LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 105: Branding
Since the officialization of Velauhart on a wider scale much has ensued. Firstly it was the reception of states, nations and countries where it could broadly be generalized into three categories: Endorsement, Indifference and Denouncement. Majority were in indifference, where they seemed to be adopting the wait and see approach, the fence sitters in other words. Endorsement came from those closely aligned to the Pyrinian Kingdom, their allies and vassals. Only a single entity reacted with censure, the Oracular Theocracy. Velauhart was the holy site of the majority religion there, where pilgrims set out to visit its highest peaks as such they were historically against any that claimed the land. This in addition to their discovery of the reigning countess to be inhuman, has caused outrage to say the least. Though it was unlikely they would do anything just yet, it was another headache for Alicia to deal with. Second to all the politics came attention from people of all walks of life, from beggars and troubadours, fool-hardy knight-errants to wealthy merchants in search of opportunities and even minor nobles bored with their courtly affairs, making Velauhart to be something of a small tourist attraction. Romantics and chevaliers seeked out the place for its notoriety for having perilous beasts to best, to prove their virtues in doing so. Merchants went where the money brought them, and as a fresh and exotic destination full of curiosities, it was the dysregulated market where one might begin the rags to riches story before the jig was up. Of course there were those who had the eye for the finer things on offer especially the noblesse or their attendants acting on their behalf for that matter, though they mostly settled on whichever caught their fancy.
A huge line of people had gathered outside an atelier of enchanters before their workshop opened for business as only a set few items went on sale before they closed their doors until the next morn. Such occurrences were becoming more commonplace. Gauntlets of strength, slippers of speed, circlets of magic, arms of featherweight, wands and staves tuned to specific family of magic, amulets and curios bearing infixes ranging from entertainment to practical use, there wasn’t a person who couldn’t find something they wanted and needed. With that, it was a given that there would be some arguments among them about who was to the front and to the back, escalation often trending towards use of force, as is usual this would result with the undesired attention of the Elvish rangers and their lupine companions. It is quite amusing to see how quickly people become understanding and ready to compromise when they’re standing next to a snarling Direwolf and being aimed at. When one atelier closed up, it was a race to another and so on before the stocks for the day were out. Spearheaded by the witch Strega, these ateliers were the training grounds for the next generation of enchanters, majority of which formed from the ex-members of the Empire’s magus corps, for a magical discipline once deemed too expensive and ineffective, the products they sold to the public; either their personal achievements or salvaged failures, the scraps off the table.
The scarcity helped hike up the prices, the earnings of which were used to further their training, cover any expenses as well as give the ‘students’ a bulging coinsack for their personal use. It was a system of apprenticeship with monetary value beyond the learning experience, most importantly the system acknowledged and rewarded their growth and merits, far different from the nepotistic institutions and the nose raising snob aristocracy of the Empire. The greatest of their work was of course, stockpiled elsewhere. After all these articles could make a competent soldier out of a homeless bum, if they had the aptitude for it. In essence they were betraying their homeland through brain drain, though most would rather say that the Empire betrayed them first. However not all were quite cut out for the most demanding of enchantments Alicia would use, they were ‘graduated early’ by Strega. Still, regardless of their insufficient performance they had a path of cozy life ahead of them thanks to their new skills and a ready and relatively cheap access to the Voidstones used for their enchantments, practically eliminating their operating costs, as long as they remained in touch with their former headmistress of course. For those without an interest to continue on in the endeavor, they were instead offered positions as tutors and researchers, academic work not too dissimilar to what they used to do before the levy.
In matters of statecraft, Alicia was more or less clueless, though she gathered various written materials to study, most were too outlandish, fundamentally against her principles or a divertissement rather than anything of applicative use. Until she felt she was ready to bear the burden, in the meantime, she had tasked Charlie to repossess personages suitable for filling in the gaps, with the purpose of having the administration running on autopilot for the time being; ad infinitum preferably, though realistically that was but wishful thinking on her part. What she didn’t account for was for Charlie to be an overachiever who managed to gather little over half a hundred descendants of the now untitled aristocracy. Apparently she had gathered over three hundred people initially, after some examinations the rest were bystanders that got caught up in her task.
- ‘I should have told her that I needed maybe a ten… and I got five times the expected amount… And I can’t really admonish her for exceeding expectations… well shit, I’m sure I can find something for them to do… Like being teachers, actually, I don’t think there’s such a thing as public schools… except maybe the churches and orphanages. I’ll have to ask a favor from Rosalia again, hope there won't be any friction from difference in titles… It’s fine… probably…’
There was almost an immediate dissension from the newcomers. Though being a daughter of a Margrave was high in standing, it didn’t mean it was the highest there was, this became a problem when the relatively young Rosalia was assigned at the helm. While obedience could be coerced, commitment could not. There were a few individuals who seemed to be instigating the others to advocate for them instead of Rosalia, specifically calling her validity into question. Young or old, current or former, they were in no doubt scions of nobility and aptitude for intrigue and conspiracy apparently bred into them. Their scheme might have worked in any other place, unfortunately for them, in this Heart of Green woods after Alicia and Alice, the music played to the tune of another.
Few weeks prior, Alfred in her usual duties of an executive secretary had inquired with Alicia about certain documents. Back when her Mistress was studying the slave collars, especially one of Frost probing it for any vulnerabilities, she kept notes of her findings. This was at the time she was worried that the loyalty of her kindred familiars be exploited, negated or otherwise circumvented. Though her worries were proven to be unfounded as her familiars were far too intrinsically linked to the Kindred’s originator - that being herself - to be led astray that any vulnerabilities found on the collars were simply inapplicable to Kindred. Nonetheless she did make multiple discoveries on the technology, or rather the magic behind the slave collars, as a byproduct. Being a designer at heart she was repulsed by its inefficiencies she found and couldn’t help but list out all the flaws of the collars and implemented a fix for almost all of them through applications of better alternatives and removal of redundancies - thereby improving the design significantly. Though it was closer to from scratch redesign. In a sense she had created a vastly improved version of the slave collars out of sheer spite.
When the first of the fallen nobility came in some of them had already been collared, and in order to truly free them of their bondage Alfred asked for permission to use the papers. After all it was pretty much a list of every weakness and exploits found within the collars and how you could use them to great effect. However Alicia had completely forgotten about the proposed improvements she had made and without much thought gave Alfred the approval to “use them as you see fit.” Closest to the Void after her Mistresses, she had the most affinity to its magic out of her equals - given her position to oversee her sisters and those beneath their mistress the powers of Domination quickly took root in her. Born of Kindred, gifted by the Void and now endowed with keen insights of her Mistress, with help from Erwin and Strega she created a new spell. Created by humans, inadvertently improved by Alicia, and perfected by her familiars…
They had all been called to a spacious chamber. Fairly decorated with moderate accommodations and comfortable sitting areas, it was a parlor room of sorts. Modest titbits along with a tea set complete with cups and saucers were set aside. Without maidservants that usually wait on them, it was for self-service. The atmosphere was tense and quiet. Twenty-five exactly, the sharper of them noticed that they had been split into two groups, something was not right. They had been given a new set of clothing to change into if they wished, it wasn’t quite what they were used to, lacking golden threads and jewelry to complement them, though in terms of comfort it was unmatched. Before the tension could boil over, the large doors to their room swung open with a familiar figure approaching, they knew her as Alfred. Their attendants were trailing behind her rather than opening the doors, meaning that the doors opened on their own for her or through magic. The latter was as equally incredible as the first, since silent casters were more rare than anything they could imagine. And the first to recover from that surprise noticed the two maids trailing behind her, their entrancing beauty could contend with any. Adorning their heads, a circlet ingrained with five large gemstones, each of them flawless to the eye with colors black, blue, red, green and white possessing a clarity never seen before, envy of any monarch. The oddly plain base could easily be forgiven.
As soon as she stepped into the room, still wearing her signature smile:
- “Greetings miladies, I hope you are all well this fine day. I’ve been hearing rumors that you found your current arrangement of answering to lady Rosalia… less than ideal, thus I have come bearing the news of a wonderful new development.”
Hearing that many of them were filled with cathartic elation. No more will they have to answer to someone of lesser standing than themselves.
- “As you all can see, our Mistress’s estate here is sorely lacking the employ of capable individuals. In addition, a select few of you with the most distinguished qualities will have the grand opportunity to be in direct service to our Countess.”
Considering their situation, being in the retinue of a countess was better than anything they could ask for, and if the assumption is correct, that maid’s uniform with the band of jewels theirs to claim. Better living standards and higher luxury are a given. The greed was glistening in their eyes.
- “Of course only the best of the best, the highest performing… ten individuals will be elected.”
In other words it was a competition.
- “Excuse me… may I ask a question?”
It was a girl of a former baron, one the lowest among them though also the majority.
- “I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.”
- “What of the people who don't make it?”
- “You needn’t fret the insignificant details, after all, you only have to aim for the top. There will be… other positions, we will find something of value, out of even the most unfortunate of failures.”
Despite it seeming to mean well, in the sense that some shortcomings and blunders will be forgiven and that there is a plan for even the hopeless out of them. The delivery of her answer was tense, stretched and ominous. Her smile seemed to stretch ever wider more and more, proportional to the unease that set in. Something told them that these other positions might not be something they wanted to find out about. Alfred knew how to play humans well, how a threat that is hidden in layers is better than anything real. After all, in the real world, she was bound to what she could achieve in reality. But in their mindscape she was boundless, free to reign terror. Of course, her mistress wouldn’t condone her actions if it were to result in their direct harm, but they needn’t know that fact…
- “Starting tomorrow there will be various aptitude activities to determine your abilities, lady Rosalia will be there for assessment.”
Her words fell like anvil.
- “I understand that the circumstance is unsatisfactory, but take heart, it will only be for the temporary.”
Quiet up until now, an Earl’s daughter asked a simple question.
- “And if someone were to… refuse?”
She was part of the group that challenged Rosalia’s appropriateness, hoping to place themselves in a more favorable position, of course Alfred who they only met once before shouldn’t know the fact. Besides, they had value, if not, why would they be keeping them in relative lavishness, even going through the hassle of breaking them out of their slave collars? She thought that she was calling their bluff…
- “Hm hm hm…” muffled and subdued chuckling, could faintly be made out.
“I believe there is a misunderstanding that is taking place…”
Heretofore unseen lines of symbols encircling their neck revealed themselves, in a faint glow. The characters were indecipherable, as it was a variation of an angelic script adapted by the Void, but what anyone could understand was that it was magical. It felt as if a noose was tightening around her neck, her breathing became difficult and the air itself seemed to be feeding the suffocating feeling growing within, she was becoming lightheaded and her awareness was starting to slip.
- “We removed the waste of metal that was the collars, yes… it was better suited for something else, but I lack the memory of ever freeing you all from your… obligations.”
Terror set in all of them. Just as the lady was about to falter from the asphyxiation, the glow of the symbols waned. Although almost disappearing, the mars of the symbol as though they were branded, remained ever so faintly.
- “I will be handing over the helm to lady Rosalia by the morning, if you wish to withdraw please take it up to her who will decide the outcome. Now are there any more you all wish to inquire about?”
As if just hoping she would leave faster, none dared to make even a peep.
- “No…? Well I wish you all the best of luck and hope to see you all once more.”
After that ordeal… There were no more qualms about Rosalia's authority in overseeing them.
There once was an artifact created by a long forgotten heroine to aid mankind in befriending creatures of legend yet after her departure the sands of time corroded the remnants of her noble wish and the lust for power and coin corrupted its remains, giving birth to its bastardized form as mere tools of indenturement. Millenniums after this lost magic found itself one more once transmuted, but this time, it was closer to a restoration than vandalisation.
>Decrypting transmission…
‘Is this what I think it is…?’
>New celestial edict: Task of the Foundation
- Pass Judgement over the Angelmaker.
‘Yes… yes it is…’