempt Nobunoro feels for the Sansa clan. I don't know what drove a wedge between them, but the daimyo's son truly detests them. He hates them so much that he is ready to humiliate them in front of all his people, trampling the clan's dignity right into the mud. And after he humiliated one of the elders, Jirobu Sansa, this feeling became fully mutual."

Ordyntsev smirked crookedly.

"Don't forget that Nobunoro is a man who is very susceptible to his momentary desires. He is impetuous and cannot be serious even for a few minutes. If he learns that there was an attempt to kidnap his sister, that he was nearly attacked, and that the Kiatto clan was under assault, he won't take long to think and reflect. You know what... M-mm, fiery love this young man has for his sister? Believe me, he will think very poorly."

"And why do I need all this?" Stas saw that Naito asked the question merely out of inertia. The man's eyes showed intense thought. He was clearly already figuring out what benefit he could get from such a massive, underhanded scheme against a powerful hostile clan and the daimyo's son.

"Besides the father's gratitude for saving his son?" the earthling's smile could have been envied by the devil himself, the father of lies. "Well then, how about gratitude from the main branch of the clan for saving one of their own? Yes, Jishin made a mistake, but he still hasn't stopped being a part of them. They will be forced to remember you. Besides, your actions in this city will show you in the best light."

The head thought hard. Stas had no doubt that he had overlooked many different cultural nuances or political peculiarities due to his foreignness to this world. However, he gave Naito the skeleton from which the latter could bounce off, creating the meat of the plan.

"Shiro-san," the cell leader's tone made Stas tense; he didn't know how to react to it. "Sit across from me. I think after that fight of yours, you're tired, and rest would be very timely."

'So, that's how it is. Apparently, Hanzo brought something in his small beak about our little scuffle.' Stas thought calmly. The idea that the head's men had been watching them even before the fight was too frightening.

Because, in that case, it could turn out that the leader of the Shadow Stone knew in advance not only that Stas would come to him but also why he would do it.

But the earthling discarded the thought as unlikely. It smelled too much of ordinary paranoia.

"Thank you, Naito-san, you are so kind," Stas responded to the chief warmly, sitting down on his knees at the table, as if forgetting that until then, he had to stand throughout the conversation, let alone being treated as an equal.

"I would be very grateful if you could reveal a little more about the intricacies of your plan, Shiro-san." Sitting so close to the head of the spies, Ordyntsev could see his face much better.

The only things that caught his eye were the dark, thick eyebrows and the already emerging bald spots on the head.

Stas noted that this man looked like a fifty-year-old office worker who preferred stability in his life over everything else.

However, this ordinary appearance only made the earthling more wary.

'One should not underestimate those warmasters who have lived to old age in a profession where they die young,' would sound Stanislav's thoughts.

Having encountered a fairly large number of warmasters, Stas involuntarily came to a frightening conclusion – there were practically no warmasters older than forty years.

They simply did not live to such a "respectable" age.

That's why fifty-year-old warmasters like Jirobu Sansa or, this time, Naito Sumada, needed to be treated with the utmost caution. No matter how harmless they looked, these were behemoths, real monsters, flesh of the flesh of this terrible world.

They survived where thousands or tens of thousands of their peers perished.

These people deserved to be taken seriously in any situation.

"Of course, Naito-san," Stas gathered his thoughts. "First of all, I should mention that we have an arrangement with Akiro, the lieutenant of the palace guard. He will be the one to meet the 'vile Sansa attacking the princess,' after which he will repel the unexpected attack. Your men will need to dress in clothes with the Sansa crest, engage in battle, then pretend to be dispirited by the failure of the operation and retreat."

"If there are no corpses, no one will believe it," Naito almost quoted Akiro verbatim. "My people will arrange a few bodies and leave them in the heat of battle. Will Akiro send trustworthy people?" he immediately came up with a solution.

"Without a doubt," Stas confirmed.

"Then there won't be any unnecessary questions about where the corpses came from," the head said with satisfaction.

"Besides the attack on the sister, there should be two more," Ordyntsev continued, revealing the intricacies of the plan. "The second one will target one of the prince's many bedrooms. We need a lot of fire and loud explosions to draw attention. Of course, Nobunoro should not be there. He should only feel how death passed by him very, very closely."

Naito said nothing and nodded understandingly.

"And finally, the third strike will be on the Kiattos' quarters. This is the most dangerous part, as you have to let them see the Sansa crest, then retreat and hide."

"That will indeed be difficult to do," seeing Stas's concern, the head explained. "The Kiatto have inherited from their magical beasts the ability to sense prana from a great distance. They are excellent trackers who are hard to throw off the trail."

"So a direct attack is not an option?" Ordyntsev clarified.

"Not direct, but there are possibilities with an indirect one," Naito nodded. "Shiro-san, I understand your plan. Using the confusion that will ensue after your departure, you plan to reach the border unobstructed and cross from Hyugo into Rashta. And from there, it's not far to the lands of our clan. It's a very ambitious yet risky scheme."

Stas forced himself to look calm, though everything inside him was boiling. He felt like a student in front of a particularly malicious teacher who would prefer to flunk someone rather than give even a "C."

"However, I liked your plan after all. I will help you. We still have time, so go back to the palace. I'll contact you through one of the regular servants. The idea is very large-scale, so each participant must strictly adhere to the time and place. This is still to be discussed separately, as well as other details."

"Thank you, Naito-san." Stas beamed at his interlocutor with his best smile. "We will not let you down, and you will get what you rightly deserve."