Let’s return to Namkhai. He stood among the knights at the foot of the great tree, calmly talking with them. The leaves rustled softly above their heads, while more and more warriors gradually gathered around.

  A woman approached Finn. She quietly said something to him, and he slightly inclined his head, listening carefully. Then he nodded and thanked her.

  After that, Finn walked over to Namkhai.

  “Sorry to interrupt you, but Namkhai, it’s time for you to meet our leader. He is finally ready to receive you.”

  “Our leader?” Namkhai asked in surprise.

  “You don’t want to?”

  “No, not at all. I do want to. In fact, I was hoping to learn some information about the village. And most likely your leader knows it.”

  Namkhai followed Finn.

  “Well, you are partly right,” Finn said. “Our leader does have a voice in this village. After all, he owns an entire quarter and a decent portion of the territory.”

  They walked along a narrow path. In the knights’ quarter there were no roads, only paths between houses stone and brick buildings, workshops, and small courtyards.

  Namkhai followed Finn and, not wanting to walk in silence, asked,

  “Don’t you call him a king? Why ‘leader’ specifically?”

  “K-king ?”

  “Well, something like that. Your world looks very much like medieval stories: knights, dragons, monsters and all that… So there are probably kings too.”

  Finn did not answer and simply continued walking along the path. Namkhai felt that the question had probably been inappropriate.

  After a while Finn finally stopped. The monk stopped beside him.

  “I think you should be warned. We really do have a king in our home world. The true king - Astreion. He is not an ordinary warrior and not just a man, but a true legend a knight who can defeat a dragon alone. The one for whom warriors fight and the rest live. A fair, kind, and wise ruler. There are simply no rulers like that in this world.”

  “But he isn’t here,” Namkhai noted.

  “Of course not. Our current leader is already the third. He became one quite recently. Even though he has never seen the king and has never even seen our home world, he deeply honors him and his ruler. He simply cannot call himself a king, just like the two previous leaders, while the true king exists.”

  Namkhai scratched his head, thinking about what he had heard.

  “Strange logic, to be honest… Can’t there be more than one king? After all, this is already your land, not his.”

  “No matter where we are, we will always obey our true king. Only he can command us and grant us power.”

  “Power?”

  “Well, that is another topic entirely. In any case, don’t call our leader a king. He can’t stand it,” Finn said and continued walking.

  “Got it,” Namkhai replied, following him.

  “And, Sir Namkhai…” Finn hesitated slightly. “There are other reasons why he doesn’t want to hear that. So it’s better not to bring up the topic at all. Please.”

  “Deal.”

  Namkhai and Finn stopped in front of a large stone castle in the center of the quarter. It was tall and beautiful. Massive gray stone walls rose several stories high, while narrow windows and sturdy towers gave it the look of a true fortress. The gates were made of thick wood reinforced with metal bands, and above the entrance hung a coat of arms with the symbol of branches, the sign of their order. The castle looked not only majestic but also reliable, ready to withstand any siege.

  “It was built right after we moved here. Back when your grandfather was still around, Namkhai. He personally saw it being built,” Finn said.

  “Hm…” Namkhai stood at the gates and raised his head, looking at the building.

  They entered inside. There was a lot of furniture in the hall, and a large table stood in the middle. At the very end, in the center, a throne rose above everything.

  A figure sat on it. A young man with noble facial features, long brown hair down to his shoulders, and a thin beard sat there. Beside the throne lay a sword its sheath looked far richer and more elegant than those of the others.

  “Greetings, monk,” the leader said. “My name is Eidolon, son of Dairon, the second leader.”

  Namkhai slightly nodded toward him.

  “Nice to… meet you. My name is Namkhai… uh… grandson of Dorje… also a monk.”

  Eidolon smirked when he heard Namkhai’s reply.

  “Why did you mention your grandfather instead of your father? I already know that your grandfather is Dorje. There was no need to trouble yourself.”

  “No, it’s just… I forgot my father’s name. I never really saw him anyway.”

  “You don’t know the name of your father? That’s strange… Did Sir Dorje never speak about him?” Eidolon leaned his head on his fist.

  “My grandfather didn’t like him. He always told my mother that he was a fool and that she married the wrong man.”

  “Ah, so Dorje doesn’t have a son, but a daughter?” Eidolon raised his head.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “Yes, a daughter. But I don’t remember her name either. They both abandoned me as soon as I was born. The monastery took care of me… and my grandfather, of course.”

  “Ah, that explains why you didn’t introduce your father’s name. Your real parent was your grandfather,” Eidolon looked down at him and added, “And I must say, you are his exact copy.”

  “You’ve seen my grandfather?”

  “Of course. When he was still communicating with my father, I was often nearby and listened to his stories about the outside world…”

  Namkhai thought to himself:

  “He saw my grandfather in person back then? How old is he…. he looks really young.”

  Eidolon continued reminiscing.

  “I remember he rarely came to visit my father. But whenever he did, my father always held huge feasts. And your grandfather’s stories, they were almost like myths.”

  “Yeah.” Namkhai replied quietly.

  “Do you also want to conquer the world like your grandfather? To discover the unknown in this world?”

  “Ah, no,” Namkhai raised his hand. “I don’t want to travel outside the country. From my grandfather’s stories, it’s definitely not my thing. I’d rather at least understand what’s happening here first. I only recently left the monastery.”

  “Heh, really? Interesting,” Eidolon said.

  He stood up from the throne and straightened himself.

  “Well, you still have plenty of time. Most likely, one day you’ll get bored and start traveling anyway. And then you’ll come back here like your grandfather and tell stories to my children. Hahaha!”

  Namkhai only nodded awkwardly.

  “What a strange leader they have…”

  “Well then, Namkhai!” Eidolon said as he approached him. He was fairly tall, but even so he only reached Namkhai’s shoulders. “It’s time to eat. Shall we discuss everything you want at the table?”

  Namkhai smiled.

  “Of course.”

  They walked to the table and sat down. Eidolon took the main chair, and Namkhai sat beside him.

  Food and drinks were already on the table: roasted chicken, various side dishes, pieces of meat, bread, and pitchers of wine.

  “So, Namkhai,” Eidolon began, “what are your impressions of life outside the monastery? Which sectors have you already visited?”

  “Only one so far. The thirteenth.”

  “Ah, yes…” Eidolon began carefully cutting the chicken with a knife. “Unlucky for you to see the thirteenth sector first out of all of them. Though it is the closest one to the monastery.”

  “In fact, I just had some business there. I needed to exorcise a spirit. Just a side job.”

  “Oh, so you work as a spirit exorcist?” Eidolon raised an eyebrow. “I thought that niche had been occupied long ago.”

  “Well, I find my own clients. So far it’s going fine,” Namkhai replied, looking at the dark wine in his glass.

  At that moment he thought to himself:

  “It’s better not to tell them that I’m actually a criminal who signed a contract and works for the government. Right now the main thing is to learn information about the village leader… and leave here as quickly as possible.”

  “So what brought you to the Village of Wanderers?” Eidolon said. “I’ll probably disappoint you, but you definitely won’t find clients here.”

  “I’m looking for the leader of this village. I need some information. I was hoping you might have something about him.”

  Eidolon stopped and put down his knife.

  “Why do you need this person?” he asked, looking straight into the monk’s eyes.

  Namkhai hesitated for a moment. He could not tell the truth, that he needed the leader in order to kidnap him for the state.

  “Well… uh… I can’t say that. I just need any information about him. I’d be grateful if you have something and are willing to share it.”

  Eidolon slowly twirled his fork over the plate, not taking his eyes off Namkhai.

  “Heh…. all of this is still rather strange, Namkhai. Don’t get me wrong, but your request sounds quite suspicious.”

  Finn, sitting nearby, quietly nodded in agreement with the leader’s words.

  “Well… haha… yeah, you’re probably right. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to,” Namkhai said awkwardly and pretended to focus on his food.

  Eidolon was silent for a moment, thinking about something, and then finally said,

  “I have met the leader personally.”

  Namkhai and Finn both looked at him in surprise.

  “So you know where he is?” Namkhai asked.

  “I’ll say more than that,” Eidolon replied calmly. “This week I have a meeting scheduled with him. We will be holding negotiations.”

  “Seriously? And where can he be found?” Namkhai asked immediately.

  “You don’t need to look for him,” Eidolon replied calmly. “I want you to come with me to the meeting. As my trusted representative.”

  “Leader, are you serious?” Finn said in surprise.

  “What?!” Namkhai was just as shocked. “But… why are you helping me like this?”

  Eidolon looked at him a little more carefully.

  “Tell me, Namkhai, did your grandfather ever talk about us at all?”

  “No. He never mentioned the knights with the tree even once. Which, honestly, is strange.”

  Eidolon chuckled quietly.

  “Heh, then he was probably ashamed to talk about it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing….” he waved it off. Then he picked up a goblet of wine and slowly swirled it in his hand. “So, how is Sir Dorje doing? Is everything well with him?”

  Namkhai, sitting beside him, looked him in the eyes. It was clear he did not want to develop this topic.

  “He’s fine. Living in the monastery…. as usual.”

  “That’s all?” Eidolon slightly raised an eyebrow. “He hasn’t come here for more than twenty-five years… I would like to speak with him. And see his reaction when he learns that I am the leader now.”

  Namkhai lowered his gaze and said with a hint of bitterness in his voice,

  “Someday… you’ll meet.”

  “And besides his daughter, did Sir Dorje have anyone else? Maybe more grandchildren? Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Eidolon asked.

  “No,” Namkhai answered. “What about you, by any chance?” he added with a slight smirk. “If you do, you probably had disputes over the throne, like in all those medieval books.”

  Eidolon’s face changed instantly. Bitterness appeared in his eyes.

  Namkhai noticed the change and involuntarily glanced at Finn, who was sitting across from him. Finn subtly shook his head and made a gesture with his hand not to raise that topic.

  At that moment Namkhai felt awkward and guilty.

  “Uh.. well, family, who even cares about that these days?” he said with an awkward laugh. “Let’s change the subject.”

  He began looking around the room for something else to talk about. His gaze caught on a pedestal near the wall.

  On it, under a glass dome and a lock, lay a golden crown decorated with many gemstones.

  “Oh, what kind of crown is that? It’s quite beautiful. Why is it…” Namkhai began.

  Then he looked at Finn again.

  This time Finn was much more insistently gesturing: don’t bring this up.

  “Ah….ahem-m…. well, crowns… who even cares about those nowadays? Just for show…,” Namkhai muttered and decided it would be better not to say anything more. He immediately started stuffing food into his mouth in a hurry.

  Eidolon looked at the crown.

  “That crown is not just a trinket and not for show. It is meant for the true king.”

  “Uh… damn.” Namkhai suddenly stopped eating. “Sorry, I didn’t mean….”

  “No, it’s fine,” Eidolon said calmly. “It was made during the time of the first leader. But he refused to wear it, saying he was unworthy of being called a king. My father, when he became the next leader, also refused. And I inherited that decision from them. We have only one king - Astreion. We are not even allowed to wear it… we are not even allowed to think about it.”

  Namkhai looked at Eidolon carefully as he listened.

  “But your true king has never even been here,” he said.

  Eidolon raised his eyes.

  “Why don’t you simply create your own kingdom here? I think that would be completely normal.”

  Eidolon suddenly smiled.

  “You speak exactly like my younger brother.”

  “You have a younger brother?”

  “Had. He left us. I don’t know where he is now.”

  “Just because you didn’t put on the crown and don’t call yourself king?”

  “Not only…” Eidolon replied quietly. “There is more than just a crown and a title involved here…”

  Namkhai nodded, not knowing what to say.

  Eidolon suddenly chuckled softly, as if remembering something from the past.

  “My little brother once told me that I’m not a leader… but a false king.”

  “A false king?” Namkhai repeated.

  Eidolon slowly swirled the goblet of wine in his hand and looked somewhere to the side.

  “To be honest… that title even suits me,” he said with a faint smirk. “As unfortunate as it is to realize that.”