The silence that lasted for a few seconds made Tessa raise her head.

The girl even froze for a moment, watching the two people.

In the eyes of both, sparks of interest danced, only in the green eyes a certain expectation froze, while in the lilac ones - anticipation. Tessa, as if in reality, saw a thread connecting two strange, filled with incomprehensible emotions of her gaze, but after a moment the thread broke.

The minister lowered her eyes to the girl sitting on her lap. His gaze changed again, filled with tenderness and care. Not a trace remained of the mystery that had been there a moment ago.

The guy only smiled even wider and also lowered his gaze, only his eyes burned with the same expectation as he picked at the food on the table with a silver spoon.

- Honey, run and play with Cess. I'm sure he's not mad at you anymore.

The girl looked up. Smiling, she jumped to the floor and, saying goodbye, ran into one of the corridors, where a maid followed her.

Imagine Tessa's surprise when at that moment Ray also turned to her, but after a little thought, he again looked at the minister.

"Eh? He… wanted to drive me away!?” - the wave of indignation that swept over the girl when she realized that the guy sitting next to her had just indirectly compared her to a small child made her accidentally bend the cutlery.

- As far as I understand, you know who exactly kidnapped the girl? Ray suddenly changed the subject.

Lifina, hearing his question, did not seem to be even surprised, as if she knew in advance what he wanted to ask, Tessa, on the contrary, was only more angry, because she was more and more afraid of this woman.

- Yes. My colleagues. Two ministers.

Ray's answer didn't surprise him, though, in order to be able to steal a girl from such a well-guarded mansion, one had to have sufficient resources. But the surprise for the guy was a slightly different fact.

- Do you have to tell me about it?

The woman just smiled at those words.

- It's not too much of a secret, besides, now I'm completely sure that you have nothing to do with these people. When Lifina uttered these words, her eyes turned to Tessa.

Rei also involuntarily followed her gaze, after which he also smiled with understanding. The girl was too sincere and any emotion was read on her face too easily.

The guy nodded, which made Tessa still break the unfortunate spoon. That's what cooled her down a bit. Rushing to apologize, she threw a menacing look at Ray, but he simply ignored it.

And what was their motive? The guy asked the next question.

The woman thought for a moment, but finally she spoke:

It's not such a secret either. The Second and Fourth Ministers are interested in starting a war against the Pharos. I and the late Third Minister were against it.

- I.e…

- Yes, - Lifina picked up, - The third was killed, and my daughter was kidnapped, and, it is worth noting, you arrived just in time. A day late and by now Rondal would have been preparing for war.

The guy didn't answer. Now he was thinking about something, at least that's how it looked from the outside. His completely green eyes perfectly concealed his true thoughts, in which he scolded himself in every conceivable and inconceivable way for being in such a hurry.

Ray was really upset, because he went to this country mainly because of the war, which was the perfect source of souls. And now the journey seemed pointless, although the guy knew that most likely he would have gone here anyway.

Even though an ordinary person would not notice the change in the guy's behavior, but Lifina's experience allowed her to understand something.

- You are not happy with this outcome? The woman's voice was as serene as ever, like a gentle breeze, but Rei, who was sitting in front of her, could catch a little chill in it.

We are mercenaries. And now, it seems, they are left without work, which means there is no point in staying here anymore. – guy not tried to add in voice regret. He spoke in the same calm tone as usual, because he understood: Lifina sitting in front of him would catch any falsehood.

But as he watched the reactions of the two women, Ray realized that they had taken the message exactly as he wanted it to convey.

Tessa literally beamed when she realized that they would soon leave this house. But Lifina, on the contrary, became a little sad. Although the guy could judge this rather vaguely, the woman knew how to hide her emotions much better than himself.

- You are my dear guests and you can leave when you see fit. There is nothing more important in my life than my daughter, and you will only insult me by allowing the thought that I would drive you away. Moreover, you can consider this house as yours, its gates will always be open for you.

The boy just nodded at those words. After that, I had breakfast for some more time, but this time there was silence in the room.

***

Ray stood in front of the window, hands folded in front of him. He looked at Cess, who was trying to protect his nose from Mia's attacks. At least he pretended to try, jerking his head from side to side, when it would have been enough just to raise it so that the girl could not reach him.

Even such a peaceful scene could not help the guy to escape from his thoughts. He was in a rather strange state. Inwardly, he understood that he had saved the country from the war, reunited mother and daughter, committed a worthy deed, but on the other hand ...

He needed a war. All the way, Ray imagined how the souls of hundreds of dead soldiers fly towards him in a single stream, giving at the same time the strength that is so much needed now.

This war was to be the last step on the road to revenge. He was certain that the souls gained would be enough to last in his Sun Eater form for a very long time.

The fists in the boy's hands clenched.

"What to do…"

Ray stood like that for a few more minutes, until he was distracted by a knock on the door.

- Come in. – answered the guy, turning his head to the door.

There appeared the head of a young girl, who, with some embarrassment, turned to him.

“Mr. Ray, I was told to report that the blacksmith has come.

The boy thought about her words for a moment, but after a second he nodded. Grabbing a sack standing right there, he asked the girl to wait outside the door.

After the maid left, he took out all the daggers he had and the Armor of the Mooncaller from the Inventory, then put them in a bag and followed to the door.

A few minutes later, the guy was already standing in front of a heavily built middle-aged man. There was a sparse gray in his short black hair, but this only added to the image of the blacksmith, and this was undoubtedly him, formidability.

Lifina stood nearby, along with Griham, who was now less wary of the guy. Maybe the mistress said something to him, or maybe it was because Ray was unarmed.

- Let me introduce you. the minister began. – This is Antor Gran – the best blacksmith of Rondal and my good friend. And this young man's name is Ray. He, - Lifina fell silent for a moment, but it seemed to the guy that she did it on purpose. This woman hardly ever did anything without a clear plan. Also my good friend. – nevertheless she finished with a slight smile, which caused the bodyguard standing next to her to clear her throat in displeasure.

- Pleased to meet you. Ray held out his hand.

- As I. replied the blacksmith.

The man's handshake was firm, and his hand was callused, which is not surprising, given his profession. The guy even felt a little uncomfortable, because his palms were soft, the same as when they appeared in this world.

Another feature of the game. Even the scars disappeared from the bodies of the players, to say nothing of the calluses. True, it took some time, which depended on the severity of the injury, but, for example, the terrible marks left after he tore his own stomach turned into a memory after a month.

"So why did you need my services, boy?" - sounded a low bass, in which, despite the presence of the minister, notes of discontent nevertheless slipped through.