Глава 8

It was what left the deepest impression on her current self.

It was the day her 'noble life' came to an end.

You're back.

I thought you weren't fond of that sword. Why carry it on your person?

Just may as well.

Oh.

The smell of mud is stuck to your clothes. No smell of blood, though, nor anything singed. Your maidservant mentioned you were in a rush to meet me, so much so you did not bathe, nor change. Let me hazard a guess. You haven't done anything.

Did you find a better way, Talulah? Of dealing with this thorn in our side? You found a better way, and thus did not do as I told you to, is that it?

You didn't just want me to eliminate Major Antonio. You tried to trick me into killing a child.

Kashchey... a child. Antonio was taking his son on a trip, and you had me frame him so the Gendarmerie would beat him to death on his way to the next city over. His son would've had no chance of escaping.

Antonio makes an art of covering himself. You should easily have been able to tell that that young boy was not his son.

*Sigh*...

I've taught you this. In times when we have greater goals, we cannot avoid making sacrifices in our morality and resources.

Given you've let Antonio go, the next time he surfaces may well be in the residence of some Victorian secret service official.

Those horrid Felines would then surely make a fine point of our four neighboring cities' shipping routes for the whole year...

...and take it as a pretense to identify our trading partners, investigate our resources, draw an outline of our import and export itineraries, and produce a clear grasp of our defense arrangements.

I've already destroyed the files.

Wonderful! Very well done. You are quite capable, aren't you?

But, Talulah, how do you intend to certify... to at all assert, that Antonio 'had never' seen in those records before?

If he did not know their contents, why take them with him?

And how would you prove that he'd betray your dukedom? Betray Ursus? Why didn't you go to question him, or seize him? Why go straight to eliminating him?

I do not need to give proof. Questioning him would grant him the opportunity to dispute his charges and escape punishment. His conduct cannot be pardoned.

If he may have possibly done so. Then. As far as I'm concerned, as Ursus is concerned, as the laws and decrees are concerned, that is sufficient.

He cannot. He is not allowed to have 'possibly done so.'

—Antonio has already been dealt with. After you destroyed the files, my Scales cleaned up the remainder for you.

I knew it. I just knew... you wouldn't let him go.

I've only been training you ceaselessly so that you may step by step become ever better. Now, you see that you have once again failed my expectations. You did not work as well as you did last time, Talulah.

Your performance at the Shuvata Conference was outstanding, Talulah, and you ought to admit, too, that you revel in how it feels.

How it feels to stand on a peerless summit.

Don't ridicule me. Everything about you only stokes the anger in me to a roar.

Then you must surely revel even more in the feeling of perfection.

I'm very clear on your misgivings, and I understand how you think, too. That is why...

The Scales let that boy acting as his son run free.

How about that, Talulah? That wasn't something out of reach of your lone capability, is it?

The boy in question was his son. Was. His. Son.

It makes no difference if he wasn't.

When that boy comes of age, he'll find you, and he'll take revenge for his father.

Then perhaps you should prepare... prepare for some far-flung moment to take revenge for your own father?

Talulah, the one who killed him is still alive and well, after all.

I've given you this answer before. You must be sufficiently trained to the point you are capable of personally avenging him. Mm. And you currently... are not yet so.

...You can shut up, now, Kashchey!

Ah, excepting that, Talulah, excepting your own personal wants, I do have ever higher hopes that you may become an outstanding individual.

An executioner, a lead gendarmerie, a noble officer, a conspirator, a killing machine of a caster?! When you say 'an outstanding individual,' is that what you mean?!

Talulah, Talulah. No.

I long for an heir.

I never imagined you'd say something so sickening outright.

But, well, *chuckle* I'm sorry, Duke.

Your hopes are all...

Fruitless.

Hmm...

I can see you've gotten fired up. Tell me, then, Talulah, tell me something. What is it you've done that has you so pleased with yourself?

Half a year ago, I got a hold of a small splinter of Originium ore, and can you guess what I did with it...?

I embedded it in my own arm.

...Oh?

With wonderful results.

I am Infected already.

I'm an Infected now, Duke Kashchey. My life is wound short, and your schemes, your plans, your investments, all for naught. You have no way to use me ever again.

Everything I am was by your own design, wasn't it? And now, no longer.

Ah. Truly... an unforeseen method.

Does it taste good? The flavor of your conspiracy bled dry?

Kashchey, I've already become what Ursus and the world at large most reviles. We most despicable Infected... across the cities, the tundras, the barrens, we most depraved, lowly Infected.

And if your sister saw you like this, would she be happy?

Don't you—!

What is it that made you scheme, rebel against me so, my daughter?

—You.

You deceived me. Lied to me, you said Wei Yenwu masterminded the murder of my father. You never told me they confronted you together, drove you out of Lungmen.

You never told me what role you played in my father's death. Even if Wei Yenwu killed him, even if he is guilty, even if he deserves to die for it—

You can't escape blame either.

On the surface, you treat your subjects well, help with settling the villages around the city, give the Infected stable residence...

But in actuality, you have the Infected and your residents living entirely different lives—you let the inhabitants feed their own egos on the Infected.

You've taken this city plundering its own residents and embellished it into a duty! To the point that they push around the Infected and the nomadic non-dwellers to bring themselves comfort!

Is this your dukedom, then? Is this your city and your rule?

You use inequality to mold a facade, and a facade to expand your influence?

I cannot endure this any longer. Even if I didn't fault your hypocritical means and twisted tricks, your pathological lies and false benevolence already had me at wit's end!

I've taught you this before, Talulah.

I've taught you—'In this period of excessive calm, they cannot accept mutual, equal treatment.'

Not unless we draw this period of mediocrity to an end.

You and I may accept their autonomy, just as the Columbians and Siracusans have. But what of themselves?

They will elect their next consul, and their next lord. Because they do not esteem others. They only fear authority and violence.

Not only that. They don't allow for anyone braver than themselves, smarter than themselves. Kinder. More merciful... Not unless you are their duke, or their emperor.

You sympathize with them. You sympathize with my subjects, sympathize with such residents whose backs are forced against the wall by tax collectors and bureaucrats.

That is wonderful.

Moreover, even you continue to force yourself to spit vile slurs that humiliate the Infected so... I do vaguely recall.

You constantly made revisions to my policies, in ever greater attempts to protect them, so much that you didn't even fear arousing the citizens' wrath.

I have spent a great deal of time ironing their moods out, Talulah.

I'm not sympathizing with them!

You certainly do love them.

Why you...?!

I'm very gratified, Talulah, that you should truly care for them. You've come to resemble me more and more, my daughter.

...Who the hell gave you the right to keep saying this crap?!

But your superficial actions will not, and cannot succeed.

And what makes you think you know what I'm going to do? You don't have the power...

No matter should all people in sum desire to reach one single good outcome——those people, as ever, still may fail.

Talulah, Talulah. It is because that golden outcome of theirs, and your daydreams, are fundamentally distinct.

You have no ability to make differing people endorse some identical action. Their disputes will clash and devolve, and that cannot be avoided.

How can a Sarkaz face a Sankta? How can a soul from Kazimierz face a soul from Ursus? How can a sturdy yet toilsome bear face an arrogant yet impotent hippogryph?

You think to let them know how to act? What an arrogant notion, my daughter! You wish to take this appearance and this rank of yours, and appeal to them to do something?

Ah, of course, this I know. You certainly could do so.

Talulah, in time, you will rule those destined to follow you. You have inherited the Black Snake's knowledge, the Red Dragon's blood flows through you, you walk the Bear's land, and you thumb through the Hippogryph's history.

No person should be born to be ruled by another.