Without comment, the whole group gathered at Cale's side. First of all William, who stood next to the High-Magician and turned around. The false prince was still sitting in his place, because he could almost not move thanks to the barrier, but his face reflected confusion and fear. Cale wasn't sure if this reaction was fake or real, but he ignored it.

"I'm really sorry. If I hadn't been so worried, I would have approached the situation differently", Cale finally lifted. "I regret to inform you that this person is not Marion of Sylve."

"What exactly is this supposed to mean?", the king interjected in irritation, but Cale didn't miss the way the king inadvertently twitched his right hand.

"The Magistrat had recently informed you of the existence of another race, your royal majesty. This person here is a Thormod."

At the statement, William and Loys of Freigoud jerked their gazes toward Marion. Cale stretched his hand protectively in front of the 3rd prince, preventing him from taking a step toward his fake brother, while Sir Venlan finally lowered his sword. To Cale's surprise, the king himself remained completely calm, as if he had sensed something was wrong with Marion.

"Excuse me, but I am a little too tired for jokes. Who exactly are you and what do you want from me?", the Thormod himself now spoke up, which gave Cale goosebumps.

"Are you sure, Cale?", William mentioned softly, receiving only a quiet "yes" from Cale. Cautiously, Cale took a few steps forward, staring at the Thormod, who slowly but surely could no longer keep his appearance. It was only a matter of minutes before he was recognizable to all, and the Thormad himself should be aware of that as well.

"Your shapeshifting is pretty bad, worse than mine and that's got to mean something", Cale announced dryly, forcing himself to appear as confident and calm as possible. If Palaios and Velence hadn't confirmed the appearance, then he probably couldn't present like that. After all, the only thing he could recognize was Chioni's mana. Mixed among dozens other mana sources that he couldn't match and didn't feel human either.

"Excuse me, but am I the only one who finds the situation here ridiculous? Father, please say something", the Thormod calmly spoke up. The king seemed to be in an inner conflict for a brief moment, but did not respond to this statement. Only when Loys wanted to say something, King Leonhardt raised his hand and shook his head to make him understand that he should stay out of it. The reaction pleased Cale immensely, because it meant that the king trusted him without evidence. So much so that he even let his son's life hang on Cale's words.

"To be perfectly honest, it is not your true form that disgusts me so. It is the mana you carry within you. Tell me, how does it feel to use the mana of a dragon?"

"Mana of a dragon?", Sir Venlan repeated softly, and for the first time a real reaction showed on the second prince's face.

"Please refrain from jesting, you have long ago crossed the line", the Thormod replied.

"You think so?", Cale mockingly interjected, as he could sense that the Thormod was now aggressively trying to break through the inner barrier. Based on this reaction, Cale could easily gauge that his facade was about to collapse at any moment. "I think you know exactly what I'm talking about. Who exactly do you think killed your friend that kept the connection back then going?"

Silence.

Pure silence filled the room. For a few moments, it was so quiet that Cale could hear the breathing of the people behind him. Nervousness was in the air.

And then, without warning, a woman's laughter was suddenly heard. The Thormod held her head with one hand and began to laugh as the mana went completely out and her red body became apparent to all present.

"So you were that damn bastard who killed Ezzedin, I see."

Sardonic laughter could be heard and the onlookers fell in shock as they could see the growing figure before them with their own eyes. It was as Cale had expected. A tall woman with a red, muscular body could be seen and all over her body she wore the bloody decorations that made it recognizable that she was a leader.

"Looks like time has finally run out", Cale muttered in relief.

"You've got a lot of nerve showing your face in front of me. If I get the chance, you'll be the first one I kill", she threw back, bitingly.

"I doubt it, I'm not that easy to kill, believe me", Cale answered, making the barrier smaller, causing the strange figure to give in in surprise and look at the High-Magician with a craned neck. "How about we introduce ourselves to one?"

"May the demons come for you", the Thormod merely replied, slamming her hand against the barrier.

"Well, I think the demons will come for you first. Ezzedin is probably stewing in eternal fire, and the corpse of your dear disciple who showed himself outside our city is in the cellar of my house."

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!", the woman roared back after learning that Cale also had the other Thormod on his conscience. He deliberately kept to himself the fact that he was only indirectly responsible for both deaths.

"Good luck with that. You can't use mana anyway, and my minions wouldn't give you too easy a game anyway."

"Damn bastard, who in the world are you!"

"Twelfth High-Magician from Altona, my name is Caleb Leuen. It is a pleasure to make acquaintance with your race, though it will certainly not be the last. Will you now tell me who you are?"

The Thormod was silent at the statement, veins of rage marking her face. She was probably thinking of the easiest way to kill Cale, which almost amused the High-Magician a little. It felt good to hold one of the people who was largely responsible for his suffering and the mass murder of humanity, even if Cale did not yet know how significant her role was. But the fact that she was a leader, had mastered shapeshifting, and had wormed her way into the heart of Sylve were indications enough for Cale that she was quite influential.

<"How far away are you from the capital?">, Cale directed his question to Aaron and Luc as he remembered that he had not yet checked in with his colleagues.

<"An hour, probably a little more. Did you find out anything?", Aaron immediately reported back.

<"I literally caught the Thormod.">

<"By the Eldest's beard...">, Luc muttered in horror. <"Weren't you going to wait?">

<"Caleb, please wait for us and don't do anything dangerous!">, Aaron shouted between them, but Cale was only casually aware of his voice.

"You seriously think if you stared at me, I'd tell you something?", the Thormod flippantly interjected.

"Not really, but maybe with a little force", Cale brought up with a wide grin and began to slowly let the barrier get smaller. He felt like a sadist while about to crush a human alive. The first moments there was no reaction from the Thormod, but when the barrier forced her to squat from the chair, she realized all at once what the intentions, she became nervous.

"Bastard... you think... you must have won... don't even dream of it!", she sporadically uttered, while her upper body was pressed against her legs and she was forced into a painful position. After a while, she didn't make a sound, as if testing how serious Cale was. In fact, he didn't really care if this Thormod lived or died. The only reason she was alive at all was because of the possible information the Thormod possessed.

"Damn... I... stop... stop... I'm talking... stop it", she gave out after a few minutes of agony, which is why Cale abruptly stopped lowering his barrier.

"So, are you finally ready to talk to me?"

"Yes, I am. Let me... out of here!"

"I'll decide that after I hear your answers."

"You fucking bast...!"

"What's your name?", Cale interrupted her in a threatening voice, causing her to make pain-distorted noises and gasp for air.

"Amanda", she replied, but with the way she pronounced that name, Cale knew immediately that it wasn't her real name. In response, he let his barrier shrink a bit, causing the Thormod to immediately yelp and correct himself. "Nodiavi, Nodiavi is my name. Damn it. I swear."

"Well, that's a good start", Cale replied with satisfaction, letting the barrier grow just large enough for her to breathe properly. "Second question: where are you from?"

"From your beloved creature region, you blind fish. If you weren't so limited in your thinking-"

"So you worms are really hiding in the bottom of the creature plane, I see. Well, then... third question. Where is the real prince?", Cale threw back jerkily, just before the Thormod started laughing. She held her head with her hand and squinted over at the nobles, who were obviously getting nervous at her look.

"Well, what do you think? I killed him, of course. The vermin has been dead for almost 10 years, was that perhaps an amusing sight. The way he kept shouting 'Dad', 'Dad, please forgive me' after I trapped him. Those screams... haaa... I'll never forget that."

The statement probably surprised everyone, even Cale. He had hopes that the Thormod had not long taken his place, but 10 years? Could that be true? All that time and no one had noticed that the prince had been murdered?

"From your statement, it suggests that you have also taken the form of the king", Cale replied, not letting on how much the statement dismayed him. He hadn't had much contact with Edward or Marion, but that didn't mean he didn't regret the death of the 2nd prince. He had been just a kid and got involved in things that were way too big for him.

"You've seen that well. I have certainly taken the form of everyone in the palace at least once. Your king is by no means an exception. It's pretty easy once you've observed a person's habits", Nodiavi replied almost proudly.

At this statement, Cale closed his eyes. If this Thormod had his fingers in the palace's action for 10 years, then there was now a problem in Sylve of immense proportions. No one could really claim that what was done or said was not the Thormod. If this got out to the public, then they were in for a bit of a disaster.

Silently, Cale sighed and turned to the back. Everyone present was white in the face. The shock of the truth ran deep, and with a single glance at the king, Cale guessed that this man was probably the most shocking of all.

His own son had probably been dead for 10 years.

"I think you should leave for now. My colleagues Aaron Thopas and Luc Darves will be arriving here in the near future and we will take care of the Thormod", Cale announced with a calm undertone, even though he could see Edward getting tears in his eyes. His eyes then flee to Sir Freigoud, who stood wordlessly in front of his charges, looking at the Thormod. "Sir Freigoud? Sir Venlan? If you would be so kind."

At the statement, the king's two advisors jolted awake and returned Cale's gaze. Duke of Freigoud relinquished his sword altogether and Sir Venlan also stowed his weapon back in its scabbard before casting a questioning glance at his colleague.

"I will cancel all meetings. It is best to get this situation under control first. For the time being, events today should remain between us", Sir Venlan finally confirmed, seeking support from Loys, who merely nodded. "King Leonhardt, we should go."

The king turned to his second advisor, but did not resist and followed the group outside. To the servants and soldiers, Sir Freigoud ordered silence before locking the door to the dining hall with a final, scrutinizing glance. Fengari had left with them, so Palaios, Cale, and the Thormod, whose name was probably Nodiavi, were now alone.

"What a disaster", Cale commented, pulling his cloak aside so that Palaios could emerge in his marten form and take advantage of the moment to finally climb out of hiding. "Well then. Guess now we have time to ask the awkward questions, what do you say?"

"I knew it would come to this", the Thormod replied arrogantly, while Cale merely gave him an irritated look.

"I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to the dragon."