The Most Evil Kind.

A sharp nudge to the shoulder forced Alexander to tear his gaze away from the meager facades of the houses. He looked at Ivan and immediately noticed the reason for his abrupt treatment. Igor was standing at the entrance to the tavern, beckoning them invitingly. Ignoring such behavior wasn't worth it, so the trio veered off their path and visited the tavern.

—"Hey monk, come drink with us. Tell us about the light of faith, or better yet, about hot and bright women. It's more fun that way."

The few morning patrons of the tavern only chuckled quietly. These godless mages could afford such remarks. Other clergy would quickly discourage the habit of making lewd jokes.

—"Why not tell you! I once had this woman! Fire! Could light up anyone. Especially in the dark of night!"

Igor joined the trio.

—"We have an emergency. It hasn't happened yet, but it's serious!"

As befitting a good monk, Igor ventured into the city and went to the church, where he actively simulated prayer. The entire spectacle was aimed at the locals, but as it turned out, after the morning sermon, he wasn't the only visitor. Knight Barkh also lingered and prayed fervently.

Discovering a neighbor from the new village, the knight committed a terrible act by local standards. He interrupted the prayer. And afterward, almost by force, he escorted the monk away and led him to the tavern. There, he began asking many questions. Fortunately, Igor, who was portraying the monk, seemed able to weave a tale.

But that wasn't the main point. As they bid farewell, the knight asked for blessings in his endeavors, which were given with the laying on of hands on the petitioner's head! Igor's trick with extracting a couple drops of blood was brilliantly executed and this time too, he didn't falter.

It turned out the baronetess hadn't wasted any time. As the saying goes, "love comes and goes, but one always wants to eat." So, after sighing over one fine knight, she decisively moved on to another. Not as handsome, but young and impressionable. And in just a couple of days, she diverted him from the true path and even persuaded him to kill the baron.

It remained only to marvel at the foolishness of a man who had earned a combat title honestly but couldn't recognize simple falsehood in conversation. Knight Barkh had promised the young beauty to break his vassal oath and kill his liege lord. Fortunately, his initial zeal had faded, and now he was full of doubts about the righteousness of his actions and, more importantly, began considering their consequences.

One's own backside is closer to the body than the attractive posterior of the baronet's young wife. And although hot whispers in his ear promised much and offered golden mountains and unearthly pleasures, little faith was placed in the duke's similar benevolence if he were to learn about such matters.

—"The knight has the town in a frenzy over goblins. So, the plan is to carry out the intended action tomorrow or the day after," Igor concluded his story, then continued loudly for the whole hall, "And she adjusted her skirt and said I won't see the light of Demur until I make my backside smaller."

The four sitting at the table burst into lively laughter, showing with every gesture that the monk's story had struck a chord.

—"You've delighted us, monk. That's what you should tell at morning sermons! Alright, we've lingered here long enough. Time to go!"

—"I'll ride with you, children of light. My soul is calm with prayer. The light within me strengthened. And I'll keep all this behind your backs intact!"

After finishing their performance, the vampires quickly left the tavern. They needed to find the others and devise plans to thwart the lively vixen.

Gathering everyone quickly didn't work out, but fortunately, it wasn't necessary. Sergey's scouts had already scattered throughout the city, and no one planned to distract them. All the others were found not far from the merchants' guild, at a tavern near a small inn. Quickly briefing those present on the revealed plans to overthrow legitimate authority, everyone began to think about how to respond. There weren't many thoughts.

—"Enough fooling around!" Konstantin lost patience first. "Everyone except Sergey, we're returning to the village now. We'll hear from Evgeniy and decide on this crisis by the will of the Triumvirate!"

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