История Королевы Эльфов / The story of the Elf Queen: Глава пятая. Кирилл. Непростое откровение Героя Королевы Эльфов

Chapter Five. Cyril. The Difficult Revelation of the Hero of the Elf Queen

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 10:58

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Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 10:58

Royal Forest Palace. Secret Guard Corps.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:01

"This is an epic fail."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:02

Third’s voice, like his face, was, as always, devoid of emotion. But this made his terse verdict following the emergency meeting regarding “The Guest” sound even more grim. Sivila, sitting across from him at the long conference table, fully agreed with the Head of the Secret Guard’s verdict. Yes, after listening to the reports and delving into the causes of what had happened, she fully understood that a confluence of circumstances had led to this failure. The situation was, without exaggeration, extreme; the lives of both the “Guest” and Diantrel were at stake, and they had to act quickly, and then everyone was running around looking for the Master’s agent who had struck the blow. But. BUT. That still didn’t excuse the fact that, in the end, the Twilight group covering “The Guest” had forgotten to check and completely erase the remnants of the suggestions left by Alatrel.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:06

Yes, there was practically nothing left of them; “The Guest,” with Diantrel's help, had disposed of most of them on his own before receiving a blow that nearly killed him. But, as it turned out, that was enough. A significant portion of the problems, in Sivila’s personal experience, basically stemmed from such “minor” oversights. Which had the nasty habit of snowballing, eventually turning into full-blown avalanches! And now they’re all in this mess because of a mistake made by Third’s subordinates—a mistake for which the Twilight group and he personally had already been reprimanded by their immediate superior. But since this failure had already happened, the first priority was to figure out how to fix it. Glancing around at the elves seated at the table, Sivila asked the almost ritualistic question:

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:10

"What are we gonna do?"

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:06

After that question, a silence fell over the room where the emergency meeting was taking place. Everyone sitting at the table turned toward First at the same time, waiting for him to speak. But he, his face as devoid of emotion as that of his student and successor, silently scanned the calligraphic lines of the reports from Diantrel and the Twilight Group lying on the table before him, lost in thought. After waiting a few seconds, Mirael glanced at her colleagues and cautiously said:

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:07

"Maybe we should use this? Or save it for later..."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:12

"No."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:11

First's voice, as he set aside the scroll after reporting, was even more colorless than Third's, but Mirael stopped mid-sentence. Closing his eyes, he massaged his forehead, marked by several fine wrinkles, with his free hand and said:

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:16

"Let Diantrel tell him everything honestly."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:13

After a moment's hesitation and exchanging glances with Third and Mirael, Sivila carefully clarified:

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:13

"Are you sure?"

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:13

Letting out a heavy sigh, filled with endless weariness, First looked at Sivila with his long-faded dark gray eyes, as if he were looking at a child. It was difficult to withstand that gaze, but the queen managed. First, still in the same colorless voice, explained:

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:26

"Telling him everything is our best option in this situation. Explain to him honestly why and how it happened. Given his personality, I have no doubt he'll understand. And if the "Guest" so desires, we'll perform a consciousness correction on him, just like Mirael, with all possible precautions and guarantees."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:27

At these words, the Elder Enchantress, who had only recently completely overcome the fetish of conceiving a half-breed child instilled in her by the gift of the Soul Tablet, winced slightly. After casting a glance at the queen, she finally made up her mind and clarified:

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:29

"Are you sure there is no way we can use this..."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:30

Another heavy gaze from First's dark gray eyes made her stop mid-sentence. And for the first time, something resembling emotion flickered in his voice. Specifically, a hint of dull irritation. But perhaps Sivila was just imagining it.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 12:55

"Of course, we can use that. We could even turn the 'Guest' into an obedient pet from the very beginning, place it in a golden cage, and reap the fruits of the Tablet bestowed upon it, carefully guiding its development in the direction we desire. And it seemed to me..."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 12:56

No, it wasn't just Sivila's imagination after all.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 12:56

"...which I explained in sufficient detail back on the first day, when we were all discussing his fate, why this shouldn't be done. The power of the Tablet is insidious, as are its gifts. But those who stand behind this power are a hundred times more insidious. And even I cannot foresee what lines and when they will bestow upon the "Guest" or those now bound to him. Perhaps he will never know how and why he came to love the role of young grass. But perhaps another gift from the Tablet will open his eyes to this, at the most inopportune moment. And if..."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 12:56

Yes, Sivila definitely didn’t imagine the shadow of irritation in his voice.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:18

"... if we keep quiet about what happened, or worse yet, take advantage of the prejudice instilled in him, it could undo all our hard work. We’ve worked hard to win the “Guest’s” favor toward the Forest, and to lose his trust in such a ridiculous way would be the height of folly. Therefore, I’ll say it again: let Diantrel tell him everything honestly. Furthermore..."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:19

Here, a thoughtful expression appeared on First's face.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:17

"Considering what we know of his power... Perhaps what happened will still benefit us..."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:17

* * *

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 11:16

The Reserve Grove is somewhere in the Forest.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.26 в 12:57

Standing in the middle of the living room of his mansion, dressed only in a nightshirt and a pair of short night pants, Cyrill looked around. Well then... Striking a pose, he grasped the medium-length magic wand he had crafted himself specifically for the task at hand—made of light-colored wood and covered with simple yet effective carvings that facilitated the formation of the necessary patterns. With an elegant wave, like a conductor before an orchestra, all the furniture in the room rose into the air a dozen centimeters above the floor. Another wave, and a pinch of pre-prepared powder was poured into a sturdy wooden bucket of the purest well water, instantly dissolving in the water.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 12:39

With another flick of the wrist, the water from the bucket forms a perfect sphere, which a moment later shoots toward the nearest wall and falls to the floor. But it doesn’t spread into a shapeless puddle; no, held in place by the weaves, the water sphere transforms into a low but fairly wide strip. Another sweep, and this strip, like a sea wave, obeying Cyrill’s will, surges forward, sweeping up all the dust and dirt along the way. After sweeping across the entire floor surface several times, the water, which had turned from crystal-clear to murky gray, gathered once more into a single sphere, rose into the air, and then flowed into the wooden bucket still hovering in the air, passing through the filter barrier created above it. As a result, the bucket once again contained perfectly clean water, while the dirt blocked by the barrier was sent with another wave of the wand into yet another bucket, where several such clumps of debris were already lying.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 12:40

Glancing at the floor, now perfectly clean, Cyrill couldn’t help but smile. After all, cleaning with magic was much more enjoyable than without it. And much faster. With another wave of his wand, all the furniture in the living room smoothly settled onto the floor, while a couple of buckets followed the young man as he headed into the adjacent dining room, where Gata and Armina were just finishing up dusting, using special brooms Cyrill had made from the very fluffy feathers of some local bird. The brooms were enchanted in such a way that they attracted and held onto dust just as well as a vacuum cleaner. And when enough dust had accumulated, all one had to do was dip the broom into the same trash can or step outside, press the right spot on the handle, and the feathers would instantly clean themselves, shaking all the dust off. Very convenient, no doubt about it.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 12:42

But he really struggled with those weaves! No, they weren’t particularly complicated; they just required attention and precision. Plus, ideally, each feather should have been enchanted individually, rather than stretching a single weave across all of them. In the latter case, the quality of the broom suffered significantly. So Cyrill did take the time and spent a few spare hours making sure everything was done just right, enchanting every single feather. Fortunately, once he got the hang of it, the process became much more fun and lively. But now Gata and Armina had equivalents of some super-advanced vacuum cleaners from his home world.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 12:43

Upon entering the dining room, Cyrill paused for a few seconds to admire the two girls, dressed in their black-and-white maids’ uniforms, who were just finishing dusting the corners and the table. Man, you really start to understand the earthly and local aristocrats! Seeing him, Armina gave a brief nod and said:

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 12:55

"Sir, we are already finished."

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 12:56

"Great. Then be careful..."

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 12:56

With a wave of his wand, the dining chairs lifted off the floor all at once, flipped over, and landed on the table. Then the table, along with all the other furniture, also rose into the air about ten centimeters. Cyrill, waving his wand like a conductor, repeated the floor-cleaning procedure. In just a couple of minutes, the dining room, just like the living room, was spotlessly clean. Victory! The last room is clean, the cleaning is done! Smiling contentedly, the young man, along with his companions, surveyed the results of their labor and said:

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 12:57

"Well, cleaning with magic is pure pleasure! It's even better than the best robot vacuum cleaners."

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 12:57

Gata and Armina exchanged glances and looked questioningly at Cyrill:

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 12:58

"Whom?"

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 13:02

"Robot va... Oh, right..."

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 13:02

It took a few minutes to explain to both girls the latest developments and advancements in household appliances in Kirill’s world. And they didn’t immediately believe that miniature golems designed for cleaning and mopping floors weren’t exactly common to everyone in Cyrill’s world, but were quite widespread. They decided he was joking with them. Or telling a tall tale.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 13:08

"I’m not making any of this up! I already told you—in my home world, what you’d call “artefactology” developed. Only without magic. And now, all sorts of everyday artefacts have long since become the norm... How can I explain this to you... Oh, wait a minute! I’ve got it!!! Look here."

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 13:12

In response to the questioning looks from both girls, Cyrill mentally sent them—to put it in earthly terms—a link to the relevant section of the Auction. Fortunately, on the fifth level, its selection, which had already seemed limitless, had grown even larger. And there, among other things, a rather sizable section had appeared, featuring electronics and appliances quite familiar to Cyrill. True, the prices even for the simplest items, like some cheap electric kettles, were quite steep. Purchasing their magical counterpart—a clay pot enchanted to heat its contents—was many times, almost orders of magnitude, cheaper. Because of this, there was practically no point in buying any appliances. Not to mention the inevitable problem of how to power it. For some reason, Cyrill wasn’t sure that Diantrel’s lightning bolts would work here. Although...

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 09:54

Cyrill’s gaze involuntarily lingered on the futuristic-looking gaming computer, which looked as if it had been taken straight off the deck of some spaceship. Damn... If only he’d had one like that in his past life... Sigh.... Or maybe... Nah, screw it, this marvel of electronics costs more than what the System paid him for the whole underground trip on that damn dwarf tank! And it wouldn’t even have internet anyway... Sigh... The internet... The thought of the World Wide Web made him feel nostalgic. No, magic is definitely cool—actually, it’s mega-fucking awesome—Cyrill’s totally fine with it all... But it would be even cooler with the internet... Sigh, so sad...

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 09:55

"Unbelievable... And artifacts like these are freely sold in any trading house in your world?" Armina asked in a stunned voice, staring into nowhere.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 13:13

Well, not exactly “nowhere,” but rather browsing through the Auction’s extensive catalog of various tech goods—a catalog that was clearly visible to her. She and Gata could only look at them, since she had only the second level of the required system modifier, and the cat-girl didn’t even have access to the Auction yet.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 13:14

Well, not exactly in every one, but in almost all large shopping centers, there is almost always at least one store, I mean, a retail outlet, where they sell this kind of equipment...

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 13:15

"What are these? Some kind of mirrors?"

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 09:50

"Huh? No, it's phones. Something like communication amulets, actually a really handy thing—you can not only talk on them, but also..."

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 09:51

"What kind of compositions are these? Some kind of alchemy?"

Camrad_RIP 20.04.26 в 09:52