Klaus opened his eyes abruptly. His physical and magical powers were fully restored. He stood up abruptly from the bed and looked around. He was in some room. There was another bed nearby. August was lying on it. He was asleep or unconscious, but the main thing was that his brother was breathing evenly.
The prince looked around the room again, but the one he wanted to find was not there. He threw off the blanket, took another look at Augustus and left. At least he didn't have to worry about his brother now.
The room was not far from the infirmary and the prince went there first. He didn't pay attention to his bare feet, he didn't care about the thin white shirt. He didn't even notice that he had nothing else on except that shirt that reached the middle of his thigh.
"Where is the chief physician?" the prince asked, intercepting the first assistant he came across.
"Your... Master Klaus?" the girl glanced at the prince, sprinkled herself and looked away. "Master... Master Brod is currently finishing his rounds in another infirmary."
"Where is he?"
"A little further down the corridor."
Klaus had already turned around to go on, but the girl called out to him uncertainly.
"What?" Klaus asked irritably.
"Excuse me, master, but you... you..."
"Speak faster, I don't have time."
"Master Klaus, please, come with me, I will give you clothes!" she blurted out in one breath and blushed deeply again.
Klaus didn't care about such trifles, but he still cast a quick glance down and finally understood the reason for the girl's embarrassment. Yes, the shirt covered all his intimate places, but the fabric was so light and thin that it did not hide them at all. Cursing under his breath and covering the privy place with his hands, the prince took advantage of the offer.
When he finished changing clothes, Brod had already returned to the main infirmary and was mixing something at a separate table in his office.
"Where is he?" the prince blurted out as soon as he saw the doctor.
"I'm glad you're feeling better."
"Brod..."
"Calm down, Klaus. He's alive. Yes, he was pretty battered, but he's no longer in any danger."
Klaus sighed with relief.
"I want to see him."
"He's in the next room. I put him separately, as he'll need more time to recover and special care."
"Special care?" Klaus was wary.
"He was exhausted and dehydrated. No need to worry so much."
He quietly opened the door. Egor was conscious. He was lying on his side and reading something. When the door opened, the fair-haired guy looked up.
"Klaus," he exhaled, either with fear or relief.
"How are you?"
"Already better," the guy smiled weakly.
Klaus came closer. It hurt him to look at the swollen face. The entire body that was visible from under the blanket was covered in purple-black bruises.
"Forgive me," Klaus blurted out.
"What are you asking for forgiveness for?" Egor was surprised.
"For the fact that because of me you had to go through all this."
"You didn't do this to me."
"But they did it because of me."
"In any case, it's not your fault. I'm here, safe."
"I'll never leave you alone again unless you want to leave yourself. After something like this... I'll understand..."
"Klaus, please, don't start again. We discussed everything last time. What happened to me is Abel's fault and my weakness. You told me to train more, I didn't listen, and that's why I paid. Tell me... August... he..."
"He'll be fine."
They both fell silent, and this silence seemed to weigh him down like a dead weight. Klaus didn't know what to ask. He saw Egor's condition and could very well imagine what they were doing to him. Klaus also saw that his friend didn't want to discuss it with him. At least not now.
After sitting next to each other for a while and talking about irrelevant topics, the prince left, promising to come back later. Now he can't help either Egor or August. Now he needs to switch his attention to the original goal.
Abel managed to anger the prince. He no longer intends to sit and wait. Let Gorald take over the negotiations. Taking the portal, Klaus went straight to the queen's estate.
He found Gorald in his office. The man was exhausted. He, too, was not used to this kind of activity. Gorald had spent his whole life on the battlefield, and it seemed much easier to him than talking to high-born people.
He was straightforward, and this trait prevented the man from delving into all the subtleties and tricks that influential people were used to resorting to. It exhausted him.
"I'm glad you're back. I'm sorry, but I can't stay here anymore," the warrior sighed as soon as Klaus opened the door.
"I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. August is not in a position to replace you now, and I can't wait any longer. How many others came?"
"Eighteen families."
"How many of them are on our side?"
"I can only say for sure about six. Two were categorically against the new order, the rest tried to put forward their own conditions. How did you tolerate this? How did you figure out their plans and motives?"
"To do this, you had to be born in a den of snakes. So you're not sure about the rest?"
"Yes, but I covered my bases. One former slave can write quickly. His master in the past was so narcissistic that he demanded that all his statements be written down. I asked him to be present at every meeting. No one saw him."
"I knew you were very smart. You can rest for now. I will study the notes and then tell you my plan of action."
"Action? But two weeks have not passed yet. Aren't you in too much of a hurry?"
"Visit the underground city. Visit August and Egor, and then come back and tell me if I am in a hurry."
Gorald did not answer. He quickly bowed and left, leaving the prince with the notes.
The slave was truly talented. He wrote down every word spoken by the guests and Gorald. Reading, Klaus was convinced that negotiations were indeed not the big man's strong point. He voiced our plans and conditions, but fell into a stupor when faced with counter-offers. He could not discern the clear intentions of the interlocutors. From the notes, Klaus more or less figured out who he could count on, but he could only be sure of this by seeing the faces of the high-born in person.
He spent most of the day doing this. Several times, those who decided to stay and work in the estate came to him. They brought the prince food and hot tea. So Klaus realized that it was already past dinner time.
***
Everything had changed. Ichiro no longer felt unlimited power. Everything he held in his hands with such difficulty was falling apart. How did it happen that he, the sole ruler of Isorobia, had to answer? How dare they demand an answer from him?
No, it wasn't just that he kept the queen's life a secret. Such a trifle would not have stirred up so many nobles. What else did this git have against him? What could be stronger than the fear of the king's punishment? The man's head was already spinning. He hadn't thought that Klaus could cause so many problems.
Not only had they lost their leverage. The boy had taken his pet right under Ichiro's nose and left a more than eloquent message. Five hundred people. He and his earth mage had destroyed five hundred well-trained soldiers.
The king had no time to find out everything from Abel, who, with his tail between his legs, dared to come to him empty-handed. Now was the time to find out the answers to all the questions. Ichiro hoped that this worthless brat would be of some use. Especially now, after his conversation with Diger.
Diger was already sixty years old and was highly respected by the soldiers and other nobles. After the Minister of War announced that he wanted to personally meet Klaus on the agreed-upon neutral territory, Ichiro lost his power of speech for the first time in many years.
"Yes, he is a respected noble, but how dare he question the king's word? Did he not believe the story I gave him? Or does he intend to defect to the rebels? The old man should have been killed on the spot. Everyone who even thought of siding with Klaus should have been killed."
"Your Majesty, I beg your pardon, but won't this increase the number of traitors? If you start to destroy the nobles, others will run to the rebel, seeking help," the slave-adviser answered.
"I know this without you! So what should I do? You are the adviser, so advise!"
"First, we need to find out what the former heir is doing to persuade others to his side."
"And how will we find this out?"
"We need to agree to a meeting."
"Do you want to lose your head?" the king roared furiously, "How dare you suggest such a thing to me! If I go to the meeting, I will arouse suspicion among those who still believe in me, or are so afraid that they will not go into the traitor's lair."
"Forgive my impudence, Your Majesty, I did not want to arouse your anger. It's just..."
"What? Speak already, I do not intend to take your head today. My wrath will fall on someone else."
"You told Mr. Diger that your wife has lost her mind and for this reason you have hidden her all these years. What if you go to the estate to get her back. To rescue her from the clutches of the ungrateful son who holds her hostage. What is the word of a traitor worth against the word of the king?"
Ichiro fell tiredly into a chair.
"Go. I will think about your words. Invite my nephew."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"And one more thing. After I talk to my nephew, invite the fastest ambassador to me. I need him to bring someone. If I go to Klaus, this souvenir will be indispensable."
Abel entered the king's office with his head held high and only bowed slightly.
"Uncle. You can't even imagine what I had to endure in this rebel lair!"
"Come in, my boy, sit down." Hiding his irritation, Ichiro waved at the chair. - Tell me.
Abel didn't need much persuasion. He told his about his suffering in detail, but so far Ichiro hadn't received any useful information, so he listened patiently. The nephew didn't say how to remove the protective barrier from the underground city, nor how many soldiers they had, nor what inventions they were using.
"In the end, I still managed to dispel the effect of the collar. And those fools, who always considered themselves above me and didn't want to take me into their company since childhood, didn't even suspect that such a thing was possible!"
"Fools? As far as I know, Klaus had no friends in the palace. Or did I miss something? Did any of the highborn help him from the very beginning?"
"No, I don't mean friends," Abel waved his hand. "I mean August. They were always together when the older brother wasn't fighting, and..."
"August? You mean he's alive?"
"Didn't I tell you?" the nephew was surprised.
"Bugger! That's where you should have started! So he stole your souvenir?"
"Yes. He dealt with the first squad almost single-handedly, and I didn't see what happened to the second."
"Is there anything else you want to tell me? Something useful that I can use against them?"
"I've already told you everything I know, and other than this Egor, I don't know any leverage over Klaus."
"Great, then I don't need you anymore."
"Uncle..."
The king released the magic and directed it at Abel. The young man felt a strong pressure, the chair broke under him, and his nephew was pinned to the floor.
"Uncle, what are you doing!" Abel begged, barely breathing. "You said that I was useful, that you..." the pressure increased, and Abel could no longer speak.
"Yes, you were useful, but your role is over here."
Ichiro increased the pressure. There was not a drop of sympathy or regret in his eyes. He heard the bones of the young man crack and break. Blood flowed from his eyes, nose and mouth. The floor cracked, and then the nephew's skull split like a watermelon, splattering brains and pieces of flesh on the king's desk.
"Clean this up," he called the slaves, and he himself left the office.