What could be better than life away from the capital's anxieties and boyar intrigues? But even here, in the remote border voivodeship, there is no talk of peaceful life. The mercenary detachment created by Kirill requires attention no more than the students. And not all neighbors liked the competitor who appeared as if out of nowhere, breaking into a long-established and divided market with the grace of a connecting rod bear. The people in these places are harsh, not inclined to compromise, they regard a kind word as weakness, and a coin in someone else’s pocket as a personal insult. What kind of peace are we talking about in such conditions? Moreover, the year of freedom negotiated from the Tsarevich is expiring, which means that the oprichnina boyar Kirill Nikolaev-Skuratov will again have to plunge into the capital’s whirlwind with its boyar squabbles and family feuds. But what were the plans, what were the intentions... Well, yes, maybe we’ll still be able to turn things around to our advantage, huh?