Saigo became interested. His previously relaxed posture became slightly more composed.
"And what exactly do you want from me?" he asked, his voice shedding its laziness and taking on a businesslike tone. "Let me say this upfront: don't even bother asking about involving Katarina in your... 'sect.'"
The priestess darkened slightly. From her perspective, his words were extremely inappropriate and insolent. If anyone else had been in his place, they would have already lost their head, but he could afford such behavior, so she restrained herself.
"Let's leave that conversation for later. I've heard rumors that you handled a whole crowd of ghosts in the royal dungeon quite well."
Saigo nodded, noting to himself: "Could she really be wanting to give me a job?"
"Can't you just banish them yourselves? With your resources, it should be a piece of cake."
"Yes and no," Kayata shook her head. "It's just that this ghost... mm, how to put it... is extremely unusual. And we wouldn't want to attract the attention of imperial or even church specialists. It might raise too many questions, and to be honest, it's not really a ghost at all, or rather, she is."
"Now it's getting more interesting." A familiar hunter's glint flared in Saigo's eyes.
"Where, who, and for how much?" he asked clearly, dropping all unnecessary formalities. For him, a job with a live target was like a breath of fresh air. Returning to his beloved work would be a true joy for him.
The priestess nodded, more than pleased with his immediate response. "Professionalism, plain to see," she thought, and began to explain. "An old abandoned church in the town of Kitor. The local priestess has become possessed by an evil force and..." she paused, "...I believe she has killed all the villagers."
Saigo whistled through his teeth. "We sent a squad of paladins there. But they didn't come back. Sending higher-ranking hierarchs or mercenaries is too risky – spies would notice their prolonged absence. And you, Mr. Saigo, are the perfect candidate."
"Hmm, she wiped out a whole squad of paladins," Saigo chuckled inwardly. Blood stirred in his veins; the thrill of an impending fight with something truly dangerous began to dispel his boredom.
"I agree," he declared. "But I have a couple of conditions." He moved closer to the table, ticking off his fingers. "First: an advance payment. Ten thousand gold, for equipment and some other things – don't worry, it won't be hard for you to get them. Second: you will help me leave the capital secretly, and you will do it so Katarina doesn't find out. And third: I have a few questions, and I'd like to know if you know anything about what interests me."
"That's all acceptable to us," Kayata nodded without hesitation.
Thwack! A hefty leather purse, tightly packed with coins, landed with a dull thud on his knee.
"As for your questions..." she folded her hands on the table, her gaze becoming penetrating. "As a gesture of goodwill, I'm ready to answer anything I know, right now."
"How old is our beloved Katarina?"
The question hung in the air, heavy and unexpected, like a thunderclap from a clear sky. In response, a deafening, hollow silence fell. Saigo was even slightly surprised: within a fraction of a second, a whole range of emotions flickered across his interlocutor's face – from utter bewilderment and confusion to slight fear, and finally to restrained but vivid irritation.
Finally, she exhaled, as if throwing a heavy burden off her shoulders, and almost whispered: "I don't know!"
Saigo just breathed out in disappointment. He was about to get up and leave, having lost faith in this source, but Kayata, recovering from the shock, added more firmly: "But I will find out this matter. And you... get ready. Someone will pick you up tomorrow night."
Saigo nodded silently, stood up, gave a short bow just for show, and left. The girl watched him with a thoughtful gaze and couldn't help but lick her dry lips. An instrument like this in her hands could bring not just the empire, but perhaps the whole world, to her feet...
Katarina was again sitting in her office, buried under a mountain of papers. She tirelessly signed documents, one after another.
In the few days of forced break, so much work had piled up that she was ready to climb the walls. The palace construction, countless court hearings – Saigo had certainly given them a lot of work. And the standard red tape hadn't gone anywhere either: nobles' complaints, subjects' petitions, reports, dispatches... and a lot, lot, lot more.
Then there was a knock on the door, and without waiting for permission, Leyla entered. Katarina immediately raised her head – her friend and advisor rarely came just like that, and if she showed up, it meant something serious.
"My Empress, we have a problem..."
"What now?" Katarina sighed wearily, forcefully putting down her quill.
Leyla frowned, paced around the room, and began, waving her hands:
"Dear Empress, have you forgotten or has your romance..?" the last word was given a particularly sarcastic emphasis.
Katarina tried to read the text of some dispatch, but her tired eyes only saw a blur of small lines.
Seeing that expecting a reasonable response was pointless, Leyla pulled her own sheet from her bosom and, leaning her hands on the table, brought her face almost right up to Katarina's.
"The great archmage Parimed, my teacher," she announced, "has an anniversary! He is turning 250 years old!"
Katarina looked away, trying to calculate in her head. The data she had didn't match Leyla's statement.
"Are you sure? I thought he was turning only 230 this year..."
Leyla herself hesitated for a moment. "Ah, who the hell knows! I don't think he even remembers his exact age himself. But the whole capital is convinced it's his anniversary! And we must celebrate this event with a grand festival!"
"I understand," Katarina made a few quick notes on the nearest scroll.
"And also... you must congratulate him personally."
"Yes, I..." Katarina began to automatically agree, but then caught herself. "Wait! You don't mean..."
"I do mean it," Leyla interrupted her. "Ehh... I don't know what you see in that barbarian, but you can't avoid social functions forever! Sooner or later, you'll have to present him to high society! Or are you afraid of something?"
"No!" Katarina answered too sharply. "It's just... he's not ready yet."
"Then prepare him! The celebration is scheduled for the day after tomorrow. I'll take care of the preparations, so be it," she said, casting a skeptical glance at the mountains of papers cluttering the office.
Katarina nodded meekly. She wanted to object, but simply couldn't find any reasonable arguments. As Leyla was already about to leave, she shouted from the doorway: "And don't you dare dump this on Marcus again! I know him – those parasites will get drunk together again and go on a bender for a month!"
The door slammed shut. Katarina leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. Ahead of her lay not just a massive amount of work – she had to do the nearly impossible: prepare Saigo for a public appearance. And that frightened her far more than any war or coup.