We walked towards the two members of the Blue Rose group, trying to make every step as friendly as possible, exuding a purely friendly aura. True, with the amulet on the neck, a ticklish situation arose - it could have a bad effect on the vampire, which is why she was unfriendly at our first meeting. The undead react badly to any manifestation of light, even the smallest one. But it doesn't matter, the main thing was to make a good first impression on people who decide something in a xenophobic country.
"And the number of trampled corpses increased slightly," the sweet girl's piercing eyes were as sharp as a hawk's. She quickly noticed that the camp had not remained unchanged. The soldiers retreated in panic into the nearest forest, and their commanders were unable to curb the stupidity of their subordinates. The result was not long in coming, so lightning killed zero people, and the boots of their comrades during an uncontrolled flight killed everyone else.
"Five-minute battles give birth to legends that live for millennia. In turn, a moment's weakness gives birth to shame that cannot be washed away for years," I commented on her remark in a casual tone.
"Your wisdom knows no bounds," my ward casually praised me as she continued to examine the camp, which had been destroyed without the participation of monsters.
- No need, you tried really hard today, much better than me, - my praise went straight to her heart, judging by her cheeks quickly blushing. Her skin is crystal white, so any blushing is immediately noticeable.
Having reached our new acquaintances, we, to our surprise, encountered an act of complete capitulation. People filled with pride often make unforgivable mistakes, reducing their lifespan to a minimum. We came across a group of not the weakest people, who were able to calmly assess their chances of victory, and the degree of aggressiveness of the creature in front of them. For example, I can easily be considered an ally, it is enough to remember that people who gave a gift rarely come back to kill and take the gift.
- Who are you?! - a clear, piercing and incomprehensible voice. Even the thick white mask couldn't muffle it; it felt like a child was shouting in your ear. - This-that-that magic! - the little girl rattled off. - It's divine, no, much higher in rank! It, it doesn't exist in this world! - actively gesturing, the shorty, who was a little nervous a meter away from us, tried to convince herself, as well as everyone around her, that reality was unreal.
It's a shame, but I don't have a blue and red pill lying around in my pocket, and the surrounding space barely resembles the matrix.
"I support you," the swordswoman supported her comrade. "Who are you?"
- I am Bondrewd. To explore Lives. People call me... - deciding to introduce myself again, I was interrupted by my ward.
"My leader," she laughed at our legend with a caustic laugh. That's why wayward NPCs are great, they can bring more variety to life, but it's dangerous to be careless with them. "I thought you had memory problems," judging by Lakyus's mouth suddenly opening, and opening so wide that a swarm of flies could fly in, the girl had received critical damage to her pride.
- Huh? No? We remember!
"But this magic… Capable of destroying the world itself!" Pandora's Actor sneezed somewhere, I'm sure.
The two surprised girls were trying to find something to latch onto to get answers. The blondes looked painfully funny, and also cute. So I wanted to play along with Kurumi a little, to add a bit of fun to the situation. My old employer in the tech world often said that intelligence is reflected in the ability to pretend to be ignorant at the right time. And good relationships are formed by creating an informal atmosphere.
- In that case, I didn't understand you right away. It's extremely annoying. The magic I had to use in the last fight was basic and unworthy of attention, - ignoring the gloomy faces of my interlocutors, my helmet slightly tilted to the side so that the purple glow fell on my assistant. - However, tell me, did you use anything that could destroy the world? - slightly worried, as if she not only had such destructive magic, but also more than one, I asked.
- How could I disobey the order to use basic spells? - She plays so naturally, perfectly, simply perfectly. Kurumi knows how to troll, the student surpassed the teacher. I am satisfied. - He was so weak. Am I wrong? - As if we had recently gone to swatting insects, she asked.
Her playful eyes showed that the girl was overdoing it a little. My eyes saw it, but the eyes of the other girls were filled with lead. The shorty in the mask froze, looking at her shoes, and her leader looked at us with a doomed look.
- In fact, in a couple of hours he could have become a more dangerous creature. Praise be to nature that we got to this place in time. Otherwise, it is difficult to predict how the surrounding landscape would have changed after the battle, if we had used non-basic spells, - I said with slight pride, admiring our team play. It is easy to fall in love, since common actions bring people closer.
- I completely forgot to ask, where did the people retreat to? - guessing that the moment was right, Kurumi asked the two adventurers with great interest about the absence of the kingdom's army. All that was left of the army that was not finished off were destroyed tents and lonely horses running around unattended. Maybe there were still wounded soldiers lying around somewhere, if some of them had not been trampled to death.
The army... Interestingly, it wasn't the only one that was absent, after contacting Demiurge, it became clear where the intelligence of the Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and other countries had gone: "In fear of the Overlord's power, the lower life form decided to hide from your bloody radiance, which could burn their hopes to dust."
Even in this situation, he remains an optimistic demon, while my plans, on the contrary, have passed to a group of ardent pessimists. Plan "B" has never been so close to an offensive. But organizing a complete genocide of all potential witnesses is not quite the solution if there is an alternative. We need a lot of living resources and shields that can help develop and protect our base.
An ideal country where all races live in peace and harmony, and all available power and knowledge are directed towards the development of society. Perverted, but progress. The main thing is to figure out how to replace dangerous production areas with magic. I cannot afford to promote the nuclear industry in this world.
I am ready to sacrifice a lot so that progress does not lead me to the world of 2138, which is ruled by corporations, and the biosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere have known better times. But we should not forget that without progress, humanity will not be able to survive due to the threat from the outside. Plus, we should not ignore an important factor: resources are finite one way or another, and erasing half of the creatures in case of their shortage is clearly not my way. There are more reasonable options. Given the new data, there are even opportunities that include alternative worlds.
"Where are all the people? Ha..." the swordswoman exhaled heavily, looking around. Didn't those two escape, using the cart and the weak creatures capable of carrying the corpses of their comrades... Just because they were shocked by what they saw?
— After the attack… there, — it was hard to get a good explanation, but the swordswoman at least pointed her finger at the sky. Probably, the thunderstorm and ominous clouds had scared the people. — And you… — her instinct for self-preservation prevented her from pointing her finger at us, so she simply nodded, like a kitten in front of a lion.
"There," she pointed toward the forest located near the city. Are the winters here so warm that they haven't cut it down for stumps?
"What do you want?" came the direct question from Ivilai, who returned her gaze to us.
— We spent some time in isolation from worldly affairs, — stretching out my hand forward, I decided to share a pure lie mixed with the truth. It turns out to be a hellish mixture. No one specified how much time exactly we spent in isolation, and to whom it applies. — Now we are interested in absolutely everything that has changed, as well as what is happening in the surrounding areas. For example, how much has cooking advanced? Are spices for dishes available to all strata of society, or only to certain castes? — a barrage of useless questions is the best way to gain trust.
— Castes?
- Caste implies hereditary transmission of lifestyle from one generation to another. The procedure includes status in society and occupation - they are unlikely to understand anything from the Indian structure, but this way we can show our hermit lifestyle. And also at least a little, but pull them out of the shock state, preferably to normal.
- Well, this is... Commoners and nobles?
— I wonder if feudal society prevails here? Based on what I saw, I dare say that your country is mired in corruption. The common people were not provided with anything, the soldiers had no training, and the commander was not a warrior at all. That man assessed everything from the point of view of profit, but not tactics, — I politely shared my observations, ignoring the sources of information and some details.
"Yes… you are quite perceptive…" Sweat began to pour down Lakyus' face, as if we were in the hot tropics.
- Hee-hee. Before you is one of the smartest creatures.
Kurumi decided to praise me, and maybe even tease me for my stupidity in underestimating the mental stability of the kingdom's army. No one is perfect; everyone makes mistakes, it is only important to take them into account in the future, producing personal growth. Therefore, I do not punish my servants for failures with the most radical measures. Humanity is built on mistakes, the main thing is to learn to learn from them.
However, the interlocutors took the ward's words at face value.
— Lord Bondrewd, — and you, Brutus? I had expected that at least the impudent adventurers would treat me more rudely than the people of Nazarick. However, Lakyus tore my calculations to shreds. — We offer our deepest apologies for our rudeness, — making a noble bow, she decided to apologize with all her heart, biting her lip.
Ask for forgiveness. But... For what?
- What are you saying, - raising my palms, I tried to stop them from further formalities in a calming gesture. - You can address me by name, because we do not have the same relationship as an employer and his subordinates. You are loyal subjects of this country, - in a casual gesture, my palms circled the space around us.
- No. Adventurers do not serve under anyone's banner.
A cold wind blew, causing my cloak to flap as if it were floating in the air. Maybe we should move the conversation to the tavern, away from the coolness? Besides, alcohol loosens people's tongues and calms their nerves. My interlocutors' nerves were especially shaken. If Ivileye has a mask, so it's hard to judge her mood just by her hyperactivity, then Lakyus had it all written on her face, which had turned white as death.
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