"But who exactly do you need the most?" Kansei cautiously clarified. By the end of their drinking session, he had relaxed considerably, but still maintained a degree of wariness when delving into such questionable matters.

Moreover, Katsuya had smoothly and unnoticeably seated herself next to Kansei, touching him with her shoulder.

At first, the merchant blushed and turned pale, but then, seemingly got used to her presence, causing a modest smile on the Kumo's face.

Stas didn't know how their relationship would end, but he hoped she wouldn't eat him.

In any case, he hinted to her that such an act would greatly disappoint him.

"For starters, those who have something to lose," Stas smiled, enjoying the food brought to him. "Such people, if pressed for what is dear to them, tend to become predictable. Samurai, just so you know, do not fall into this category. They're very troublesome to deal with."

"I understand," Kansei nodded. "Samurai honor is a strange thing. It can flare up even over a debt owed to you. And if he kills you with his sword, the debt disappears, and his honor remains completely unencumbered."

"Personal observations?" Ordyntsev inquired with interest.

"The sad fate of one of the competitors," Kansei grimaced. "That's why I no longer lend to samurai!"

"Let's drink to that," the earthling smirked.

"Why not, indeed?"

*****

"Hello, Kaede," Jishin looked with interest at the real yokai who had brought him a letter from Stas. "How are you?"

"Oh," the girl quickly turned away. "I'm fine."

Jishin just tilted his head in confusion. Every time he tried to talk to Shiro's subordinate, she behaved very strangely.

And should an opportunity arise, she was ever eager to slip away.

Kaede, of course, could not explain that she was terribly embarrassed in the presence of a real prince!

The funniest thing was that in the yokai's personal hierarchy, princes stood even above daimyo.

In the not-so-experienced yokai's head were too many stories of handsome princes.

Having cast aside extraneous thoughts, Jishin broke the seal and delved into what the Serpent had written.

After a few minutes of silence, the prince beamed with good mood.

His decision to send Shiro to solve the problem turned out to be very insightful.

Not that Jishin doubted Shiro's success. After all, years of friendship had shown the prince that his friend approached life as if there were no insurmountable obstacles before him.

Starting as a nobody, a vagrant, he was now a world-renowned warmaster and friend of a prince.

And "world-renowned" was no exaggeration. In the absence of serious news, the rumor of the death of a supreme warmaster, and the head of the Sansa at that, at the hands of advanced warmasters spread very widely, including to other countries.

Therefore, Jishin thought that the Serpent would find a couple of traitors or maybe catch a few squads of Mizuno.

But what Shiro described in the letter changed a great deal. Was it conceivable to stumble upon and successfully recruit not just some minor informant but one of the key figures in their enemy's intelligence? The only thing that bothered him was that he had hidden the agent's name. But Jishin was sure there was a reason for it. Shiro was too rational to act illogically.

Right now, Shiro was asking for additional help in the form of several of Shin's shadow fighters.

Jishin summoned his secretary and ordered him to call the head of his secret service.

The latter arrived in no time, apparently having been nearby.

As soon as he familiarized himself with Shiro's letter, his smile was so wide it threatened to split his face.

"Jishin, allow me to take a dozen fighters and head to the Serpent personally. I'm sure such an important situation for us cannot be ignored. After all, even though Shiro knows how to 'talk,' our work is not his specialty."

"Alright," Jishin agreed after a brief thought. "But finish the business quickly and return. I need you here."

"Hai," Shin nodded.

"And take Kaede with you," the interested commander of the Shadow Stone stared at the yokai.

She gave him an equally intense look, prompting laughter from Jishin. Kaede had no shyness towards Shin.

"Alright, enough crowding in my office. Get to work!"

*****

"Pretty solid," Stas nodded slowly, examining the Shadow Stone fighters lined up before him.

Each face was covered with a dark mask, leaving only slits for the eyes. The latter were so narrow that it was impossible to even determine the color of those eyes.

Their figures were all fit, and Leviathan's senses told him that at least half of them were of the advanced level, and the rest were approaching it.

It was not difficult to understand that Shin had taken the best of what he had for this task.

"Jishin appreciated the importance of the information you found," Shin nodded, squinting. "Do you have plans already? Or maybe you've decided who exactly we will take first?"

"Of course I have," Ordyntsev handed Shin a scroll. On the sheet were written five names, their positions, and locations.

"Let's start with this one. He's the closest," Shin pointed at the second name. "By the way, I wanted to know why you didn't mention your informant's name."

"I will only discuss his identity with Io," Ordyntsev cut off the questioning. "Only then can I be sure of his safety."

"Hmm, alright," Shin didn't press, but judging by his dimmed smile, he wasn't pleased with the situation. "Shall we move out?"

"Yes," Shiro nodded seriously. "We have a lot of work ahead of us. After all, this," he nodded at the list, "is just the beginning."

*****

The problem was that to communicate with a potential agent, the interaction had to be truly secret.

The people on Ordyntsev's list, being far from low-level agents, held a decent position in Rashta society.

That meant they had servants who could notice the warmasters at the wrong time and raise the alarm. However, eliminating them could draw unwanted attention, compromising their sources of information.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

That's why Kaede and another lad from Shin's people had to work hard to entangle the servants and guards with illusions, ensuring they wouldn't interfere with the upcoming "conversation."

Nevertheless, there was still a chance that someone would hear potential screams. But even for this, Shin had a solution.

Another one of his men, besides stone, had developed the basics of the air element. His knowledge was lacking, but it was enough to activate a rather convenient technique for their business – a sound barrier.

All sound vibrations within the barrier stayed there.

The house of their first "victim" was a huge mansion where the entire merchant's family lived.

His children, nieces, grandmothers, grandfathers, uncles, and aunts.

Right now, they all, immersed in illusions induced by a special potion, lay at the feet of the grim figures of the Shadow Stone.

At the same time, the warmasters' blades were drawn from the sheaths and pointed unambiguously at the backs of the lying people.

The merchant himself, with his hands tied behind his back, knelt and watched the surrounding Sumada with horror.

It was difficult to even put into words how frightened he was, yet he still tried to keep at least a shred of his dignity.

But with each passing second, this became harder as none of the warmasters even attempted to start a conversation. They just looked at him gloomily, not even thinking of sheathing their blades.

Outside, sakura trees rustled quietly. The silence was so sharp that the noise of the pink petals was almost deafening.

Images raced through the merchant's head, each more terrifying than the next.

Taro no longer doubted that the Sumada had learned of his role in the Mizuno plots. But hope still flickered somewhere deep inside his soul.

"Excuse me, masters, I would very much like to know what brought you here…" Taro Kodzuki finally mustered up the courage to whisper in a hoarse voice.

He no longer anticipated an answer, but it unexpectedly came.

"Taro Kodzuki, considered one of the two hundred richest merchants in Rashta, loves spicy food and his dear daughters. And also provides close support to the Mizuno warmasters. Those very Mizuno who plan to invade Rashta with Higatsudo. Is that correct?" the hissing voice behind made Taro flinch.

"Master, this is some mistake!" Kodzuki blurted out quickly. "I would never do such a thing, for Rashta is my homeland! I don't know who slandered me, but that person is lying!"

"Really?" The speaker walked around Taro and squatted in front of him.

And as soon as Kodzuki saw the face of the man, which the latter didn't even think to hide, the little confidence he had managed to gather melted away like smoke.

Taro had heard of this man. And if the rumors were true, then anyone capable of killing a supreme warmaster at such a young age was frankly not much like a human.

"And it seems to me that you're shamelessly lying, Taro-san," the Serpent smiled broadly. "So, you still insist that you're innocent?"

"Yes..." At that moment, as the merchant spoke, a long tongue dangled from the mouth of the eerie warmaster.

Taro hesitated, clearly nauseated.

"Do you know what the problem is, Taro-san? I can taste your lie. And do you know what it tastes like? Too sour for me. Shall we add a drop of honesty to it?" The words of the Serpent refused to linger in Kodzuki's frightened mind. However, the following suggestion sounded like his worst nightmare.

"Hey, fighters. Kill five of the captives. Just not the children; they might still be of use," the Serpent's voice sounded so bored, as if he was suggesting picking a couple of lettuce leaves for lunch.

"Don't...! Kh-h-h." A pale hand swiftly and firmly silenced his throat, preventing him from screaming, yet it did not obstruct him from seeing how the warmasters' blades repeatedly descended, killing his relatives!

The room was poorly lit by just a few lanterns brought by the invaders. But even their light was enough to see the dark blood soaking into the tatami.

"And now, Taro-san, I would like to hear the truth," the serpentine eyes, unblinking, stared into Kodzuki's pain-dilated pupils. "You have seen the seriousness of our intentions. Don't make me deliver an even harsher lesson."

As soon as the Serpent released his throat, Taro spent several dozen seconds just coming to his senses.

"But I didn't..." The hand that clenched around his neck made Kodzuki desperately try to say something or scream. It might have been a confession, but no one cared anymore.

"I see you are still persisting," the man with serpentine eyes shook his head. "In that case, fighters, dispose of the rest. As we see, they are not very valuable to our friend. Oh, except the children. As I said, we still have a use for them."

With tears rolling down his cheeks, Taro watched as, one after another, his relatives were sent to the afterlife.

The warmasters' blades sometimes struck so hard that they penetrated not only the fragile human bodies but also the boards beneath them. The blood was draining through these holes cheerfully.

Or maybe that was the warmasters' intention, so as not to stain their shoes with red liquid?

The only thing that somewhat calmed the merchant's insane mind was that they died quickly and in their sleep. Taro knew all too well what warmasters eager to extract information were capable of.

Finally, it was all over. Only two children remained alive. Two sleeping girls, laid right at the feet of the merchant who had lost almost everything today.

The latter occasionally tried to break free, but he was no match in strength for the arms holding him. And the Serpent's grip still prevented him from screaming.

Finally, the pale hand let him go again. The man breathed heavily and gaspingly in absolute silence. He was starving for oxygen.

"Ah, look at these children, Taro-san," the warmaster spoke again. Although for Kodzuki Taro this man was a pure demon who escaped from the deepest depths of hell. "Don't you pity them at all?"

"Perhaps you think that even if you tell us everything, we will kill them?" The eyes burning with hatred and pain stared straight at the serious warmaster.

"But you would be wrong. Tell us what we want, and we won't touch your children."

"You're lying!" Taro roared, jerking again, but his captors' hands did not budge an inch. Bodies infused with prana didn't even feel his resistance. They might as well have been steel vices.

"In fact, you are wrong. But we can only check this one way..."

The Serpent turned to one of his fighters, and inside Taro, everything froze.

"Hand me your blade, fighter."

"No... Don't." Kodzuki tried to scream, but instead of coherent speech, only weak gasps came out.

The katana gently lay right on the sleeping girl's neck.

"I'll tell," Taro whispered in defeat, attracting the warmaster's attention.

"What will you tell, Taro-san?" the Serpent inquired with interest.

"Yes, I work for Mizuno, and I supply information to them and their other agents. Please, I beg you. Just not my daughters."

"Ah, Taro-Taro. Unfortunately, it's too late," the warmaster with serpentine eyes shook his head.

"But you promised! You gave your word!"

"Don't you know that warmasters are not to be trusted? Moreover, what promise can be made to a traitor?"

"No!" Taro screamed desperately deep inside, knowing that now the irreparable would happen, but...

Second after second passed, and the scene did not change. The katana did not move an inch, and the Serpent continued to sit calmly and watch him intently.

"And now let's talk seriously," all the frivolity disappeared from the Serpent's speech, and the world around cracked, crumbling and disappearing into swirling sparkles.

The dispersed illusion revealed the same room, only without the corpses and his daughters. Moreover, there were far fewer warmasters inside. The only constants were those holding him, the Serpent himself, and another warmaster keeping to the shadows.

"I won't beat around the bush, Taro-san," the speaker gave Kodzuki time to come to his senses and realize that everything he had seen was not true.

"What happened here was an illusion. But it's in your best interest to understand that we can easily make this illusion come true. Do you follow?"

"Yes, master!" Taro had never been so sincere in his life.

"Good. Now, we'll release you, go to your study, and have a very fruitful conversation. You'll tell us about everything and everyone you know, after which you will sign a couple of documents. You probably want to ask what they are about?"

Kodzuki nodded uncertainly.

"It's simple. There, you will clearly agree to work as a double agent and ingratiate yourself with Mizuno, then pass information about them to the Sumada. I'm sure if these papers somehow end up with Mizuno, they will be very surprised."

Taro said nothing, just lowered his head in defeat.

"Don't be sad, Taro-san," the Serpent patted him on the shoulder. "Your family is still alive. And if you behave correctly, maybe they will be alive when everything is over. Consider all this a second chance. After all, those who were killed because of you have already been deprived of this very chance, agree?"

"I agree."

"Well, that's fine. Release Taro-san, we still have a lot to discus-s-s."

*****

"Are you sure this performance was the best approach?" Shin asked lazily, looking at the night sky. They had left Kodzuki's estate an hour ago, leaving the latter in his study, staring blankly into nowhere. "Wouldn't it have been easier to kill or kidnap his relatives? Then he would definitely know we are dead serious. And illusions... seem weak."

"In that case, Mizuno's observers might notice something amiss. We don't need extra suspicion," Ordyntsev shook his head, not saying that watching the murder of all relatives before your eyes, even if in an illusion, is far from "weak." He didn't do it simply because he would not be understood.

For this world, such cruelty was indeed "weak." Yet if he had tortured and killed children in front of their father, then Stas would have fit this society as if he were born in it.

"Maybe you're right," Shin shrugged. "In any case, we have his confession on paper. Now he will work for us like a good boy. What do you plan to do next?"

"Next, we'll visit a few more names," Stas's answer was simple. "And then I need to see Io. Who better than him can make the best use of the information we've got?"

"Wait," Shin quickly asked.

"M-m-m?" Ordyntsev looked curiously at the commander of the Shadow Stone.

"Can you wait a bit?" Shin smiled modestly. "I would like to use this network myself a couple of times."

"You want to score a couple of points among your people?" Stanislav noted perceptively.

"One can't hide anything from you," Shin squinted.

"You'll owe me a favor," sounded an indifferent response.

"Agreed," the men solidified the deal with light bows.

"Ah," Shin stretched. "There are still a few hours until dawn. We can get some sleep. Somehow, I feel a bit tired."

Ordyntsev just nodded. At that moment, the earthling's thoughts were far away.

He was pondering the fact that, while looking at the tears and snot of that traitor, he... He felt nothing.

For some reason, he had a vague feeling that it was wrong.