“Well, it seems the evening promises to be delightfully interesting,” he said with a cheerful note. “I never could have guessed our next meeting would take place here, Alex.”

  Alex smiled in return, though far less sincerely.

  “You won’t believe it, but I didn’t expect to meet you under these circumstances either, Jester.”

  "And what are we going to do?" came Siren’s anxious voice in his thoughts. "His presence changes everything…"

  Alex briefly tore his gaze away from the Jester, letting it sweep over the corpses carpeting the corridor floor like a bloody rug. Then, raising his voice, he addressed the Jester.

  "So, the secret guest Lorenzo gathered all these poor souls for… is you?"

  The Jester exhaled heavily and replied with a faint smile.

  "I’m flattered the duke put in so much effort, but it would’ve been much quicker and easier if I could have just reached him without all this dancing around. Well, at least now I have company, which means the road won’t be so boring."

  His expression changed abruptly. The playful ease vanished, leaving only sharp, almost dangerous focus. The Jester shifted his gaze from Alex to the man still kneeling before him.

  "Where is Lorenzo?" His voice was grim, each word pressing down on the poor soul’s lungs like a weight.

  The man trembled even harder, his voice breaking on the edge of collapse.

  "In… in his underground room… Go straight… don’t turn… Not many left… in the tunnels… That’s all I know, I swear!"

  "Perfect." The Jester smiled, and a bright magical circle flared on his raised hand.

  Light-formed spikes erupted beneath the man’s body, piercing through him with precise, merciless strikes. He didn’t even have time to cry out. Within a second, streams of blood were trickling down the gleaming, sharpened edges.

  The Jester turned to Alex.

  "I hope you weren’t planning on leaving him alive?"

  Alex replied calmly.

  "I’d have finished him off myself after getting the information."

  "Then that’s fine." The Jester spoke curtly, then snapped the neck of the other man he still held above the ground. The sound was dull, like a dry branch breaking. The body fell limply onto the stone floor. "We have nothing else to do here," he added, striding down the corridor.

  Alex lingered for a moment, staring intently at the two corpses, then silently followed.

  The Jester walked to his left, moving soundlessly like a shadow. The air still carried the scent of blood and magic.

  "What are you planning?" Siren asked in a worried tone.

  "Looks like he and I have the same target. And as long as that stays true, I don’t mind a temporary alliance," Alex answered in thought. "If he wanted to kill me, he would’ve done it already. This way, I have a rare chance to see what the Jester can do in a fight. Though I doubt he’ll show much—these enemies are weak… but still, something."

  "I hope you know what you’re doing," Siren whispered. "Be careful, my Lord."

  "I’ll be fine. If I sense danger, I’ll use teleportation magic right away," Alex replied evenly, without slowing his pace.

  They walked for several seconds through the dim, silent corridors, their footsteps echoing off the stone walls. At last, the Jester broke the quiet.

  "By the way, Alex… what do you want from Lorenzo?"

  Without changing his stride, Alex answered calmly.

  "First—just to talk. After that… it depends on how he answers my questions. And why do you need him?"

  "I’ve spoken to him before," the Jester sighed, stretching slightly. "And I thought I made his place in the world very clear back then. But it seems he didn’t get the message. So I’ll have to… apply harsher methods."

  His tone was still calm, but it carried an icy resolve. After a moment, he added:

  "And after the talk—do you need him alive?"

  Alex thought for a moment. The question hung in the air for several paces before he said:

  "Honestly… no. I’m not too interested in his fate. I don’t even care much about talking to him. I just need the documents for the ‘Rays of Hope.’ And I’m sure he has them."

  "Interesting. Why do you need them?" the Jester asked with a faint smile.

  "Let’s just say he’s not the best owner for such establishments," Alex shrugged.

  "So… you want to become their patron yourself?"

  Alex gave a short, amused breath.

  "I have neither the time nor the experience for that. I’ll simply put them in reliable hands. Someone I can trust."

  "I see," the Jester nodded. "Good news. That means a little less work for me."

  "What do you mean?"

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  "After his death, I’d have to find someone who could take control. The ‘Rays’ can’t be left without an owner. But if you already have a candidate—perfect. In any case, they couldn’t be worse than Lorenzo."

  Alex raised an eyebrow slightly.

  "You talk about them so… seriously. Do you actually care about the fate of orphanages?"

  The Jester didn’t answer right away. His gaze darkened slightly, his voice becoming more muted.

  "Orphans have already been dealt a cruel hand by life. Places like that should give them a chance, hope—not take it away. The ‘Ray of Hope’ should be a light, not a trap."

  Alex stopped for a moment, staring in surprise at the man’s back.

  "What?" The Jester turned to him calmly, without a trace of hostility.

  "It’s just… I’m shocked. I didn’t expect to hear that from someone who worked with the Montameras."

  The Jester gave an easy shrug.

  "I don’t know what kind of monster you’ve painted me as in your head, Alex, but it’s not that simple. Not as black-and-white as you probably think."

  "You talk nicely," Alex said with a faint smile. "I’ll give you that. But your actions… let’s just say they tell a different story."

  "We’ll have time to talk later," the Jester replied, turning back to the road. "Right now we have another goal, and this place isn’t exactly suited for a heartfelt conversation."

  "I agree," Alex said, catching up with him.

  They walked side by side again, and silence briefly returned to the corridor.

  "Looks like we’re starting to find some common ground," the Jester remarked slyly. "Don’t you think?"

  Alex only gave a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

  "Maybe."

  Alex’s thoughts began to spiral into chaos. “I don’t understand anything at all. No logic in the Jester’s actions, no hint of his motivation—nothing even close to clarity. The words that had just come from his lips, his concern for the orphans, his wish to find them a better guardian… None of it fit into the picture I’ve had in my head since the past. A picture painted by stories, facts, tragedies. A picture where the Jester was one of the main culprits of the great war that erased countless orphanages from the face of the earth and claimed the lives of thousands of innocent children. If he truly cares so much about these orphans, then how the hell could he have allowed that war to begin?”

  As if in response to these thoughts, a quiet voice echoed in his mind—Sirena’s:

  "May I offer a suggestion?"

  Alex replied briefly in thought:

  "Go ahead."

  "We know that the Jester is somehow connected to the start of the war, from the Montamers’ words. But knowing the fact is one thing, and understanding the motive is another. They, like us, didn’t know why exactly he did it. What if, right now, you’re seeing the Jester… before some event happened that completely turned his mind upside down? What if whatever pushed him onto the path you remember… hasn’t happened yet?"

  Alex froze for a moment. He didn’t immediately know how to respond.

  Sirena’s words slowly settled in his mind, like a complex puzzle whose pieces were only now beginning to fall into place. Not entirely yet—but with a hint of form.

  "If you see contradictions in him, My Lord," Sirena continued gently, "then perhaps it’s because this is not yet the Jester you remember. Perhaps the war was his reaction to some event that simply hasn’t happened yet."

  Alex glanced again at the man walking beside him. The smile on his face, the steady step—as if there were no bloodstained corridors and dozens of corpses behind them. And at the same time—something human in his words. Concern, pain, disappointment.

  And then one single thought flashed through Alex’s mind, sharp as lightning:

  "Could it be that I’ve… been wrong all this time?"

  "Everything I’ve said is just a suggestion. I’m not claiming anything for certain. I just… feel that the picture you had of the Jester as absolute evil is starting to crack. And you know it yourself. You have no clear explanation for what he does or why. No logic to tie it all together."

  She paused briefly before adding with a touch of sadness:

  "Take my words as just a theory. It might turn out to be false. Or not. Don’t focus on it—just consider that it could be true. Either way, your next conversation with the Jester will clarify things much more."

  "Maybe," Alex replied thoughtfully. "But no matter what he says, and no matter how he tries to win my trust… I won’t be able to just believe him. Not after everything I know about him. Or thought I knew."

  He sighed lightly, without stopping.

  "It could be an elaborate manipulation. All of this—a mask, meant to calm me down, dull my vigilance, make me slip up. He could have calculated it all several steps ahead."

  "That makes sense," Sirena agreed softly. "But think about it: what’s in it for him? Why would he play such a game with you specifically?"

  Alex clenched his jaw.

  "And that… is exactly what I don’t understand," he answered in thought. "That’s the thing."

  At that moment, he felt a touch on his shoulder. In the next instant, Alex jumped back sharply, his body instantly shifting into a fighting stance, the blade of his dark scythe glinting just centimeters from the Jester’s neck.

  The Jester simply raised his hands in a placating gesture and looked around mockingly.

  "Sorry for rudely pulling you out of your deep thoughts or philosophical chat with your Sirena. But I must have called you a dozen times—and got no reaction at all. I thought you’d spotted something suspicious about me… but it turns out, you were just lost in thought."

  Alex slowly straightened, exhaling.

  "Got distracted. For a moment."

  "I get distracted like that sometimes too," the Jester said with a light smile. "But now’s not the time for it."

  He gave a slight nod forward, into the dimly lit corridor, then turned his head toward Alex.

  "Feel it?"

  Alex took a deep breath and focused, trying to sense a foreign magical aura. After a few seconds of silence, he said:

  "About fifty weak auras ahead… and around a dozen more—slightly stronger."

  "Correct answer," the Jester smiled with satisfaction, keeping his pace as he walked forward.

  Alex paused for a moment, watching him, then quickly caught up and raised an eyebrow.

  "So you didn’t sense them yourself?"

  "I did," the Jester replied slyly. "A few minutes ago. But I was curious if you could. I can say you handle cold weapons well… but sensing mana is an entirely different art. I wanted to see how you’d manage."

  Alex folded his arms across his chest, feigning offense with a nod.

  "I hope the result impressed you?"

  The Jester chuckled.

  "Quite. Though I had to wait a bit."

  His gaze slid to the dark scythe Alex carried calmly on his back.

  "But… tell me, are you really planning to engage them in close combat?"

  Alex gave him a silent, mildly puzzled look, prompting the Jester to quickly explain:

  "I mean—why waste time and energy when you could just wipe them out with long-range magic attacks? You’ve already demonstrated that… in that cave."

  Alex smiled faintly, tilting his head slightly.

  "So you won’t even deny that you saw it all?"

  "Well, you did catch Heinrich and me in our little game. Why pretend anymore?" the Jester shrugged. "Though I must admit… I was surprised you could sense my mana."

  "It wasn’t easy," Alex replied calmly. "When I fought that monster in the cave, I wasn’t paying much attention to Heinrich. But his strange interaction with that creature… or rather, the lack of it—made me suspicious. And also—his appearance. It reminded me, if only a little, of Reiner after his transformation."

  The Jester nodded silently, and Alex went on:

  "And during our last conversation, I wasn’t really listening to Heinrich. I was trying to sense your mana. I managed it—barely. Your mana was strangely muted. Almost invisible."

  "I underestimated you," the Jester smiled—this time, genuinely. "I’ll be more careful from now on."

  "Wait, if you already know I sensed your mana," Alex said, looking up at him, "then you should have realized I have no problem sensing others’ mana. So why bother with this whole ‘test’?"

  "I just got bored," the Jester waved it off. "Wanted to entertain myself somehow, and that was the first thing that came to mind. That’s all there is to it."

  His voice hadn’t even faded when the space ahead flared with dozens of magical blasts. From the darkness of the tunnel, lightning bolts, water streams, ice arrows, and fireballs shot toward them all at once. With a hiss and a loud roar, the magic filled the corridor. A powerful explosion shook the walls, sending clouds of dust and smoke into the air.