The draught from the broken window was blowing through the office. It flapped the curtains, swept off sheets of paper from the desk and scattered them all over the room. Flitz looked at the mess and shook his head. He activated the sound transmitter:
«My little Marina, come to my office, now!»
He put on his stern voice but there was endearing tenderness in the old man’s grumbling. Kyon wondered who the girl was. What was going on between them?
Kyon walked over to the framed black-and-white photo of a thin woman with gray hair who resembled Flitz. {No... It's not a photo! It's some unknown method of applying color to paper, but definitely not a photo! It’s curious, most curious...} He asked: «Is this your daughter or granddaughter, sir?»
The old man had just taken down some hand-held device and was coming to the boy. He frowned at the question: «This is my great-grandmother!»
Kyon was dumbfounded. «Um... Yes, of course. I was going to say that.»
Flitz, still frowning, put the device to the formation on the boy's forehead. What he saw surprised him.
«Hm, why is your formation empty? Did they forget about you after Martin's death?»
Kyon shrugged hesitantly: {I don’t think I should tell him I had been removed from the database at all. Hmm... What if he thinks I am a spy?}
However, Flitz overlooked that point. He rummaged through the shelves and pulled out another device that looked disturbingly familiar. It reminded Kyon of enema, which made him rather tense.
«Take it easy. It’s too early to get worried.» - The formacist laughed and started to blow the air from the “enema” straight into the formation on Kyon’s forehead, to be more precise, into the empty slot, just like Martin described.
A green thread slipped from the device (that’s how the spatial attribute looks), hit the formation and disappeared without a trace, leaving an unpleasant tingling as a reminder.
The whole process took less than a minute. Flitz wiped sweat from his forehead and said proudly:
«Done! I can congratulate you. You are the worthy owner of an exclusive, incredible, heartwarming subordinate formation of the high-ranking slave!»
Kyon did not appreciate the gift and only grinned grimly:
«Wow…» - He wasn’t too keen on the idea. A slave again. The higher they rise, the harder they fall. He used to be the Emperor of the worlds and here he is... A sorry excuse for a worker in the mine and now a slave for a girl.
The old man thought for a while and waved his hand brushing away any doubts.
«The subjugating formation on your forehead gets activated every time a member of the family of the 1st rank gives you an order. There are only a dozen people like that! Well, including me... I’m of the 2nd rank but it was too hard to resist the temptation of linking the formation to myself, ha ha he!»
Kyon felt his forehead, it stung. He was so angry that he didn’t know what to say beside something insulting. The former emperor of the illusory planet Earth had just been given a subjugating mark. Perhaps, it would be better if he was an ordinary slave.
Flitz ignored the boy’s gloomy disposition and continued instructing him as if nothing had happened:
«When they give you orders you don’t even understand why your body starts moving. It’s all your subconscious, not you! Imagine how cool it will be when they tell you to disembowel yourself and you…»
Kyon didn’t want to hear about such bright prospects, he tried to change the subject and talk about anything but what this abominable formation can do:
«While we were getting here with Ren... that is, with the deliverer, I asked him about the rules on the estate. If I got it right, even the slaves of the highest rank are forbidden to stay in the inner courtyard. How am I going to live there?»
Flitz laughed:
«Don't worry... You won't live long anyway.» - He burst into another fit of laughter but when he noticed the boy’s black look he relented and answered: - «Just kidding! I'll ask Juno to make an exception for you. If she's in a good mood everything will be fine. Be sure not to screw up in the training. Show her your strong points! And now dance!»
Something in Kyon's head was trying to take control of his body. Apparently, the formation influences the subconscious and forces the person to follow the order through the prism of mind.
Kyon could easily take back control but he didn’t want to play his trump card at the very beginning of the game. {Hmm... The goddess had given me her formation to manipulate me through hormonal stimulation but Flitz influences the subconscious... The first case is much worse, it is almost impossible to resist but Flitz’s method... Hah, a piece of cake. The more conscious the person, the less effective the method. I could have come up with something better as neurobiology is my life. Is it difficult to get to the limbic system? I don’t think so. Maybe, I should become a formacist in the future.}
The boy’s thoughts were accompanied by awkward twitches of his arms and legs... He started to dance Lezghinka. In fact, he danced quite well, especially for someone who was doing it for the first time.
The old man nearly jumped for joy:
«It works, damn it! I have not forgotten how to apply complex formations! Hehe! And what kind of dance is that?!» - He clapped his hands, setting the rhythm.
When Flitz had enough of the Caucasian folk dance he ordered Kyon to stop. The old man patted the breathless boy on the shoulder and said with almost paternal care:
«Don't worry. The family members of the 1st rank are kind and understanding people. They won’t mess with a dirty slave... » - The old man finished with less confidence. He thought of mischievous Juno with a wistful look on his face. – «All right, I order you to do twenty push-ups!»
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Kyon howled inwardly. - {Wait, are you messing with me? Oh yeah... You're of the 2nd rank. Technically, you must be right.}
His body plopped to the ground and started doing push-ups. The old man watched him for some time and then got comfortable on the boy’s back in the lotus position, puffing on his pipe: «Ha-ha-he!... Ha-ha-he!»
The evil old fart made Kyon sick. What a selfish hypocrite… Cruel and power-hungry is a hell of a mix.
There was a life-saving soft knock on the door and after Flitz’s permission, someone came in.
A beautiful long-haired blonde in the maid uniform performed a low curtsey, her two braids nearly touching the floor. The girl’s features were graceful, her forms were beyond reproach. A snow-white corset refined her thin waist. A cute hairpin glistened in her hair.
The pretty girl looked at Kyon with interest. She looked about 20, 175 cm (5.7ft) tall. In spite of her great looks, she was rather a mousey little thing.
The maid sighed and focused all her attention on the old man:
«What can I do for you, sir?»
«Marina, take the boy to one of the vacant rooms in the hotel and bring him dinner. Then come over to my place.» - Flitz grinned lasciviously and winked at the girl. Marina squirmed.
A chill ran down Kyon's spine when he understood what the old man meant: {Poor thing! I can’t believe it... Oh gods, is he going to do that to this pretty one...? The world is unfair...} His heart sank. He felt so sorry for the innocent lamb who was sent as a sacrifice to the old wolf.
Marina did another curtsy, revealing her deep cleavage. Kyon noticed with disgust the lustful veil overcasting the old man’s eyes when he looked there.
The girl with braids stood up and rustled in a colorless voice:
«Follow me, sir.»
Kyon would have gladly hired this one for himself in the simulation of the past world. Her manners, her look, her intonation… She was pretty and knew how to deal with gentlemen. (She’d never throw stones in glass houses.)
Flitz took malicious pleasure in reminding the boy:
«Don't even think about trying to escape, Kyon! Your balls are hanging by a thread! Ha-ha-he!»
Kyon silently went out with Marina. {What was that? What is this place?} - so many questions and not a single answer. The mere thought about what the pretty blonde would have to go through at night made him want to throw up. However, the girl was doing fine, behaving like a saint.
The wind outside smelled of the sea and the mountains at once.
The beautiful maid led Kyon to a two-story building with lots of rooms. She opened the door, gesturing for him to enter first. She waited for a while till the boy made himself comfortable and left, saying that she would be back soon.
15 minutes later, a hot meal was on the table.
Kyon chowed down on his dinner at once.
Meanwhile, Marina sat nearby, humble, looking at the window, without uttering a single word, waiting for him to finish his dinner and take the tray to the kitchen. Her presence alone created an aura of peace and quiet. She was the embodiment of the belief regarding the good wife, the hearth-keeper.
Kyon deliberately left a bit of meat stew on the plate and asked quietly, trying not to startle the girl:
«Your name is Marina, isn’t it?»
She gave a start and turned around, getting lost for a moment in the boy’s deep attentive eyes:
«It is, why?»
Kyon did not start the conversation to have a small talk. He’d always looked for ways to make his life simple, to help him achieve something more, reach any goal.
The boy wanted to find a hook. He said in a confidential tone:
«There’s depression and fear in your eyes and the way you behave. Tell me, if it's not a secret, is Mr. Flitz the reason?»
The girl hesitated but nodded.
«How long have you been his maid?»
«For about five years.»
Kyon winced. Apparently, the girl had kept the bed warm for the old fart since her young years and even at that time he wasn’t young anymore!
«It's my first day on the estate. I don't know how things work around here. I am from the mine. Mr. Flitz spotted me by chance and now I am going to be lady Juno’s slave.»
The girl's eyes widened in fear:
«Juno... Lady Juno is a high-status person. Mr. Flitz has forbidden me even to walk near her mansion…»
«I've heard about her. I guess I should be grateful to Flitz, only... I don't like the way he looks at you.»
Marina pursed her lips and stared wistfully at the floor.
Kyon carefully lifted her chin and whispered:
«You know... I want to help you…»
The girl had been avoiding looking at him but after those words, she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
«It just so happened I found out Mr. Flitz has one weakness, a lever he can be manipulated with as you please. He is absolutely powerless over it. It’s an unsanctioned device... Perfect strings for a puppet.»
His enchanting mysterious voice sent shivers down the maid’s spine but the words... their meaning struck her like lightning. She clung to Kyon's arm, her thin fingers grasping his sleeve. She nearly demanded:
«What weakness are you talking about?!»
Kyon did not expect such enthusiasm from her. The poor girl must have been sick and tired of being Flitz’s doormat. It was hard not to take advantage of her naivety.
He gave the girl a heart-melting smile and gently touched her wrist:
«Marina, there’s something I need to tell you but the timing is not right. I have to double-check something... It won't take long. By the way, I was wondering if you could help me with something?»
His touch, his eyes, his voice fascinated her, attracted all her attention like a magnet. She could not refuse him even if she wanted to.
«Tell me what you want me to do. Is it something serious?»
«No, it’s not a big deal, just a little something. Do you have a sound transmitter so that we could be in contact?»
«I guess so… There must be one, I’ll take it tomorrow. What do you need me to help you with?» - The girl’s curiosity had been piqued.
«I'm sorry but I can't tell you anything until tomorrow night, maybe a little earlier. I'll call you, okay? But don't get any ideas. I'll tell you all about Flitz's weakness even if you don't bring the sound transmitter.»
The girl nodded, a little embarrassed, and softly whispered his name:
«Kyon... it’s alright. I would help you anyway because you're... so... Thank you for your concern. I'm very pleased to be with someone like you... I mean to talk with you!» - Marina hastened to add blushing like a child. A mesmerizing smile played in the corners of her mouth.
Kyon’s heart skipped a beat. It turned out he was bloody adorable. Five minutes of conversation and he became "so..." Yet, he was like a brother to her. The age difference did matter, after all.
They shook their hands and said goodbye.
«Good night.» - She purred and left the boy alone.