Chapter 22 Chapter 5

The stewardess brought the meal and asked if I wanted brandy, which I declined.No more, I have to be in top spirits when I get to Edinburgh. Edgar ate with gusto behind me.Gennady thoughtfully rummaged through the lunch box with a fork and picked out some pieces of meat.Looking at him I no longer have the appetite to eat meat.So I forced myself to eat some vegetables and a small piece of cheese.The bad news is that all the food was delicious.Should have asked for a vegetarian one. Shoshkin took a small water jug ​​from his pocket.Unscrewed the cap and took a sip.After pocketing the jug, he deliberately licked his bloodstained lips.

"You know, Edgar, one thing really surprised me," I said softly. "You don't seem to have a soft spot for bloodsuckers. Not to mention vampires who violate the Great Peace Treaty...but how do you cancel the registration mark on criminals?" "Don't get excited, Anton," said Edgar calmly. "When it comes to Gennar killing the two Lightbringers in the Gardens, he did it in self-defense. What happened in Edinburgh...it turned out badly. But it was also self-defense in a way. Gennar didn't even drink that The boy's blood, he didn't want to drink the blood of Kostya's friend, he drained all the blood..."

"How did he become a high-ranking vampire?" I asked, looking at Gennady. The vampire opened his mouth slightly, baring his fangs, and shook his head. "His son's notes contained a recipe called the 'Shoshkin Cocktail,'" Edgar said quietly. "Yes, Genna's upgrade is illegal. But he didn't kill for it..." "Are you sure?" I asked, still looking at Gennady. "His fangs are getting longer and longer. I wonder how 'Schrödinger's cat' will react if someone tries to bite my throat through its furry body?" "How could this be?" Edgar reached out and grabbed Gennady's shoulder tightly. "What else is my comrade in arms hiding from me?"

"He lied," Gennady said. "He wants to stir up strife among us." "I don't think so." Edgar still grabbed Gennady's shoulder.And even harder. "You're too excited, Genna. Calm down." "I'm calm." The vampire said vaguely. "Have you ever killed someone?" Edgar asked calmly. "Your son didn't email you any cocktail recipes at all, did he?" "I have killed people," said Gennady.He took out the small kettle and shook it again. "But the recipe does exist! Kostia. I don't read the mail, I don't have the time! I didn't see my son's letter until spring, but it doesn't mean anything to me anymore... What's wrong?"

"Fifty bodies were found in his house, drained of blood," I said. "What do you think the purpose of the patrol team's increased vigilance today is? Gennady's fellow vampires are going to tear him to pieces. Because of his fault, these vampires will not be able to hold a license for five years." "It's because of Gesar's generosity," Edgar said. "In my place, I'd keep them without a license for ten years. It's outrageous. I doubted that too. Outrageous! Gennady, how could you do that! We're a team!" "Are we still a team?"

Edgar sighed and said: "Of course, it's hard to get over the water...but why did you do this?" "How do I know you will choose me?" The vampire answered with a question. "I want to take revenge on Anton. But how can a low-level vampire take revenge on a high-level magician of the Light Force? I have to kill and drink blood. It's all his fault!" Excusing myself is now a habit, I suppose.Not only the dark messengers, but also the scum among ordinary people. It's all his fault.He has a house, a car, an expensive mobile phone, and I have only three rubles, and I suffer from chronic alcoholism, and I have to suffer from the pain of waking up every morning.That's why I waited for him at the gate with a brick, my leader... She has slender legs, is in the prime of her seventeenth year, and has a handsome boyfriend. Obscene magazines, with a gorilla-like face.So, when she came back from a date and walked into the corridor humming, how could I not pounce on her increasingly sexy and provocative lips... He has a decent job and often flies all over the world. He is respected, but my diploma is bought, so I can only work under him, besides, I am very lazy.So I played tricks secretly and charged him with embezzlement of public funds. It was logical that he was kicked out of the company...

They are like dogs.This is true of ordinary people, and so is others.They are greedy for fame, money or blood.They found that the easiest means of obtaining all this were always illegitimate. There will always be someone who interferes with them, and of course it's their own fault. Perhaps, when Gennady Shoshkin saved his dying son, he was really thinking about his son.Of course, he will not sincerely think about his son, because his heart is barren.But intellectually and emotionally he couldn't stand his son's death, and he still can't stand it now.What's more, the illicit methods are actually simple and easily available.

For this vampire, if there is any limit, he has indeed lingered on the edge of it for a long time.He didn't kill for a long time.He even tried to be an honest, kind person, which he did.Kostya has become almost an ordinary person under his education. The difference between the easy route and the hard route is that the easy route requires travel expenses, and the price of the travel fare is usually not published until the end of the journey. "Are you satisfied with his explanation?" I asked. "I'm sad," Edgar said. "But nothing will change." "Some things can't be changed." I nodded in agreement.

But I silently said to myself: "Some things can be changed." Empty customs desks at the evening border at Edinburgh Airport.There are some forms on the table, and a talisman for monitoring.At the moment it is emitting a uniform milky white light: the last one to pass the inspection is a Lightbringer.Why isn't there even a single person on duty?There might not be much to do here... Edgar dragged me into the Twilight.I still can't do magic, and the damn "Schrödinger's cat" is writhing restlessly on my neck, spreading its claws out every now and then.I glanced at Gennady and turned around.His features are still recognizable in the Twilight.What did Zaburon say the last time he talked about ordinary people's children playing vampire games?They should be shown what real vampires are like.His cheeks were eroded by ulcers, his skin was earthy gray, and his gray eyes were dull and lifeless, like hard-boiled shelled eggs.

We walked past the examination table, through a door that was closed in the real world, turned into a corridor, and then walked into a small room, whether it was a simple dressing room or a warehouse, dedicated to Come to pile up scrapped but not yet registered belongings: chairs with broken legs, rolls of dull-colored rugs, and dusty bottles and cans on shelves. Edgar grabbed my shoulders and dragged me back into the real world.I sneezed.This is indeed a temporary warehouse for rags.I blinked a few times to adjust to the dim light - heavy curtains were drawn over the windows.I laughed.It seems that you can boldly score yourself a point.

In one of the relatively intact chairs sat a beautiful dark-haired woman.Simple everyday clothes - trousers and shirt - looked out of place on her.She should wear a long skirt, which is feminine, or a white sheer tulle dress, or nothing at all. Although... She looks beautiful in any clothes, even bulletproof vests. I was fascinated by her again.Just like when I first met her. "Hello, Alina," I said. "Hello, magician." She held out her hand, and I kissed her hand lightly with my lips. Although what I saw was the incarnation of this woman in the twilight world. Although I know such a beautiful, healthy and vibrant body only exists in the real world. "You're not surprised," Alina said. "Not surprised at all." I shook my head. "He knows," Edgar said.His tone made me suddenly understand that Edgar was not the mastermind of the trio.Perhaps it was his evil trick, and he was also the one who provided the magic weapon to the last guardian.But Edgar was not the mastermind. "Svetlana thought of it?" Alina asked. "We thought about it together," I said. "But you're the Lightbringer now? I'm sorry, I wouldn't dare to risk checking your bioelectric field...'Cat Spirit' is dozing off on my shoulder..." "I am the Lightbringer," Arina said quietly. "A great magician can change his identity, isn't that news to you?" "Merlin hasn't changed his identity," I waved impatiently. "I have a question for you, witch... what should I call you now, witch doctor?" Alina didn't answer. "You made a promise to my wife. You swore. Promised a hundred years..." "I will not cause harm to anyone, not others, nor human beings, unless I am self-defense." Alina said. "Could changing your identity allow you to break the oath?" "I didn't kill, Anton. As for me giving Edgar and Gennady nuclear weapons, that's another matter. It doesn't contradict the oath." "Svetlana is sorry for you," I said. "Maybe she didn't pity me in vain, Anton?" Alina smiled. "You see, I became the Lightbringer, but I didn't hurt your wife and daughter, did I?" "Edgar's threat to detonate a nuclear bomb near my house, how to explain that? How much time?" I looked at the former Inquisitor. Edgar raised his wrist and looked at his watch. "You know, Anton, here's the thing... for you to truly share weal and woe with us, you must first feel your own personal needs." Before he finished speaking, my temples jumped, and my eyes were dark. "The explosion happened five minutes ago." Edgar said indifferently. "I didn't break my promise, the explosion time was set yesterday... Please don't get angry. If 'Schrödinger's cat' kills you, you still can't help your wife and daughter." It didn't even occur to me to employ magic. The dead always hope for revenge.The same goes for the dead Other.But they don't need revenge on me at all. I kicked Edgar.Perhaps not as beautifully as Olga's kick at the Shoshkins' door lock.But definitely more powerful. Edgar was kicked away by me, and the back of his head hit the wall. He covered his lower body with his hands and fell down slowly. Gennady appeared before me.He grabbed me with superhuman strength, threw my head back with the other hand, and bared his vampire fangs... "Genna!" Alina only called out his name once, and the vampire immediately retracted its fangs. "Edgar deserves it. Don't get excited, Anton. It's our Inquisitor's own fault." Edgar groaned in pain, clutching his lower body and rolling on the ground.My kick was quite accurate. "There was no explosion at all," Alina continued.She got up, walked up to us, looked me in the face and said, "Hey, Anton! Don't get excited. There was no explosion!" I looked her in the eyes and nodded. She wasn't lying. "Why... didn't happen..." Edgar moaned in the corner. "I told you I didn't like the idea," Alina said. "I wouldn't like it even if I were still the Darkbringer! The explosion didn't happen. The criminals who stole the bomb regretted it and returned it to the authorities. They are now being interrogated," she sighed, "I'm afraid the means of interrogation It wouldn't be very humane. The explosion didn't happen and it won't happen." "Alina!" Edgar even stopped moaning. "Why? Even if it's temporarily keeping this secret...to ensure..." "I can't do that now," Alina explained with a moving smile. "Unfortunately, I cannot. As I told you, I will put an end to mass extermination of ordinary people." "Then why...you agreed with us..." Edgar finally stood up.He looked at me with hatred. "Bastard! You ruined everything about me!" "You didn't need it for the last seventy-seven 'dos' anyway," I said with satisfaction. "Didn't you realize that Alfonky put a spell on you?" Alina smiled. "So that's what happened! Alfonky is a joking old man... the last seventy-seven 'doings', Edgar, you can pass this shame on to another guy." "Why did you let him do this?" Edgar was still moaning in pain. "To make your words more convincing! Anton can see through lies even if he wears a 'cat spirit' around his neck. Shoshkin, please let go of our friend. He will not be violent again. Man Always use the most primitive means to figure out the relationship between each other." Gennady reluctantly walked away from me and sat down on the floor, crossing his legs like a Turk.I found a better chair and sat down on purpose without asking permission.Arina also sat back in the chair.Edgar found that he was the only one standing, and he was still covering his private parts, so he sat down too. "Now that everyone's quieted down, we can talk calmly," Alina said.She had become the hospitable hostess of a literary salon, as if one poet had just tore another poet's curls in her presence. "Peace is the most important thing! Anton, let me explain to you... You also understand that it is much harder to lie to me than Genna and Edgar. We don't want to see any horror. We don't want to destroy the world. We We don't want to destroy humanity. We're just helping to regain life for others who have left us." "Alina, have you lost a loved one too?" I asked. "Lover? Child?" A trace of sadness suddenly flashed in Alina's eyes. "Love... I had one, and he was a magician. There was, but now it's gone. He didn't even make it through his life like a normal person, he died. I also had a daughter. Much earlier, before him. She died too. Only four years old...of the plague. I wasn't with her at the time, and I didn't have time to save her. 'Crown of all things' couldn't save their lives either, because they were ordinary people .If they go somewhere, we have nowhere to go, and once they go, they never come back.” "Then why..." I continued to ask. Gennady laughed hoarsely and whispered: "Alina is an idealist! She is now a Lightbringer just like you. She only kills for lofty ideals..." "Hush, vampire!" Alina gave Gennady a dissatisfied look.Then she admitted calmly, "Genner was right, Anton. I volunteered to be the Lightbringer. Reason, not emotion, so to speak. The Darkbringers bored me. Never saw them." What a good thing to do. I thought about going to the Inquisition, but I had too much to do. Besides, I don't like them, a bunch of pompous hypocrites... Sorry, Edgar, of course it has nothing to do with you. I was I did go to Siberia and live in Tomsk, a peaceful and beautiful city. It is very suitable for the light forces. According to the old rules, I am still a wizard. I put an advertisement in the newspaper, and when the patrol team came to investigate, I Pretending to be a connoisseur, it was easy for me to fool an ordinary patrol. Then I realized that I should only do good deeds. If I was sure that the spark of love had not been extinguished, that the couple would live together forever, I would send my husband back to the Beside my wife. I heal people, find missing people, and help ordinary people regain their youth - only a little bit of course, mainly due to the use of a small amount of magic, and the rest is about giving them confidence in themselves and healthy life choices Way. I have never looked at people with poisonous eyes, and I have never used Gu to make them suffer misfortune... I have decided to never play those shady games again. Do you know what it takes for others to change their identities?" I shook my head. "There needs to be a big move. It's not as simple as you think it is - do good deeds for a year and you become a Lightbringer, and do bad deeds and you become a Darkbringer. That's not going to work. It needs something that changes you completely. It It can scrub your past and erase everything you've done ... or do the exact opposite and paint your past blacker." "Did Merlin kill the baby?" I asked. "I think so," Alina nodded. "What else did he do? Yes, he wanted to establish a noble and just kingdom on earth, and later he carefully raised Arthur. How can he be rigid in etiquette in order to achieve great goals? According to the future trend, the baby will Grow up and destroy the kingdom... I didn't live in that era, so I can't fathom Merlin's mind. At the moment Merlin decided to kill innocent people to realize his ideal, a great magician of the power of light died, and a new one was born Great magician of dark power." Another reincarnation.Life breeds death, death breeds life... Is everything as simple as Alina said?Tired of being an emissary of darkness and wishing to do good, he became an emissary of light.Just like the old woman Shapoklyak received re-education, so she was reborn and became a Buddha immediately... Maybe there is something else hidden?Perhaps it involved her long-standing and complicated relationship with Gesar?Involved in their common conspiracy - the magician of the light force and the witch of the dark force working on their common goal?Did Gesar push her to become the Lightbringer, or did Alina realize that there was no essential difference between her dark power and Gesar's light power? I don't know the answer to the question.Alina wouldn't say the answer either.Similarly, she would not disclose whether Gesar and Zaburon knew her plan in advance, or whether they had their own wishful thinking, so they allowed the last guardian to get their hands on Merlin's inheritance. "How did you get together with Edgar? Is it a secret?" Edgar ignored it.He was muttering something softly... It seemed that he was healing himself. "What secrets are there now?" Alina looked at her comrades like lovers. "It was he who kept pestering me. It became the number one thing in his life. He kept coming to me, and by then he didn't want to be in the Inquisition anymore. After his wife died, he found out about Merlin's last The most convenient way to do this is to become a high-level other, not a high-level other in the general sense, but a 'zero energy' other like Merlin. Edgar believes that I I have the ability to restore "Fu Alan". He overestimated my ability. But I am also very interested in the 'Crown of All Things', so I decided to form an alliance with him." I nod.It looks like it does.Edgar wanted to get magic equipment wholeheartedly, so he found Alina.They absorbed the vengeful Shoshkin into the ranks of the last guardians, and then they began to move.Inquisitors have the right to use all kinds of magical talismans; clever witches turn into light emissaries; high-level vampires also go crazy because they miss their wives and children... A pathetic gang. Also terrible. "Aren't you worried that 'Crown of All Things' is a mistake you made, Alina? Just like 'Mordred' became Merlin's mistake." "I'm afraid," she said, "that there is a possibility... so was it our fault for capturing you? Have you figured out a way to get the 'Crown of All Things'?" "Yes," I said. "The seventh layer of the Twilight Realm is used by Merlin to confuse us. As long as it is not the 'zero energy' other, any living matter cannot enter the kingdom of the dead." "It's the kingdom of others that has already left." Gennady corrected without malice. "It is the other who has gone, not the dead." Why is he so sensitive to the word dead?Because he's a dead guy too? "I thought so too," Alina nodded. "If there is "Fu Alan", I can make Edgar become the other of 'Zero Energy'. Without books, it will be difficult. I remembered some contents, and some contents were written, barely allowing Edgar to achieve Advanced. It seems that I don't have the ability to compete with "Fu Alan"... What did you come up with?" "The 'Crown of All Things' is on the fifth floor of the Twilight Realm," I said. "You could have had it two weeks ago!" Alina narrowed her eyes at me.I repeated what I had told Edgar and Gennady on the plane.Said step back, said head and tail, said slime troll. "I'm afraid you're lying," Arina said thoughtfully. "You speak very fluently... But for Merlin, this is too simple. Isn't it? What do you think?" "I think he's lying too," said Gennady unexpectedly agreeing with Alina, who didn't show the slightest doubt on the plane. "Should bring his daughter..." "Genna, you're not afraid of nightmares when you play with little girls? Don't be like that," Arina said softly. "do you understand?" "Understood." Gennady immediately replied obediently. "What's going on, magician? Are you telling the truth or a lie?" Arina looked me in the eye. "The truth?" I leaned forward.Only anger and sincerity can save me now. "What do you mean, Merlin? Where am I going to find out? They hung this goddamn brute around my neck, threatened to kill my wife and daughter, blow up half of Moscow for it, and then Forcing me to tell the way to get the magic weapon! How do I know if I am right or wrong? This is just my opinion. I think this may be the right answer! But no one can guarantee it, and neither do I." "What else do you want from me, now that we're in the same boat...do I have to play you a "Cat's Lullaby"?" Edgar said suddenly. I didn't understand what he meant at once, he was rarely a joke. "There's some credibility to his words," Edgar said, looking at me maliciously. "Like the truth." Arina sighed, spread her hands and said: "We have no other way but verification. Let's go." "Wait," I said. "Edgar promised to remove the 'cat' from me." "Since you agreed, let's take it off," Alina thought for a moment, then said. "Listen, Anton, although you have great magic, there are three of us, and we're not far behind. Don't try to play tricks."

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