Chapter 9

— Declared a traitor or leading a rebellion?

The baron had to think about this.

— I received a message from the duke which said: "In Zalona, there is a rebellion; the archmage has been declared a traitor by the king. Stop sending supplies and any goods to the fortress. Begin gathering an army." — he quoted from memory.

— Such a message doesn't clarify much, but it does make it clear what needs to be done. Am I expected to conduct reconnaissance?

The baron hesitated.

— Not exactly. — he finally said, — I initially wanted to ask you about reconnaissance on the road and I still do, but last night another circumstance came to light…

The man finally sat in a chair.

— Some mercenaries have refused to sell me their blades until they receive confirmation from you.

— And what am I supposed to confirm to them? — the vampire asked, genuinely surprised, — I'm neither a duke nor a bishop.

— They want confirmation of your participation in the campaign. Our somewhat unusual relationship is no secret. Everyone knows that you are not only not my vassal but also not the duke's vassal, and your authority among these fellows is very high. You must have heard the rumors about you.

Indeed, scouts would occasionally laugh while recounting the tall tales circulating in the city about the knight and his servants. And if even a quarter of them were true, it was no wonder that the vampire had a high reputation among mercenaries. This was certainly gratifying, but the idea of going on a campaign and putting his head in the path of another archmage's blows was far from appealing.

— Your Grace, I am not an archmage, no matter what they say in the taverns. And I have nothing to counter a rebel except my life. And I'd like to keep that.

— I understand you perfectly, Alex! Zalona is well fortified and besides Archmage Elos, there are many other mages there; storming it with regular troops would be pointless. His Excellency's order… is not entirely correct. But I would like to carry it out, so could you confirm to the mercenaries that you support Duke Kasa in his intentions?

Alexander thought for a moment.

— You want to deceive the mercenaries by playing with words?

The baron nodded.

— Supporting the plans and participating in the campaign are different things, but they sound similar.

— Aren't you afraid the mercenaries will be offended?

The man looked indignantly at his interlocutor.

— Forgive me, Your Grace, I misspoke, — the vampire corrected himself immediately, — "Afraid" is not the right word. Don't you think the deception will not be forgiven? Mercenaries don't like being tricked.

— They won't be able to do anything to me. They might refuse contracts in the future, but I rarely use their services anyway, and there are always ways to hire through intermediaries.

— Well then, I'm in, Baron, — the vampire rubbed his hands together, — But I'll say right away that I won't be getting involved in this venture or storming Zalona.

— That is your right, esteemed Alex. Unlike me, you did not swear a vassal's oath.

After discussing the plans and details, the men had breakfast and went to the church, from where they began preparations for the next campaign. There was no need to deceive the mercenaries with words; once they saw Sir Blood handling matters with the baron, they fooled themselves into thinking that this could only mean one thing — the famous warrior and mage was going on the campaign himself.

Although such mistakes are typical of people, who come up with ideas but forget to ask how things actually are. And while stern warriors do not resemble delicate ladies who might display such behavior, the mistake was made by them.

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