After they had put some distance between them and the city, Susha Unhuor turned to look at Shunche. "Is there a place where we can stay in the other city?"
Shunche still gave him a dissatisfied look and turned to look at his king instead to get his opinion. Susha Unhuor snorted but turned back to the front, letting Jusha Lale deal with that.
The dan slightly raised his brows and turned to Shunche. "So, is there?"
"I haven’t arranged anything yet, dan. Should I go ahead and find accommodations for you?"
Jusha Lale turned to glance at the zhireng behind him. "Well, what exactly will we need?"
"I’m not completely sure. If my plan works and he tells me the truth, then you can stay in that city and wait for me to go and exterminate the demon myself without having to accompany me to see the high priest beforehand. If it doesn’t though …"
Jusha Lale nodded. "Well, in any case, you don’t want me to come with you to fight. Even if we go to speak with the high priest, I would likely have to return to the city." He turned to Shunche. "In that case, please do so. Just make it a place where we can rest. No special requirements. We can’t expect much on short notice."
Shunche bowed lightly. "Don’t worry, dan. I will certainly make it possible." He nodded at Chomong and then rode off. He would definitely make sure that his king had a place to rest.
Meanwhile, Jusha Lale got back to the question he had asked originally but that still hadn’t been answered. "So, we’re outside now, we will have the necessary accommodations when we arrive, and there is nobody around to hear what you say. Can you finally tell me your plan now?"
Susha Unhuor smiled lightly. "Are you worried I wouldn’t?"
Jusha Lale raised his brows. "Well, you have refused to take me with you because you were worried about my safety. Who knows if you wouldn’t keep more things from me for the same reason? In any case, I would rather know. That way, I can help you the best. So please, do not keep anything from me."
Susha Unhuor smiled and shook his head. "Why would I? I will need your help with this." He looked past Jusha Lale’s head, down the road in front of them, and toward the city where Agur Suhi was currently living. "I think the problem is that Agur Suhi cannot see how dire the circumstances are. We will have to make that clear to him for him to offer any information."
Jusha Lale raised his brows, not at all convinced. "We had the whole capital city evacuated. I do not think that he doesn’t realize how dire the situation is. Everybody knows already."
Susha Unhuor shook his head. "No, people don’t. Because they — and Agur Suhi as well — still believe that you’re looking for a zhireng able to kill the demon. Now, one has finally made his way here but you aren’t there yet. So they will assume that you’re still looking for somebody else who can help. If I don’t manage to do it, they think that somebody else will come. What they don’t know is that I am their last chance. So we will have to make that clear to him."
Jusha Lale’s expression turned thoughtful. Yes, maybe this was indeed the truth. He had thought too simply before. If he really wanted to convince Minister Agur, then he would have to make it more obvious. "Do you want me to go to him? But will he really say it in front of me if my uncle really planned to have me killed by a demon?"
"No, he likely won’t. Which is why I just want you to write a letter. Tell him that you are on your way back since I am the last of the zhireng you asked and that there is nobody else left. Write that you hope that I will have arrived and maybe solved the situation already. Ask him to assistant in any way he can in case it hasn’t happened yet. A few heartfelt words should be enough if your relationship is close."
Jusha Lale still furrowed his brows slightly. "I think the idea is not bad but … this might not be enough. Depending on how bad whatever my uncle planned was, he might not be willing to say it. Even if you are our last chance, he might think you are able to do it. Or he might think that you do not need that information."
Susha Unhuor slightly frowned. Unfortunately, that was also true. It could indeed be that this man would not be able to realize the severity in a short amount of time. And they did not have more time to convince him. "I do not see any other way to go about this."
Jusha Lale kept quiet for a while. The city in front of them came closer and they even see the guards at the gate already when he finally spoke up. "Well, I might. Just leave that to me. I will take care of this. If there is any chance that you are right in that he really needs to be convinced of how high the stakes are first, then he will come to you and inform you on his own after a bit."
Susha Unhuor couldn’t help but worry. "What do you intend to do?" Usually, he would just leave this to Jusha Lale. But the dan had suggested before to follow him to the capital city to be bait for the demon. Since he was even willing to lay down his life who knew what he had come up with this time?
Jusha Lale shook his head though. "Just leave that to me." He didn’t wait for an answer and instead motioned to the city ahead. "Let’s hurry up. The sooner we do this, the sooner we will know if it works."
Susha Unhuor was still a little worried but finally nodded and urged the horse onward. Soon enough, they reached the city gates where Shunche was already waiting for them to return. Apparently, he hadn’t had any problem organizing their lodgings.
Jusha Lale was quite satisfied. He pulled the hood of his cloak further down to make sure he wouldn’t be recognized and then just waited for Susha Unhuor to handle the rest.
Shunche led them to the house where they would stay. Before Jusha Lale could say anything, Susha Unhuor got off the horse and pulled him down as well. Shunche leaped from his horse as well, rushing over as if he was afraid something might happen to his dan.
Jusha Lale hurriedly raised a hand to stop him. "It’s alright. Nothing happened to me." He turned to Susha Unhuor, giving him a dissatisfied look. "The next time, I would appreciate to at least get a warning."
Susha Unhuor smiled wryly at him and then lowered his head. "I’m sorry. I got a little ahead of myself."
"Never mind. Now, let’s solve this matter." He walked into the building but didn’t bother to go up to the room. Instead, he turned back to Susha Unhuor. "I will go and talk to him directly. Shunche will come with me. Meanwhile, you should wait here with Chomong for a while and then ride toward the gate. If my plan works, then Minister Agur will rush over and stop you before you can leave, giving you the information you need. If not … then we will meet at the pavilion that is located on the hill between this city and the capital. Chomong knows which place I mean. I will make sure that you arrive."
Susha Unhuor nodded. "Alright. Let’s do it that way then."
Jusha Lale nodded as well and turned around. He hesitated for a moment though before turning back to Susha Unhuor. "I think it should work out. I can’t guarantee but I reckon that it is likely."
Susha Unhuor’s gaze softened. He seldom had people worry about his safety. They usually just assumed that it was the zhireng’s job to eliminate demons so they should just get to it. Who would go the extra mile to ensure he was as safe as possible while vanquishing that evil? Jusha Lale was probably the first.
He couldn’t find the right words for a moment but finally, he reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "No matter what the result is, the dan has already done quite a lot. If it doesn’t work out, that is not on you but on Minister Agur. You should not fault yourself."
Jusha Lale nodded but there was determination in his eyes. He had to do his best to ensure a success. "I will be off then."
Susha Unhuor took back his hand and the dan turned away, going back outside and getting on the horse. Shunche gave the zhireng another dark look before he followed him while Chomong stayed back.
Shunche couldn’t help but glance at his king when they had put some distance between them and the house. "Dan …"
Jusha Lale didn’t let him say whatever it was that he wanted. He knew it would likely be something negative about Susha Unhuor. He didn’t trust him. "When I am talking with Minister Agur, wait outside and step a little further away. It might be that the Minister is willing to already give me the information but he might worry needlessly if you are there."
Shunche hesitated slightly but still nodded. "Yes, dan." If that was his king’s command, what could he do? He feared for him though. If Agur Suhi and Shaun Reng had really planned something together …
Amidst Shunche’s worries, the two of them reached the house. Jusha Lale did not hesitate. He got off the horse, waited for Shunche to find a place for the animals, and then stepped inside already.
Shunche led him up to a room on the second story. At the dan’s sign, he knocked on the door.
A man’s voice sounded from inside. "Come on in."
Shunche opened the door, lowered his head, and then stepped to the side, waiting for Jusha Lale to enter before he closed the door behind him and left as he had been ordered to.
Jusha Lale waited for the sound of the door and then pulled down the hood, exposing his face.
Agur Suhi looked up and then jumped to his feet, hurriedly lowering his head. "Dan."
Jusha Lale just waved. "You don’t have to be like this with me. Just sit down." He went over to the table and sat down opposite him, giving him a faint smile. From now on, everything depended on how well he could act. He couldn’t slip up. "I just arrived. It was a long journey."
Agur Suhi gave him a long look, a bit of worry in his expression. "You do seem as if you didn’t rest well. You should do so now that you’re here."
Jusha Lale sighed and grabbed for the teacups on the table, wanting to pour himself some water.
Agur Suhi hurriedly reached out. "Ah, let me do this for you."
Jusha Lale pulled back his hands and gave him a nod of appreciation. "Thank you. I’m afraid I won’t get much more than this short break here."
Agur Suhi poured him a cup and then leaned back, the worry on his face deepening. "Why that? Didn’t you find a zhireng? He came to see me before and asked some questions."
Jusha Lale took a sip of the tea and nodded slowly. "Yes, I did find one. Although I do have to admit that it was rather difficult. I went to see so many of them but he was the only one that was actually willing to come. Too many of them are injured, many of the well-known ones even dead. It really isn’t an easy task to exterminate the demons." He sighed deeply, and then shook his head, putting down the cup.
"Let me be honest with you, I’m not sure if this one will be able to solve the issue either. When I arrived in this city, I immediately went to see him to find out if there was something he would need my help with to prepare for his task. As it turns out, he seems to be lacking some information even though he asked several people both in this city and the next one. He said that the odds of actually defeating the demon are rather slim."
Agur Suhi furrowed his brows. He had already thought as much. "But as a zhireng, does he not have the blessing of the gods? It should be possible."
Jusha Lale nodded. "That is what I hope for a well. It is just … with things being like this, I cannot feel at ease. It would be a different thing if I had just gone to one of them and he agreed immediately. But if I want to find another zhireng, I’ll have to leave the country and look in one of the other kingdoms. Who how much more time will that take? I’m afraid we don’t have it."
Agur Suhi lowered his head, obviously distraught. "Well, there’s nothing we can do about that, is there?"
Jusha Lale played with the cup in front of him, his expression thoughtful. "Yes, I thought so. But … considering that the lives of all these people are at stake, I also cannot just watch. I will do whatever is necessary to make him succeed." He finally reached over the table, putting his hand over Agur Suhi’s. "I … I know this is sudden. But there is a request that I have to make."
Agur Suhi looked up, surprise flashing through his eyes. "That … Whatever I can do for the dan, I will immediately see to it."
Jusha Lale smiled. "I knew I can count on you. Anyway, I’m young. I have neither wife nor child. If something were to happen to me, there’s no successor to the throne. I …" He lowered his head, lightly wetting his lips. "I can only choose among the people that I know. Minister Agur, you are a good man. And I believe that in such times, that is one of the most important qualities to have. So if I do not make it back, I want you to take over caring for my people. That is the last thing I can do for them."
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