More or less clean, the man, more or less gentleman puts Rhea into the hands of two soldiers on duty in front of a laboratory before disappearing from her sight."Please enter the laboratory. One of His Lords.h.i.+p"s servants is probably already waiting for you there."
…
Always very submissive, the young woman, devoid of any expression, enters without uttering a word into the small stone house. She takes a quick look the single room containing various strange-looking magical installations without much interest.
At least this is the point of view of the two simple ignorant soldiers escorting this sublime young woman.
Reaching the center of the room where a man whose the appearance is closer to that of a farmer that of a magician, awaits them, the soldiers whose gaze lingers on the captive"s generous b.r.e.a.s.t.s, envy their Lord who tonight will be able to happily enjoy to her so hot body that their s.e.xs cannot soften since their superior a.s.signed them to escort her.
"Sit down without delay in this chair. The Viscount is not very patient, so if you cooperate to the best of your ability, it will be all the more advantageous for both of us. Soldier, would you remove the lady"s inhibiting bracelets?"
The man who is none other than the stable-lad of the castle was trained in various magical examinations. The La.s.sale family is not so poor, however, it is common knowledge that magicians appreciate luxury, but what could have to offer them this region devoid of any interest?
Having become an a.s.sistant magician by force of circ.u.mstance, the man waits for the two soldiers to remove the magic inhibiting bracelets wrists of the miss, then, without delay, he wraps a small strap made of a soft, cold material around her arm.
From experience, he knows all too well that time will always play against him in this castle ruled by a tyrant, so without wasting a single moment, he connects the strap to a huge translucent crystal, previously imbued with magic.
Wiping his sweat-covered forehead, he blows to catch his breath and calm his restless heart.
All that remains is to wait for the test result and he will be able to write a very brief report that he will send to his merciless master.
Under the attentive and somewhat interested eyes of the stable-lad, the translucent crystal emits a soft green light.
A little talent for magic is not so common and knowing that his master will be very happy with such a result, the man cannot contain a sigh of relief.
The stable-lad who is in too much of a hurry to fill out a report that will satisfy his master is already on his way to the crystal, when the magic detector turns a deep blue.
The man has no time to express his astonishment at this most unexpected result, for as soon as the blue appears, the crystal begins to emit a deafening buzz.
The magic detector trembles. No, it vibrates so much that, due to its rounded base, it is a little unstable and falls on one of its sides.
Luckily, this object, whose acquisition requires the payment of thousands of gold coins, does not seem to be damaged. However, the stable-lad is very worried about these increasingly violent vibrations and decides not to waste any more time.
Quickly, his right hand moves towards the thin wrist of the beautiful young woman who does not seem the least bit concerned by the events.
But as fast as he is, it is already too late.
When, following a thud of crackling noise from the magic detector, a powerful explosion occurs in the little house, all the guards nearby turn their heads.
The stable-lad lying on the floor screams in pain. Like him, the two soldiers, who place their hands on their faces, moan.
For these three people plunged into the deepest darkness, the day will never rise again on the La.s.sale estate.
…
Still motionless on her chair, Rhea licks her lips. Blood isn"t her favorite food, but she can"t stand the idea that this liquid projected on her face forms a crust as it dries.
At her feet, the stable-lad, whose body is perforated by thousands of tiny crystal fragments, screams so loudly that Rhea hesitates to ask the one who looks like a child having a big caprice to keep quiet.
Yet she keeps her words to herself. Seeing the man with the punctured eyes spitting out so much blood, that a small pool has already formed under his body, having a little pity for this simple employee, Rhea just waits that he convulses then immobilize.
No, if he too were to die, perhaps she would be accused of having murdered these three people?
She didn"t play the sweet, docile dolls for slaughter them all now.
Rhea considers her arrest to be a very good thing after all. Getting closer to the n.o.bility might allow her to learn a little more about this world, but if she was considered a murderer by that Viscount...
"(small heal)"
In less than twenty seconds, the calm that she loves so much was restored to her greatest pleasure.
At least, until alerted by the sound of the explosion and the screams, three guards noisily penetrate the little house where the stench of blood has replaced the characteristic smell of the various potions neatly arranged on the shelves.
…
"Your Lords.h.i.+p, an incident has occurred in the magic laboratory."
The viscount, previously occupied with finding peace, takes the small metal vial away from his nose.
"Proceed without burdening me with unnecessary details."
The soldier with the earthy boots rushed here after seeing with horror that his two comrades had just died in the worst way.
Trampling on his pa.s.sage, all the rules of decorum in use in the castle, too much of a hurry to report to His Lords.h.i.+p, he entered the castle like a gust of wind on a stormy day and ran straight to the small salon, without even take care to remove his muddy boots.
Leaving the traces of his presence behind him, he rushed into the Viscount"s favourite room without being announced or even knocking on the door to find him with his nose in his favorite powder.
"Yes, Your Lords.h.i.+p, I"ll come straight to the point. According to the only survivor which we preventively fed with a minor healing potion found in the laboratory, the crystal that supposedly detects a person"s magic exploded on its own, causing the deaths of two of our best guards."
Could this be a bad omen? The viscount is entering a deep reflection. He"s due to return to the capital in two days and the explosion of that crystal could be the harbinger of trouble ahead.
In these lands where the G.o.ds protect and guide men in the right path at all times, since the dawn of time, their evil opposites have always perfidiously waited for the best moment to corrupt, divert or attack the most pious among them.
This crystal had been bought by his great grandfather. It is also very possible that after too many uses, or due to an error in a procedure, this magical detector has finally conceded in the face of age.
"No matter the guards are, they are only manpower destined to die in the name of the La.s.sale. Rather than to linger unnecessarily about men who died for deserving their pay, tell me more about the young woman."