After healing the general's mind, he remained lying in bed.

He had his eyes open and was staring at the ceiling. He seemed awake, but he was not acting any differently.

I asked the nurse if she had a chessboard.

“Yes, let me check his luggage,” she replied.

The muscular nurse took out an old chessboard.

“Nurse, please leave me alone with the patient. I know you don’t know me, but trust me; I need some privacy, doctor to patient.”

The nurse saw my serious expression and left the room.

I placed the chessboard in front of the general’s bed while holding a copper coin in my hand. Without saying a word, I moved a pawn, and the general moved his knight.

We played a game of chess…

In the end, using the same strategy that allowed me to defeat the old man in my first chess game, I won.

“Damn, I lost... How did you realize that I faked my suicide attempt and was acting all this time?”

I replied, “General Darlick, you never liked working on the battlefield. You always hated seeing your soldiers die and suffered from the collateral damage of war.

I’m not like you; I have the mentality of a soldier. From my point of view, you’re a hero, but you just wanted to escape the battlefield and did all this to retire without having to face your comrades and tell them to their faces that you no longer wanted to fight alongside them.”

The general searched his bedside table and took out a gold coin. “Please, don’t tell anyone.

Just say that I’m irreparably broken. I want to spend my last days in peace.”

I took the gold coin and put it in my pocket.

Once I left the room, I saw Fernnanda with the nurse. I think they had overheard my conversation.

The nurse entered to continue caring for the general, and Fernnanda told me that I now had to treat another patient.

This was a simple soldier, but he had an aristocratic background.

I went to his room and recited, “Spirits of memory, bless me with your presence and grant me the strength to heal broken dreams. Heal the mind”…

I saw his life. The man was not a hero like the general; he made many bad decisions and his comrades died because of him. I felt no sympathy for this man.

I just did my job, and once I finished, I left the room without speaking to the patient.

When I finished my work, it was already night. I was looking at the moon outside the hospital while drinking lemonade.

“Your skills are quite useful,” Fernnanda said as she drank from my glass of juice.

“Hey, do you think that once this war is over humanity could live in peace?”

“I don’t think so. In my country, we’ve never seen demons, but we don’t live in peace. Among humans, we fight and wage wars for selfish reasons. In that sense, we are just like demons.”

I spent the rest of the night talking with Fernnanda.

We were not friends yet, but I felt that we had gotten a bit closer…

…

…

…

“You did a good job, Ester. I knew when I met you that it was a divine sign,” Rammus told me from his office in Khisphe. After finishing my work, I returned to the city of Cuencas to report on my job.

“What I told you about the general must be a secret between us. Don’t you dare tell anyone.”

“Hey, you offend me, Ester. I’m not a gossip, but it doesn’t matter. Thanks to you, I paid my debt to that old man.”

I handed him a gold coin and replied, “If you really want to pay him, take this coin, buy some food, and distribute it among the people living on the streets.”

Rammus took the coin and tried to change the subject. “Speaking of gold coins, I have the three documents for your girls and the change from that platinum coin. Believe me, getting 225 gold coins wasn’t easy. I had to spend my savings and borrow money from my wife.”

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I handed him the platinum coin and took the documents for my companions. Rammus put the coin away without checking its authenticity.

“Hey, aren’t you going to make sure the coin is real?”

“No need, Ester. I mean, we’re friends. Now let’s talk business. I have a bodyguard mission for you and your companions.

A person, whose details I can’t provide, will travel to the capital of Dredprism.

You make sure to get them safely to the capital, and what you do afterward is not my concern. But to be sure, once you finish your job, I’ll dismiss you. I don’t want your actions dragging me down if you do something crazy. Good deal, right?”

I took my gold coins from Rammus’s desk and said, “Sounds perfect.”

“That’s the attitude. The job will be in a week. Now rest and finish your business in the city of Cuencas. If you’ve made friends here, take the time to say goodbye.”

…

I returned to our house in Cuencas with the documents for my companions. When they saw me come back, they greeted me warmly—well, only Chizze; the others just wanted a summary of my mission.

I gave them all the details of my recent mission and Rammus’s assignment.

“So in three days, I’ll have to return to my homeland, Dredprism. Although I admit I’ll miss the city of Cuencas. I truly enjoyed this vacation, but I have to get back to work,” Raiza said.

And Kharla added, “I’ll miss Trevor and his children. It was nice to see a father caring so lovingly for his kids…”

Kharla had a wistful look as she said those words.

“Oh, Chizze only cares about being with the master, the boss, and that weird girl. With you all around Chizze, Chizze is very happy,” said the beastwoman enthusiastically…

…

…

…

Finally, the day to say goodbye to the city of Cuencas arrived.

Before leaving the house, Trevor and his children came to bid us farewell.

Trevor’s children were crying as they said goodbye to Raiza and Kharla. Although I think they weren’t very close to Chizze.

“Trevor, take these 30 gold coins and the house documentation. Since we’re going on a trip and don’t know when we’ll be back, you’ll be in charge of the house. We’ve canceled the maintenance for the garden and pool, so all the house maintenance will be up to you. I only ask that you clean it a bit each week.”

“Don’t worry, boss. I’ll take care of keeping your house safe, and if I die before we see each other again, one of my children will continue to look after the house, whether for you or your children.”

Chizze blushed when she heard that last phrase, and once I said goodbye to Trevor’s children, we went to the mercenary guild for our mission.

…

…

…

“Hello, Ester and your companions. Welcome to the mercenary guild. Follow me while I summarize the mission.”

We followed Rammus to the back of the guild, where an elegant carriage was waiting for us.

“This person inside needs to reach the capital of Dredprism, but they didn’t have much money to pay for the mission.

I accepted their request almost as a personal favor.

I needed strong people who would risk their lives for this job without getting much in return. That’s where you come in. Make sure they arrive safely in Dredprism. The empire is at peace, but it’s not a very secure country, if you understand me.”

Chizze seemed irritated by Rammus’s attitude, but by now I’m used to it; I even find his nonsense amusing.

“The identity of this person is secret for security reasons. Only two of you will accompany them inside the carriage, and two will need to stay outside guarding it.

Ester, take these documents; they will help you pass without being stopped at the border, and above all, take care. I know it’s unlikely, but I’d like to see you again.”

I took the documents, hugged Rammus goodbye, and bid farewell to the city of Cuencas.

With the documents I bought for my companions and the official permits from the mercenary guild, we were able to cross the border quickly.

…

Once we were inside Dredprism, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

All my work had been worth it. We finally crossed the border, but we couldn’t relax; we still had a job to do.

Inside the country, I noticed a very muscular nurse waiting for me across the border checkpoint.

“Hello, Mr. Ester. I’m the general’s caretaker. Since your visit, he seems more at ease. He still doesn’t want to talk to anyone, but he exchanged some letters with Mr. Rammus. That’s how he learned that your next job would be in the capital of Dredprism. The general asked me to deliver this package to you and also wanted to thank you personally for your help. I hope to see you again soon.”

I took the package, thanked the nurse for the gesture, and continued on my way to the capital of Dredprism. I opened the package; it was small and contained a set of keys, documents, and a letter.

-----------

Hello Priest,

Thank you for your help, although I wasn’t in the state everyone thought. After our session, my mind is more at peace.

I was able to remember the good times I had with my parents, friends, and superiors. Thanks to that, I was able to reconnect with my nephew.

I learned that the fool was causing trouble. He told me he sent him to the capital of Dredprism for a job. I thought about it a lot and made a decision.

I’m giving you the keys to my family home and the documents confirming that I entrust its care to you. I also sent some recommendations in case you have any trouble with the military police or want to enlist in the army.

Sorry if it’s not much, but I can’t do more for you. I hope you have a life filled with love and peace.

Sincerely,

Darlick

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Wow, what a pleasant and respectful person; he doesn’t seem like the idiot his nephew is.

Well, now we won’t have to worry about where to stay in the capital, though I don’t know how long we’ll be in this empire.

I wonder what Raiza plans to do in this country.

I mean, she’s the hero of Dredprism; there will be a scandal when they find out she’s still alive and has returned to the country. But what worries me most is the image of my master as the prince in Raiza’s memories. He was practically a child back then, and among the letters my master gave me, there is one to be shown at the cathedral in the capital of Dredprism. Although coming to this country was never the plan in the first place…

Well, I better focus on the present; I still have a job to finish.