Season 2 Chapter 2

As he made his way back to the healer, Karim thought to himself:

“So General Jonathan used to be an assassin... Did they drag him into the battlefield after he was poisoned?”

The sun slowly gave way to the moon as Karim approached the tent where the healer was stationed.

When he stepped inside, he saw Luca—gasping for air, his face pale as a ghost.

“What happened?” Karim asked, alarmed.

Holding his stomach, Luca managed to speak through clenched teeth:

“Okay... first of all, I have no idea what a liver is supposed to look like, but it smells awful, and touching it is even worse.”

He immediately stumbled out of the tent and began taking deep breaths outside.

Karim winced at the lingering stench inside the tent, his nose wrinkling in disgust. He stepped back out to Luca and pressed again:

“Tell me. What happened?”

Luca, still breathing heavily, answered in a shaky voice:

“Someone came in... I don’t know how, but the guy’s legs were completely gone. The healer’s assistant told us to amputate what was left— and to end his suffering... to kill him.”

Karim stood there, stunned, unable to say a word.

Karim listened in stunned silence.

“At first I didn’t even realize what was happening,” Luca said, his voice trembling. “But the crazy bastard grabbed a saw the size of my whole body and started hacking away at the man’s legs. Before I could even process it— he was dead.”

“Then… they opened up the body and had us dump the organs into a pit filled with ice and water.”

Luca’s voice shook as much as his hands. He was visibly rattled.

***

That night, when Karim finally lay down to rest, his thoughts were still consumed by one question: How had General Jonathan been poisoned?

Jonathan, a master of daggers, a former assassin... and yet now reduced to scouting terrain, all because of his family. How is someone like that still even kept in the army?

And if someone really did poison him—why leave the vial behind? Did they panic? Hide when someone showed up? Or worse... was Jonathan forced to take it?

These thoughts circled endlessly in his mind until sleep finally took him.

The next morning, Karim tried to locate the other generals— but most of them were busy near the battlefield, drafting strategies.

He wasn’t even allowed to approach the front lines, so he turned his focus to those who had been close to General Jonathan.

While listening quietly to soldiers around the camp, he kept hearing the same rumor: General Kuno of the cavalry had gotten too close to Jonathan— and nearly everyone in the army was talking about it.

Karim decided he’d investigate General Kuno next.

But when he reached her tent, he noticed a guard stationed right outside.

Kuno was a legend. A woman who had spent her entire life riding into battle or charging in on foot, earning her reputation in blood and steel.

She was known for her stern demeanor, but also for her ability to be warm when it mattered. She gave no special treatment to anyone, and once battle began— the Hercules within her was unleashed, striking fear into every enemy in her path.

Her fearlessness and iron will were widely known— which made it all the more curious that she would even need a guard at her tent.

After spending the day helping Luca, Karim made his decision.

As night fell and shadows consumed the camp, he approached General Kuno’s tent.

This time, there was no guard outside the tent. Assuming Kuno was inside, Karim slipped in quietly— but the interior was completely empty.

Entering a general’s tent at night without permission would be considered suspicious in any army. Karim knew he had to move fast, but had no idea where to start.

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He went straight for the chest and opened it. Unlike Jonathan’s, this one was filled with women’s undergarments and some cloth. A small dagger and a tiny pouch also caught his eye.

Just as he closed the chest, the sound of footsteps approaching the tent sent a chill down his spine.

Panicking, Karim crawled under the bed to hide. If he got caught, even if not accused of treason, he’d surely be branded a pervert. And getting caught by Kuno might be worse than being marked a traitor.

“If it’s Kuno we’re talking about, being branded a traitor would be like missing a train by inches.”

Soon enough, the flap of the tent was pulled open and General Kuno stepped inside. She muttered something to herself, tightened the knot on the tent’s entrance, and placed her weapon down near the chest.

From under the bed, Karim silently pleaded:

“Please don’t drop anything... just lie down and sleep.”

Kuno first removed her leather armor, then her boots, and finally laid down on the bed in silence.

With her weight now pressing down above him, Karim was forced to curl up even tighter, making it nearly impossible to move.

He lay completely still— perhaps for an hour, maybe two— barely even breathing, doing everything he could to stay silent.

Eventually, Kuno shifted in her sleep, and Karim seized the moment to slowly crawl out from under the bed.

He couldn’t see much in the darkness. His first instinct was to leave the tent— but the flap had been tightly knotted when Kuno came in. Escaping quietly was nearly impossible.

“If I undo the knot,” he thought, “she’ll notice right away.”

Trapped in the pitch-black tent, Karim tried to think— tried to plan his next move without making a sound.

He considered crawling back under the bed to wait for morning... but if he accidentally fell asleep, Kuno might kill him in her sleep without even realizing it.

Staying awake until dawn felt nearly impossible.

At the very least, he decided to search for something—anything—useful in the darkness. He gently rummaged through her clothes, careful not to shift them too much.

But the pockets were empty.

He quietly placed the clothes back just as he’d found them, then stood still, his mind racing.

“Maybe… if I untie the flap quickly and quietly, I can escape without Kuno noticing.”

But then again, the night patrols could easily catch him outside.

“Alright… the bed. Under the bed is the safest bet.”

Karim made up his mind to crawl back under— but as he slowly turned around, he felt something sharp press against the bridge of his nose.

He caught a faint scent. There was no mistaking it. A dagger.

Kuno, even in the dark, had pressed a blade to his face without knowing exactly who she was dealing with.

Using the faint glow of moonlight, she quickly tied Karim’s hands and feet— then tossed him onto the bed like dead weight.

She sat beside him and brought the blade to his throat, whispering:

“Who are you?”

Silence flooded the tent like a heavy fog.

“If I light the torch,” she said quietly, “the nearest patrol will hear. And if they walk in— it’ll be bad for both of us.

So I’ll ask again. Who are you?”

Even though she couldn’t see clearly in the dark, Karim stared straight into Kuno’s eyes.

His eyes screamed: “Please don’t kill me.”

His silence only made her more furious. She pressed the dagger harder against his throat.

“One last chance.”

“I… I’m Karim,” he said, voice trembling with fear.

“Good. Who sent you?”

“No one. I… I was already looking for you.”

“How old are you?”

“Fifteen… ma’am.”

“If you call me ma’am again, I’ll split your skull in half.”

“Now answer the real question. Who sent you here?”

“I swear, I was trying to find you but you weren’t in your tent, and there was a guard posted outside. I swear I had no bad intentions.”

Kuno let the blade glide slightly across Karim’s throat, not enough to cut— but enough to make him feel every inch of its edge.

“Tell me, Karim…” Kuno whispered, voice sharp like the blade against his throat. “After a long, dangerous day—when you finally crawl into bed— and you realize something’s hiding underneath it… wouldn’t you have done exactly what I did, knowing there are people in this army who might want you dead?”

Karim could feel the cold metal of the dagger seeping into his bones.

“And if you had no ill intent, why were you waiting in my bed before I fell asleep?”

“I just… wanted to ask questions,” he murmured.

Karim didn’t know what else to say. Tears slid down his cheeks silently, his eyes still begging for mercy.

“Why are you looking for me?” she asked, still holding the dagger firm against his neck.

“I just wanted to talk to you and General Jonathan. I thought you might share your thoughts about him.”

Kuno studied his face carefully.

“I don’t know who gave you that idea, or if I somehow did… but no, Karim. I will never speak of what I think of another general.”

Slowly, she lowered the dagger and untied his wrists and ankles.

“Get out. I’ll be watching you, Karim. And if I see one suspicious move— I’ll cut off your balls first, then gag your mouth so no one hears you scream.”

She untied the flap and waited for him to leave.

Karim bolted out of the tent, his heart racing.

Even knowing Kuno would be watching him like a hawk, he somehow managed to sleep that night.

The next morning, Karim went to see the medic and told him everything he knew— including the danger he’d faced in General Kuno’s tent.

The medic listened carefully, then gave a faint, crooked smile.

“Honestly, Karim, I’m impressed. But your job’s not done. And you know it.”

Karim, eyes heavy with exhaustion, replied:

“Can’t someone else do it? I’ll work double shifts if I have to.”

“You are already working double shifts,” the medic said, still dead serious. “So no. And besides—this stays between those who were in that tent that day. No one else can even know about the poisoning.”

Karim took a deep breath, and despite the weariness in his bones, he nodded. The mission was still on.

For the next two weeks, he kept trying to uncover how General Jonathan had been poisoned— and more importantly, by whom.

***

He spent most of his days quietly observing people within the army, listening more than speaking, and helping Luca whenever he could.

But the only piece of information he managed to gather was that Jonathan had gone to the battlefield alone, and had been brought back by a soldier.

Finding and talking to that soldier? Nearly impossible. The army was too massive.

Jonathan’s condition was slowly improving, and perhaps—just perhaps— he would be able to recall something soon.

It was almost certain the poison came from food. But even if the general woke, remembering when and with whom he ate or drank would be unlikely.

So Karim returned once more to Jonathan’s tent.