"Y-your tea..."
Joan slipped into the study carrying a steaming cup of tea, stiff and cautious.
"You don't have to speak to me like that. A princess of the Tartun Empire stands nearly as high as the King of the North..."
Annan turned slightly, his dark eyes flicking toward the window as he calculated his chances of smashing through it to escape.
Joan set down the tea, still looking timid. Annan had no choice but to continue. "They say that seven hundred years ago, a princess of the Rikaner Kingdom named a King of the North her honorary guardian knight. It was a great honor for him, too."
"Really?" Joan's eyes seemed to light up.
"The Reeves never lie."
Joan left with her usual mix of sensitivity and pride restored. Once the door closed, Annan relaxed and looked at the steam rising from the tea... Was it actually safe to drink?
Joan's life had a clear trail: growing up in the Orphanage, becoming a traveling merchant, and every payment she had sent back there. She had no reason to be Mentor Irelanze... unless Mentor Irelanze had killed the real Joan and used a Transformation Spell to disguise herself as Joan, lurking at his side until she had a chance to strike!
The flickering firelight played across Annan's troubled face. He did not notice a figure enter the study.
Olmedo wasn't his Second Sister, Leila. Olmedo had no reason to toy with him... So who was the Elf Mentor?
Was Francois the Elf Mentor in disguise? Was Gray Wolf only Rona on the surface, while actually being the Elf Mentor? Was it really a coincidence that the Bard had appeared in Betar City and then happened to be in the Dungeon...?
Knock, knock, knock—
The sound of someone rapping on the