As we made our way into the great hall, I saw Sasha, Zoe, and the various professionals who came here earlier sitting comfortably around the main table conversating, while the two officers, Lana, and Aimee, as well as the ten agents assigned to Zoe, sat at one of the few side tables nearest her, having their own conversation between themselves. I greeted everyone in the room with a 'hello' which caused literally everyone present to stand up except Zoe, who just looked around at all the other people around as if they were stupid for doing so.
"I was just making my presence known, y'all can sit back down... Actually, let's have all of y'all can join us at the main table since I want everyone to hear the details of what we are about to speak on..." I said as I made my way toward the head of the table.
Once there, I plumped myself self down in the throne-like chair in order to take the 'load' off my feet, which had started to ache because of these shoes that I could do without. And after thinking this, I quickly peeled the bastards off, while vowing to never wear this kind of shoe again.
Luckily, I still had the slippers from the village up in my room so I could just wear them for now, but eventually, I will need a proper boot so I might as well write it down on the 'to-do' list for now. But after making myself comfortable and waiting for everyone to pull up a chair, I addressed the thirty or so people present within the room.
"*sigh* Hello all, and thank you for joining me in this lukewarm spring afternoon meeting... As the flowers bloom, then so shall we." I said while stretching my back using the arms of the chair that I sat in.
"Beautifully put, Lord. I can now understand what Miss Sasha means when she says that you are wise beyond your years... But how does a teen from a village with no name and on the outskirts of our confederacy no less, have such a grasp on the language of man? Did your village play host to a wandering scholar by chance?" Dan asked while rubbing his scruffy beard in contemplation.
"Our village was never visited by anyone except beasts and.. well bandits now that I think about it. *sigh* Who would have known that the bandits were residing within our own walls all along... If only we could have..." Kai answered the man's question for me before trailing off onto a path where none of us needed to be.
"Enough, Kai... Trust me when I say that those bastards back at the village will get what's coming to them. The anger of our ancestors and the wrath of the mother combined will only scratch the surface of what I have planned for them. But first, we must focus on the here and now... But to answer your question, Dan. No, a scholar never stayed within the village but I did have a saint as a grandmother." I stated after making sure Kai's head was back on the right way.
"Interesting..." Dan said, clearly not accepting my redirection but I didn't let the topic fester anymore as I quickly addressed the reason we were here in the first place.
"But enough about me though, let's talk about us instead... Aren't y'all curious as to why I had you meet me here? I can guarantee that it is more interesting than my background." I said quickly hoping that my ploy would work this time around.
"I am not so sure about that but please enlighten us, Lord." Sasha said while snickering under her breath, which I feigned ignorance to before I continued talking to the group.
"I have brought all of you here today to lay down the foundations of our military department, which will obviously serve our security needs whether it is domestic or foreign, but we will also be talking about another department called the domestic department, which shall first serve in an educational manner since I would prefer my troops educated at least in the basics such as reading, writing, and general maths... However, you will eventually assume roles that are more aligned with your department's name once we expand our reach beyond these walls that currently hold us, but for now, your main focus will be the education of the youths... I will start with the domestic department since your goals can be completed sooner than the other department I will be speaking about later... Zoe, can you pass me that bag with the amulets in it?" I asked while standing up to stretch my legs.
"Sure, here you go." She said while tossing the bag over several heads, leaving me scrambling trying to catch the damn thing since I was still mid-stretch.
"Tut, I meant for you to hand it down the-- never mind... Thank you, cousin..." I said after barely pulling off the catch as I gave my cousin the meanest side-eye I could muster.
"Moving on... The first branch of the domestic department that we will be talking about will be aptly named the administration branch, and Jim will be the head of this branch since he already has experience dealing with castle and town affairs. Sasha will work in tandem with you, Jim until we are able to replace her with the younger adults who aren't in the military already... And your task, as the name implies, will be to support the smoothing running of affairs within the industrial and domestic departments by assisting the leaders of the different branches in various tasks such as organizing meetings, writing reports, and eventually drawing up contracts once you have enough people in your branch... You should have no trouble fulfilling these tasks with your experience, Jim, but you should know that many of the things that you will come across during your work are tightly guarded secrets of the castle. Secrets that will result in all of us losing our lives, if they were to be exposed to the world at large so it would be best if you don't speak about the things you happen across with those who don't have proper clearance... I will explain what I mean by clearance later on during our talks, but for now, let's move on to the next branch of the domestic department which will more than likely contain the bulk of your numbers once everything is up and running." I spoke as I took my seat once again, except this time I had the bag of amulets to fumble around with on the way down.
Jim nodded his head quickly while trying to hide the fact that he was worried about the situation he had gotten himself into... And honestly, I would probably react the same way if I were placed in shoes. Hell, no one wants to lose their life simply because they know or said something they shouldn't.
But seeing as he accepted his assignment without much fuss, I decided to just continue speaking towards the rest of the people here whilst hoping I wouldn't have to 'disappear' a second person so soon.
"This next branch will be called the education branch and it will be led by both Rose and Dan for the foreseeable future. And just like the previous branch, your numbers will be bolstered by citizens who aren't in the military. I suspect many people will be willing to join this branch but a majority of them will probably need a bit of guidance from y'all two before their own abilities are up to par. Therefore I think that you should take a week to go around and basically interview those freehands in order to find prospects that you consider worth developing. Zoe has a list of a hundred people that you can look over but it only contains names and ages currently so I don't know how much help it will bring, but it is better than nothing... Rose, you will be focusing on the math side of things, and Dan, you will obviously be teaching our youths how to read and write though I think you should focus on the writing aspect, well for now at least, since most of the reading materials we have currently might be laced with dogma from a system that is on its way out. We will probably have to find some time in the future to sit down and write a few texts of our own to teach from, but until then, I don't want you to teach them anything beyond basic comprehension... The maximum number of students y'all can expect to be teaching in one sitting will be around twenty-eight or so because of how I plan on structuring the army, so that shouldn't be a problem for y'all, but I still recommend that both of you find a few helping hands so that the process is less stressful on your behalf." I said while looking toward the people in question, as both of them stared off into space.
Something seemed to click with Rosa's mind first as she spoke up to say something, but Dan beat her to the punch even though he clearly still within his own mind as he did so.
"Are you planning on building a university or something? Why would one even need so many educated common folk?" Dan asked aloud though I'm sure it wasn't meant to be that way since it was at a volume that one would find hard to hear if everyone were speaking in a normal tone. Unfortunately for him, this wasn't the case since one could probably hear a pin drop.
"Not currently, but it may become a thing once we have secured a few-- well, once we have secured ourselves... And I don't see a problem with educating the people who chose to follow me since they are the reason I can sit before you as a 'lord', not to mention that an educated populace can achieve much more than one that is lacking." I answered while juggling the bag between my hands.
Dan snapped back to reality after recognizing that I had answered his questions, leading him to stand up from the table before bowing toward where I sat.
"Forgive my impudence, Lord. I--" Dan began to apologize profusely but I cut him off before he got too far into it.
"Don't worry about it, my guy. I'm not like those nobles who will have you killed simply for speaking your mind. It's really not that deep." I said catching the bag of amulets in my lefthand before placing it on the table in front of me.
Dan looked at me as if I was speaking in tongues for a second before nodding his head and retaking his seat. While Rosa watched all of this play out with her words on the tip of her tongue but evidently she decided not to speak up in the end, instead, opting to simply nod her head as well along with her newfound colleague. I interpreted this as them accepting their task and therefore continued speaking to the group about the subject at hand.
"Alright... Two done and one left, well, for this department at least. This next branch will be kinda special when compared to the previous two but before I go there, I need to know if willing you are willing to learn from someone half your age... This is mostly directed towards you, Zach." I said while looking towards the man who almost lost his cool over a simple comment I made earlier.
"I am very much willing to learn new things, Lord, and your age has nothing to do with the internal struggles I am having. To be frank, my outburst earlier came from the prejudices I have against those with actual power. I spent many years of my life trying to attain such power using the materials of the mother but nothing ever came of it..." Zach stated while placing his head in his palms before continuing.
"The only thing I have to show for all my years of hard work is this stupid book and an oath that I am bound by--" Zach spoke with his voice muffled by his hands before Sasha cut him off with a shout.
"Oath? What kind of oath and why didn't you mention this before?!" She yelled while jumping to her feet with that all too familiar glow in her eyes.
'Well, this doesn't look good...' I said to myself before standing up from the table as well which caused everyone except Jim, Rose, Mary, and Dan to follow suit.
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Zach heard the commotion and quickly looked up to see what the source was only to find several dozens of people posturing toward him.
"What-- Did I say something wrong, Lord?? Please forgive--" It was me who cut him off this time.
"What kind of oath are you bound by, Zach?" I asked with a neutral tone, ready to give 'the order' at any time.
"Oh, the oath? It is a general oath taken by those who join wish to join the upper echelon of the university. It prevents us from sharing the resources of the university... For example, that book you wanted to see earlier, if I would have handed it over to you then I would have forfeited my spirit to the abyss, instead of joining the ancestors as most spirits do." Zach stated while using the chair as a shield in case the people around him tried any funny business.
I was intrigued by the man's words but also a bit confused since I was operating under the assumption that magic was something that was taboo, especially within the central zone of the confederacy. So what the hell is he talking about?
"How can that be possible though?" Zoe asked while looking towards me as if I had the answer to her question.
I shook my head before pointing a finger towards Sasha, who had allowed the glow within in her eyes to fade by this point, however, she still had her guard up as she stared Zach directly into his eyes.
"She can explain most likely, but first I need you, Luca, and Kai to stand in front of the door. No one in or out." I said, gesturing toward Sasha with my hand before continuing.
"And Sasha, you stand next to me here... Everybody else, go on the other side of the table and stand there, we will get to the bottom of this soon." I stated as I walked to the short end of the table closest to the door before waiting for everyone else to reach their designated spots.
Once Sasha came around the table, she spoke to me in a tone that only I could hear since she had left the range of all the people present.
"I can explain what exactly?! Surely you do not think I will expose my abilities in front of so many people because that will spell death for me!" She said this in a hushed tone but I could tell that she really wanted to yell at the top of her lungs.
"You don't have to expose your abilities, just your knowledge of stuff such as the oaths. Doing so now would allow me to create a branch with the military department specifically for you and people with abilities like your own, all without announcing it to the whole world since I planned on keeping certain things about the military department on a need-to-know basis anyways." I said while shaking my head at Sasha.
"And who gets to decide--" I cut her off because I felt like she already knew the answer to this question but was just a bit fired up right now...
"Obviously, I will decide who needs to know what... Surely you don't think that I will put you in danger or anything like that, right?.. You must have forgotten that your magic is the key to unlocking the explosive-like potential present within this society as a whole." I said while making random hand gestures at Sasha in order to confuse anyone who was considering using our body language to gain insight into our hushed conversation.
"*sigh* Fine... I will share what I know about the oaths, however, you must swear on your ancestors to never tell anyone about my magic, not even your cousins back there..." Sasha stated, ignoring my random gestures entirely, before stepping away from me towards the table in front of us.
"I swear... Now please explain to the people present what you know about the topic at hand, Miss Sasha." I said at a volume that allowed everyone in the room to hear me before focusing on Sasha just like all of the other people present.
Sasha then sighed once again before speaking aloud to us, which left me feeling a bit bad for the woman since I did kinda put her on the spot. I wasn't trying to make light of the trauma she deals with, but I can't help but feel like my actions say otherwise... I guess that is another thing I need to work on going forth...
"*sigh*... Lord Rallo speaks the truth, I can indeed explain to you all how such a thing can be possible, but first, you need to know a bit of my story from before I arrived within this zone. You see... I am from the central zone as well, and I even have memories of the capital Goldenleaf, before... the chaos swept me away from the area, killing my family in the process all those years ago. However before all of this took place, my family and I was privy to information pertaining to subjects such as because of our family profession as arcanists..." She said while looking towards the two people who were from the central zone as well namely, Zach and Rose.
Both of them looked extremely surprised to hear this revelation for reasons that were unknown to me, however, I could assume that people with this profession were few and far between if not nonexistent given the rarity of mages already.
"A family of arcanists!?! Why didn't you say this earlier?" Rose said while stepping up and giving a weird salute that involved placing the lower half of her right arm in front of her chest with her hand facing palm down. Zach stepped up as well but didn't salute or anything like that which left me a bit confused in regards to the status held by these 'arcanists',
"You-- Do you have any proof for your words, Miss Sasha? I find it hard to believe that an arcanist would want to reside within one of the furthest corners of the confederacy..." Zach stated as he looked around the room just to realize that he was in no position to demand anything at the moment.
"Obviously I have proof to back my claims, but before I show it you all must promise to never share what you see with another spirit--" I cut the woman off once again in order to give an answer for all the people present.
"We won't share a single thing about this meeting, let alone this topic, so you don't have to worry about that front... Now please continue." I said while making eye contact with the crowd across from us, hoping they would catch my drift.
"Tut... In that case, take a look at this and tell me if it proves my words..." Sasha stated as she reached into a pocket hidden within the few layers of clothes that she had on before pulling out a perfectly rounded black circle, which was maybe half an inch thick.
The disk itself had to be made from obsidian given its shiny black surface which showed a blacked-out reflection once you position yourself in the front of the object, but I was more interested in how it was made since the object looked to be perfect in it's shape and finish that couldn't possibly be achieved with just human hands alone...
Or at least not to the degree of perfection that is being displayed in this piece. To me, this screamed that magic had to be involved somewhere along the process, even if that contribution was just smoothing the surface of the object, but I suspect it was used for far more than just that... However, I digress.
"This is a scry--" "A SCRYER'S MIRROR!?!" Right as Sasha began her explanation on the object, Zach cut her off with a scream that reminded me of ultra-dedicated fans from the endless amount of shows from Earth that got a little too excited when they saw a piece of memorabilia or something along those lines.
"Excuse my insolence, Miss Sasha. I did not know of your status as a--" This time it was Sasha's turn to shut down the man which made sense given that she has been cut off three times already.
"Enough of that nonsense. If the lord himself does not accept your flattery then why should I... *sigh* This 'status' is nothing more than a target on one's back for those who want something they can not have. You can probably understand this well as a man of science..." Sasha stated while staring down the man who couldn't seem to read the room for the life of him.
"But as I was saying, yes, this is a scryer's mirror, and using it will allow me to see the strings of fate that bind you... It does this by tapping into unseen powers that are present all around us, which originate from the mother herself, of course, to show the structure of the oath that adduced her presence as a witness... All ma- arcanists must learn to use this simple device before even thinking about calling themselves an arcanist though so it should be more than enough to prove my identity." Sasha said as she showed off the beautiful piece of work to everyone present, including my cousins who stood near the door still.
"Yes ma'am, more than enough" Zach said nervously as he performed the same weird salute as Rose.
But I wasn't the only person since Sasha noticed the movement this time as well and called both of them out on their actions with a bit of annoyance in her voice.
"What are you two doing? I do not remember the Lord telling you to give me this... gesture." She asked while looking over her shoulder at me, which caused me to shake my head once again before shrugging my shoulders to indicate that I had no clue where it came from.
Rose and Zach both looked at each other in confusion before dropping the salute and then scratching their heads.
"Well it is customary to salute arcanists in this way in the center zone..." Rose answered as she continued scratching her head in confusion.
"Since when?? I do not remember their being such a 'custom' during my times spent there..." Sasha responded with less annoyance and more anger in her voice this time around.
"Alright... Alright, it hardly matters now that y'all are here now so you can drop the saluting from now on. Let's get back to the topic at hand which is this oath that you took. Sasha, since you can see the structure of this oath using the mirror, I think it's safe to assume you can alter or even remove this oath entirely. Am I correct?" I said, attempting to steer the conversation in the direction that I felt was the correct one.
"Not entirely, Lord. You are right in that one can indeed alter the oath from an individual, but to remove one from a person you have to be fluent in the language of the mother, which has been lost to time for countless years now. I only know a handful of words myself which is enough to alter most oaths that are used during our times, however, I doubt anyone alive today or in the future will be able to outright remove an oath from a person." Sasha said in response to my question.
"*Gasps*" "My word!" "Amazing!!" I overheard a few reactions coming from the crowd in front of us but I was more interested in the topic at hand simply because it reminded me of the books, shows, and movies that I spent too much time consuming back on Earth.
Ignoring the fact that words themself can invoke a response from the world for a second, which is insane enough by itself, it seems that this world, or the mother as people call it has a spirit of its own that interacts or at least observes the things living on this planet. That... That is fucking nuts!!
"Okay... Well, let's get started then if you are ready." I said while hiding my excitement as best as I can.
"Alright. In that case, I will use the mirror to view the structure of your oath before attempting to alter the contents of said oath, so sit down and calm yourself, Zach... Also, I need my full concentration when performing this act so please keep all comments to yourself once the ritual has started..." Sasha stated while looking at Zach before gesturing towards the rest of us as well.
"Firstly, we must adjust the mirror so that it is able to highlight specifically your fate lines rather than all of the ones present within the general area of the mirror. To do this, I need a single drop of your blood to place on the surface of the mirror which will serve as a guide for the mirror beyond the few words I will say... I have not performed such a task in over a decade though, so I may be a bit rusty but the mother will oversee the process as she does all things involving her powers so things should go according to plan..." Sasha continued albeit with less of the confidence that was previously present in her voice.
Luckily for her, Zach didn't seem to recognize that fact since he was still shocked at the revelation of Sasha being an arcanist. However, I did notice that the man was excited at the idea of giving up a drop of his blood to said arcanist as he hurriedly bit his own finger, drawing blood in the process and quickly dropping a single drop on the surface of the mirror.
Once the drop of blood landed on top of the mirror, I saw a ripple spread across the surface of the object as if the object itself was made of some kind of liquid. That obviously wasn't the case since I would have noticed some kind of movement from the object indicating such. So what in the hell?.. I leaned in closer to get a better look and noticed that the surface of the mirror was actually changing, with its surface shifting and morphing as if alive.
It was a mesmerizing sight, and I couldn't help but wonder what other secrets the mirror held.
However, my thoughts were interrupted as Sasha began chanting broken phrases in a language that sounded extremely familiar for some reason but I couldn't put my finger on where I had heard it before.
"Sh-shoah Oafth, err... Mof-mofthar Pleuhze" "Shoath Oafth, Mofthar Pleuhze" "Shoath Oafth--"