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774 This book does not hold great historical value, but I hope that my readers will be able to find something of interest within it. For my part, I dedicate this book to my friends in the hope that the time we spent together will never be forgotten.*** Cast of Characters Before proceeding with my tale, I shall introduce you to my companions. I must note that we were all roughly the same age and each of us was good-looking (at least in those days; it is difficult for me to judge now as we have not seen one another for a long time), and thus we never had to suffer from a lack of attention from the fair sex. I say this to pique the interest of my female readers, fully aware that stories about attractive people are consumed with far more interest than those about ordinary folk.Virgil of Stingelheim A green-eyed blond and an aristocrat, with flawless features. Height: 180 cm, weight: ~71 kg. A paladin from Reichheim, who was sometimes called the second coming of Luca Fevernight of Marion. The similarities were both in appearance and personality traits. Chaste, restrained in his desires, incredibly generous, hardworking, patient, kind, and humble, as well as fearless and extraordinarily polite—in a word, the ideal prince on a white horse. Rutger Riveldstein A dark-haired swordsman from Illea with grey-blue eyes, son of an Illean count. Height: 187 cm, weight: ~89 kg. If I had to describe Rutger in one sentence, I would say that he was an optimist when it came to things and a pessimist when it came to people, which was evident by his eternally sullen expression. Nevertheless, this does not mean he lacked popularity; back home he had a fiancée—the daughter of the local duke. Rutger, like myself, practiced the school of eight elements, but unlike me, he mastered the path of the moon. Theodahad Bors A Marion Knight with light brown hair and equally light green eyes. Height: 185 cm, weight: ~78 kg. To be honest: when it came to the art of war, Virgil, Rutger, and I were exceptional—one might even say we were monsters in human form—whereas Theo, no offense intended, was an ordinary man; very talented and hardworking, but still ordinary. And yet, he managed to compete with us on equal terms. How? Thanks to extraordinary wit and ingenuity. The guy was so smart that sometimes I actually felt sorry that his abilities were going to waste. Jan Dere Your humble servant. A white-haired beauty with eyes as blue as sapphires. Height: 193 cm, weight: 88 kg. Describing oneself in a few words is no easy task, so I will only say that from childhood, almost everything I took up came easily to me. This also applies to the school of eight elements, in which I mastered the path of the star. And before you decide to make a joke about this, let me correct you immediately—I am not referring to the modern stage. Year of the Warrior This year was a special era for us, when we all helped Amatonte rescue the few remaining inhabitants of Southern Moenia, slew monsters, and defeated those who posed a danger to common folk. Sometimes we worked in large detachments, but often just as four, relying on each other's experience and exceptional skills. One day, Theo returned with intelligence about a lair of mages engaged in magical experiments, and it was our duty to destroy them. While waiting for the appointed time of the operation, we sat by the campfire and chatted.— For example, let's say you learned how to cast a fireball; then what? — Rutger and Virgil were "arguing" about mages. Where the former despised them, the latter was more loyal toward them. — Then, for instance, you learn "subjugation," the practical application of which is only possible on other people. First, you'll justify it to yourself by saying you studied it only for self-defense, then you'll start applying it to "criminals"—after all, they aren't worth pitying and they forfeited their rights when they committed atrocities, right? And then you'll start defining who is a "criminal" and who isn't based on your own convenience. — Knowledge of certain skills does not determine an individual's further fate, Rutger. — The paladin disagreed. — Everything depends on each separate person. — There may be exceptions, but they are rare. Magic is like politics—it's predominantly entered by power-obsessed degenerates, but with mages it's even worse: at some point, the spells they've studied aren't enough for them and they begin to experiment on people in an attempt to satisfy their perverse curiosity. — Someone who used magic offended you in the past, didn't they? — I tried to provoke Rutger, but my plan did not succeed: although he was quite narrow-minded on some issues, he had plenty of self-control. — Guys, let's just focus on the upcoming operation. — Theo tried to steer our thoughts in another direction. — I don't know what you, Jan, plan to do in the future, but a promotion awaits me at home, and for Rutger, a wedding; I will try to do everything in my power to ensure this future does not change. — Oh boy, Theo, — I laughed, — if you read more fiction, you'd know that such phrases are harbingers of doom. *** As the future showed, doom was indeed lying in wait for us, although not entirely in the form Theo feared. — It seems this world no longer has need of your presence. — As always, Rutger, being the fastest among us, attacked first with his characteristic pathos, ruthlessly dealing with one Wizard after another. — Virgil, the hostages! — Theo blocked the path of desperate mages who wished to harm the attackers by executing the prisoners at least, but the Knight guessed their intentions. Virgil, following his comrade's advice, secured the victims of the experiments. I, meanwhile, observed everything from the highest point, denying the casters any one of retreat. *** — Good work, — when the operation was successfully completed, Theo praised the squad, — well, shall we leave? We spent a considerable amount of time tending to the prisoners' wounds, destroying the results of the same casters' research, and gathering information that could be useful in searching for those who supplied them with ingredients and equipment. Due to the successfully completed mission, however, we lost our vigilance. The first reminder that we were in a complete wasteland of monsters was Virgil's scream. We saw how the stinger of an abyss worm—a creature that lived underground—pierced the paladin's lower back and went straight through. Before we could react, it also swallowed Rutger. Need I say that the situation was extremely desperate? Nevertheless, Theo and I did not lose our composure—the Knight managed to leap to Virgil and chop off the monster's stinger before it could tear the paladin in two, while I ripped open the monster's belly, thus freeing Rutger. In the end, we certainly completed the mission and defeated the monster, but Virgil suffered a very severe back injury, and many were even surprised that he did not lose the ability to walk; meanwhile, Rutger swallowed some of the monster's gastric juice and burned his internal organs, which severely undermined his health and put an end to his career as a swordsman. However! Not everything is as sad as it might seem at first glance! Shortly after this operation, Theo became a captain of one of Marion's knightly detachments; Rutger, despite becoming disabled, inherited his father's countship and successfully married the lady of his heart; and Virgil found himself a cozy place to live in the wilderness—I will not say exactly where, so that fangirls do not bother him. As they say, one must weather the bad times and wait for the good ones! Effect of reading the book: you may choose one bonus from the warrior you liked most Virgil: +3 and +3% to health for each unit of stamina. Theodahad: +2 to creation, +2 to etiquette, +2 to leadership, +5% critical damage chance, -5% chance of taking critical damage. Rutger: +5% to universal evasion, +1 to movement speed. Jan: +3 to accuracy, +3 to evasion, +3 to perception. |