Capitolo Terzo: Conquista (5)

“He is much stronger than I expected.”

The admission felt humiliating to deliver, especially when the witch smiled a knowing smile. Hours of trying to wait for the chance to strike had gone to waste. His target was too protected, sheltered even, and nothing could be done without risking his current closeness to their living quarters. The boy’s mother and the unusual butler… these two were as dangerous as the child’s father. The father himself was the worst of them all.

Why did he shine so brightly? Why did Grigori’s eyes burn just glancing at his frame, why was the warmth so unpleasant and yet so calm and tame? Dio Joestar was indeed a true good monster. And it made the sorcerer hesitate from going any further. And she was already aware of this from the way she looked at him, taunting his own weakness and bruising it to the point it became unbearable to keep quiet about it. She was just so infuriating at times…

“I am not powerful enough to deal with him.”

“Oh dear ‘Lord’, Grigori. I raised a magician, not a whiner,” The woman hummed quietly beyond the limpid texture of the mirror they were using to talk with one another. “And, as far as I remember, he is not the target.”

“I’m aware, yes!” He shot back, anger finally breaking through his composure. “But the child’s parents never leave his reach. He is never left unprotected, never once!”

The beautiful witch sighed and facepalmed at his response. “Then create the situation where they are going to be forced to leave the child to his devices. Don’t tell me magic is already affecting your sanity to the point you have lost logic and sense in it.”

He frowned at that possibility and the woman groaned.

“It’s a joke used to tease magicians’ lack of common sense at times. But I think this may be the real case since you are such a pest right now-”

“I will get him. The boy shall be yours.”

“I expect so, Grigori. One mistake, that’s how much leeway you will get from me. Do you understand?”

A nod, that’s how much he was willing to give her. The conversation ended and the former monk fell on his chair. Tired, frustrated and unsure how to strike. Not here, not now- his mind was screeching at him to prevent him from making a mistake now that his target was the most sheltering. Petrograd was just too guarded for any monster to sneak inside. No, it was too early. He had time, he had dedication. He needed to be prepared for when the opportunity came up.

The shelter he ‘borrowed’ from a nice old lady that lived at the edge of the city was going to be enough to keep around for the time being. A glance to the floor, to the pool of blood forming from the corpse of the hag now lying on the ground reminded him that he needed to clean that. A monster he may be, but he had some standards he didn’t wish to breach right now.

Not when he could avoid getting troubled by the soldiers patrolling the capital on a regular basis…

Grigori still decided to rest for a while. The home was warm and helped to handle the slight case of cold that came from his little trip through the freezing forests of the region. He needed just a tiny break, and then… and then he was going to get back to plan something. Gritting his teeth, Grigori Rasputin stared at the ceiling over him in anger. Dio Joestar would die too by the time he was done plotting the right course of action.

Someone like him, someone as happy as he was- he couldn’t be allowed to live in any circumstance.

---------d-d-d-d-----------

I had expected to be called back by the Chairman once he got his mind sorted out on what to do on my offer.

I definitely didn’t expect for the Tsar himself to be interested in wanting to speak with me privately about this and ‘more’. What really left me perplexed was the message actually inviting me but the rest of the family for lunch. Now, I wasn’t one to ignore a royal summoning, but there was indeed something odd about this sudden invitation. Hannah was curious herself on the matter, but saw no reason to push on the questions. I wasn’t any more aware of what was going on than she was, and no questions could provide me with magical insight.

“Considering your past exploits? I’m sorry, love, but you can’t blame me for believing that from time to time.”

My lips twitched in a mixture of amusement and faux frustration at that playful jab. Since I had done some impossible things in recent years, I couldn’t exactly tell her she was wrong. Especially when my main power was tied to time-control itself. Still, beyond all curious queries I wanted to push for once the lunch started, I was surprised to find a most curious attitude from the servants at the Winter Palace. They all looked tense and uneasy, but one could easily tell it wasn’t due to the visit. In fact, I just couldn’t help but see a hopeful glint whenever these looked in our general direction.

Now, I may not be blessed with clairvoyance, but I can easily spot someone that wanted me to ‘save them’ from something. Did the tsar behave in a way that could be seen as tyrannical? As much as I know, despite his authoritarian views, Nicholas II shouldn’t be incredibly absolutist due to how things were developing. He may be a bit more strict towards some behaviors, but he wasn’t outright cruel with the people at court. And that was further confirmed when we finally arrived at the dining room.

Most of the family had assembled and it was mostly the tsar and his siblings. At this stage, Nicholas had yet to marry his wife, so he was still relying on those that were still to live in his court due to their age or those that were expected to remain due to their titles to the Russian Empire. Such was the case of the youngest sibling the tsar had. And let’s just say that this young girl was… unique. And not necessarily in a good way. Olga Alexandrovna, the youngest child from the former Tsar, had a demonic entity attached to her.

“Do you see it?” I heard Hannah whisper quietly and I could just nod as I saw that ‘something’ which drew a degree of dread out of her.

I was quite sure Santana too could see the strange entity looming over the child. The little girl seemed to know what was going on. Both about the entity itself and the fact we were staring at it. It was… ominous to say the least. Why did Olga Alexandrovna have what looked to be a… Stand?

“Lord Joestar, welcome,” Nicholas II greeted with the most polite tone the recently-made Tsar could muster. “I hope your current stay in the country has been without issues.”

I decided to skip the fact we were attacked by monsters at a time before our arrival, deciding to keep things ‘humble’ for the time being. Both Hannah and I bowed to the greeting and returned his words with quick replies.

“It was most peaceful,” I admitted, refusing to outright call it a completely peaceful trip as to not sound too ‘lying’ in the process. “And we’re most glad to be invited for lunch by the Tsar himself.”

He nodded, quite pleased with the formality and yet the lack of exaggeration within the act. It wouldn’t take long for people to take their seats, with Giorno sitting between Hannah and I, while Santana would keep near the door as a guard. The Pillar Man, albeit not really needing to eat for as frequently as humans did, had already had his meal done and eaten just twenty to thirty minutes earlier so he wouldn’t have to endure staring at the event with the chances of feeling hungry.

Things were mostly normal as some of the siblings quipped with interesting questions tied to my visit, the plans for the railway as the chairman-minister had been unable to keep it a secret from the rest of the royal family, but also about a few topics that seemed to be tied to the true reason why I had been invited. And that topic was brought up by none other but the Tsar himself.

“I have heard that you have dabbled in the supernatural,” Nicholas II pointed out with a calm tone, but showing some clues on what might be the issue on the spot. “That you have fought against monsters and exorcized people when you were given such a task.”

“I had my share of experience, yes. But I wouldn’t say all monsters I found were of malevolent nature.”

“There’s such a thing as a ‘good monster’, Lord Joestar?” One of the women at the table asked, and I recognized her as Grand Duchess Xenia. “I mean, monsters are the evildoers in many tales.”

“That’s because the memories we have of those tales are from our childhood. It’s easier for a child to think of someone as bad by appearance rather than behavior. But the issue is that the term ‘monster’ is also used to indicate a ‘monstrous’ behavior within someone that looks normal to many,” I explained politely. “But not all monsters by the exterior are monsters inside. Just like beauty doesn’t justify cruelty at times from both men and women.”

“And how does one recognize a malignant spirit from a… benevolent one?”

I glanced up to the Tsar and offered a hum. “I would say it’s behavioral. The attitude of a spirit in its passive presence is generally what gives off what a monster or a spirit seeks to accomplish. Yet that doesn’t give a complete reading on an entity’s intention. Being pushed back from a creature can still be considered either a case of natural rejection, or a willingly induced behavior to keep people away from it as a self-defense mechanism.”

“So, what you’re saying is that spirits can still be… benignant despite the feeling of upset they may cause?”

I nodded. “Of course, if a spirit was also to have the means to do the opposite, to ‘attract’ people closer to it, it doesn’t mean it’s for good intentions. A pull can be either a friendly approach or an effort to lull you in a false state of security,” I remarked before ultimately drawing the last shot at what was going on. “And I suppose the source of this conversation is Grand Duchess Olga and her current protector.”

That was a bit of news that stunned pretty much everyone at the table minus those that could actually see the creature. And the one that could was none other than the Tsar himself.

“Describe it,” He half-ordered, but before I could reply to that request, I was cut short by someone I didn’t expect to speak up.

“It looks like a rabbit,” Giorno pointed out with a hint of childishness. “Like, it’s made of shadows and has two tall ears atop his head.”

I think that was where Olga finally noticed that there was a child her age sitting at the table. Wide eyes went wider as she heard him bring up a detail that she was quite familiar with. Then it was Hannah’s turn in that regard.

“It is standing tall over the Grand Duchess and looks quite protective of her.”

Nicholas nodded and then glanced at me, so I offered him a detail that was not brought up by the others but that was particularly important on the matter.

“And it’s currently staring at me.”

“It is,” The tsar confirmed. “Does the Viy see you as a threat?”

A Viy? I heard of it but… wasn’t exactly prepared to handle one. Still, I had the means to know how some spirits worked and it seemed to follow similar patterns to those.

“Not directly to the girl. I would say it's a pure animalistic response to my presence. I’m equipped to banish shadows such as this one and, by its own mindset, if it disappears, Olga is left without protection.”

“But why would that matter? Why would it care for Olga’s survival?”

I sighed. “The Anchor it is using, the doll. It’s just part of the whole connection. I can only assume they are bound by a symbiotic connection. A binding force which draws through an exchange. The Viy is allowed to survive by latching onto Olga, and in return it provides something she is asking for. Permanent protection.”

“Why would she need this? We have guards-”

“Were those guards of help during the train accident that unfolded in Borki?” I interrupted quietly, bringing up the accident where the imperial family almost got killed. It was through the Emperor’s intervention that they managed to survive, but it was also known that the blunt damage he endured while holding up the train’s ceiling was the main cause of his kidney failure. “I believe the issue isn’t an assassin or a bad person. No, I would say young Olga is frightened by the chances of something bad that one would normally be unable to deal with happens again to her or those around her.”

The girl looked away, tense and nervous at that topic being brought up but… I merely stood up and made my way around the table to where she was sitting. Olga tensed up but the beast merely stared at my approach, taking a guarded stance around the child. Olga could perceive it, doing her best to ‘grow smaller’ within the encroaching hold of the monster-like entity. Viys weren’t exactly things that could be countered with ease due to how myths around their existence were quite sparse and yet confirming there were multiple versions of this kind of entity.

“So, your name is Olga, right?”

The girl shyly nodded, clutching her doll close to her. “Yes.”

“Hmm, and I guess that many have already told you how cute of a name that is.”

A tiny smile appeared on her face. “Y-Yes. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I happily replied. “Now, Olga, I know this isn’t exactly a situation you like much. But if I may ask, what’s the name of that pretty doll?”

She blinked. “Big brother says it’s a Viy.”

“But I’m not asking your big brother. In fact, I can tell you have your own name for the doll, right?”

A slow nod filtered out. “Yeah.”

“And may I ask her name?”

…

“Anya.”

I hummed. “Well, it’s nice to meet you too, Anya. I hope Olga is taking care of you.”

“I am,” The girl replied confidently. “We are friends.”

“Oh? Close friends even?”

She blinked. “Yep.”

I held back a chuckle. “I’m glad to hear that. But, if I may ask, I suppose you two are also aware that, at times, people get a bit worried about your bond, correct?”

“Yeah...”

“Well, that’s mostly because Anya cares so much that she may appear a bit… vicious about it. And your family doesn’t know how to help you with that,” I explained. “Can you tell Anya to be a bit nicer to them?”

“...Okay.”

No words were uttered, but the girl stared at the doll and… the Viy grew smaller and less tense. It blinked in surprise, then confusion and, finally, in resignation.

“How about you go around and give hugs to your siblings. I’m sure that they missed that a lot.”

A slow nod and the child left her chair to go around to do that. Everyone looked surprised, even more when they didn’t feel pushed back by that uneasy feeling that had kept them away from the child. They accepted brief embraces, with the last one delivered from the new Tsar. This one was longer than the previous ones, with Olga suddenly ‘swallowed’ in the tightest hug ever. I could see that the issue itself was communication. The child had the means to speak, but no grasp on what to say to get this issue solved. And it was definitely a situation I would have a closer eye on from time to time.

After lunch, due to how positive things have been, the tsar decided to ‘entertain’ a more private meeting with me while Olga and Giorno played by the courtyard. The two were left undisturbed, but watched over as they giggled left and right. Nicholas was positive to approach a moderate take on what was going on in Russia’s current reformist wave, but suggested he wasn’t willing to impose any sudden changes anytime soon.

The next few hours were spent addressing what could be already done and what should be left for a later date. And eventually the situation about the railway came up, with the tsar showing support for the project while also allowing for a quicker deployment of troops in case of war. In the span of a single day I did what many would have taken years and revolutions to get. Still, it was just a promise and a handshake, with no genuine changes just yet.

And while I was still relieved that I helped a young lady through the current issue she had and had plans to help her also learn how to live with her current entity, I still couldn’t help but feel like something bad was soon to happen.

Especially because of the unexpected attack on our train a few days ago...