Его не звали, но он приперся / They never called, yet he is here: Ученица ИК_Омак_Бринар_Канон

* * *

The stationary communication amulet that stood on the desk of the Commander of the Secret Guard of Sorz faintly glowed with one of its many crystals. When he took a break from reading one of the endless reports, the master of the cabinet touched it with his finger:

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 04:17

"Yes?"

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 04:17

"Lady Agatha has arrived."

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 04:18

"Let her in."

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 04:22

In exactly one minute, the doors of his office opened, and a tall, spectacular woman stepped inside. White skin, long blonde hair styled according to the latest fashion, light makeup, emphasizing expressive gray eyes, and neat red lips. At first glance, it was clear that the woman was wealthy and not ordinary. Her clothes also confirmed her high status. An expensive dress of red fabric, richly decorated with gold embroidery. On her neck, descending to a very frank cleavage, hung a massive gold necklace decorated with numerous precious stones, mostly rubies. In her ears were long earrings in the form of stylized sun disks, also with inlaid rubies. On the fingers of each hand were several rings and rings. They were also gold and jeweled, except for one seal ring.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 04:22

Once inside the office, the woman smiled warmly at the owner and performed a perfect curtsy. The head of the Secret Guard only slightly bowed his head in greeting. At the same time, he counted the information received from the stationary scanning artifacts. No weapons on her guest and nothing dangerous was found, only protective artifacts and amulets. Of course, she was thoroughly searched at the entrance, but caution is never superfluous.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 04:24

"Greetings, my lord. I am glad to see you in good health."

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 04:25

"Likewise, Lady Agatha. It's always a pleasure to see you. Please, have a seat."

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 04:25

"Thank you, my lord.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 04:26

With impeccable posture, Agatha walked over to the table and sat in the guest chair across from the de facto second man in the state. For a few seconds, they looked at each other with polite smiles. Then the head of the Secret Guard lightly pressed a discreet button under the table to activate the additional protection of the cabinet, isolating it from the rest of the world even more and consuming the energy of the storage units. As soon as the protective barriers were activated, the faces of the people in the cabinet changed from smiling and polite to extremely serious.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 04:52

"Report," the owner of the office briefly ordered, keeping his gaze fixed on his visitor.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 04:53

She pulled several small sealed tubes from her belt pouch with a serious face, opened them, and took out several sheets of parchment filled with neat, hand-colored handwriting. As she spread them out on the table in front of the head of the Secret Guard, he continued to scrutinize his guest with an unreadable face. Agatha was the daughter of the head of a medium-sized merchant house. And not by an official wife but by one of the slave concubines. She had no chance in life. At best, she'd be given as a plaything to one of her father's partners. Or they would have left her at home for "personal use". But it turned out that the girl had inherited not only her mother's pretty face and figure but also her father's intelligence and character. She also had a natural talent for turning men's heads and spinning them as she pleased. As a result, she is a tenth level at fifteen and an uncommon class "Seductress".

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 04:56

Was her father's decision to keep such an "asset" in the family his own, or had she already managed to entice her parent? The answer to that question was never found. In any case, the girl was used for the benefit of the family business, which she did brilliantly. She ferreted out secrets, seducing whoever was needed or preventing his rivals from seducing him. Her father's wealth was growing, and so were the levels of a girl, not a girl but a young woman already. Several times she was on the verge, if not of death, then of very big trouble. But each time, by some animal instinct or incredible luck, she managed to avoid the vengeance of her deceived and seduced lovers. Sooner or later, it would not end well for her, and, as it turned out, Agatha was well aware of that. So she made her move.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 04:59

How she managed to accomplish this and how all her relatives and her father's guards missed it, no one knew exactly. Nor was it entirely clear how she had been able to remove all the contracts, oaths, and obligations by which her stupid parent had "bound" her to himself. From the indirect evidence, he had freed her from them. As a result, one not-so-good morning, the head of the house's lawful wife (also a cunning snake), along with her two daughters, her sister, and the other women of the family, found Agatha sitting in her father's chair, legs spread wide apart. While the parent himself was selflessly polishing her slit, paired with his eldest son and heir. The younger sons, meanwhile, were selflessly loving each other in a corner of the same office. To say that they were shocked by such a spectacle is not to say anything. But there was nothing they could do about it.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 05:05

Because immediately, several unpleasant things became clear. First of all, Daddy, who loved his daughter in every way, had transferred to her all the assets, the family contracts, the keys, the passwords. In short, complete control over everything that owned their House. Second, the Commander of the guards, like most of his subordinates, was also already loyal to the new mistress. The shocked women were handcuffed, despite the quite serious resistance of some of them, after which Agatha took great pleasure in reducing them to the state of her own mother. Namely, living sex toys. Having previously extracted from them all the useful information she could.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 06:15

It is clear that no one would tolerate such a coup. It would be one thing if one of the official heirs pulled such a stunt. But no one would tolerate such a trick from a daughter, especially from a slave concubine. Agatha would have been devoured by her father's wife's relatives and business associates. But once again, she showed she was not a fool. Instead of fleeing with everything she could carry, fleeing for revenge, she headed for the capital. And managed to get to his reception, using the connection of her father combined with her class skills.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 06:17

To say that he was surprised to see Agatha in his waiting room instead of the other man who had "conceded" his audience to her is a gross understatement. He was even more surprised when the cheeky girl introduced herself, not hiding who she was or how she got here. His first thought was to order the immediate arrest of the insolent girl, with all the consequences that would follow. But the head of the Secret Guard wouldn't have held his position for so long if he didn't know how to understand people and see their potential. Agatha had that potential, so he decided to at least listen to her first. He was also sure to put his guards on full alert and activate his protection to the maximum.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 06:18

And he was not wrong. The self-confident girl with a charming smile laid out in front of him several sheets of parchment with dirt, including several people who were of interest to him personally. Very well-collected dirt, with exact names, places, dates, amounts of money, classes, and circumstances. And a few more sheets of simply valuable information, relating mostly to people in the States neighboring Sorz.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 06:19

The work was done at the level of his agency's top-notch agents. Not the best, but high-level and professional. After that, she showed him the twenty-fifth level, a new epic class Mistress of the Web, and developed to a rare grade Seductress. And she offered her services in exchange for protection. At the same time, she, with the same charming smile, subtly hinted that she had nothing to lose, and if anything, all the information demonstrated to him can get to other humans. Or, Sun forbid, not humans. And, of course, this is not all the information and dirt she has.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 06:23

At that moment, he had to admit, he was thinking hard. On the one hand, he really wanted to teach this insolent girl a lesson. He might even do it in person since she had more than attractive looks. On the other hand, the benefits of it were obvious. In addition, given her position, getting a personal agent owed to him, with an extensive network of informants, would not be superfluous. In the end, he decided to accept Agatha's offer, and he was right. The hardest part was the first few months when Agatha's father's relatives and associates were especially thirsty for her blood. Two near-successful assassination attempts and several attempts to cast personal curses through high-level malefics. The Secret Guard did not intervene openly, limiting themselves to preventing the sassy girl from being formally arrested. And then Agatha showed that she had teeth, too. Or rather, fangs.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 06:25

Suddenly her father's wife's parents died, as well as her two older brothers, who were most thirsty for Agatha's blood. There was an investigation that revealed that there had been a daring operation by agents of Melareth, who turned out to be unexpectedly well-informed. And which the girl had nothing to do with at all. And now the new head of their house, who, as the youngest of the children, had had practically nothing in terms of inheritance, had no complaints against Agatha. Here is one of her father's partners, whose daughter was soon to marry her eldest son and heir, who was caught selling information to the Dawn Forest, making two promising operations against the Children of the Stars go awry. And though most of the relatives managed to disassociate themselves from their arrested patriarch, their business quickly dwindled and, for the most part, was bought out by Agatha's new manager.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 09:07

By then, the most intelligent of Agatha's enemies had already begun to think hard that the game might not be worth playing. There had been a few more attempts at sabotage, like the successful burning down of her father's warehouses. But each one was answered. Not always instantaneous, but invariably painful. The last who persisted the longest was her father's cousin, who had not forgiven the "insolent slut" for her family coup d'etat. After another assassination attempt, the great-uncle was found dead in his bed, in a very compromising position.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 09:11

According to rumors that spread with the speed of wildfire, he was naked, with a gag strap around his neck and a rather expensive toy for those adults who prefer to reach the peak of pleasure unaided. Ironically, his children and relatives forgot all about Agatha because they had bigger problems. The will, which had been rewritten in the city's main Temple of the Sun, had been certified by magical seals a few days before his death. The family had no idea that it had been rewritten.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:06

According to it, most of the property was donated to various churches and for the improvement of the city. That is, to the City Treasury. Everyone immediately rushed to prove that it was made by the deceased head of the family in a state of hostile influence on the mind, to put it in legal terms. But when the will was being probated, the author was thoroughly checked for this very influence, and no traces were found. It was also carefully documented. So, the relatives were now very unhappy with Agatha: they were faced with the prospect of being practically destitute.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:09

After this incident, all detractors finally realized that the attempt to get rid of an impudent girl who had taken over the power of the most influential, but not the last Trading House, could turn into very big problems, and from the most unexpected side. No, Agatha was not left alone. But the outright hostility against her had ceased. Instead, an active behind-the-scenes struggle began with espionage, attempts to recruit and convert, bribery, and blackmail. In a word, the routine life of any influential person.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:10

In the ten years since then, Agatha has reached level thirty-three, expanded her network of informants, increased her wealth, and made even more enemies. The latter was especially pleasing to the Head of the Secret Guard, as it served as a great leash for her. Without his unspoken patronage, which prevented Agatha's enemies from acting openly, she would have been destroyed long ago. Or done something more interesting. Since her appearance was still very attractive. Still, level thirty-three is pretty good and with an epic class, but plenty of bigger fish. How many times in those ten years he had received unspoken, veiled, or direct offers to "flush" the insolent maiden he had long ago stopped counting? He must admit, some of the offers were more than tempting, but so far, the benefits of Agatha as an agent outweighed them. So far.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:14

* * *
Everything is still the same. Ever since the day the Crown Prince acquired his new class, all the talk has been about him. Especially after his trip to the Wildlands. Interest in him is enormous, especially from our closest neighbors. I've registered over a dozen tacit requests this month alone from all sorts of personalities for any reliable information about him, his class, and what he plans to choose as his second class. The reward for reliable information is more than generous.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 09:13

"That's to be expected. Anything else?"

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:15

Also, various individuals, who reek of Stars and Forests a mile away, offer a very generous reward for any specimen of the Crown Prince. From hair and fingernails to blood and semen. The last two offer the most gold, if authenticated. I recommend increased control of the Crown Prince's personal servants, as well as additional protective procedures beyond what is already in place.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:17

"Also quite expected. The Crown Prince is guarded in the most secure way possible. The only way to do more is to lock him up in the Sun Palace. Hmm. Any chance of slipping fake specimens to our eared neighbors?"

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:17

"I, and my analysts, regard them as negative. Also, I would like to add that there is a great possibility that someone else may be acting under the guise of elves. Or, more likely, there are several interested parties in obtaining a piece of our Crown Prince's body."

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:25

"I agree. What about his kidnapper? This Kickass? Any luck in finding out anything?"

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:26

For the first time since the conversation began, Agatha's face twisted as if she had eaten something disgusting.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:27

Nothing. I used all my connections, spent a lot of gold and time, and lost two very promising agents, but I still couldn't find out what kind of creature was helping the elves or where they dug it up. The Eared Ones were very serious about it. The most promising theory I've come up with, along with my analysts, is that their Seer came up with the creature. The elves have no other specialists of the Dream of a high enough level. How and on what terms they were able to agree can only be surmised. In most cases, such creatures charge with the souls of the endowed. This is further complicated by the specifics of the realm. Finding a good Dream specialist is not easy.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:30

The Head of the Secret Guard nodded grimly. That, too, was to be expected. Still, he had a glimmer of hope that at least Agatha would succeed where everyone else had failed. Meanwhile, the agentess continued.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:31

"However, through my agents, I managed to contact one fairly high-ranking and influential priest of the Goddess of Dreams. For a considerable sum of money, he agreed to advise my people. Here is his report. The original, a copy. I think you will be as impressed with it as I am."

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:33

With an arched eyebrow, the owner of the study took another pair of scrolls and ran his eyes over them. As he read, his face grew darker and darker. As he read the priest's consultation to the end, he said slowly:

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:34

"Hmm... It's too bad if the elves have such a strong contract creature. We'll have to work out additional countermeasures. We must also find out what kind of creature it is and on what terms they work with it. And if there's a chance this thing could be bought out, or at least break the contract. Keep digging."

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:35

"As you command. But I will need additional finances."

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:41

"How much?"

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:41

"Four thousand to start with. That doesn't include compensation for previous expenses. Here's the financial report."

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:47

Running his eyes over the paper, the Head of the Secret Guard nodded.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:58

"Good. Money, thanks to the Crown Prince, is not a problem right now. Let's move on. What about the incident with our dearest neighbors?"

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 11:59

"Here I have two news at once, bad and good. The bad news is that their Shackle Resonator is destroyed. The unknown saboteurs did their best, leaving no witnesses or normal evidence. It was impossible to find out who had done it. My analysts estimated that the average level of the attackers must have been in the mid-40s. There was at least one professional star in action. There was a high probability that it was with a Hero. Clearly with very good equipment, not below epic level. Very high probability that they had their agents inside the fortress."

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 12:10

The head of the Secret Guard grew gloomy. At first glance, he would have been glad his neighbors were in such trouble. And he would be, indeed, if he knew who had caused it. But as it was, where was the guarantee that a similar sabotage wouldn't happen in Sorz tomorrow? The security at the Sunset Facility was increased as soon as the information about the Melareth incident was confirmed. But where is the guarantee that this is enough? We'll have to run additional checks on all the maintenance personnel and the garrison's shifts on duty. As well as their replacements.

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 12:15

"And the second news?"

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 12:15

"The good news is that our beloved neighbors have managed to deplete almost the entire resource of their beloved Shoreless Eye to find saboteurs. And now they're feverishly looking for someone to service it for them."

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 12:17

"That's really good news. Hmm... I'll have to think about how to use it. Now for the main thing. What about Ansarg?"

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 12:27

Agatha's face was thoughtful for a moment. Then she spoke slowly and carefully:

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 12:27

"I completed your assignment. Several of my agents were watching him. Very carefully, from afar, not interfering in any way with his actions, just as you ordered. There wasn't much to find out. The Crown Prince has become very suspicious since his return. If not paranoid, which is understandable."

Camrad_RIP 07.07.23 в 12:28