- Welcome to the Small Copper Convict Mine, Your Excellency," he bowed low, "I am the head of the guard, centurion Georg Reese. Allow me to escort you to the main building.
With a silent nod from the archmage, the officer took his horse under the reins and strode forward. The inside was perfectly clean. Never had the vampire seen such clean human settlements in this world, not with his own eyes or in memory of the blood of anyone. The stones of the road they were traveling on seemed to have been hand scrubbed and not even the ubiquitous dust dared to cling to them.
Such a thing contrasted even more with the knowledge that this was a penal servitude and a mine. The cleanliness wasn't just wrong, it was foreign to the place. And then Alexander saw a dozen women sweeping the courtyard under the supervision of a bored warrior, who quickly shook off the boredom and took on a stern look when the centurion's gaze lingered on him.
- I didn't know that women were allowed to live at the penal colony," the vampire looked with interest at the working ten, dressed in monotonous clothes, which looked very shabby even for local places.
- And these, your Grace, are not women! - The centurion only glanced at the knight's epaulet of the questioner and immediately hastened to answer, -These are our wards.
- Wards?
- We have a women's penal servitude, Your Grace! You didn't know?
- No, I didn't know," Alexander looked at the archmage, but it seemed to be news to him as well.
And no one in the fortress knew! More than a hundred people lost their lives trying to get the artifact of Elos, some of them were not ordinary soldiers and the blood of each of them got into the vampire's menu. I wonder if that's a cover-up, or if there were just some people who weren't as informed about the mines.
- The worst criminals are brought here. From all over the kingdom! - The man was obviously proud of this fact, though a knight in his place would probably prefer to keep silent about it.
- How many convicts are here now?
- Four hundred and sixty-two! - The man reported cheerfully, and stopped at the porch, where another representative of the local authorities was standing, a stout man of very short stature, dressed in a ceremonial uniform.
As he dismounted, he bowed low and quickly muttered something unintelligible. Dukun, dumbfounded by the man's insistence, stared at the sweaty bald man leaning at his feet.
- One more time, my good man. And now so that I understand you! - The archmage sneered arrogantly.
- I apologize, Your Excellency. My name is Lithius Wroth, I am the mine manager.
- Archimagus Dukun, commander of the royal army," the mage said mockingly and gestured for the manager to straighten up, "You, my good man, have been so insistent in asking for help that I have decided to personally inspect your fort.
- It is a great honor for us, Your Excellency! You'll see for yourself that this place is a real disaster!
The vampire grunted in surprise, but managed to suppress a chuckle. It was not enough. He was heard and the archmage turned to him.
- Does something make you laugh, Master?
- More like amused, Your Excellency! We have an archmage's rebellion, war with Orod, brigands on the roads of the duchy as if they were at home, goblins. The outskirts of the Cursed Forest at last! But that's all secondary. But at the little mine, disaster! Which the manager could not report through a messenger and asked for a high-ranking royal representative to be sent.
The archmage laughed.
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