I turned traitor in the summer of the 626th year.

Remorse? I felt nearly nothing—only satisfaction at a plot well executed.

As a child, I was clever yet odd. Eerie, yet reliable enough to earn my peers' trust. One could say I had the gift of people—the unique ability to influence simple minds into doing my bidding.

It all started as a prank. There was a new group of adventurers visiting the town.

Nothing extraordinary struck out about the group. After all guilds in this day and age were a dime a dozen.

But what caught my eye was their leader—or rather, the look in his eyes.

It was innocent, dignified, earnest, and exasperatingly trusting.

'A man in this world shouldn't exude such plain naivety. Where is the caution?' I had thought.

I followed the man for days, taking care to mask my presence as I did. Again, where was the caution? You would think an...