The five-faction allied army crossed the Blood Lake and continued toward the summit.
After passing through a stretch of jagged rock walls, the column stopped before a narrow cave entrance. It was concealed so well that anyone not deliberately looking for it could easily have missed it.
"Wait." Tarnished raised a hand to halt the troops. "There's movement inside."
The soldiers immediately went on alert, and Morgott's hand closed around his Cursed Sword. Yet what came from the cave was not the clash of weapons, but... a jaunty whistle?
A figure ambled out of the darkness, leading a scrawny little donkey.
He was a nomadic merchant-the signature wide-brimmed hat, a cloak covered in patches, and assorted bottles and jars hanging from his waist. When he saw the allied army, he did not panic. Instead, his eyes lit up, and he hurried over.
"You're finally here!" The merchant nearly tripped in his excitement. "I've spent two and a half years in this hellhole! Two and a half years!"
He grabbed the nearest soldier-a young Leyndell recruit-and shook him hard by the shoulders. "Do you know what those two and a half years were like? Dealing with blood-drenched lunatics every single day! Even selling moss medicine for bleeding got me interrogated about whether I was 'disrespecting the Mother of Truth'!"
Tarnished recognized him. "You're... one of Kale's men?"
"Yes, yes!" The merchant removed his hat and bowed, revealing a weather-beaten face now brimming with joy. "My name is Corwin, from the Third Trade Company. On Lord Kale's orders, I've been undercover in the Mohgwyn Dynasty, conducting business and gathering intelligence!"
He pulled a roll of parchment from the bags on his donkey's back and solemnly offered it to Tarnished with both hands. "This is a detailed map of the Mohgwyn Dynasty's defenses,