Житие Мое / Life of Mine: Глава 11

Chapter 11

Camrad_RIP 21.07.23 в 10:02

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Camrad_RIP 21.07.23 в 10:02

These confusing holidays were finally over, and my unfortunate business trip was coming to an end. I could have stayed a couple of days (they wouldn't eat me for it!), but then I would have had to attend Fox's funeral. It was Mrs. Hemul's idea - the late head teacher should not remain a dark spot in the children's memory.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 11:05

"Anyway, he was their teacher. They learned a lot from him. A child cannot be told: "Remember this and don't remember that." Children themselves must understand the ambiguity of his personality and divide good and evil in their minds. I know you see this as excessive complacency, but death closes all debts, and forgiveness is necessary for us to live on."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 11:07

Okay, maybe that's true for white people, but I couldn't imagine myself grieving for the Artificer, even after a liter of beer.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 11:07

Also, Mrs. Hemul wanted to know the outcome of the investigation because seeking clarity. This is a fundamental characteristic of white ones. They physically can't just ignore everything and forget about it like black ones. The wise principal chose the simplest way to achieve her goals - she invited all interested parties to dinner at the very same pub at her own expense. The Claymore eagles flew in in full force to show off. I didn't want to go, honestly, I'm proud, but Clarence asked me to be. Max came with me - he'd already been introduced to the cleaners, and extra teeth during the conversation wouldn't hurt.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 11:11

The petty officer was eager to present the results of the investigation, half of which he had not conducted. The main achievement of the cleaner was the identification of the humble Fox, which provided a material basis for my ramblings about the Artificers (for which I was very grateful to him):

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 11:12

"Provincials love sonorous nicknames! Upon entering the community, he adopted the pseudonym Sigismund Salaris, under which he became somewhat famous. He was the mastermind behind the branch of the cult that dared to openly defy the authorities and establish a community in Nintark. Naturally, he was then presumed dead and searched for without fanaticism, and he's been sitting here the whole time."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 12:01

Mrs. Hemul received the news of the Artificer with a surprising calmness, behind which one could sense long practice. I wondered who she had been before she came to Mihandrov.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 12:02

"I confess that I had always thought of the Artificers as mentally ill, but now I realize that my ideas were too primitive. Fox was able to reason sensibly and consistently, but he could do absolutely unthinkable things. And most importantly - why?!"

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 12:03

"Why, that's pretty clear," I couldn't help myself. "He wanted, so to speak, to sacrifice the little to protect the greater."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 12:04

"Protect from who?"

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 12:04

I had some thoughts on the matter, but to say them in full would mean revealing my sources, and do I need to? In a shortened form, the idea looked like this:

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 12:05

"Did you know that Petrick's father was killed during an armed bank robbery?"

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:06

Clarence frowned slightly.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:07

"Uh-huh, uh-huh, that one! Three months before the birth of her firstborn, by the way. The first victim disappeared a few days after the incident. Dig through the archives if you want, a lot of strange things happened at the time. I don't know what Fox was trying to fend off with that shield, but he obviously liked the effect. And so, grieving and weeping, he began to put his students under the knife, of course, choosing those whose death would affect as few people as possible. The loners, in short. A kind of happiness on blood."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:08

The petty officer nodded in agreement:

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:08

"Typical Artificer's logic."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:09

"But the children! Why did he try to poison them?"

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:10

"That's understandable, too. Fox must have known what an otherworldly phenomenon was from Nintark. He had lost control of the situation: his students were killing themselves, the shield was failing, sacrifices were required more and more often, the leadership had changed and control was tighter. White ones don't handle stress well! Toward the end, I show up and start spoiling his flock, instilling a modicum of common sense in them, and generally doing what he couldn't handle for so long. Where you saw hope, he saw only corruption and degradation. Again, grieving and weeping, he made the decision to save everyone from facing the real world - put them to sleep like sick mongrels, purely out of mercy."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:11

"They all come to that sooner or later," Claymore muttered. "It's the only logical conclusion of their whole philosophy."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:12

"Better be glad," I advised, "that everything ended so well."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:12

"Well?" The principal didn't understand.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:13

"Uh-huh. The kids are alive. Fox is not. You think what would have happened if he'd gone to jail!"

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:14

"No one has ever canceled execution by burning," Gorchik put in very appropriately.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:15

"There'll be another scandal," sighed Mrs. Hemul.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:16

"This is to your advantage! The situation is critical, and if NZAMIPS doesn't send a normal team here, all of Fox's fears will be realized. Besides, it's not just your trainees that need to be fixed. It's the city as a whole. You need the help of empaths and additional funding, which in the current situation can be achieved either after mass casualties or on the wave of public scandal. If I were you, I would team up with city officials and work proactively. The best treatment is prevention!"

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:17

Mrs. Hemul nodded slowly:

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:18

"Yes, I understand."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:39

"Don't expect me to sign all this," the petty officer muttered. "While all this talk about the shield is your personal opinion, and whether the background around the city is there or not, I'm not an expert, I'm not going to lie. There is a representative of NZAMIPS in the city," he nodded at Clarence, "we've eliminated the phenomenon, found the killer, sent the report, and now we're waiting for the order. Whatever they say, we'll do, and any complaints are for Mr. Coordinator."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:41

Clarence was silent, though his jaw clenched so tight that his cheekbones turned white, and I only shrugged melancholy:

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:41

"Well, Mr. Axel is not suicidal either, and he understands that if he loses the city after two calls, an official investigation, and a report from his subordinates, he won't get off with the Shackles of Deliverance, and he can only emigrate to the Moon."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:42

"And who's going to tell him that?" Claymore snorted.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:42

I smiled affectionately at the petty officer of the cleaners:

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:43

"You. And you've already said so."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:43

He clearly didn't get it, so I explained:

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:44

"Did you write your report to your boss yesterday? Just as I was coming in. And you didn't reread it before you put it in the envelope."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:44

"But how..."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:45

Max gave him a satisfied doggy grin. What does it mean for a zombie dog to jump through a second-story window?

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:45

Petty Officer Claymore quickly put two and two together.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:45

"Such a freak!" The battle mage said with expression.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:46

I pretended it was him about the zombies.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:47

"What's this," Rispin was startled, "are we stuck here?"

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:48

"We'll see," the petty officer said glumly.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:49

Mrs. Hemul hid a satisfied smile behind her cup. A white one should not be happy about other people's misfortune.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:50

Fortunately, I didn't have to experience the humor of annoyed battle mages. I was leaving Mihandrov that evening. Without Lucik. Mrs. Hemul long and fervently convinced me that now everything would be fine at the boarding school, that Petrik would be taken care of. Even if Mrs. Kormalis could not be found, it was very important for my brother to see a happy ending to this story and the triumph of justice. I thought about it and turned back. It wasn't such a good thing to babysit a white kid, though I doubted much about justice.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:52

I didn't take Lucic to the station. A zombie dog was waiting for me under Mrs. Parker's supervision. What if the kids got the idea of petting him? The lieutenant personally came to pick me up in the automobile, which now moved without squeaks and squeals, with a soft predatory murmur, and in the back seat came Gorchik and Rispin. Evidently, they were going to the station for vodka. The petty officer was still hanging on the phone, trying to catch his report before it got to Senior Coordinator Axel's desk. Good luck to him! I wasn't interested in anyone or anything anymore, just the екфшт - wagon - horn.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:54

The escort threw my luggage on the step, Madame Parker waved her hand, and the blacks shouted inarticulately and gesticulated vigorously. What jerks... Having saluted them all, I followed the luggage, longingly preparing for the "put the animal in the cage" performance. All the stewards are predictable: no matter how much you pay for the ticket, they still try to put your dog in the luggage compartment. If I was going to do that, would I pay that much for a second seat?

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:58

The attendant rolled my suitcase into the compartment and smiled a sweet, idiotic smile:

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:59

"Let's put the doggie in the house!"

Camrad_RIP 18.08.23 в 13:59