Herman's exclamation had its effect. The insolent knights - Paladins, Saigo finally remembered what these militant churchmen were called finally backed off from his person, although they followed him with gazes whose sharpness he could feel even through their nearly deafening helmets.
But what did he care? He hadn't come here to fight.
He now sat calmly at a table, immersed in studying old folios, making notes on a sheet of paper. But from time to time, his gaze involuntarily slid towards the far shelves. As he had suspected, there was also a secluded reading area on the other side of the hall, its view completely blocked by figures in polished armor.
'Why are they so tense?' flashed through the young man's mind.
Perhaps only now had a simple truth dawned on him: if before he was a grey, unknown figure from the Cotto Clan, now he was a real celebrity. Everyone, not just in the city, but in the entire empire, knew about Saigo the assassin from Cotto who had evaded a whole city for a day, fought the Captain of the Guard and survived, and his "relationship" with Katarina went without saying.
Thus, the paladins' anxiety was understandable they were bodyguards first and foremost, and the presence of a professional killer, even a conditionally friendly one, was putting serious pressure on their skulls.
Smiling slightly, Saigo plunged back into the creaking pages. Several hours passed this way.
But it was all in vain. Hundreds of pages had been scanned, dozens of notes made, but there was nothing about the monster that interested him that very Unknown.
Nothing and no one even remotely resembling what he had seen.
To top it all off, a strange flurry of activity began in the hall. About half an hour after his arrival, a pair of paladins began darting from the door to the far end of the hall.
'Hmm, do they think I don't see they're observing me this way?' he thought ironically. It seemed they had calmed down for a while, but after another half hour or so, they figured out a new tactic and started, as if by chance, striking up conversations with the bored guards.
The empire's combat elite, especially the capital's, was a tight-knit circle, and finding mutual acquaintances wasn't difficult; on the contrary, it was hard to find someone nobody had heard of at all.
They even approached the two "statues" standing apart. Saigo barely held back a laugh when, in response to a timid attempt to start a conversation with one of these guards, he was met only with a heavy and very ominous silence. His entire demeanor hinted that no further cooperation would be forthcoming.
But all good things must come to an end. Right now, a girl in white, flowing monastic robes was walking straight towards him. Her face was hidden by a deep hood, making it impossible to see anything. But judging by her gait, she was clearly nobility.
Approaching closer, she inclined her head in a respectful, but not servile, bow.
"Lord Saigo," her voice was quiet, warm, and melodious, like a little bell. "The High Priestess wishes for you to join her in studying the ancient folios."
Nuria, who had been standing in the shadow behind Saigo all this time, stepped forward. Her amber eyes skeptically assessed the nun.
"Sir, I think this is not the most..." she began, but Saigo gently raised a hand, stopping her.
"Alright," he said, setting aside his quill. "But not for long. I still have things to do."
After his words, a tomb-like silence fell. Perhaps the guards or Nuria wanted to say something, object, warn him but he didn't care.
As far as he knew, the High Priestess was one of the key figures in imperial politics, an important player whose word carried only slightly less weight than Katarina's own. Since he was forced, willy-nilly, to move in these highest circles, studying them from the inside wasn't the worst idea.
He stood up. He was immediately surrounded by a tight ring of guards, who, in turn, were boxed in by the paladins. In this peculiar square formation, they moved deeper into the hall.
The paladins' plan, of course, was "brilliant," but it shattered against the cruel reality of the narrow aisles between bookshelves. Their ingenious formation instantly fell apart, leaving Saigo accompanied only by his faithful "statues."
'Idiots,' he mentally smirked. 'Though it's hard to expect tactical finesse from these armored fanatics.'
And there she was, sitting at a table, just as he had been five minutes ago. Noticing his approach, she raised her head, and her blue eyes, bright and piercing, met his gaze. She smiled slightly a warm, but restrained smile and gestured for him to come closer.
The paladins, having managed to run around the hall and close ranks again, tried to stop him for a search, but she gently stopped them with a wave of her hand.
"It's alright. He may pass."
The crestfallen and breathless paladins, who a second ago were ready to leap into battle, immediately retreated five steps, bowed deeply, almost to the ground, so synchronously it was as if they had rehearsed the gesture their whole lives, turned 180 degrees, and froze at attention.
Sitting opposite, Saigo finally got a good look at his interlocutor: neatly arranged golden curls, blue eyes, a straight nose, and a severe, almost elegant face without a hint of excess emotion.
She wore a simple, unadorned lilac dress that emphasized a modest but well-groomed figure. Everything he saw evoked neither delight nor rejection in him but he couldn't help but note that her presence radiated a strange, almost physical sense of calm and goodness. It enveloped him like the thick scent of incense, slightly dizzying.
Folding her elegant hands on the table, the High Priestess introduced herself with a light, sincere interest in her voice: "I am High Priestess Kayata the Luminous. And you, I presume, are Saigo of Cotto."
Saigo nodded silently, continuing to study her with his gaze.
"Pleased to meet you," she extended her hand to him an elegant hand with slender fingers and an abundance of simple rings.
Saigo, without a second thought, purely automatically shook it firmly, business-like, as he was accustomed to doing with contractors and simply his "brothers."
Kayata flinched slightly from the unpleasant, almost painful sensation in her palm. The young man's action caused her mild surprise, making her raise an eyebrow almost imperceptibly.
In her scenario, he was supposed to bow respectfully and kiss her hand that was the protocol.
'But what can you expect from these provincials?' flashed through her mind with slight condescension. However, not a single muscle twitched on her face, and her warm, benevolent smile still shone in the light of the magical lamps.
…
"Did you call me here to play the silent game?" Saigo asked, lazily leaning back on the couch. After the initial introductions, a heavy pause had hung in the air, which he broke with his characteristic directness.
"No," Kayata replied, her blue eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm just a little surprised. I didn't think Katarina... would choose for her betrothed..."
"A killer!" Saigo grinned at her, with unconcealed pleasure on his face.
"No, her chosen one is practically obliged to be a killer," the High Priestess said suddenly, a light, almost invisible smile playing on her lips. "And since we're on the subject... on behalf of the Church of the Light Gods, I wish to extend my gratitude to you."
"For what?" Saigo's eyebrows crept upward.
"For killing Kalis, of course. That monster spilled much blood of our followers."
"Don't mention it. I was just doing my job."
"Don't be so modest. You are definitely the kind of person who, if placed in the 'right' position, could change the world for the better."
Saigo propped himself up on his elbow. All this talk about "positions" and "changing the world" was not part of his plans, not in the slightest.
"And this position... is it supposed to be next to Katarina... or next to you?" a light sarcasm tinged his voice.
"Heh-heh-heh..." a faint, almost childish giggle filled the silence of the reading room. "I do not lay claim to your body. Well..." she leaned a little closer, as much as propriety allowed, "...unless Katarina herself permits it, of course."
Saigo leaned back slightly. 'This one too? What the hell is it with all of them wanting to get into my pants?' While he was complaining to himself about his own life, an unnaturally cheerful laugh spilled from her lips. Saigo realized he was being teased.
'Ah, to hell with it...'
"So you don't lay claim to the body," he parried, "what about the soul? That's more your department, isn't it?"
"Of course, caring for the souls of our flock is our direct duty..." Kayata hesitated, her fingers intertwining in a thoughtful, prayer-like form.
Saigo shook his head, "And does Katarina count among your flock?" he asked, tired of this social small talk about nothing.
"You see, Katarina is... undoubtedly a good person and a ruler, but she... let's say, simply lacks a loving person by her side and, most importantly, a small measure of the love of the gods."
'And you're trying to recruit me to be that 'loving' conduit?' flashed through his head. 'No... I didn't sign up for that crap.'
"I thought a connection with the gods was your prerogative, Your Eminence."
"Of course," the priestess smiled. "But Katarina is too busy with worldly cares and hasn't visited our sanctuary in a long time."
'And a good thing too,' he thought, imagining Katarina kneeling in prayer it was a weak image.
Kayata, seeing the pensiveness on his face, continued, softening her tone: "Well, let's set aside your chosen one for now. How are your own relations with the gods..?"
'I wonder, if I told her I've personally spoken with one of them, would she be surprised?' a treasonous thought flashed. 'Though, no, better not. She might even canonize me, and I definitely don't need that.'
"I adhere to the traditions of my clan and revere Auta," he said aloud, naming the goddess of shadows who patronized Cotto.
"Hmm... In that case," her voice became even softer, almost like a downy pillow, "I suggest you visit her sanctuary in our Temple of the Light Gods..."
Saigo snorted skeptically. "I didn't think a goddess of shadows would have a place in such a... luminous place."
"Heh-heh-h... Our temple is open to all. Including to gods," she replied, but a strange tension appeared in her smile.
"Interesting..." Saigo leaned forward, his green eyes narrowing. "And what if... the Arch-Betrayer asked to join you?" He knew a little about religion, but the most terrifying rumors terrifying even for him circulated about this semi-divine outcast who had betrayed the gods themselves.
"No." The answer came instantly, and its coldness made the air in the hall freeze. Kayata's voice lost all its warmth and melody, becoming flat and metallic, like the blade of a guillotine.
The paladins instantly grabbed their weapons, as if receiving an invisible signal to act. The guards followed their example, drawing their swords and eyeing each other warily, awaiting a move from their masters.
Saigo's breath caught. Sensing danger, he straightened up on the couch in a flash, all his muscles tensing, ready for a fight. Green sparks of internal energy danced in his eyes.
The priestess felt the faint breath of death in the same instant. Sharp, wild, lethal intent from her interlocutor pierced her from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes. And she realized with horror that if he attacked, neither the gods she invoked nor the guards at the door would save her. Before her was a predator, and he was ready to tear her to pieces.
She recoiled backward, her face pale.
"Do you... wish to continue the conversation? Or... should I leave?" Saigo asked, reluctantly glancing at the agitated personnel…
"No." Her voice trembled, betraying the fear she was vainly trying to hide. "I have a proposal for you…"