Getting to the nobles turned out to be a difficult matter, even for my companions. Apparently, they were not particularly eager to let them in because of the "non-interference of adventurers." In essence, if a person cannot give anything, then he becomes unnecessary ears. And there is a lot of secret information, for example, I just heard fragments of curses and promises to start a war between each other. Surprisingly, the "pedigreed people" were attacked by powerful neighbors, but their spirit was not broken. On the contrary, the nobles found time for internecine strife. Truly a wonderful world, or maybe rotten to the core.
— We can't let you into the meeting.
— You know that the kingdom is under global threat. Let me in, next to me, — Lakyus took a sharp step to the side, allowing the palace guards to see me. Unlike the bloody manor, the negotiation room was guarded to the highest level. To the highest level among low-voltage wiring, huh... — Before you is the Lord of Dawn. He is a veeeery influential figure. Report this quickly, or do you want to provoke someone else against the kingdom? Huh? Well, go ahead, speak up! — What an assertive girl, keep it up, more funny attacks.
Message: "Should I kill her for daring to use your title?"
Message: "Let them use it if it does not tarnish honor and dignity. Is that what they say among knights? We will not suffer from an extra recommendation."
- Ah, the neighboring lord? But you... - the knight with the raised visor of his helmet looked at me skeptically.
- Don't judge people by their clothes, I have them for practical reasons. Please inform the person responsible for negotiations about our visit, - a friendly offer, as if asking for a favor from an old friend.
"Yes, but the feeling from you… You're not from the Slane Theocracy, are you?" he asked carefully.
"I have never maintained any relations with this country," I answer calmly, and slightly tilt my head so that the purple glow from the helmet quickly makes the guard recoil.
We waited for about ten minutes. I dare to assume that the guard who left was afraid to put in an extra word during the nobles' dispute. Without a king, power over the country should be divided depending on the wealth and number of personal warriors of the feudal lords. But, as far as I know, the massacre affected not only the royal family, but also influential nobles. If so, then it turns out to be a rather funny situation in which a pack of rats is unable to find a leader. It is not easy for even a royal guard to fit in with such a company.
Soon the huge door to the hall opened slightly, and a pale guard came out. I hope he was not reprimanded for saying too much during important discussions, because he is not a bad person. In appearance, so to speak, but in reality human nature is difficult to understand.
"Blue Rose is not allowed in, that's how it is, and also those accompanying Lord Dawn. Only you," he nodded cautiously in my direction, pointing with his hand. My companions protested sharply, Evileye accused Lakyus of short-sightedness, and Kurumi calmly approached the window with a sly smile.
Excellent, there is a wonderful stage ahead for me alone. I feel like a theater actor, but I do not notice any nervousness. I am already used to performing in front of a large audience, but it is much more difficult in front of nobles.
Okay, I can admit it to myself.
I'm a little worried about lives - their lives. I don't know how the mind will react to a clear insult or a complete loss of control over the situation. No, of course, plan "B" is great and all, but it's better to put your perverted desires on the back burner. It will be awkward in front of the Demiurge if such a wonderful game turns into a farce.
As we entered the hall, all conversations died down in an instant. They were replaced by a cry of horror, accompanied by a sharp change in the formation of the noble circle. One of my old acquaintances was frightened by our new meeting, which caused him to fall on his butt.
Well, Marquis Volumlash has no reason to be afraid of me. Thanks to me, he was able to carry out the king's orders and return home victorious. With the chin of a winner raised high, and not with the frightened eyes of a worthless coward.
- It's him! It's the monster I was telling you about! - uttering a heart-rending cry of despair, the fair-haired man instinctively crawled back as soon as our eyes met. The feudal lords standing behind him were in his way, but he did not give in. Hmm, it's pretty crowded here, no discipline. This must be a Turkish bazaar, not an important political meeting. There's not even room for a man to crawl, let alone walk.
"First impressions are the most important. It's extremely unfortunate that you perceived me as a threat," he pointed out his mistake in a neutral tone.
- You, guards! - To my surprise, as soon as I took a few steps forward, I was immediately surrounded by guards, pointing their swords at my figure. Some of the swords barely touched the helmet, a world-class item, which was irritating.
Players of Yggdrasil, like other games, often played for the light side of the force. This is due to human thinking, built on stereotypes: good always triumphs over evil, and the most beautiful princesses always go to knights in shining armor. In all folk tales, only one thing is constant - villains cannot be happy.
Today, on this bloody day, I faced the harsh reality. The amulet emitting a bright aura turned out to be useless: it does not give people peace. On the contrary, it encourages aggression. I was surrounded by mosquitoes, and they considered their thin antennae sharp enough to pierce me with them.
The main problem with the path of good is that no one wants to take you seriously.
"I suppose it's necessary to introduce myself in such a tense time. I am Bondrewd. A researcher of life. People call me Lord of Dawn or Lord of the Dawn. As you wish," I put my hands behind my back to show the honesty of my intentions, wanting to quickly end the prelude. "At the request of my companions, I have decided to offer you assistance with some of your problems.
"Ha, a commoner without a last name and with loud titles," one of the ladies of the court, more eloquent than the others, looked at me with disgust.
- And this monster scared you? He looks like an ordinary worker.
- More like an adventurer, look at his helmet.
- An adventurer? What's an adventurer doing here? Throw him out!
Did I mention that the power of good is created for the protagonist to overcome? Let's say my worldview was as pure as a stream's water. Then the good hero would swallow the insult, the abuse, and the humiliation. So what if a group of weak guards try to throw you out in public?
The main thing in this world is only light... But in myself there is little light.
- Don't move, otherwise we will be forced to use force!
- And what will you do? Point a gun at me, intending to use it for its intended purpose. Against whom? Against an honest guest with pure motives, - I said kindly.
- If necessary, we can bleed you! Hand over all your weapons, - he looked doubtfully at my sleeve, where the Shaker was. - And ask forgiveness from the noble lords, otherwise... - what a bloodthirsty knight.
Looking around, I came to the conclusion that the knight was not from the palace guard. Rather, he was the personal retinue of some nobleman, and each retinue tries to rise in the eyes of the owner. At a normal meeting with the king, no one would let the personal retinue in for negotiations, but here, again, it was a farce.
"There's nothing to be done, since we couldn't resolve everything peacefully," he calmly responded to the provocation, taking a barrier scroll out of his inventory and using it right away. Immediately after that, a closed blue dome decorated with multi-colored letters formed around the guards.
"Mass paralysis"
The good thing about closed spaces is that you can use mass paralysis on all targets. The nobles won't suffer, because the dome tightly contained the attack inside itself. Although, the green smoke in the form of tentacles can hardly be called an attack. A purely childish prank that once neutralized a group of strong people from the Theocracy. Not to mention the guards, so weak and defenseless that it's hard to say where in Yggdrasil you can find weaker creatures.
The poisonous fog instantly engulfed all the knights surrounding me, penetrating through their orifices into their lungs, and through them into their circulatory system. I didn't care about their lives. They could lose them at any moment, but then it would be more difficult to play out the rest of the production. And so far, everything was going well, especially since this magical paralyzer does not stop the work of vital organs - tested on the Black Scripture. True, unlike the "heroes", these weak creatures have less resistance than herbivores. Not even a few moments passed before the guards surrounding me lost all ability to resist.
The heavy armor fell later than the weapons of the unfortunates did. People were unable to hold their swords until the very end, because, in fact, their muscles and nerves almost completely failed. Now they resembled puppets with torn strings. The victims of circumstances are all alive and well, physically, but the moral trauma from the loss of mobility can manifest itself in their mental state. Take the same sleep paralysis as an example, fear breaks through to goosebumps. Fear ... I have not had to experience it for a long time.
- I hope I didn't hurt anyone? - Removing the barrier and feigning excitement, I extended a helping hand in a friendly gesture to anyone who wanted to grab it. It's a pity, but everyone recoiled from it as if from a red-hot oven.
— Oh my!
— Guard, guard, guard!
A couple of shouts led to the beginning of a real nightmare. The worried nobles retreated to the sides, pressing their backs to the cold walls in fear. And the most loud ladies decided to completely empty their lungs. Of course, Blue Rose did not stay away because of such noise, and a few seconds later they ran into the hall along with the guards. The group of guests quickly examined the motionless knights, and only after Ivileye reported that they were alive, did they calm down a little. Just a little, but at least something.
"Well, well," I wouldn't be surprised if Kurumi, who entered the hall, wanted to say that she left me alone for a couple of minutes, and I already started the chaos of war.
Okay, time to start setting priorities correctly. Fortunately, the arrival of famous adventurers helped to shut up the most vocal "mongrels".
"Lord of Dawn, what happened here?" Lakyus quickly looked around and used her genius intellect. She and Blue Rose stood up to protect me from the guards. Or maybe they, by showing me their backs, are trying to protect the guards from me. Who knows.
- After I offered to help, they set the guards on me, ordered me to apologize and threatened to bleed me if I didn't obey. It's extremely annoying, but I can't obey anyone in this life, so the conflict had to be resolved radically. But don't worry, enough blood was spilled today, everyone is alive, - I described the situation absolutely calmly, trying to notice and discard various details.
- What does this mean?! You are defending this monster! - the Marquis, whose luck had turned its back on him today, screamed shrilly.
"Tsa..." Judging by Lakyus's twisted face, she was in no hurry to change sides. But it was clear that her brain was calculating what was more important to the girl: belonging to a nobleman or the survival of the palace.
- Perhaps I will continue where we started, so to speak, from scratch. On my part, a decision was made to help you resolve the crisis in order to protect the kingdom's loyal subjects from being captured by three countries. My desire to help especially increased when I heard about the sad situation in the palace, - a three-second pause, during which everyone managed to calm down a little. - I propose discussing the details of the assistance, and I am also interested in the health and well-being of the princess, who is not here.
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