Posts from ⚔️Serberia Auto-translated

– Thank you, I was afraid I might drop or tear it, – Gulveig said gratefully, then sighed heavily, clearly indicating that the point wasn't that. – Listen, actually, after that meeting with the soldiers from Artoria... To be honest, your idea of leaving a person in the hands of those sadists seemed... Well, I was furious. I'm not anymore, but I would still like to discuss the recent outing and draw some conclusions. Do you mind?

Veserod silently looks at Gulveig, waiting for her to continue.

-- Well... I'm grateful for what you do for our brothers and sisters. Especially for your leadership in battle, which is invaluable. Overall... Whatever decisions you make, even if I don't agree with them, I understand that the burden of those decisions rests on you, and that in itself is a feat. In the end... I can't say that anything was done wrong today. Whether it was due to your intuition or because you see further ahead than I do, I don't know. Unfortunately, no matter what emotions I feel, our opponents during this patrol could not avoid death.
-- However, I want to point out one more thing. I don't know if you've thought about it, but as a leader, you have another responsibility – for the emotional well-being of your brothers and sisters. Whatever you do, we will all have to agree with your actions, or live in disagreement with ourselves. If your actions lack the necessary empathy, it will affect us too. And I don't want that. In the worst case...
The conversation was well-thought-out, and now Gulveig wanted to say that in the worst case, she would try to challenge Veserod's leadership to save her brothers and sisters, but perhaps he didn't deserve it. At the very least, his attitude towards the three captured inquisitors showed that Veserod was a good person.
-- However, it doesn't matter, the worst case won't happen. I just wanted to point it out. Are you mad?

Veserod woke up to the bustling sounds nearby. Opening his eyes, he saw that Eir had already fetched water, chopped up some rabbits, and was preparing breakfast for all the inhabitants of the forest camp. Flitting around among the dishes, belongings, and various materials like a whirlwind, she was a beautiful sight, a potential caring wife and skilled homemaker.
- You're fast, he greeted his sister. - But I understand, it's hard to stay in bed on such a wonderful summer day. We still have to go out on a new patrol... And today is the second round of the archery competition! I don't know about you, but I believe we'll succeed! - the hunter said with a charming and wide smile.

Anders woke up to the annoying sunlight shining directly into his eyes. At first, he instinctively wanted to roll from his back onto his stomach, but he felt something painfully clinging to his chest as he turned. Fully awake, he discovered Leo - apparently, Kasha had disconnected from him because it was no longer needed - who had been sleeping on his chest. His back ached slightly from sleeping on the damp ground, but essentially, nothing terrible had happened; Anders felt that the pain would go away as soon as his body started moving. Next to him, his brother and sister seemed not only not to feel any discomfort but even felt more energetic than usual. Veserod was smiling with all possible charm, and although this quality of his was previously not very developed, it seemed that after a night in the forest, he had become more charismatic than before - although he was still far from being the life of the party. "Well, he's quite a healthy boar," Anders thought to himself. "Women like that..." To distract himself from sad thoughts, Anders decided to play with his cat a little without getting out of bed.

As if to mock Calentia's reflections that a meeting with inquisitors wishing to rid the world of Anders was purely hypothetical, agents of the Church were waiting for them at the mill—a trio of archers ambushed the group and chose the youth as their primary target. As it later turned out, this was by no means accidental and was due specifically to his inclinations. All that remained was to thank Ryohye's golden hands for the fact that the Mirai managed to stabilize their common brother, preventing an already very difficult day from turning into a full-scale tragedy. Moreover, the Argalian girl's suspicions regarding the identity of the attackers began to form during the battle—the shooters used abilities extremely similar to those Gulveig had taught Virgilio. Nevertheless, having already made a firm decision to protect her brothers and sisters to the end, Calentia could not allow doubts to influence the course of the battle.

The members of the Inquisition who miraculously survived the clash were, alas, not inclined toward diplomacy—they did not regret their actions in the least and wished to have nothing to do with "accomplices of a demonologist." After these words, it became clear that resolving the misunderstanding and parting ways peacefully was impossible, no matter how diligently Veserod tried to reach the prisoners. And Calentia mentally prepared herself for the possibility that her comrades would execute the inquisitors right before her eyes, having no other choice. She disliked such an outcome, but there were no other paths—and the Church agents themselves, had they prevailed over the party, would hardly have shown mercy. The choice was simple: either get rid of the inquisitors or put their entire group, and perhaps even Baldr, at risk. Furthermore, one should not forget the lives of the Mircoria guards who were simply doing their duty. It was easy to understand what choice any pupil of Gungnir would likely make.
Nevertheless, instead of execution, a series of questions followed, clarifying the goal of Reginleiv's scouts, which was already somewhat known to the group. And although it was not easy to loosen the prisoners' tongues, Veserod managed to do so without using Erika's brutal methods. According to the inquisitors, the theft of the artifact was carried out by either one of Hecate's allies or Hecate herself. According to this same information, the countess had planned something sinister, which already caused a healthy dose of skepticism in the girl. It was difficult to accept words about good and evil from someone who had recently diligently tried to end Anders' life. Now, in her eyes, Reginleiv's agents were no better than Erika's soldiers, except that they represented the interests of a different country. Hecate might be behind the theft—a very ambiguous act—and her interests might be directly opposite to those of Reginleiv, but Calentia doubted she was truly planning something malevolent; preparation for the brewing civil war in the country seemed a more likely option. Something that could be viewed differently and motivated by various goals, but which did not fall into the category of absolute evil for the Argalian girl. On the contrary—the countess might be striving to protect her subjects, even if she had to get her hands dirty to do so. In this case, it was not for the girl to judge her. It was unknown whether her other brothers and sisters held a similar position or simply did not wish to soil their own hands, but in the end, it was decided to hand the foreign spies over specifically to the local authorities—and let them decide what to do.

Lady Rivelstein gave the order to dispose of the spies as soon as they were handed over to her men—she did not even waste extra time on interrogations. If nothing else, this clearly demonstrated the truth of their words regarding the countess's involvement, if not in the theft, then in the concealment of the artifact. But again, her intentions remained shrouded in mystery, while the desire to get rid of hostile scouts was only natural. In the end, the result of Veserod's decision to surrender the prisoners to the countess differed little from executing the inquisitors on the spot—only now their bodies dangled in the main square of Mircoria, frightening passers-by and serving as a reminder to other potential spies of the fate that awaited them. Calentia could only mentally offer prayers for the repose of their souls. Perhaps in Arteria's embrace they would find peace.

The patrol that continued after this passed, for the most part, without any particular incidents, except for an occurrence in a cave. Having learned nothing since Tamphana—or perhaps having learned and simply not wishing to risk her brothers and sisters unnecessarily—Veserod gave the order to bathe the contents of the spider cave in fire before the party stepped across its threshold. The result was the corpses of five giant spiders and a prisoner charred to the bone—another scout, if Kashi's words were to be believed. It was hard to say if the demon spoke the truth or perhaps lied in an unexpected fit of empathy, not wishing to subject the group to unnecessary stress. In the end, another inquisitor would have faced only death, either at their hands or at the hands of Hecate's people. Far from the most cheerful incident, but clearly better than the death of someone the party could actually have saved. Lacking the strength for moral anguish, the Argalian girl only granted him a short and silent prayer.

At the end of the patrol, Calentia, appointed as the new representative of the party, went to Lady Rivelstein with a report on the current week:
"The first destination of our group was the crossroads where, according to intelligence from Ilva's tame eagle, a certain traveler had gone astray. He turned out to be an individual of unusual appearance and a guest from distant lands who called himself Zeno. According to him, he had business with you, which he soon confirmed with a sealed letter inviting talented warriors from all corners of the world to Mircoria. After this, our party escorted him to Mircoria.
The next event of interest awaited us by the river, where we encountered a detachment of Serberia's railway police led by Captain Erika Karstenland. During the conversation, in which we explained the task set before our group to the captain, she reported a clash between her men and a spy from Reginleiv, who was first captured and then neutralized by a bullet to the forehead. Aside from this, the police representatives encountered no oddities during their time in the forest.
At the old mill, we managed to avoid an ambush by comrades of the scout captured by Erika and, in the course of a short clash, neutralized our opponent. After disarming the prisoners, patching up wounds received during the battle, and determining the affiliation of the attackers through interrogation, we delivered the Inquisition agents and all seized property directly into your hands, after which they were put to death in the main square of Mircoria.
At the waterfall, we met a guest from the Empire of Airisufir, Aila el Lunaria, as well as her two bodyguards—Ricardo and Nikandra. (description of the trio's appearance is attached) Nothing suspicious was noticed about her—at the time of meeting, she was simply enjoying a swim in the pool adjacent to the waterfall. After a short questioning, we found out that Aila is a traveler passing through Mircoria, after which our meeting with her came to an end.
In a small cave, the entrance of which was blocked by a thick layer of webbing, we stumbled upon five giant spiders and their prisoner, who turned out to be the fifth agent of the Inquisition. All of them, including the foreign spy, were put to the sword, after which we walked through the cave with torches, destroying spider egg clutches. Also inside, we discovered an ominous-looking altar made in the shape of a strange six-eyed spider. In each eye there was a hole for a human right hand, obviously serving for use in some pagan ritual. Deciding not to experiment, we did not touch the altar, leaving its fate to your discretion."

Having finished her weekly duties, Calentia spent the rest of the week in well-deserved rest, recovering mentally and physically from the events experienced. More than once she recalled the difficult decisions that she and her party were forced to make. But in the end, she always concluded that their decisions were correct. In one such moment, her reflections even turned to Teodahad Bors, whom she had once condemned for his cruel and selfish act. She condemned him until she found herself in his place and realized that the man's actions, while not noble, were reasonable and easily understood. After all, he tried to save his sister from an unenviable fate, while the price for her rescue was "merely" a lie toward Gulveig and her broken heart. Clearly a smaller price than the lives of five people. Of course, he could have been more open about his intentions, but then certain risks would arise. And perhaps, had the Argalian girl been in his place—she would have acted exactly the same.
Calentia would not be surprised at all to find out that Teodahad also had to make decisions similar to those her party was making now, which only provided a further explanation for his methods. Something previously perceived as meanness and cruelty now looked completely different—bitter experience and the readiness to protect what is dear to you, even by not the most noble means. Something that required immense inner strength and even evoked a certain respect, if personal grievances were set aside. And now his example perhaps gave the girl the inner strength to continue protecting her family from hardships. Their well-being would be enough for her peace of mind.

In the new week, rested and even looking better after health procedures at the "Odyssey," Calentia decided to take up the count's family offer to pay a visit to the count—any information about the mission they could obtain would benefit their party. And she was somewhat curious as to what information the Rivelsteins were ready to share with them.

Anders woke up to the annoying sunlight shining directly into his eyes. At first, he instinctively wanted to roll from his back onto his stomach, but he felt something painfully clinging to his chest as he turned. Fully awake, he discovered Leo – apparently, Kasha had disconnected from him because he was no longer needed – who had been sleeping on his chest. His back ached slightly from sleeping on the damp ground, but essentially, nothing terrible had happened; Anders felt that the pain would go away as soon as his body started moving. Next to him, his brother and sister seemed not only unfazed by the discomfort but even felt more energetic than usual. Veserod smiled with all possible charm, and although this quality had been poorly developed in him before, it seemed that after a night in the forest, he had become more charismatic than he had been – although he was still far from being the life of the party. "Well, he's quite a healthy boar," Anders thought to himself, "Women like guys like that..." To distract himself from these sad thoughts, Anders decided to play with his cat a little, without getting out of bed.

— A man of the mountains and a woman of the forest, — Kasha suddenly commented, as if joining the conversation, — you could have been like that too, but instead, you hang out with demons like a loser.

-Why are you putting in even more effort?

-Why are you putting in even more effort?

— I mean, do you think you'll ever gain some sense and choose a different path? Will you believe in Artery, start honoring the spirits of nature, or, at worst, rush to kiss the shoe of the local queen?

— Well, I think maybe you'll eventually come to your senses and take a different path? Will you believe in Artery, start honoring the spirits of nature, or, at worst, rush to kiss the shoe of the local queen?

Anders thought for a moment:
-Am I really bothering you that much?...

Upon learning of Kalentia's purpose, Katrina leads the young woman to the count's office. "Your Excellency, Lady Kalentia from the Baldur's Gate group is here to see you." "Very well," he nods to the servant, "you may leave us."

Anders paused for a moment:
-Am I really that annoying to you?...

— No, it's just that the inquisitor's words have a valid point. You're lucky to have such understanding brothers and sisters who are willing to trust you even in this situation, but don't think that others would act the same way in such a situation. It's true that you won't be able to escape the path of lies and fear.

“It is a great honor for me to finally meet you in person, Your Lordship,” the Argalian woman said, bowing respectfully before the Count.

— No, there's some truth to what that inquisitor said. You're lucky to have such understanding siblings who are willing to trust you even in this situation, but don't think that others would act the same way. It's not easy to break away from the path of lies and fear.

- Well, changing one's beliefs isn't something you can do with a snap of your fingers... How can I suddenly start worshipping fire or wind? Will I just wake up one day and start kissing birch trees? Or what? I don't understand. Kissing the queen's boot – well, I don't know enough about her to kiss her boots, and besides, as far as I remember, there's also the option of kissing heels among the demons. An artery? Well, I do like all this – the statues, the priestesses, Kuwayama sounds nice, but there's a difference between liking something and truly believing in it. And after meeting those fanatics at the mill, it's hard for me to believe that the goddess of love would want an order of specially trained assassins who want to kill a person and his cat. Maybe when my adventures come to an end, I'll finish our contract, and I'll be just an ordinary, uninspired guy with a lot of money and an ordinary cat, but for now...

Leo's most useful advice: change your beliefs before Anders gets sent to the bottle.

Veserod could have said that the best solution here would be not to get into such a situation, which in their case was impossible. Or he could have apologized for being such an imperfect leader. He could have blamed Gungnir for this, and also shake his head at himself for how foolishly he had acted as a show-off in the introductory tournament, which led them to this situation. He could have said that he was barely coping with his own psychological burden, possessing only a fraction of knowledge even about his own soul, so it is not surprising that he may lack attention to others. He could have added that, realizing this, he limits himself to setting the General course and providing tactical recommendations in battle, leaving his brothers and sisters with complete autonomy in all other aspects of life - which is completely natural and obvious for every person - and valuing their collective contribution to the discussion in solving any problems. Or he could even sarcastically reply to her, telling her to make decisions herself, since she is so smart. If he had chosen this path of response, he would also have added in annoyance that "taking responsibility," as she had suggested at that moment in their situation, was nothing more than empty words, and if something bad happens, and the prisoner escapes, commits sabotage, kills or maims someone, and so on, then "her responsibility" here would begin and end only with lamentations, admitting her guilt, and beating her breast, but it would absolutely not help with the actual disaster that has occurred. In the same mood, he could have launched into another lengthy tirade about how he despises this rotten pseudo-civilized society, built on illusory simulacra, functioning not according to conscience, but solely on mechanisms of suppression and legalized instruments of state violence, and also about how people, thanks to the ideological and religious garbage poured into their heads by interested parties, are brainwashed from childhood with one or another overvalued idea, which ultimately leads us - random passers-by - into such situations where it is impossible to win and remain in a good mood. Or he could have presented all the same thing in a melancholic and detached style, relying more on the philosophical aspect of the cycle of suffering in life, in which some things are inevitable and there is no way out.
But Veserod said none of this, because he didn't know exactly what and how to formulate it. Noticing that the towel had lost more water than it had contained before washing, and would soon turn into rags in his hands, he broke the cycle of these thoughts and clearly answered the only question asked to him:
- No.
Getting to his feet and unfolding the crumpled cloth, he awkwardly tried to hang it on a branch, but it only crumpled in his hands. Somehow completing this action, he trudged back to where he had come from, but halfway turned to Gulveig. Sighing heavily, he smiled weakly and sadly at her and nodded - as if to say, he understood and accepted.

— It is a great honor for me to finally meet you in person, Your Lordship, — the Argalian woman said, bowing respectfully before the Count.

— To be honest, I already know something about you and your friends, albeit from third parties. In Marion, one of you was hard to miss, and the other is a student of my good friend. But let's leave that conversation for later and deal with more pressing issues. As I understand it, you have some questions for me?

Added 1 minute ago

-Well, changing one's beliefs isn't something you can do with a snap of your fingers... How can I suddenly start worshipping fire or wind? Just wake up one day and start kissing birch trees? Or what? I don't understand. Kissing the queen's boot – well, I don't know enough about her to kiss her boots, and besides, as far as I remember, there's also the possibility of kissing a heel among the demons. Artery? Well, I certainly like all this, the statues, the priestesses, Kuwayama sounds nice, but one thing is liking it, and another is believing it wholeheartedly. And after meeting those fanatics at the mill, it's hard for me to believe that the goddess of love would want to have an order of specially trained assassins who want to kill a person and his cat. Maybe when my adventures come to an end, I'll complete our contract, be a regular, uninspired guy with a lot of money and a regular cat, but for now...

— Do as you see fit, just don't regret it later.
Disconnects.