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It hurts, Ober feels like his brain is sizzling seconds after he left the throne room. A passing maid notices his leaning against the wall and tend to help him. “Are you okay?” Not knowing that he is the lord magister and even this tempts Ober to crush this girl’s skull. But he keeps to himself, the pain of having to keep up with the princesses, it is worse than having to change faces, metaphorically, all the time.
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“Thank you, lass…” The lord magister slowly steadies himself, following the maid’s mini lesson of breath in and out like a good boy. Not many compliments a lord magister, and Ober finds a light hearted chuckle of this little moment. “Thank you again.”
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“It’s for you, come, let’s off to the Servants hall. I can tend you better there…”
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The Servants hall…Ober recalls Isaac, Peacock, and their dwarf friend Ghibli who were all terribly set ablaze by Rumen. He hobbles with the aid of the maid and the night must have already exhausted many because there is barely anyone around. The mess made an hour aga was cleaned and fairly patched. Ober asks the servants present about his company, going far as to describing their appearances because the servants seemed hesitant to speak. “I am the lord magister, please, help tell.”
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“L-lord magister…” the servants bowed and begs forgiveness and for their ignorance which only gives Ober headaches. The lord magister keeps asking them again and again but they still hesitate, even trying to change the subject. “The infirmary has pills for foreheads lord magister. ‘They’ are there, I’m sure of it.”
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Subtle with a good helpful purpose, Ober bows without saying a word continuing his hobble with the maid towards the infirmary. Along the way, Ober ask the maid why her colleagues acted like that and she tells her opinion on the princesses, especially if it was princess Rumen responsible, that nobody should talk behind their backs and keep whatever they saw about them in their lips “lest they want to be punished.”
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“But you’re talking behind their backs right now, is that alright?”
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“OH! Hehe, well. Guess Gods be damned with me.”
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The infirmary is in the first level underground of the castle, and disturbingly right beside the rat festering sewage water of the drawbridge. A few steps down and passing by torch walls. Ober expected it to smell like a prisoner’s cell but the overpowering acidic smell of garlic and herbs nearly knock his nose off. There are ten double deck beds for a total of twenty patients. Isaac, Ghibli and Floral knight are on the low beds, all three sitting up and being fed by a Heshape—a humanoid species with appearances that looks like their parts are stitched by someone. She forces down food down whenever floral knight rejects it and nonetheless forces down them on Isaac too because she is tired with them, “crying like crybabies! These are medicines for God’s sake.”
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“Now, now, Bulba, these are the lord magister’s…erm, servants.” Ghibli the dwarfized Hemrean introduces them to the ‘kind’ nurse Heshape, though she looks like she is trying to pull their limbs off with how the patients are screaming.
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“Let me stretch weary bones!”
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“My bones are still young!” Floral knight tries to defend himself from the tiny walkling onslaught but ends up screaming like a monkey. “it hurts! IT HURTS!”
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“Just like how you got yourself hurt!” Bulba goes to the boy next but before she could stretch his, the maid comes with the magister asking the nurse to take care of the lord magister. “Why of course it is my job to take care of all weary things.”
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The maid leaves with a reassured smile.
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“Bulba…”
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“Not a second from you deserter”
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“I didn’t desert anyone…”
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“HUH!? So, you are treating me, Ghibli, and Popo as not your very kin!?” She stabs a syringe into Isaac’s neck and the boy almost look like he peed himself. “Mind you, you left us for more than 100 years, even Ghibli here now look like when his parents left” She gestures the lord magister to sit down on a bed and he does so without hesitation.
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“They had?”
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“They did, ten years after you left during the first three years of the high princesses.”
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“Why?”
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“They cannot handle much of the new rulers of course.”
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“An exodus happened” Ghibli continues, munching on a plate with three stacks of steak. “Ma, pa, and many other castle workers left because of the princesses. Although, they managed to get everyone back before the castle went dark and looked like a lair.”
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“My God was that terrible.”
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Ober ponders a bit, not knowing anything what truly happened with Kinguin in his absence.
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“I swear, their Advisers are just as sick in the head as freaks.” Bulba clears her throat, keenly observing her test tubes and adding grinded herb powders. “Have you already met the princesses lord magister?”
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“I told you he already did Bulba---”
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“I’d rather listen to the lord magister himself than anyone right now. Of course, I still spare you and Popo one of my ears.”
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“That makes me sad.”
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Ober recounts to Bulba and the group what he had done after the Servants hall incident. Telling them about the princesses, how their discussions went, practically everything and even his thoughts. Everything has to be let out, and he does not know if it is the herbs doing wonders or him slowly relieving himself off the pulsating headaches. At this point, he even continues to tell them about his meeting with the ambush with Floral knight gets slapped by Bulba and ear pinched by Ghibli, meeting with Sol—
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“That adopted princess is still alive?” Bulba asks, taking a cup of tea from Ober who made for everyone in the infirmary, “Never had we heard from her ever since the most caring queen died.”
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“She is doing well, though she is a princess, she works as a gatekeeper for the muggles camp.”
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“Oh, pity girl!” Ghibli worries, “what of the mansion for her?”
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“I said nothing and she said nothing. When she saw me” Ober recounts, “She looked immediately guilty from her stern expression.”
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“She must have expected you…pity girl…”
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“I doubt, but she probably expected herself to stay in the mansion for now.”
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“Probably does not want to let the people know…poor girl”
“Stop saying poor this poor that Ghibli!” Bulba crunches the dwarfize’s sideburns hair, causing him to shriek like a chicken. “And the barrier?”
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“Well taken care of, although.” Fiddling his fingers, “I might have let one or few in.
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“Well, you were too late to notice”
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“Bulba, don’t tell on lord magi---GAAAAAAAH”
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“You are worse than your parents you know that.”
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“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Don’t pull my haiiiir! They might come off!”
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Isaac stands up from his bed, stretching and asking for the comfort room which Ghibli immediately raised his hand and volunteered to show the boy where. A lame excuse for him to save his sideburns. The two walks out, leaving three to continue talking and sip tea.
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“It’s fine if you cannot tell” Bulba understands, which was really just an honest mistake from Ober. She turns to the floral knight, asking “What name did you give this pet?”
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“P-PET!? I am NO ONE’S PET!” Dramatically arguing, standing on the bed. Which Bulba did not hesitate to smack his head and tie him to his limbs to the ropes wrapped around the mattress.
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“Haven’t bothered asking, and he hasn’t bothered telling.”
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“Then what do you call him?”
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“Peacock would do I suppose…”
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“Peacock?”
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“Hey---I AM NO PEACO---" Get easily transformed into a Peacock
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“Now I believe why the maids were worried about him being a roasted Peacock.” Bulba walks into the doctor’s office, tending to her own herbs and asking the doctor inside if there are medicines for the lord magister’s headache.
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The lord magister is left with the Peacock who decided to lay on the bed like a true bird. “Thinking back” Ober starts, “you were simply taking orders, hitched the ride, but why still remain? You had many chances to escape.”
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Peacock looks away, acting as if saying ‘that is not me’.
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“Was it because of the tea? Do you like my special tea? Do you think, that I should start a business?”
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As if the Peacock liked his tea nor does he want the magister to start a business. He shakes his head, fluttering his verdant feathers like how birds would do but clearly, he is flustered being alone with the lord magister. He hopes for Isaac, or that dwarf, or worse that nurse to just come back and fill this suffocating torch fire silence.
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“I see, then...” he recalls about the princess and thought of an idea, “Once Isaac is back, we can go down to the Flat plateau and I want you to drop off the armor you wore to every barbarian fort outside Kinguin.”
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Peacock’s eyes grow wide, standing up as if he means to ask, ‘What are you scheming?’
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“I’m sure you’ve noticed that the barbarians only followed you because of the armor, even if those were prisoners you brought with you earlier this morning. I know that all barbarians still recognize the immortal amaranth and would blindly follow anyone who wears it. It’s not just some military armor that any soldier can wear. Only those who dislikes the present ruling high royalty wears them. They are still Kinguin’s people” Ober says, “and they have to be reassured.” Ober grabs a piece of paper from the nurse’s desk as well as borrow the ink and quill. He writes on the paper while the peacock opens his tail to grab Ober’s attention. “What?”
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The bird tries to speak his defiance but he cannot. Through the face? Possibly but he adds with tearing the rope of the mattress he is on. Flapping his wings and telling Ober, ‘No’
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“Then why do you follow me?” Beating his words, his frustrations coming along with his spitted out saliva, “Do you like the princesses or not? What do you want to do? If you do not answer then I suppose I can use you to do good with how you act yourself. Or maybe you truly don’t know yourself yet. If you don’t then stop thinking about acting as if you are someone else. It only hurts your head.”
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When the nurse came back, she brings with her one basket of ripe fruits and one for healthy herbs. Ober had also finished whatever he was writing and is stuffing the paper in his robes. “Thank you for these Bulba”
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“You’ll need it lord magister. I cannot even imagine myself talking more than one of those cretins. So, you have to take those.”
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Ghibli and Isaac also return, with Bulba asking why going to the toilets took them long and why Ghibli’s head is sweaty and hair is wet. Which Ghibli embarrassingly dives on a mattress pillow and Isaac explains that Ghibli wanted to look at Merry but Merry thought of him as a walking orange and she tried to eat him.
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“If he was, then he’d be one disgusting orange.” Bulba teases which only made Ghibli sob more. Comforting himself with delicious sounding words if ever somebody tries to eat him.
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“Well then” Ober stands up, “It was nice to meet you all again.”
“And now you are deserting again” Bulba kicks the lord magister’s ankles, affirming herself of this one’s strength despite not looking his age.
“You’re using the wrong words.”
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The group walks out of the infirmary and head to the stables where Merry started barking again at Ghibli. Bulba teases him more than just a walking and disgusting orange. Ober hands Peacock the piece of paper that he wrote earlier before the bird hurriedly opens the carriage door with his talons and take the armor with the amaranth emblem on its crest. Flying outside first before anyone else.
“Well, that one sure is hasty” Bulba slaps Ghibli
“Lord magister, he took it again.” The boy settles himself on the rider’s seat
“Yes, let him be.” Ober sits on his own red cushions in his golden carriage, “I am asking him to extend my greetings and invitations.”
“That…” Isaac waves goodbye to his two new friends before reigning Merry to ride for the drawbridge and exit the iron gates with a big signage that says ‘third plateau’. He turns back to what he wanted to say earlier, “That might anger them lord magister.”
“Only one will.” Feeling himself in leisure and yawning, “I’m sure the others would busy themselves with whatever. And you know, I think it’s best for everyone.”
“…hypocrite…”
“Haha, I’m sure you’ll understand when you get older Isaac. For now, let’s visit some nobles and wenches for this festival.”
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