It was a good thing that staying in the fort overnight was in line with the vampire's plans, because he had to pick out the people he was going to ransom, but it wasn't worth it to show it. Making a slightly displeased face, the vampire bowed politely, showing that he would fulfill the not so pleasant order.
The food served to the archmage and his retinue was so modest that no one delayed eating. Once the men had filled their stomachs, they mounted their horses and rode off in the direction of the camp. Alexander was left alone, refusing even an escort of a couple soldiers.
- You will need the soldiers more in the dark, Your Excellency. I won't forgive myself if anything happens to you on the road!
- And if something happens to you, Magister? Will your order forgive me? Don't forget, I studied in Valeria and I know your tricks!
In some magical orders it was indeed practiced to include in the oath of blood, revenge on all those responsible for the death of the leader. But even in the time when the archmage was studying in Valeria, this custom was hardly ever used. It was strange that Dukun remembered it at all.
- Unlike you, Your Excellency, I will be traveling to the camp in daylight. And I don't think there's anyone or anything in the area that can threaten me. Especially since I'll know about ambushes beforehand.
- Ah, yes! Your secret spells.
That decided the outcome of the dispute, and after waving goodbye to the travelers, Alexander went about his business. He had to select candidates to move to the vampire settlement.
Why did this idea even come into the triumvir's head? After all, a few dozen criminal girls in the neighborhood is not what is needed for a normal existence, even if they can do nothing against vampires, but they can create a lot of domestic problems. The owners of the village would have to solve them. But the whole point was exactly what crimes the girls and women were here for. According to the centurion's statement, the worst criminals were held at the penal colony.
The blood of the manager and his deputy, on the other hand, held slightly different information. Although all the wards were indeed "vicious" criminals on the grounds that each of them was not the first acquaintance with the judicial system of Elur. As for the reasons why the girls were brought before the judge... some of them were blatantly made up, to say the least.
The southern regions of the kingdom were ruled by dukes and there ruled feudal liberty in all its glory, when laws could change several times a day, and the right of the more noble standing in front of you meant much more than what was written on paper, albeit decorated with royal emblems. And girls ended up in hard labor on charges of "disrespectful treatment," which usually meant that she didn't pull up her skirt fast enough when a nobleman demanded it, or on charges of "wicked laziness," which meant that someone just didn't like their work.
Another category were orphans, deprived of any opportunity to earn a living and not wanting to trade their bodies, they preferred to go to hard labor, where they waited for them, even if not the best share, but starvation was not threatened. Of course, most of the female convicts were there quite deservedly. It was to separate the grain from the chaff that the vampire had to do in the near future.
At first Alexander tried to work with papers, but quickly spit on it and ordered to take himself to the barracks. From the memory of blood he knew the internal layout of the penal colony well, but in the near future he was to do some strange things for the locals and he preferred not to add one more to them. The vampire grabbed the overseer and the clerk with the papers and headed for the first barracks, where the local wards spent their little free time.
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