"The moon, in its fullness, hovered high in the starry sky of the royal capital. Its silver brightness cast elongated and mysterious shadows over the deserted street, where the two knights, Kristofer and Jakob, awaited. They were leaning against the wall of an old building, their silhouettes almost merging with the darkness. Their simple attire, indistinguishable from that of common servants, camouflaged the true nature of their presence there. They were not mere commoners, but spies in service to the Duke of the West.

The two men exchanged tense glances, their faces illuminated only by the faint light of the moon. Kristofer, the younger of the two, huffed impatiently. His blue eyes gleamed with frustration. "This is a waste of time," he growled, crossing his arms over his chest. "We shouldn't be here, waiting like common servants. We are warriors, not servants."

Jakob, on the other hand, remained calm. His dark eyes were fixed on the entrance of the mansion ahead, observing each movement attentively. "The duke gave us clear orders," he replied, his voice as firm as steel. "We must keep an eye out for any abnormality in the movements of the crown prince. Our loyalty is to the duke, not to our own desires."

Jakob was a veteran, serving as a spy in the royal capital for the Duke of the West for several years. He knew the streets and alleys of the city like the back of his hand and knew how to blend in with the crowd. Kristofer, on the other hand, was a newcomer. He had started serving as a spy only a few months ago and was still learning the subtleties of the profession.

Jakob began to suspect when he noticed that the crown prince had been in Count Murdo's mansion since late afternoon. He knew that the prince, despite displaying cultured and refined behavior, was not very sociable. He rarely mingled with the nobles, even those who supported him since the beginning of the struggle for the throne, like Count Murdo. Therefore, the prince's delay in the mansion was highly suspicious.

"Something is going on," Jakob murmured, his eyes narrowing as he watched the mansion.

From within the mansion, a figure emerged slowly. It was a servant, his face serious and expressionless in the faint light of the moon. He left the mansion with smooth movements and a calm posture, as if he were just going about his daily tasks. However, as soon as he moved away from the mansion and entered the deserted street, his steps quickened. His gaze was fixed ahead, and he seemed determined to reach somewhere quickly.

Jakob, who was watching closely, noticed the change in the servant's behavior. He turned to Kristofer, his gaze serious. "That servant is suspicious," he said, discreetly pointing to the figure walking away. "Go after him and find out where he's headed. I'll stay here to keep an eye on the crown prince."

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Kristofer frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the order. "That's just a common servant," he protested, crossing his arms over his chest. "We have no reason to follow him. We should be focused on the prince, not his servants."

However, he stopped speaking when he looked at Jakob. Jakob's gaze was hard and uncompromising, like that of a predator focused on its prey. "Do as I'm telling you," Jakob said, his voice low and threatening. "And go quickly so as not to lose sight of that servant."

Without another word, Kristofer turned and began to follow the servant, keeping a safe distance to avoid being noticed. Jakob, meanwhile, turned his attention back to the mansion, his vigilant eyes searching for any signs of activity. The night was still young, and he had a mission to fulfill.

Kristofer, with his heart pounding in his chest, was running to catch up with the servant. However, he soon slowed down when he finally saw the servant walking quickly among the houses and alleys of the capital's center. The servant, who had initially just been walking briskly, soon began to run, causing Kristofer to curse under his breath. He also started to run, trying his best to keep a safe distance from the servant.

After a few minutes of chasing the servant, Kristofer, who was getting used to the pace, began to ponder. He wondered why this servant was in such a hurry. What could he be hiding? What could he be trying to protect? In this lapse of attention, Kristofer did not notice that the servant had slowed down the pace of the race. As Kristofer continued to run at the same pace as before, he soon got too close.

It was at that moment that Kristofer realized he had messed up. He looked at the servant, who was staring at Kristofer with a startled look. The servant, realizing he was being followed, quickly entered an alley and started running much faster than before.

Kristofer, realizing his mistake, cursed again. He increased his speed, determined not to lose sight of the fleeing servant. He knew he had made a mistake, but he wasn't willing to let it ruin his mission.

Kristofer hesitated for only a brief moment before initiating the chase after the fleeing servant. His feet pounded on the stone-paved street, echoing through the narrow alleys of the capital. As he pursued the servant, Kristofer couldn't help but think of Jakob. He could almost hear Jakob's severe reprimand echoing in his head for messing up this time. However, Kristofer soon calmed himself, thinking it wouldn't be too big a problem if this servant saw him. He just needed to come up with a convincing excuse for why he was chasing the servant.

As he ran, Kristofer began to plan his next steps. He would capture this servant, steal whatever money he had on him, and then let him go. That way, the servant would think Kristofer was just a common thief after some easy money. It was a simple but effective plan.

However, that plan soon had to be altered when Kristofer realized he couldn't catch up to the running servant. To his surprise, the servant was managing to distance himself. This was impressive, considering Kristofer had reached the second level of the Path, the stage of metamorphosis, a year ago. This gave him a stronger body than any common servant or warrior, which was why he had obtained this position as a spy.

Then, suddenly, Kristofer lost sight of the servant in a dark alley. He approached the alley, his eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of the servant. When he couldn't find the servant, Kristofer began to curse, his frustration evident. However, he quickly interrupted his swearing when his senses, sharpened by his Path energy, told him he was in danger. A shiver ran down his spine, causing him to stop in his tracks.