Getting used to life in Stone Tower wasn't difficult, and although it was cold in the morning, she had an owl here. This cat-like, huge, furry raptor was more to her liking than the bald head or the scissors. She named it Ruth. Whether life is bright or not seems to be only a matter of thought. If you ask what Hitarian hopes for most now, it's probably that everything will be business as usual.
"Your Excellency." She tried not to look so cowed, but instinctive fear still oozed from her body. At this moment, Ozzie Cranky looked so amiable that even the Black Knight and his armor were pleasing to the eye, and even if the man in front of him was dressed as the most benevolent priest, his danger could still be revealed in his eyes. "I am Hitarian Ringot."
"The girl favored by God." The other party's voice was soft and had a strange hoarseness. It was almost a compassionate voice imagined by children who had not grown up enough to listen to sermons. It was a tool for the gods to convey happiness and gifts. He wore a crown, a red velvet cloak with gold trim, a crystal scepter in his hand, and a white gold ring set with emeralds on his knuckles. His majestic and shrewd eyes looked at Hitarian, as if looking at the lost and recovered ornaments in the center of the palace. "I am your guide, my dear, and I am your pope. What shall you call me?"
you are not. "Your Majesty," she said tremblingly, awed by his divine brilliance, "I must ask for your forgiveness."
"Say it, kid."
"I...I originally believed in Lucia. Your Majesty, my mother is a sun believer."
Jizuk smiled: "But now you have discovered your inner voice, Lingot. Gaia is your destination." He suddenly bent down, "To be honest, Gaia and Lucia are both the same. Who cares? ?”
Hitarian was confused.
Tattoo straightened up. "And what does your mother think of this, Ringot? Did she force you to change your faith?"
She thought that the Church of Gaia knew everything about her, but now it seemed a bit exaggerated. However, there was no need to lie about such details. Witke, a northerner, had given her a complete set of identity information, and not many parts had been changed. Some of the vagueness seemed suspicious, but he assured her that the School of Silence would find the plausible answers they needed. "No, Your Majesty, she died long ago," Hitarian said. She also imitated the other person and leaned forward, whispering: "But if she is still alive, I guess she will."
"Does your sister think so too?"
"Ruth? No, she won't. She can't think of anything else. "And she's my sister. Hitarian was wary. His Majesty did not know anything about them as he initially showed. He just doesn't care.
He took the hint. "She's with the Norn, at Gaia's knees. Poor little thing, you don't have to worry about her anymore. Come to me, Hitarian, and let's go to the fire. It's too cold in here. "
"As you command, Your Majesty." He could see me shuddering, Shitarian thought, but didn't know why.
But she knew it very well.
"Tattooed" Jizuk is the only wizard of the school she knows, and has appeared many times in the scripts given to her by Wittek, a northerner. The leader told her that there was no one more dangerous than him in the entire Silent School, not even the "Second Truth". "In fact, you may be able to deceive the saints of the school, but you can't lie in front of Jizuk. You can't deceive him." Nightingale, who taught her, warned, "Deception requires more than just lies. Divine magic can even be done without going through the Mantra Demon." Medicine tests your every word." He was right, Uriel could do it. "Kitarian, you are too young and inexperienced, and even a truly experienced Nightingale is likely to be exposed. Listen to me, you must not take any risks in front of 'Tattoo'."
"But if he asks me about the nightingale..."
"If you do it properly, he won't ask you that. It's true that wizards are eager to get the "Confessions", but in fact they don't know the use of that thing. You are the holder of the Holy Scripture, and it gives you a mysterious profession , for these values, the wizard will ask you more meaningful questions."
"What if they ask me where it is? If I don't lie, I can't help but mention you!"
"Oh, where do you think it is?"
Hitarian felt incredible: "In the hands of the lord, although I don't know how he found the book. I burned it." She suddenly realized the answer.
"That's right, and that's what you did before going to the Gaia Church for help. As for the whereabouts of the Holy Scriptures, wizards will never continue to ask. They think they know better than you. So -" Wittek drawled. , "Answer truthfully. Hitarian. Answer truthfully, whatever he asks you. Remember my words."
The conversation by the warm fire turned out just as the Nightingale had expected, and Jizuk began to ask questions about magic and professions. "When did you sense the fire?"
"Last month, Your Excellency." After only a few words of conversation, Jizuk asked Hitarian to change his name to "Your Excellency." Of course she wouldn't object to the title, and it wasn't me anyway.
"What about getting a career?"
"At the same time, Your Excellency."
"Do you understand the occult, Hitarian? Do you know about fire and ritual?"
"I only know a little bit." Hitarian recited the things he memorized in the dark wizard's villa in full. "He wanted me to remember these."
"It's so low-grade." Jizuk commented, "Forget them, your magic is far better than black magic. It is a comforting power, targeting the mystery of the heart and spirit, down to the essence... fire . I'm afraid Cranky has already asked you a similar question."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"What does he think? Tell me."
"'Your fire and profession come from it, no doubt'." Hitarian recited sternly, "'Becoming a mysterious creature requires complicated ignition rituals, only the nameless ones are exceptions'." She tried hard to keep her voice Don't look weird when you mention this word. "'According to you, you didn't get around this. The power of the scripture connected your soul in the dream, so when you burned it, you were performing a fire-lighting ritual on yourself' ." She paused carefully: "Do you want to continue, Your Excellency?"
"continue."
"'Most apprentices would fail in the ignition ceremony, but you took advantage of it by using the Holy Code. It seems that the mysterious effect of the 'Confessions' is to protect the fire. You are indeed favored by the gods, Lingot'."
"I hope Gaia continues to favor you, Lingot. That's all? Is there anything more?"
"One more thing, Your Excellency. But..."
"But?"
"'Tell him these things, Ringot, I know he will ask you. Say hello to Jizuk and his circus for me.'" Hitarian's voice trailed off, "No more, Your Mightiness."
"That's what he sounded like," Gizuk said. "It's a pity that you see the divisions within the school. There's no point in getting angry about these things, just like you don't understand what the bird is saying when you feed it. That's good. ." He suddenly stood up, and the scepter flew rapidly through the air. Hitarian didn't know the meaning of his actions, but he could feel the fear caused by the unknown nervousness. He sat down again, his toes almost touching the stove. "Tell me about your magic, Hitarian. Do you like it?"
"I like it very much, Your Excellency. It's called..."
"Show me your magic," he ordered.
"Yes, Your Excellency." Of course not to Jizuk. The difference in mystery is too great for magic to work. Hitarian changed his target to the owl Ruth and stretched out his hand towards the bird. The poor animal was preening its feathers obliviously. "It is very obedient now." Hitarian stroked the bird's belly. "It won't peck people."
"What does this prove? It needs to be stimulated. For the mercy that the goddess taught us, Hitarian, just give me one of its legs."
"A leg?" she repeated sharply.
"Yes, you have to have claws. Those sharp, hard, paired things right next to your index finger. You can do it, right? It won't scratch you."
By the time His Excellency "Tattoo", the law wizard who claimed to be the Pope of Gaia, left, Hitarian's eyes were filled with tears. He doesn't like my owl, I can let it go! It will fly down the stone tower obediently. During the most difficult days in Yotsuba City, it was not that she had never killed animals, she even disemboweled the corpses and roasted them to feed herself, but those were two different things from the torture she was torturing the owl Ruth today.
Ruth stood on one leg in the cage, still pecking at the blood-stuck feathers. It didn't scratch Hitarian, the magic did work. She realized that her powers had actually improved a lot. It can be seen that she is not happy at all. "Tattooed" Jizuk is a lunatic, and none of his colleagues can get along with him.
When the bleeding stopped, Hitarian couldn't bear to use any more magic on it. "No." She opened the bird's beak and said, "Don't touch the wound. Doesn't it hurt?" But the owl didn't listen. I can't do anything without magic. "You're going to get better, I swear. Mystery can do it. I can be a real healer, not only taking away pain, but healing wounds... Ruth, have you ever heard of a second career?"
Ji'zuk the Tattoo threw the bird's leg into the furnace, and the Hitarian stopped cooperating with his questions. The value brought by Confessions allowed for her small resistance. But Jizuk didn't leave immediately just to talk to Hitarian about this. He invited her to serve in the church, the "Ascetic Order" among wizards, and told her that magicians could heal wounds. "I differ with Ozzie Cranky. He is an expert in occult objects and blames them for everything, while the ascetics of the Church focus on practicality and use value. You are indeed the occult creature who lit the fire, Sheeta. Li An, but you haven’t gone through the job transfer ceremony.”
In Byrne, the Hitarian would not have understood the connection between ritual and profession. Her power comes from fire, a display of extraordinary talent, as is the case with most of Byrne. But Jizuk didn't know that.
"Have you ever thought about what effect the transfer ceremony will have on you, Hitarian? Maybe you will get a second career. That is your luck."
