Селеста / Сelesta: Глава 17

Chapter 17

Camrad_RIP 16.10.22 в 19:52

The Cuckoo's Feather Restaurant was not one of Celesta's favorites, and she had only visited it once. It was only because a troupe from the other side of the Good Sea was performing there at the time, and the vampiress wanted to talk to them. She was gathering information about distant countries, hoping one day if not to visit them, at least to establish colonies in them. And she was just curious.

Camrad_RIP 18.10.22 в 19:39

The restaurant was divided into two levels, a common hall, and a gallery. Downstairs the public sat in the common room and on the platform the artists sang. On the second floor, where a separate staircase led, the nobility and rich merchants preferred to watch the bustle of life from above. "Cuckoo's Feather" was not an elite establishment, but it enjoyed a good reputation thanks to the delicious cuisine and the invitation of talented performers, often from other countries. Celesta could not appreciate the taste of the food, and she was generally unconcerned about the music - a singer didn't falsify, and that was fine. She only came here because Medea insisted on seeing the troupe that had come from Bardi.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 06:57

Of course, just enjoying an evening of nice music and good company didn't work out for Celesta. She hadn't done anything with a single purpose in a long time. Though the company was, shall we say, unusual.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 06:57

"I did not expect to be invited here, Messena," Baron Sae looked quickly and carefully around the room and his neighbors, lingering his gaze on a couple of guardsmen sitting at a nearby table. "For some reason, I thought you preferred a more private setting."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 06:58

The last time, the guide had led him through long subterranean corridors, and at the end, he was met by a short girl sitting in a chair that was too massive for her. There was absolutely no desire to smile, though. Now the same vampire led the lieutenant to an ordinary medium-sized establishment, decent, not some den.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 07:02

"Most of the time that's true," Celesta agreed. "But I can afford a little whim, can't I? Besides, a member of your profession is accustomed to ignoring social customs. Have a seat, Baron."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 07:48

"Humbly thank you, blessed Mistress. As for customs, I dare say our whole life consists of them. It is impossible to ignore customs, but one must remember that in every company they are their own."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 07:49

"That's right, too," the vampiress agreed. "We're all social creatures, so we have to play by the rules imposed by society. The individual hermits don't count. You should order a thicker piece of meat; you need something to eat."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:02

"Do I really look that bad?"

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:03

"Black circles under your eyes and you reek of stimulants. A person won't smell it, but we're better at picking up odors."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:03

Sae dictated his order to the waiter, while Celesta stared blankly at the three girls dancing on the platform. The music was fiery, and the number was unfamiliar and attention-grabbing. Looks like she didn't come here in vain. She should listen to Medea more often.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:05

"You seem to be a regular here," the Baron reflexively tried to siphon her for information.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:06

"You mean the staff looks at me without surprise? How is that, a young noblewoman and no escort?" The Mistress grinned. "Not at all. I do not wish to be looked at, and I am not looked at. It is not even so much skill as experience."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:07

Experience and Will. Mentalistics is not limited to the ability to dissect another's consciousness in order to view the memory or to turn the enemy into a submissive puppet. At a certain stage, a skilled master begins to create real illusions that sprout into reality. Celesta was at the very beginning of her path, but even what she already knew was enough to fully alter the perception of the mortals around her. There were no strong mages in the restaurant, and ordinary people resisted the influence weakly.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:07

"I once had the honor of speaking with the blessed Sirtash," the Baron nodded. "He said that with age, those who have the gift acquire abilities that seem to be magic, but have nothing to do with it."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:08

"Exactly. It's like the way a warrior who has long learned to wield his body performs tricks that to a rookie would look like miracles. The prince understands the matter - he is probably by far the strongest mage in Taleya. Of mortals. Sitting on his estate, doing what he loves, ignoring any attempts to draw him back to the Capital... I envy him. Or has his way of life changed recently?"

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:09

"In the hour of grievous upheaval, no one of the dynasty can stand aside. He who sits on the Azure Throne has commanded his beloved kinsman to appear before his countenance, so that he may reverently accept the high dignity of the burden."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:10

"Which one?" Celesta wondered.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:10

The lieutenant's words signaled the return of Dinir's oldest descendant to date to court life. Sirtash had been born in the reign of the Idiot. He remembered the kingdom as one, not split in half, and was extremely skeptical of the kin who occupied the throne. He was, in fact, even less skeptical of the other princes. He stayed out of politics and experimented in his secluded estate, thanks to which he successfully kept his head on his shoulders for four centuries. Hustin corresponded with him secretly.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:12

"Our lord and master, filled with great wisdom, intends to create an institution for the offspring of noble families where they can receive proper education and training," Sae said in florid language. "They will be devoted to the service of their country and will acquire the knowledge that will enable them to fulfill their duties well. The blessed Sirtash, may his bodily strength never leave him, will preside over the institution."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:13

Celesta very carefully put the cup of tea on the saucer.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:13

"You want to revive the Academy, don't you? The priests will be against it - all of them. Even Celestial Purity would be against it!"

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:14

"No, no, Messena, not at all! Just a school for the faithful sons of the fatherland. It is no secret that other families of impeccable origins are deprived of the opportunity to give their children a decent education. Alas, the nobility of blood does not go well with the ability to increase or simply preserve wealth! Despising the aspirations of his subjects, the bearer of divine grace decided to take upon himself the care of the next generation."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:15

"And this will give him a personnel reserve that depends solely on him... The only question is, why so late? That should have been the starting point."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:16

"Alas, the unrighteous advisors convinced the high-sitting lord that the existing schools were sufficient and that there was no need for a new one. They suffered the punishment they deserved for their insolent deception."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:21

Mistress nodded, quickly comprehending the introductions she had received. There was a network of colleges for all tastes and incomes, and the most prestigious were attended by the children of the petty and middle class who planned to pursue a military career in the future. Future army and navy officers. The upper nobility preferred homeschooling or sending their sons to major monasteries if they foresaw a spiritual path for them. There was no place like the old Academy, and there never had been. The noble families remembered how the previous rulers had held them by the throat and forced them to send their heirs to school. In addition, thanks to the Curse, the name itself had become taboo, and the slightest hint of the possibility of an institution of higher learning where mages would be trained caused the joint hysteria of the leaders of all the country's cults.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:22

The Royal Mages' Guild had its school, but the number of students there was small, the education was highly specialized, and the staff was kept on a short leash, subjected to frequent inspections.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:23

So Valier decided to create a personal forge of human resources. It is clear that he will not be able to revive the Academy in its former form - the country has neither enough financial nor human resources. And he doesn't need it in its former form. The king wants a pool of people loyal to him personally, with little or no connection to provincial factions, who in the future will be able to occupy middle and senior-level bureaucratic positions. In the beginning, the number of students would be small, but later, when the inevitable mistakes at the initial stage are corrected, they would grow to hundreds. That is why Sirtash was invited. He remembers how the old system worked and will help adapt the best elements of it to the present, and he is a prince! Criticizing him should be done with great caution. The opponents of the school will at first be very numerous. To prevent them from destroying the undertaking, someone of uncommon political weight must stand at the head. The oldest representative of the dynasty with an untarnished reputation is ideal.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:25

That's clever.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:26

Why did the Baron tell her that? Information is valuable, one might say, exclusive, since its sources did not even bring any rumors. Accidentally blabbing, he is not capable of purely physical, not with his experience as a kingpin.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 08:29

They need agents in the inner circle of the Son of the Sea. Only how do we get them? There's more than one version of the Seal of Allegiance on everyone.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 13:51

"If your sovereign can rebuild at least some of what Irrhan and Irrhan's successors destroyed, the kingdom will be reborn," Celesta said slowly. "I doubt it will last, but at least it will. He's off to a good start. In fact, the only obstacles to his plans were the Saints of Fire and the other light-focused zealots."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 13:52

Sae started to say something and immediately stopped when he saw the waiter approaching with his order. Another marker, by the way, that revealed him as a spy - ordinary noblemen considered servants as something like furniture and didn't hold back in their presence.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 13:54

"My sovereign cares for the good of the state and believes in the purity of the intentions of holy men. They may be mistaken at times, but they are sincere in their errors. The Son of the Sea believes that he can show them the right path to prosperity, it only takes time to convince them. True greatness is not achieved by the sword, but by love and peace! Friendship and affection are what the chosen one of the gods carries to his neighbors, wishing to behold the same aspirations. He is all the more perplexed by the rumors from Lanaka about the servants of the blessed mistress who have appeared there."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 13:55

"What's wrong with them?" Celesta didn't understand. "Their actions have nothing to do with what happened at Taleya."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 13:56

"I will not argue, though the strengthening of Lanaka is in itself a threat to the security of the kingdom," the baron remarked as he prepared to begin his meal. "The Lord of the Mirror and Sword is surprised that, while destroying nests of malevolent monsters in a neighboring country, the Night Folk do not do the same in their homeland. Friends don't do that."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 13:57

"The Principality pays generously for our services. Besides, you are mistaken - among the aristocrats, there are enough sane people who can distinguish the truth from lies and ignore the gossip spread about us. So we work in the kingdom, too."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 13:58

"However, Nosy Mountain still spews out of its bowels crowds of monsters."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 13:59

When he finally told her what he'd come for, the spy swiftly started to move his fork. Despite his carefully observed manners, he felt hungry.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 14:00

In Nosy Mountain lay one of the few remaining deposits of tin, a valuable and rare ore in modern times. The problem was that there was also a large nest of unclassifiable creatures that were happy to consume the miners for food. Clearing them out seemed difficult and expensive, and the mountain was owned by several landlords who could not come to terms with each other. The vampires had no intention of going there. The owners included the Monastery of the Triad and a direct vassal of the king.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 14:04

Let us assume that the monastery has lost its lands or will lose them shortly, the king's men will persuade the other owners. What's it to the vampires? There's no desire to risk an un-life without payment. All the more so because of the confiscations underway, the throne has money. To succumb to blackmail was not desirable at all. But until the process of the sale of the notorious companies and the creation of new personalities for the loyal people was not completed, there was no need for a conflict. We will have to fulfill the "requests" of the Son of the Sea

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 14:11

At the same time, no one forbids haggling.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 14:12

"Your sovereign's servants are not doing their job well if they have not conveyed to him the complexity of the task of clearing the mountain. Destroying a lair of this size is no longer a question of money."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 14:14

"What money can we talk about when we are talking about friendship and partnership for years to come? Especially in view of the gracious gesture of the sovereign, which I mentioned at our last meeting."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 14:16

"It would be easier for me to lose three large companies than my Guardsmen," Celesta retorted. "The creatures of Nosy are dangerous even to the strongest of us, and I do not intend to risk my subjects thoughtlessly."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 14:35

"Such care does honor to the blessed Mistress of the Night Folk! But what risk do you speak of? Maitre Hustin's wares protect against any threat."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 14:35

"Maitre Hustin is busy with important things, I don't intend to distract him..."

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 14:17

Negotiations were hard. The lieutenant, taking advantage of his advantageous position, pressured, and Celesta snapped, trying to find out how much the mortals knew. By all accounts, not much. Of course, some of the mutual connections were impossible to hide, but overall, the intelligence of the Special Cabinet had found less than the vampires had feared. But Sae's use of the information was masterful.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 14:41

And both Mistress and her opponent were well aware that in the end, she would agree to "help out of friendship". The undead did not wish to antagonize the authorities, and, moreover, the undead cannot antagonize the authorities. They would be crushed, no matter what their losses. And if an illegal group (including those made up of ordinary people) has the resources to confront the official authorities, it shows the complete weakness and the possibility of the state's disintegration. Taleya has not reached such a state.

Camrad_RIP 19.10.22 в 14:42