The fair-haired man with the unkempt moustache was afraid of me as if he had seen the devil. Cold sweat was running down his face, and his tongue was constantly getting tangled, which was why his words were also getting tangled. After a quick breather, in order to calm his anxiety, the marquis's brown eyes looked towards the guards. They, quickly remembering all their living relatives, preferred to continue remembering their family instead of helping the needy. Really, why expose yourself for the sake of a coward and a worthless person?
- Don't worry, the procedure is absolutely not dangerous to health, - he nodded his head, confirming his truthful words. - Activation, - a regular consumable that drops from low-level mobs and makes you tell the truth, shattered into a million small fragments. The magic sealed in the sphere quickly found the target I marked, and harmlessly affected the victim's brain.
The man's gaze immediately relaxed, as did the wrinkles on his face, and all his nerves calmed down. Playful nerves are the main enemy of longevity and good health. How good that my consumable helps with peace of mind. And the fact that after its effect, dishonest nobles should be impaled - no other way than the trifles of life. Who in their right mind would talk about such things out loud? People with ears should not be frightened, so as not to pull their nerves, like the strings of a harp.
- Your title, name and occupation? - he politely decided to start with something simpler.
"I am Marquis Volumlash. I am the last of the six remaining great nobles of the Re-Estize Kingdom," he introduced himself with an unremarkable expression.
Okay, so there are no special effects. The man's pupils are normal, there is no fanatical look, as well as no manifestation of any aggression. In fact, he continued to stand carefree on all fours, in the same dog pose in which he found himself after being pushed out of the crowd by his allies. Aha, so the mobility of the body is inhibited. As for the rate of speech, the voice is without obvious signs of tension.
"List your crimes against the kingdom," the question was already provocative, even a couple of minor nobles began to be indignant. But they quickly closed their mouths when Marquis Volumlash opened his mouth with the same relaxed face.
— I lied to the king that I was loyal to the crown and the country. I am a secret spy for the Baharuth Empire, telling the Emperor about every meeting and council that I or my people attended. I agreed to help him seize power in our country by order of the Emperor. I…
He continued listing all his sins, among them minor, medium and major crimes. All the nobles gaped in shock, and many decided to take advantage of the moment and run out of the hall.
Previously, the door was blocked by my figure, but now it is blocked by the adamantine adventurers. The Marquis's continued revelations could not cloud the minds of my allies, so they went along with my plans. No one will leave without a reason.
Yes, or rather, most likely the Demiurge's plans, mine were completely different. More bloody, but he decided to replay everything and save as many test subjects as possible, it's even better that way.
- Don't worry, tell me about the assassination attempt on the nobles and the royal family. What is your role in this? - Such an unreliable person could not be openly used by the Demiurge. Therefore, I almost did not risk the next question, but just in case, I prepared several high-ranking spells in my head.
- I am innocent of the assassination attempt, but together with several nobles we had to do everything we could to keep the princess in prison so that no one could gather a defensive army. I heard her frightening laughter and was afraid. I saw her bloody hands, clothes, and frightening look with other nobles, I saw a monster in her, but I wanted her as a woman, but was afraid to take her, like the others. I... - what interesting details my lab mouse voiced.
"Lo…" someone wanted to openly object, but considering that he would be the next "volunteer," he happily recalled the saying: "Silence is golden."
- It is extremely annoying that you decided to discredit me in the eyes of your colleagues, - his palm circled the slanted faces of these same colleagues at his work. - But now the reason for the reluctance to accept reliable help is clear, it is all about serving another master. Continue listing the crimes, but this time against the people gathered here, - he deftly elevated his importance in the eyes of others and avoided refuting the lie.
Fortunately, no one interrupted, as the nobles began to hear their names from the Marquis's lips.
So, given the new data and my assumptions... Demiurge, you didn't plan...
Three armies must march through the kingdom as if it were their own backyard. Going further and further from their lands. And no one knows what might happen to the command after the campaign ends, what if the cunning shape-shifters replace them during the division of the spoils?
Excellent plan, if I understand correctly, simply magnificent.
Gather three armies, throwing them away from defending their own countries, and then slaughter their troops with their own spears and swords, as well as the defenseless kingdom to boot. It's not hard to do with magic. Meanwhile, the Baharuth Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and the Slane Theocracy will be almost defenseless if they send a lot of troops to plunder. They will definitely send them... The Kingdom has a huge territory and the number of people is important here, a large one, capable of carrying as many as possible on carts, backs, and horses.
Even despite the fact that hostile countries have their enemies, and those have their enemies. They will send all the reserves to act with their hands, and of course, with great pressure during the division. In the minds of the rulers of these countries, in such a scenario, losses are almost excluded - there is no more dangerous chimera. But they do not know that they are small players.
This is how the dominoes start falling-falling-falling.
And what should I do in this case? My plan, it is completely different. Also bringing a lot of benefits, but it has a different approach with a similar implementation. I need "her", as well as a "demonstration" for "them". In addition, there is no tribal system of society here, which significantly burdens the Demiurge's plan. It is certainly good and wonderful, but it relies on a chain of reactions. Something like a chemistry teacher who decided to mix dangerous reagents for fun and show - "this is how it happens, students, hey, no one was hurt in the explosion?"
Or did the demon prepare two plans, leaving me the right to choose one of them? Exactly, the Demiurge couldn't put everything on one single plan. Of course, the best plan is "no plan", the plan that doesn't exist. Even in the Dark Knight it was said that it's easier without a plan, but there was a strong caveat. Putting everything on one single chance is real stupidity. You need to work out several routes, and then adapt to one of them, making cosmetic, rather than global, adjustments during the execution.
Wait, why do I have to choose between two outcomes? If two plans are good in their own way, then it's best to take a piece from each of them, making a truly good dish. It won't cost much for neighbors of different countries to make their moves.
And also it is necessary to adjust the sabotage adjustments; in any case, war does not start spontaneously. First, the enemy countries will gather an army, then a militia, rebuild the economy - transferring it to a military regime, sort out foreign relations in some places and radically close the jambs with internal ones.
Plus, since they are attacking as a trio, they will have to wait for each other. Since they can only win together and with the power of friendship... and mounted infantry. Otherwise, they would be afraid that every neighbor is different. One country will attack and exhaust its resources. The second country will attack unsuccessfully and be defeated. And then the third country will join the fun and take over all the other states, since they are exhausted. This is usually how it happens, if you pay attention to the history of my world.
In general, I will have to make adjustments to our plan with Demiurge in any case. But I initially thought that we were thinking in a similar way and in the same direction. Ignorance is bliss. Maybe I am winding myself up and there is no plan at all, let's say everything just happened to coincide?
However, the Marquis's tongue was boneless under the spell. Not only did he earn the execution of his entire family with confiscation of property, but he also helped me to better understand the situation.
- I cheated on my wife many times, but I don't feel guilty. I incited my best friend to... - the confessions became really boring. They could have been more cheerful, like kicking a hedgehog and teaching the herbivore to bite.
- Enough, - I said soothingly. - You are a good man for deciding to honestly confess everything - I'm afraid that only my back and helmet prevent other nobles from tearing the poor marquis to pieces, and with their bare hands. - Gentlemen knights, take the man to rest - to the dungeon. - And since you are on the way, bring the princess to the hall - otherwise with such revelations I forgot why we are putting on a circus.
All for the sake of a sweet and honest princess who loves to dig up her parents' blood. Of course, the girl could have damaged her mind on nervous grounds, people... They couldn't handle even lesser trials, quickly going crazy. But how well my companions described the golden princess, and how much they praised her intellect with her brilliant reforms... I don't want to believe in her madness, because smart people, even when they've gone crazy, don't decorate their stairs with garlands of human intestines. They become angry, embittered, but still aware of their actions.
Well, the truth is always somewhere nearby.
Just after more than half an hour of the hotly discussed betrayal of a nobleman of the kingdom, for which the executioners could well have had time to torture the topic of our discussion, the princess was finally brought to us. Great, I believe in the existence of fate, and my second sphere with the spell "Cheerfulness" in the honesty and impartiality of the new interrogation.
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