Road to the Crown

Raising from my seat, I took one of the empty mugs standing abandoned of the table, filled it with the beer we brough to the tavern to have something nice to drink instead of saving on the local liquors, and approached the monk-like guy.

"Thanks for stepping in. While I didn't see your attack, being able to get rid of this guy in a single move… That was amazing!"

Passing the mug with the beer directly to the monk's hand, I continued smiling at him, yet I didn't receive even a single sign that he even heard my words. Less for an actual response, he simply stared at me with his dead-drunk eyes, as if unable to recognise my figure as that of a human, making him wonder why does the wall talks to him.

"Forgive him, sir brother. I got him out in the world after he was expelled from the inquisition boot camp in order to find him some other way in his life, but it seems the only thing he picked out from those damned monks was his love for wine!"

Looking sternly at his cousin, still holding on to the mug I passed to him as if after the previous achievement with the entire garn of beer made him either unable to drink anything more, or unwilling to accept such small quantities.

"His way of operating the nadiak… Did he learned it there?"

While hearing the word 'inquisition' would get any leftist or less educated person fired up, this was actually the topic that my history teacher in middle-school used to get me to love the history in the first place. That, and the fact that she was playing damned rock and metal song of the greatest bands to ever exist, right on the corridor during the breaks between the schooling periods!

But speaking about the inquisition, the fact that the fat noble mentioned it would make anyone else instantly think that this nadiak skill was bound to be taught on the camp… But it couldn't be further from the truth! Even when speaking about legendary Spanish inquisition, during the entirety of its existence, spanning over four centuries, sources said that they executed at most, ten thousand people. Most of which, were executed only theoretically, with the portrait of the convict being burned on the stake instead of the real human.

The historical facts turned even funnier when one looked at proper inquisition, who was blamed by certain people of killing over five million women in the mad rush of witchhunt… What those people didn't realise, that this number would mean killing literally everyone in the English Kingdom of that time while following the futuristic ideology and forcing all the males to reconsider their gender! And even with that, there would be still huge groups of France and German princedoms missing in order to complete the headcount!

When one actually started rediscovering the facts about the inquisition, several interesting matters popped up. Instead of burning people at stakes, which had actually nothing to do with them and was put into action by ugly creatures of inquisition made by the protestants during the period of religious wars and only later dumped as the doping of Catholics, inquisition created the foundations for the proper processing and enforcing law, with even the function of defendant being fist established in inquisitional courts! The most mindblowing fact about that period for me was how almost any non-religious prisoner of various princes and nobles would claim to be a heretic, just for the sake of being transferred under the jurisdiction of inquisition!

Taking all those facts into account, I couldn't help but wonder where did this guy picked up his skills with nadiak? After all, while Spanish inquisition already existed, it was nothing more than just a regional thing at this time!

"Of course not!"

As if my question struck a painful point on the fat noble's pride, almost making him air-lock himself. After taking a moment to calm his heart down, he looked at his cousin with the pity and explained.

"It was his bloodthirst and love to wine that made him lose the chance to become an honoured persecutor!"

This word was one of the pillars of the future misunderstandings connected to the inquisition. While in modern age persecutor was tasked with proving one's quilt, becoming one in the papal inquisition, meant using every tool at your disposal to prove that the convict wasn't a heretic! The only remnants of this function remained in the highest tier of Catholic court in a position of 'devil persecutor' who was tasked with proving that someone who was about to be acknowledged as a saint, did something that made him unable to obtain the title!

"Ah, forgive me, my lack of manners. Mike from Tarnow, of the Leliwa crest."

Since we already started talking and this monk-type of guy managed to pique my interest, it would be rude of me to not introduce myself.

"Jan Onfary from Kleck, of the Blue Cross with star crest, and this is my cousin, Kalen, whose mother, my sister, gave her soul to the almighty Lord during his birth. As his father died heroically during a defence of our lands from the Muscovites raid, I took the duty of his upbringing."

A history like many others. Living in the white Ruthernia, nowadays still called a greater Lithuania, was bound with as many hardships as living at the southern outskirts of the commonwealth under the constant threat of Tatar raids.

But being a landowner like this guy, meant that he had some power to his side! Seeing him out in the field with up to only several companions, as I didn't see any other big unit in the tavern outside of mine, meant that he either couldn't afford or just didn't want to bring them with him!

"So, as you said before, you are looking for a way to force him into real-life after he returned from the monastery? How about making him serve under me?"

While I couldn't help but dream about owning a unit of legendary hussars, that wish was as far from realisation as being crowned as the King of the Commonwealth. If I were to sell everything that I currently own, I might be able to afford a small unit of ten to fifteen of hussars at most!

In this situation, being able to get such a skilled fighter on my side, would not only boost my strength in the short term in my journey to take Pilzno over, but I could put him into use in all sorts of fields later on!

"That would be awesome. I heard a lot about your ancestor, and even if only a small part of his genius remained in your blood, making him serve under you could at least allow him to see a bit of the normal, secular world… It's just that he doesn't want to have anything to do with nobility or servitude! I even created a chance to him to serve as viceroy for panzer banner under the Ostros prince, yet he still refused!"

Ostros princes… One of the major households in the eastern part of the Commonwealth, the ones that should own the Tarnow right now if not for my appearance. The ones that left their name engraved in the history of the entire country beside such a great figure like soon to be born, Jarema Cherrysy(wiśniowiecki, I won't ask you to spell it)

"I will serve under him."

Out of nowhere, the monk-like guy spoke for the first time, after separating his lips from the edge of the mug. With his former, absent look in the eyes already gone, I could see a lively intelligence bursting through his pupils as if some kind of energy appeared in his soul.

"What made you change your mind? It's quite surprising since my capabilities are nowhere as great as what Ostros prince could offer you!"

I couldn't help but be surprised by his readiness to work under me. If I were to choose between owning the Tarnow and serving under Ostros… I would still pick ruling the city, but that wouldn't be an easy decision!

"They didn't have such great wine."

As if it was the most obvious reason in the world, Kalen replied and raised the mug again, taking another sip without a care in the world for the stunned faces of everyone that was listening to the discussion I had with the Jan Onfary.