Chapter 13

Baseless promise

There was no problem with the awakening of the second Child… apart from the obvious loss of memories. I tell it where to go and who to meet in simple instructions then close the archive behind me. It is good that the curator is there today because if there is anyone who would know about history, it is him.

“Good morning curator, I am done with this place for the day, but if you do not mind, I would like to ask you a few questions. It is about the dragon/calamity from two hundred years ago.”

“I always have time for you, sir.”

While he locks the staircase door, I ask. “Was it a really a dragon/calamity, or something else? I read it is hiding in some mountain somewhere in this country but that seems dubious.”

“Epics, poems, sermons and the like are always dubious sources. It was a time of war, chaos, and betrayals; people at the time had little interest in truth.”

“I see.”

It really was fabrication all along? I am feeling better already.

“Sadly, the beast really does nest in the mountains, and it is only thanks to the Queen wisdom that our country still exist.”

I look at him blankly.

“While I never saw the mighty beast myself, I have access to all that was ever written about it, including many kept out of public knowledge.”

“What do you know about it?”

“What you read is more or less accurate, for the monster, every marching army, every city, every crowd, was just another target to destroy and that it spared none. Our country was mostly left alone thanks to Queen's quick thinking. As soon as came news of the beast, she ordered the evacuation of cities and the dispersal of the army and the population across the country. It made it hard for the dragon to hunt them… but because of that, our neighbors suffered twice as much.”

“That was a smart move on the Queen’s part. Fighting back only incite them further.”

“Not everyone would agree with you. Cities were razed and tens of thousands died without receiving protection. There were outrage and public protest, but after the dragon put them down, they had no choice but to do as they were told. Even so, we barely avoided starvation, barely.”

Even if the Queendom was prepared – and it was not – this method could only last so long.

“The situation in the kingdom and the empire was much worse though; there are very little first-hand accounts left from that time, and the poor sods were not right in the mind. After that, bards, author and propaganda took care of erasing what little truth was left.”

I heard of it before... artistic license, was it? The alteration of the truth in order to make the story more interesting. “What really happened? How did you make it leave?”

“The cities and armies were destroyed, but the countryside was left alone for the most part. Once it ran out of big armies and cities, it burned whatever big pocket of the population it found then flew north to ravage the Queendom. Many empty villages and cities were burned, but it never found what it was looking for and settled into the mountains where it hunted the lesser dragons to extinction.”

He looks up, then mumbles something. “I suppose it’s alright for you to learn the whole truth. Her Majesty knows where the beast lies. After it disappeared, she recruited the greatest adventurers of the time, outfitted them with the best equipment money could buy and they set out hoping to slay it in its slumber… they never came back.”

Obviously, you cannot destroy a dragon/calamity with sticks or metal, the spell designed to slay the great beasts is powerful enough to change the landscape.

“Unbeknownst to them, Her Majesty knew they had no hope of victory… she intended for them to be a sacrifice and sacrifice they became. After playing with the heroes for a while like a cat with its prey, the dragon ate them and went back to sleep.”

He is so long-winded!

“Sacrifices to keep the dragon/calamity entertained and fed? It sounds like it could work for a while. Does the practice continue to this day?

“It does. I heard from the Queen that your species had the power to slay even the greatest and mightiest of elder dragons, but please, do not slay the beast! Its existence is a deterrent to war and a dozen souls every few years is a small price compared to the tens or hundreds of thousands who would die in war.”

“I suppose you are right; it does seem like a wise choice. Fear not, I will not carelessly attempt to kill the beast.”

An ‘attempt’ defines the situation perfectly. The dragon-slaying spell was something dozens needed to work together to cast. Even now, I still cannot something do it alone.

“It reassures me that you understand, thank you for listening.”

“Thank you for your time, you taught me all I wanted and more.”

I wonder if I should relocate to a new continent.

<><><>

That night her Majesty come to visit me as usual and at some point, she suddenly asked

“I heard you asked about the dragon/calamity, do you intend to you slay it?”

“I was told I should not do it since it acts as a deterrent for war.”

“This value has been lost for some time. Human lives rarely extend beyond sixty, from their point of view the event of two hundred years ago are in the realm of legends.”

“It is there for all to see if they care to look.”

“I wish things were that simple. The dragon resides within our territory and they distrust us about as much as we distrust them. The relationship between states has been more peaceful since the dragon/calamity, but it is hardly amicable: before the catastrophe, we never declared war on them, but every time they did, we expanded our territory at their expense.”

Is it not their own fault for trying again then?

“Humans of the empire have integrated well into our society, but even to this day, those from the One true god’s kingdom still see us as unholy creatures and pagans.”

It is getting even more long-winded than the curator! I suppose it is because it does not need to breathe.

“I thought all three countries had settled on natural obstacles such as rivers and mountains to define their borders?”

“Not willingly, we imposed it on them because it was more convenient.”

“If the kingdom’s former citizens are such a bother, why not kill them? Or expel them?”

“I caressed the idea, but even if the people of the kingdom and the empire are enemies, they are still the same species, and so, to avoid losing one, I accepted the other… I regret it now: a little violence back then would have avoided a lot more now. It is regrettable that I did not understand human nature back then.”

“What do you mean?”

“The former imperial citizen wouldn’t have cared: they both saw the others as less than human. War is already inevitable: integration has failed, humans have forgotten the calamity, and agitators from the One True God’s religion incite rebellion with talks of inequality and servitude.”

“It does not seem that way, though.”

“But it is not entirely untrue, either. Humans have little prospects in the Queendom. Their lives are short compared to others; some elves and great Koroks have held to their position for a dozen human generations. The Koroks are in a similar situation, but they have been there since the very beginning.”

It emits a sound similar to a sigh which is strange considering it does not breathe.

“Truthfully, unless they live in majorly human cities, they can only reach the bottom of the hierarchy in the short time they have.” Do you know…” It stops. “Do you know the for every single elf criminal there are a dozen human bandits? It is not a good country for them, even if I do my best to make their life easier, there are not many prospects of advancement for short-lived species besides the high-risk high-return kind.”

“I see no solution to that problem either...”

“Almost two centuries ago, I opened free schools under the Goddess’s faith. I wanted to teach the poorest of the newly integrated human how to read and write to help them jobs with better prospects and wages. The one true god’s church has always denounced this as propaganda and (brainwashing)… they say we bar access to good jobs unless the people have been (indoctrinated)!”

Indoctrination, brainwashing what were those? I will just take them as synonyms for propaganda.

“The only way for the One True God’s religion to keep credibility is to paint all I do as evil and underhanded… and it works. Whatever their species, people like to complain, and it is so much easier to shift the blame. I should have crushed when I had the opportunity, war is coming and nothing can stop it.” It looks at me right in the sockets (eyes) “I beg of you, slay the dragon before our mindless quibbling awaken it!”

“I cannot...”

“If you do not know the method, I have a book with the spell in the secret royal archive.”

“I already know the spell, but it is beyond what any individual can achieve! It was usually cast with the cooperation of multiple circles!”

“But you have grown so powerful…”

I cut its sentence short. “This not about power, but complexity: a great deal of precise preparation is needed to cast the spell.”

“What kind of preparation are we talking about exactly?”

“Multiple layers of exclusion barriers cast with very precise timing... Dragons/calamities are so resistant to the effect of magic that they might as well be immune. The dragon-slaying spell is different in that the effects are almost purely physical… I would say it is on a par with those giant flaming rocks falling from the sky.”

“This is insane!”

“Even so, without the extra layers of exclusion barriers to direct the effects, one would need to hit the target almost point-blank to get enough force to kill it. As I have said, the precise control is why it needs for multiple circles of mages.”

“Then there is no hope…”

Surprisingly, its sadness and despair make me hurt as well. “Because Koroks and elves lack the ability to control mana directly they cannot become part of a circle... Unless? “I have no guarantee yet, but we might be able to do something with magic tools.”

“Really?”

“It will take time...” Or never happen altogether, I suspect the spell would be many pages long and even then, we would have to cast it when the target is at a stop. “…but with a magic tool, we would not have to worry about synchronization, same thing for powering it.”.

“I am glad we talked to you, this one knew she could count on you... I need to make some preparations, good night.”

So many verbal slips in a single sentence and wishing the sleepless me a good night to boot? Strangely, I find it so endearing that I would be smiling if I had a face. “I wish you a good night, your Majesty.”

Now that I think about it, does it need to sleep? I know it has a bed in its room, but then again, so do I.