Chapter 17: Chapter 17

As I left the castle wall in the company of the girls, I gathered the stares of the city's soldiers. After my speech to the Vult and the uprising of the living dead that followed, there was an air of awe in their eyes, mixed with a certain amount of fear. From their side it looked as if it was my will that the dead rose to their feet and attacked our enemies. This, in addition, had fertilized my actions earlier, when I had come to the rescue here and there, invariably leaving a mountain of corpses behind and disappearing without a trace. However, most of them, instead of staring, had other things to do. So that the Vult wouldn't be tempted to try his luck with us instead of fighting the dead, the archers sent volleys of arrows over the wall of fire, contributing to the mess that was going on there.

The reaction of the people even pleased me in a way. It wasn't that I was a sucker for attention or anything, but... every time I fought on Earth and saw the respect and gratitude in the eyes of ordinary soldiers, I knew I wasn't living in vain. This is a little different, of course: people with a medieval worldview were naturally more impressionable, but it doesn't change the fact. The satisfaction of a job well done and the fact that everyone knows whose fault it was, pleasantly warmed the ego.

Power corrupts, doesn't it? Well, maybe... if only a little.

I grinned at my own thoughts, and thought to myself that I shouldn't get too cocky. I thought that if I didn't, I might turn into another asshole before I knew it. Although... maybe I wouldn't. I have one "critic" in my head whose arguments I will listen to very carefully. Boiled brains are a good enough incentive to behave decently.

Already inside the castle, I said goodbye to Maya and Alicia, who decided to use the time they had received to get a proper rest. Both girls were very tired and could really use some proper relaxation. I don't think that even the fact that a real miniature zombie apocalypse has unfolded outside the walls can shake their sweet dreams. Especially Alicia's. The princess was so exhausted that if she touched her bed, she'd pass out instantly and sleep for at least twenty-four hours. I wondered where to go and what to do myself. There were several options: to go to the infirmary and see how Celestina was doing, to lounge around on my own, or to check on Olga. I was leaning toward the latter. I hadn't seen her or Chloe since all this cattiness had begun, and I'd missed them a lot.

It wasn't hard to find them; I knew where the Queen had set up for the ritual. The corridor near the place where she had worked her magic was now unmistakable, but there had been a battle. The corpses of the idiots who had risked trying to take her prisoner and had naturally failed were gone, as was the blood dripping from them. Only traces of buckshot on the walls remained, because there was no way to remove them quickly. As I glimpsed these points, I went to the good-looking carved door, knocked, and opened it without waiting for an answer.

"I told you not to disturb me... Kay!" - The woman's displeasure at the unexpected visitor was quickly replaced by joy when she deigned to see who had come

Olga was seated in a comfortable chair next to a ritual circle inscribed on the floor of the room, which now emitted a bright green glow. It served as an indicator of the stock of magical energy invested in the undead, and when the circle completely extinguished, it would mean the end of the ritual. Behind her near the wall was Chloe. She had learned from her unpleasant experience with traitors, she kept her shotgun pointed at the door from which I appeared, but as soon as she recognized me, she immediately lowered her weapon and ran into me, wrapping her arms around my chest.

"You're alive." - She whispered as she rested her head on the breastplate of her armor, and I hugged her back and stroked her head.

"But you're trying your best to fix it." - Unlike the blonde, Olga did not throw herself at me. Instead, she slowly rose from her chair and slowly approached me, squinting unkindly at it. - "Tell me... who told you to take such risks?"

I could hear the worry in her voice. So did the twitching of her eyelids and the tips of her ears.

"All that crazy jumping off the walls, fighting the Ogres alone against the mob... you were always setting yourself up for something, weren't you?" - As she approached me she scolded me, like a strict teacher to a negligent student, or a mother whose stupid son got into another fight in the street and came home with a black eye. - "Was in the biggest meat grinder all the time! As if others couldn't have done it without you! Do you have any idea what happens if you die?!"

"Mm-hmm... stupid human..." - There was a sniff under my ear, adding to the shame that was already building up. Irrational and beyond logic. Yes, I was always in the thick of things, but I was never in mortal danger. I wasn't even wounded! But for some reason I am ashamed in front of these two...

"When I heard your talks, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest." - Olga's shoulders slumped, her voice lowered, and she sounded strangely pitiful.

"My caution would have paid the price in the deaths of good men." - I said calmly, looking her in the eye. - "And I did everything I could to prevent it. Where I am calmly surviving, none of them can. I just don't know any other way."

"I understand, but..." - Olga came close to me, reached out and touched my cheek with her warm hand. - "We were very worried about you."

"And very glad that you came back" - Chloe added.

"And we would be very hurt if anything happened to you." - The black-haired dark elf finished their common thought, and, moving her ward slightly, joined her in a hug.

My dark elves and I just stood there in silence for a while, enjoying the moment of intimacy. It felt good to know that they really cared about me. So much so that the usually calm Olga even raised her voice, which was rare in my memory. Although there was a little resentment about being underestimated and a feeling of hyper-petulation, it was so small that I hardly noticed it. After all, both the girls and I were well aware that if necessary, I would stick my head into the lion's mouth more than once, and, like a real circus trainer, would calmly take it back. But that didn't stop Olga and Chloe from worrying, and me from enjoying their care. Even if in this slightly aggressive form.

"So." - Apparently believing that we had had enough tenderness, the queen unhooked herself from me and stepped back a few steps. - "Since our dearest friend Vult is a little busy right now, and we have some free time, why don't we pay Celestine a visit?"

"I don't mind, Mistress." - Chloe purred, still on my arm. - "Especially since Kay needs to be seen by a healer."

"I'm not hurt." - I objected here, but realized that the objection is not accepted, when I saw a strange glint in Olie's eyes.

"That, Kay, we have yet to find out." - She said in a strange tone and waved her hand, pointing to the exit. - "Come on."

"As you say." - I gave up without a fight. I don't see the point in arguing, and I have no objection to seeing the infirmary. - "But not for long, because I haven't eaten all day, and I'm dying for some meat. And I'd like to take a bath wit a very hot water."

 

***

The infirmary was crowded. A large room specifically designated for receiving the wounded was pre-stuffed with beds and filled with everything necessary to help the wounded, but even that wasn't enough room for everyone. People were lying on soft pads right on the floor wherever there was room to do so.

There were no lightly injured people. Those who had received first aid were immediately sent back into combat, and now only those unable to fight were left, but even that was enough to give the place a whiff of blood and human misery. The moans and cries of the soldiers were interspersed with the gentle voices of the nursing nuns of the local monastery and the ordinary people with some knowledge of medicine.

It was a depressing picture, but it was the face of war. I've seen enough of this sort of thing in my time, and even worse. Few people survived after meeting wit molluscs, and those who were "lucky"... at best there was only half a body left. There were no molluscs here. But there were ogres and their like, a single blow from them was enough to turn human innards into mashed potatoes. So the couple hundred men who were here weren't really a fifth of the actual casualties. It's just that most were left lying outside the castle, to add to the number of dead warriors raised by Olga.

"Yep. War never changes." - I muttered as I followed the dark elves, maneuvering between the casualties. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a couple of the girls we'd saved from the slave-traders on the way. I didn't expect them to be. Not only because they were helping the humans they hated, but because I'd forgotten they even existed, in the midst of all the preparations for the battle. One of them, noticing us, broke away from her work, namely, washing surgical instruments in boiling water and picked up a long dress and hurried toward us.

"Your Majesty." - The woman politely bowed to Olga, allowing her to get a better look at herself. I recognized her by the white hair dishevelled from beneath her shawl. It was she who had volunteered to be the eldest of the rescued five and behaved most actively. If she was here, the other one was probably her daughter.

"Where is Celestine?" - Accepting the greeting with a slight nod, the queen asked the question.

"At the far end of the hall, by the most severely injured warriors." - The woman answered, pointing behind her.

"Lead on." - Briefly threw Olga and her subject silently bowed and led us away.

Having led us to the right place, the blonde once again bowed and went to do her important work further, and the three of us witnessed an interesting picture.

On a broad wooden table lay a woman without a leg up to her thighs. Beside her were two men. And those two were the blond elf we knew, and the girl with pink hair and a cute baby face.

"I've sedated her, we can begin." - Said Celestine in a concentrated tone. Her face showed obvious signs of fatigue: deep shadows under her eyes, barely visible wrinkles on her forehead, and her lips stretched into a thin line. But she remained as concentrated as possible, surely not her first or last surgery of the last twenty-four hours.

"Yes, Mistress." - Prim replied. She was wearing a simple dress and her hair was pulled back into a knot at the nape of her neck to make it more comfortable. At her older partner's command she began unwinding the bandage on the stump of her unconscious patient's leg, exposing the blood-soaked flesh and the stump of bone. It looked unpleasant, but no one in the room seemed to wince. Not even Prim. Apparently, the girl had seen a lot of things around here and was used to it.

The next action came as a surprise to me. After getting rid of the bloody rags, the girl leaned over the table and pulled out a roll of clean cloth, one end of which was oozing blood. When she unwrapped it, we could see a human leg. Most likely belonging to the warrior they were now treating. Then, in four hands, the girls quickly washed the open wounds with some kind of potion and leaned the limb against the stump.

"Hold it steady." - Celestine chastised, adjusting her ward's movements. - "That's it."

Then the priestess's hands lit up in a soft green glow and she began to move them where the flesh was touching. After a few seconds the wound began to slowly heal, and in a couple of minutes there was only fresh pink skin where the tear had been left.

"Now we just need to put a splint on and wait for your bone to heal." - The priestess, wiping large drops of sweat from her forehead, stroked her patient's hair affectionately. - "Forgive me, but I have expended too much energy and will not be able to reattach it completely."

"Holy crap." - I could only squeeze out when it was all over. Not Olga with her lightning and hand-made zombie apocalypse, not Celestine, who managed to perform complex surgery in medieval conditions and without any advanced equipment at all. If I hadn't come back from the dead twice myself, I'd have thought I was imagining things.

"Impressive, Celestine. Nice demonstration of your gift in action." - Olga was not so impressed, which is not surprising, but still watched with interest the woman and her actions. Chloe just silently watched with an indifferent face, not forgetting to control her surroundings.

"It's a pity that the reason for bragging was by no means idle." - Tiredly smiled back at the pale elf. - "It's good to see you three in one piece."

Leaving the two of them to each other, I approached the pink-haired girl.

"How are you holding up here?" - Putting my hand on her shoulder, I asked, smiling softly. - "You did well... I saw how you work and I was impressed."

"Thank you, Sir Kay. I'm doing the best I can." - Prim was a little embarrassed to accept the praise. - "You've seen my sister. Is she all right?"

These two, Prim and Alicia, are very dear to each other. Both ask the same thing first.

- She's allright. - I replied.

"Thank the goddess..." - The girl breathed a sigh of relief, but then she glanced anxiously at me. - "What about you? Are you hurt? I heard about all the crazy and dangerous things you've done, and you must have hurt yourself in the process!"

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The girl began to fuss, groping me for injuries. I saw no point in resisting, since that was what I had been brought here for. So it would be easier just to let them make sure of the integrity of my skin, and then do something chaff.

"Hmm..." - When she had finished her inspection, Prim frowned her nose funny, stepped back a few yards, and looked at my figure with another focused look. - "I guess you really allright."

"See?" - I turned to my dark elf mocking eyebrow. - "There's nothing to worry about."

"We had to be sure." - The brunette grimaced, admitting defeat. The blonde nodded in agreement, supporting her mistress.

"And so should I." - Celestine, who had been watching her subordinate's manipulations with tenderness, turned the light back on one of her hands and came toward me. And again what had just happened to me was repeated, with the exception that the elfess did not touch me, but held her open palm at a small distance from my body. At the same time I clearly felt a slight warmth and a pleasant tingling sensation.

"Hmm..." - Olga was watching this with a hand under her chin, watching with mild displeasure.

There was a subtle pleasant smell coming from the elfin, and her thoughtful face with slightly frowning eyebrows looked quite lovely.

"And indeed, quite all right." - Having made an expert conclusion, the woman returned to her seat and sat down on the edge of the table, from which the sick woman had already been picked up by two sturdy-looking guys who had come up with a stretcher. - "Absolutely healthy. No sign of" exhaustion or fatigue.

"Are we done here?" - I asked a rhetorical question.

"Yes." - Celestina nodded.

"In that case, I'll get right down to business". - Barely nodded and headed away from the company of the compassionate women. It's a pleasure and all, but I've never been one for hyper-petty. Besides, looking at how tired the infirmary workers looked, I wanted to help.

"What kind of business?" - The queen asked, not even thinking of stopping me.

"I know a thing or two about medicine. I will help those in need." - I looked back at him briefly, and then walked away, leaving the company of the girls.

 

One week later.

The battle ended, as my queen had predicted, two days later. A few hours later, after the last of the dead men Oley had raised in defense of Feoh was laid to rest, the first squads of soldiers came out to scour the city for enemy survivors. I was one of them, too, wandering the streets and using my enhanced eyes to search better. The sight, when we left the castle and stepped into the town square, was terrifying. Everywhere the eye could reach there were dead bodies, and it seemed as if there wasn't a single piece of land left where another dead person wasn't lying. The smell of burning and rotting flesh clogged my nostrils, the men beside me squirmed, and a couple of the newcomers even managed to empty their stomachs.

I have to say, there was a lot to it. Not only the stench, but also the sight of the decaying remains made quite an impression on people. Many of the dead have been lying here for days, not to mention those who have gone up to the cemetery, and the sight of shabby bones and rotten flesh disgusted everyone who could see them. I even felt sorry for the men who had the hard and thankless job of picking it up and burning it. That's not something to envy, but it has to be done, nonetheless. Flies are already swarming over the remains, and if nothing is done, there will be an epidemic of some kind of infection in the city.

On the whole, the reconnaissance went smoothly, although occasionally there were places where singles or groups of enemy fighters were hiding. They were taken alive - it never hurts to have an extra source of information, no matter how dubious. And it's unlikely that small bastards can tell you something serious, but it's better not to neglect this opportunity.

Accidents happened, a couple of times on the communications received messages from the girls that in one place or another there was a major skirmish with losses on our side, one such even had to look at me, because stuck in the ruins of a large tavern mercenaries two dozen could not dig out on their own. It took them ten minutes to get to me, most of which was spent getting there.

Feoh had survived, though little remained of the bright picture I'd seen from the castle window. In the street fighting and the ensuing rampage of the undead, several wooden buildings had burned down, and more had been damaged in various ways. Dirt, soot, stench, and other debris gave the thriving city the appearance of a half-burned, half-decayed ruin. But this is only in appearance. Without my usual weaponry, it's very difficult to destroy a city to an obscene state, especially in just a couple of days. For the most part, after a lot of cleaning and repair, you can continue to live here, the damage has been done, though great, but far from critical.

All in all, apart from a couple of nuances, the cleanup went smoothly. Having started in the morning, the first search parties reached the outer wall by evening, and a little later, closer to sunset, our fighters entered the abandoned enemy camp. Judging by the scattered belongings, they left in a great hurry, taking with them everything that was bad. Thus, we were in possession of a good arsenal of weapons and armor, a good supply of provisions, and much more that the fleeing Vult's suits had not had time to take with them. The general estimate is that the enemy lost in the range of seven or eight thousand dead during the battle alone, and the survivors were left with practically nothing but a bare ass. You could say it was a crushing victory. The only two really big downsides are the fact that no one even remotely resembling a Vult was found among the corpses and our losses already. More than half of the warriors who defended Feoh will never see tomorrow, but I hope that they will sleep peacefully in the other world, for their home, their families, and their friends have survived and will remember the sacrifice they made for the rest of their lives.

The next day, people streamed from the castle into the city to rebuild what had been destroyed. Only the very young children, the elderly, and the wounded, who needed peace and care, did not participate. The residents, elated at their victory, began their work and now, three days later, the streets were cleared of rubble and corpses, many of the damaged buildings had received minimal repairs, and some of the taverns and innkeepers were back in business. The fact that most of the loot the Vult's lackeys hadn't been able to carry with them and had dumped it to escape the dead helped them a great deal. There was still much to be done to erase all traces of the battle, its traces could be seen almost everywhere, and the fires burning mountains of corpses outside the city were burning, but on the whole things were going for the best.

Feoh was coming back to life.

The farewell ceremony for the fallen had recently ended. In the relatively tidy town square, Celestine read her speech, surprising me again with her talent for oratory. With the right choice of words and intonation, she was able to ease the bitterness of the inhabitants at the loss of their loved ones, to inspire faith in tomorrow, and to reinforce the anger in people's souls against the invaders. At the same time, she did not forget to begin fulfilling her and Olga's agreements, mentioning her in positive terms several times and indicating who had warned the priestess of the impending attack, helped her prepare, and ultimately played a key role in bringing victory. I got a little glory, too. And even Chloe got some, not to mention the girls of the Order, who stood beside us on the platform for the whole ceremony, so people could see and remember their heroes. And now we were all gathered together in the hallowed dining hall to discuss the outcome of the battle and decide what we were going to do next.

As on the first day, at the big table, at one end of it sat the girls of the Order of Seven Sisters, and the other three of us, me in the middle, and Olya and Chloe on the right and left, respectively. Everyone, without exception, looked tired, even me, who never had time to sleep because I was always busy doing something. First I fought, then I helped at the hospital, then I combed the city, then I fought again, and finally I helped to clear and repair the ruins. Never gave myself a moment's peace, and now I'm paying it back. But I certainly don't regret it, even though all the girls, without exception, look at me with mild judgment.

"So, Vult ran off and took his rabble with him." - Olga was the first to start, opening the meeting, so to speak. - A pity, of course, that he didn't die, that would have been just fine, but, unfortunately, it didn't happen." - At that she smiled wryly, raising her eyes to the ceiling. - "Now let's decide what we're going to do about it. Who has an idea?"

"We have inflicted on him a heavy defeat and he will lick the wounds for a long time. I suggest we don't pull too hard and take the bull by the horns while the initiative is on our side." - Having made a general suggestion, I immediately supplemented it with concrete actions. - "We will not be able to fight him using all available forces as long as there are traitors in Free Cities. We must capture them all, twist their heads off, and then use all time we have left to prepare a more or less normal army."

"That won't be easy." - Maya said, drumming her fingers on the table with a thoughtful frown on her brow. - "They're scattered all over the country, and to catch them one by one is to stir up a hornets' nest. If we take on one, the others will revolt openly, and then things will be very bad."

"So we have to swat them all at the same time. But how to do that?" - The red-eyed dark elf voiced a splitting thought, and the question hung in the air, as the answer to it is not so easy to find.

The question is a good one. Maya is right, we can't afford to start a civil war, otherwise attacking the Vult before he regains his strength would be out of the question. Rather, it's more likely to come over our heads while we're fighting with his cronies. In that case, all that we have accomplished so far would not be worth a damn. That's why the corrupt aristocrats have to be killed all at once. But we don't have enough men to send assassins to everyone, and there's no guarantee of success, and the only option I see is this.

"I know what we can do." - As if she had read my mind, Celestine spoke after a few minutes of silence. - "As head of state and church, I have the right, in an emergency, to call a meeting of the banners in the capital. An attack on Feoh by a huge army is just the right reason."

"And then all can be dealt with at once!" - Upon hearing this, my queen clapped her hands, and even changed her usual manner of speaking, exclaiming approvingly. - "Bravo, Celestine! You delight me more and more."

"And their money can be confiscated and put to good use." - Alicia added to the thought. - "That would leave only the merchants and ragamuffins, but they'd be a lot easier to deal with. But..." - she hesitated at the last word, lowering her voice and crossing her arms under her chest, - "I have a request.

- "What is it?"

"Ur. This town is on the way to the capital and Mortadello's swineherds are there. - The princess began to speak, looking at her sister with tenderness and undisguised concern. - "After what we've learned about them, I don't want creatures like them walking around near Prim's family."

"Sister Alicia..." - The pink-haired girl was taken aback and could not find an answer.

"Mistress Celestine, I beg your permission not to wait and deal with them at once." - The blonde with the purple eyes, meanwhile, voiced her request in a firm voice.

"What about caution?" - Chloe, judging by her look, was not against the idea, but decided to clarify how Alicia was going to deal with the consequences of what she wanted to do. - "Their deaths could create a storm that would consume us all."

"The storm will not beign unless there are those left to tell abot it." - The princess's answer was voiced even more forcefully.

"You're growing up fast, girl." - Olga smiled bloodily, flashing her golden eyes.

"I understand your concern, Alicia, and I agree to your request." - After a little thought the priestess replied. - "What do you say, Prim? It is your home we are talking about."

The eyes of everyone present were fixed on the girl, who was nervously moving the hem of her dress and biting her lip. There was a lump of doubt and worry in her pretty head about her parents.

"If it would keep my mom and dad safe, then I agree too." - Still, she shook off her indecision and blessed her cousin.

After that, the discussion of details and the elaboration of the mass murder of the local aristocracy began. I am sure that somewhere out there, on Earth, Comrade Lenin in the mausoleum raised his embalmed thumb in a gesture of silent respect and wished us all success in this difficult but so important task. And we will do our best to make sure that he is not ashamed of us.

We'd been talking for five hours, during which time we'd had a meal brought to us by the five dark elves we'd rescued, and the already tired women were starting to feel sleepy. And I could do with a rest, too, for I'd been on my feet for a week. In general, when all began to noticeably peck on the nose, a general decision the meeting was called off and we slowly began to disperse to the chambers. After a quick bath with hot water, in which Eisha helped me to wash, I got into clean clothes and came to my room, where my two beautiful dark elves were already waiting for me.

On the double bed lay two naked beauties. One with white hair, one with black. Between them in the middle was specially left a little space so that I could fit there, and the blanket was rolled up at the feet, revealing two seductive figures.

"Why are you standing there?" - Olga curved seductively and beckoned me with her finger. - "We really missed you, come to us."

"Anyway..." - Shaking my head, I threw off stupor, undressed, and slipped into bed, covering us with a blanket. Once settled, two beautiful heads that smelled like fragrant floral soap nestled on my shoulders and two slender legs crossed at my waist.

Unfortunately, neither of us was going to put off sleep and turn the bedtime into something more, but I had a feeling that tomorrow morning would be more fulfilling than anything we'd done before.

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