Celestial Hymn 46 (Patreon)

Celestial Hymn

Chapter 46

-VB-

I tried to take the time to find the trace of the poison and its supplier, but it didn’t take me more than two hours to determine that whoever had been responsible for the poison was long gone and their trail was cold even before I had touched it.

Poison was … usually the work of the Martells.

But!

BUT!

Just because it could be them doesn’t mean that it was them. This could be a plot by one of their enemies - and they had many - to pit the rest of the kingdoms against them. To pit me against them.

As much as I did not like the Martells because they were Myrcella’s life because of who her parents were (canon showed as much), I also hated the idea that I would do someone else’s work.

So … I’ll just have to make a few trinkets and take a visit to Dorne.

“What are you making, master?” one of the Red Keep acolytes asked me.

Mere hours after I woke up and confirmed Myrcella’s improved condition, I returned to my tower, collected the necessary reagents and items, and came back to the Red Keep to work while keeping on eye out on the situation.

“An intent detector,” I replied. I fiddled with the clockwork internals of the device in front of me as my Sorcery reached out and altered some of the “nature” of the gears. They would become sensitive to “intent,” and depending on which gear rotated, I would see the intensity, general direction, and target of the intent. It wasn’t going to be 100% accurate, but that wasn’t the point.

This was an excuse for me. Whether it would become an excuse to not kill someone or blast a city would be decided later.

“Here, come touch this for a second,” I said as I closed the pocket watch-like device. The three topmost gears froze the moment the top clear lid closed. The acolyte looked at the device curiously before touching it.

He shivered.

“W-What was that?” he asked me.

“That’s the magic of the Identifier connecting to your soul,” I hummed. “Let’s start with easy questions since I’m trying to just determine whether or not it works. Do you distrust me?”

“Um, no?”

The black gear ticked left, the red gear ticked right, and the blue gear didn’t move.

True. Internal. Certain.

“Are you learning magic from me for magic’s sake or because you want to use magic?”

He frowned. “I … want to use magic. Do things other people can’t.”

The black gear ticked left, the red gear ticked left, and the blue gear didn’t move.

True. External. Certain.

“Hmm, thank you. You may let go now.”

But the acolyte didn’t.

“... master?”

“Hmm?”

“Does this mean that this device can tell me things that even I am not certain about myself?”

I paused and glanced at him. Which acolyte was this…? Oh right, this was one of the Brownspear Barony’s people. The ones that I don’t quite trust after they listened to that bastard septon.

“Yes,” I replied slowly. “Are there things you wish to learn about yourself?”

“... If it truly connects to my soul, then isn’t this perhaps the first chance for me to understand who I am with some certainty?”

“Yes,” I agreed. “But who you are may not be who you want to be. Are you sure you want to explore that?” I did. I wanted to see the extent of my new device’s function.

The man looked hesitant before he took a deep breath in and nodded.

… I could respect a man like this. “You are Acolyte Hosus, right?”

“Yes, master. I am honored you remember my name.”

The device agreed that he did feel honored.

“It’s because I have a hard time remembering all of the acolytes’ names, isn’t it?”

He stuttered.

The device showed his stuttering was an answer enough.

I chuckled. “Alright, let’s test it out.”

Briefly, the Forge reached out and missed by a hair’s margin.

Shucks, but I had more than I needed so far.

-VB-

A day after my test with Acolyte Hosus, a dozen acolytes and I boarded To Beyond for its first-ever long-distance trip.

Many of the acolytes jittered with excitement, and I could totally understand that.

However, this trip was serious and I needed them to be ready.

“All hands to their assigned stations, please,” I spoke through the comms, and they skittered about.

With more familiarity than before, I turned on the power, the engines, the thrusters, and the inertia dampener. I lifted us up and watched the world grow smaller. I heard many of the acolytes gasping as they looked out of the windows.

Then I turned my ship directly south and put the ship to a cruise speed of 1,000 kilometers per hour. It meant that we should be arriving at Sunspear in a little over an hour.

“Alright, we’re on our way to Sunspear. You can walk around now but please don’t touch anything that isn’t meant to be touched. Usually, those are hidden or look like buttons.”

I sat in the captain’s seat and waited for us to arrive at Dorne, but my hour of peace was interrupted when the bell to the cockpit rang.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, master. Acolyte Hosus.”

“Ah, Hosus. Come on in.” I pressed one of the switches on the panel in front of me, and the cockpit door opened. Hosus walked in, and gestured at him to take a seat in one of the chairs available. None of the assistant seat chairs were currently active, so I didn’t fear him touching anything he shouldn’t. He chose a seat that was specifically lower than my seat and sat down. “What is it, Hosus?”

He fidgeted.

“Do you … intend to join the war, master?”

“No, not if they don’t give me a reason to,” I replied. “You know what I have been doing so far.”

“I do, master. Believe me, I do. I helped with some of the enchantments and rituals.”

I nodded. “I did think you were familiar.”

He smiled. “But master… do you intend to … attack Dorne?”

“Hmm? Attack them? No…” I leaned in. “Not if they don’t give me a reason to.”

He froze for a second before he gulped. “Master, I’d… I’d like to ask for a favor.”

“You can ask, but there is no guarantee that I will do it for you. And even if I do, I hope you understand that this will put you in debt to me.”

“I do, master, I do!” he gulped. “It’s … I … you know that I am from a merchant family in your lands.”

“I do.” That was information I heard in our literal soul-searching session yesterday. “What of it?”

“My family has friends in Sunspear, master, and I am betrothed to one of their daughters.”

“... You’re not asking me to kill her, are you?””

He looked horrified. “No, master! I just … If… If you truly intend to do nothing that’s not warranted, then I have nothing to fear. But if y-you are… then could you give me time to bring them out of the city before … whatever it is you intend to do if the Martells did intend you and yours harm?”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Sure,” I smiled. “But I will not wait more than an hour after I drop you off. If you cannot bring them to join us on To Beyond, then either you come back alone or you don’t come back at all.”

He shivered.

“Of course, master.”

“As long as we understand each other, then that’s good. Oh, and congratulations on your betrothal. I don’t think I knew about that. You know what, I’ll do this as a belated betrothal gift. I’ll extend that time up to twelve hours or until the Martells try to flee the city. Whichever comes first.”

Because if the Martells tried to run from the city in fear of my power, then I was going to just bomb the city.

… But then again, if they had nothing to do with Myrcella’s poisoning, then I would just use this chance to load up on some spice and awe the Martells into joining the Great Council.