Chương 99: Chapter 89 - Tedious Duty

++Infiltrating Garamon from within gave me access to resources I would not have risen to power without, but it also brought with it a great deal of… annoyances. ++ - From the writings of Isabel Vornholt, 'The Great Lich'. 1, 891 A. E. I was a Baron's daughter, and undoubtedly one of the top three, and very possibly the top one, most powerful magician currently attached to the army. These two facts had benefits beyond just bragging rights, they meant that I was essentially guaranteed my pick of any given missions.

This was small consolation, however. Because any mission was more than I wanted to do. My research had been going brilliantly, and I had just struck that long, sweet period of falling into the act, almost hypnotizing myself as I worked and feeling the knowledge slide through me. The feeling cannot be described to a person who has not experienced it.

And I was being kept from experiencing more, because Nu'chista had heard of necromantic activity and his thoughts had turned, naturally, to the ancient one known as Sakhent. The rest was my problem. So I now sat in my living room and read through reports, trying to best decide which would benefit me the most. Or, more accurately, inconvenience me the least. They were a varied selection if nothing else.

I could accompany a scouting force to the nearest leyline and help with efforts to study and stabilise it for mining. I would not have minded this so much, had I not already examined the leyline close to Lachfel. Now I had precious little to learn from another. Perhaps the difference between one that was mined dry and one that was not? Such a small thing compared to what I had been studying just yesterday. And this was, unfortunately, as intellectually stimulating as my choices got.

My next potential mission was to guard an engineer team while they converted a nearby hilltop into an artillery station, on top of providing my magic to aid them in constructing the fortress-bunker from which the cannons would be manned. It was not that wasting days of my life monotonously reshaping cubic metres of stone every moment sounded unappealing, of course. Just that I would sooner rip out every single one of my bones by hand than subject myself to it. That left the final option.

There were sweeping patrols through the city being organised, coordinated and aggressive answers to the rebels' coordinated and aggressive opening. That was what the report read, at least. I found it rather amusing. We were, after all, in the rebels' homes, and I had so far counted at least two mass graves placed here by Garamon soldiers. If anyone was being aggressive, it was not the rebels.

I do not have a problem with conquest and mass murder of course, simply the cognitive dissonance that so many mass murderers seem to carry it out with. That, and all the whining. If I were the indigenous person being riddled with bullets, I imagined I would be more offended at dying to such snivelling, perpetually self-pitying complainers than I would be to die young in the first place. Actually I had quite a similar experience to draw on, and could confirm this outright.

The worst thing about the Gods was how pitiful they were while insisting on ruling us. Hatred for old enemies was a digression though; my mission was now. And I did not like any of the options. The leyline would bring me closest to learning something new, but still drag me away from my work for hours on end. Helping with the artillery station was worse still. That left the anti-rebel patrols as my best choice, though I did not like those either.

They would keep me in Orapathaqi, at least, and leave me with a few free hours each day to continue working on my studies. That was something. There was also the fact that the rebels were a danger to me, that much I knew now. Agrian had confided that they seemed to have had some sort of ritual planned for me, or for someone as talented as me, that he had been the bait for. If that was the case, it meant their attack on him was almost certainly targeted. So they were an active threat, not a coincidental one.

I could not simply afford to ignore them. Even as my reasoning led inexorably to my decision, I found myself scrutinising it in the hopes of turning out a different conclusion. I really, really did not want to even slow my current studies, let alone pause them. But I was not the most powerful human in the world anymore, and I could not simply do as I pleased all the time. This, I was painfully forced to admit, took precedence over my growing knowledge. Barely.

I signed my name into the form detailing volunteers for the extermination missions, then, after folding the paper up, I worked on a new side project. This was enchanting work, which naturally meant that it took me the better part of an afternoon. Another, ridiculous delay, but one that I could not do without now that I knew what my enemies' target was. The sun was starting to weaken by the time I finished it and called on Nesariyah. She breezed through shortly.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. In the weeks since we had met, the girl had grown less perpetually terrified. Ordinarily I appreciate perpetual fear in a subordinate, it keeps them polite and eager to serve, but I had to admit it had been growing tiresome in her.

More practically, I had been using her as a combination of tutor and laboratory partner, and she was better at both when not wasting precious cognitive power on wondering whether or not I would vivisect her at any given moment. Yes, I liked her far more and found her much more useful like this.

"I have two things for you," I told the woman.

"The first is a message that you are to deliver to Laiel Fiq, the second is an item I would like you to keep in your possession generally." She seemed nervous at that, but held her hand out to receive the letter. Her surprise was palpable as I slipped the enchanted ring onto its finger.

"This is a protective device," I told her.

"A minor one, because I am unfortunately not a great enchanter and did not have long to work on it, but it may make the difference between life and death." This was all true, in a manner of speaking. I saw her focus as she attempted to feel the magic within, and she nodded after apparently verifying it.

"A shield enchantment?"

"More or less," I confirmed. The outer layer of its effect was, at least.

"It's very powerful," Nesariyah whispered.

"You said you're not a good enchanter?"

"Not a great enchanter," I sighed. It was fully true. There were probably at least fifty in Garamon who still exceeded me in the art, I was less sure about how many in the wider world would on account of Garamon's tendency to burn anything giving non-propagandised information about it.

"I don't think I've ever seen something this powerfully made outside of the equipment worn by Kings," Nesariyah added.

"This is the work of a Grand Priest, surely." Well there was a partial answer, at least. My enchanting skill was about as impressive in Estalia as it was in Garamon. Equalising for population, at least.

"It is the work of a genius named Isabel Vornholt, and, as I said, something of a rushed effort. This means that you should not rely on it. If somebody aims a rifle at your head, do still try to move." She did not seem especially put out by that, more infatuated with the amulet. I found that interesting.

"Are enchanted artefacts terribly rare among your people?" I asked. Nesariyah swallowed, like she always did when preparing an answer she knew would annoy me.

"It's more that they're…uh, restricted. I'm not trained as a High Priestess yet, so I wouldn't be permitted to wear any. Even once I finished my training I'd only be allowed select artefacts with specific enchantments. Only the King would be allowed to wear any artefact he wished, and in unlimited numbers. Even the nobility are permitted only one or two for the most part." Her fear had been well founded. I was annoyed.

"So that is a bottleneck on enchanted artefact production?" I asked, just making sure this abject stupidity was what I thought it was.

"Regardless of how many can actually be made, they are distributed to only a select few, in specific ways…by law?" Nesariyah flinched back, like I might strike her.

"Yes," she said quietly. I could only sigh. Of course I was not that surprised, all human societies seemed to handicap their potential somehow. At least Estalia encouraged women to learn magic, albeit of a different kind than the types taught to their men.

"I am growing tired of…people," I managed.

"So wasteful." I liked humanity. I loved it. I cherished it for its infinite potential and bottomless ability. That did not, however, mean that I liked the individual organisms from which it was composed. They were so desperate to scramble over each other and pin one another to the earth that they never even thought to wonder what heights they might reach if they set their minds to it.

"Do you think this is anywhere near as destructive as what your people have done to my city?" Nesariyah asked. I was surprised by the anger in her voice, unhidden and sharp. Briefly, I considered killing her. Then I decided against it. I needed her too much to lash out at a little something like disrespect. Besides, if I let this slide it might blossom into a bit more steel in her spine and the will to seize her own fate. That was something I always encouraged when possible.

Provided the fates in question did not inconvenience me.

"Certainly not," I replied candidly.

"As you may have noticed already, I do not much care for my people's habit of book-burning. That was the main motive behind my hoarding so much of Estalia's knowledge before it was destroyed."

"Was it? Or was it to just learn our secrets?" I tilted my head.

"You know it will cause political complications for us both if you talk to me in such a way publicly."

"I know," she growled.

"But we're not in public and you still need my help." I did not smile, but I wanted to.

"Yes, to answer your question, I mostly stored the knowledge to expand my own understanding of magic. And that is why I am angry at seeing it destroyed. All knowledge is useful and precious. Few people seem to understand this, even among scholars." Actually, it was often the scholars who were most eager to see knowledge that contradicted what they thought they knew destroyed.

"So what makes you different from them?" Nesariyah pressed.

"Why should I see you any differently?" I was growing tired of all the ridiculous questions people kept asking me.

"What do I care if you do?" I asked her in turn.

"I behave differently because I have different goals and values. Those will not always be aligned with yours, though they seem not to be quite as at odds as the rest of Garamon's army. You can make up your own mind about whether to oppose me or not." I held her gaze.

"Just be aware of the consequences. That is the only thing that limits what a person can do. Cause and effect, and whether we think the effect of our actions is worth the cause." I waited to see how she responded, but Nesariyah just remained silent. Was she considering my words, or just sulking? I did not actually care that much. There were things I needed to do now, and I sent her off with my message. While she saw to that, I returned focus to my project. It was coming along nicely, but slowly.