I wanted to know the history of an ancient symbol of Christianity. Who would have thought it would be such a big deal? Ehhh! I almost died from the attention of the Christian Egregore. Then there's the Vatican dancing around me. The only thing that reconciles with all this is that I have a spontaneous artifact created by hasty actions. My Orthodox cross is now permanent. Even when I shape-shift into a basilisk, on my chest, below my head, one of the scales is shaped like a cross. It is also silver. It is the strongest part of my body now. Nothing can damage it, as far as I can tell through study. Neither hell's flames nor my poison have any effect on it.Soon, I, having missed death, could gather my thoughts and calm my mind and senses. But I had to wait another half an hour for the cardinal to return to sinful earth from his religious ecstasy, after having stopped praying unrestrainedly. He did not pay the slightest attention to anyone around him for half an hour, and he was not the only one affected. That day, all the people of Venice heard the fanfare of heaven's throne, and everyone had a vision of angels or some other manifestation of faith. Some saw a huge shining cross over Badoer Castle, some saw Archangel Michael, and some even swore they saw the Lord himself. All united in one: they felt grace and enlightenment in that moment.On the same day, the cardinal, becoming himself again, developed a flurry of activity. He could not be indifferent to this miracle - the light had rejuvenated him thirty years, and he now looked about forty. In the evening, he summoned all the senior ministers of the church in Venice. He asked each of them to write written testimony to the miracle. After receiving piles of parchment attesting to the miracle, including parchments from the heads of all noble houses in Venice, he traveled to Rome to meet the Pope.In addition to the visual evidence that the whole city saw, there was a massive healing of all the sick in Venice. Blind people were given sight and people with disabilities were cured of their illnesses. Now I am still deciding what to expect from Rome. It was me who initiated it and it would be impossible to deny it. The Cardinal witnessed everything and did not hide anything from the family or anyone else who was interested. As a result, services have been held for a week in front of the family's castle and at least a few hundred Catholics gathered. There could be more, but the square in front of the castle does not allow it. My fame as an almost saint, who has been blessed by God and descended from Heaven, has begun to spread throughout Italy and Europe like Salazar's plague.By the way, the wooden cross of Bartholomew has become an integral part of the castle. It has literally melted into the wall of the Cardinal's room, and there is no way to remove it. The cross has not just become part of the wall, but has enveloped the entire castle with its power. It captures the contours of all the signaling and protection charms, so there is no need to renew or feed them with mana. All the power supply comes from the energy of faith, which is stronger than the runes. Had the Badoers been simpler, the Church would probably have tried to take over the castle, as it is an artifact. While it is simpler than Hogwarts, it is still equal to many family manors belonging to the oldest and most noble wizarding families.The Cardinal was going to Rome the next day, and Francesco was in Milan. So, I spent all my time in the castle either teaching Maria or experimenting. While I was away, Francesco could get all the ingredients that I had written down on the list for him. I wrote down what I needed for Maria's training and my own needs. How happy I was when I saw all these treasures and splendours! There were sun lilies from India, aconite from an ancient cemetery, rainbow snail shells from China, lunar lotus from Japan, and even the sands of time which can only be found in Persia. The place of origin of these ingredients is kept in the strictest secrecy, guarded more carefully than the virginity of a local princess. My inner scientist and inventor burst with ideas about how and where these ingredients could be used, and what would come from them. I didn't know which one to grab first. I left the laboratory to check on Maria's progress, give her new potions and then lost myself in the dungeon of the castle again.But not long after, I had to enjoy scientific research and experimentation in potions. Francesco came home tired. "I don't know whether to scold or thank you," he said as he fell into his chair. Here and now, he explained to his daughter the difficult points of the manual he had written for her, which included step-by-step instructions on how to focus their mental attention and what emotions they should tune in to achieve the desired result. "What's the problem?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, given my metamorphic gift of being able to communicate through facial expressions like a virtuoso.
- Yes, now everyone in Venice is clamoring to see us. They want to touch the cross, which has become an integral part of the wall. But that's only half the battle. Everyone wants to know more about you. Who are you, Svyatozar? Are you married or engaged, or taking on any more students? He stared at me in dismay.
- I won't apologize. I'm also a victim of circumstances. So I believed you. A merchant would never be against attention.
"Yes," he nodded in response to my words. "But that doesn't change their questions. I need to know the answers."
Well, who's got it easy now? I'm sorry, but only my students will know the truth about me in Venice. This isn't the kind of information I'd feel comfortable sharing.- I've already told you that I'm a wanderer with a restless nature, who wants to see the world. Naturally, my first stop was in Rome. Where else could a Christian begin his journey? Jerusalem and Constantinople are under Muslim rule, so they won't wait for me there. After Rome, I went directly to Venice. No questions about my personal life. I'm too young for that. That, as it turns out, was true. In Rome, I was wondering why I wasn't attracted to women. No, there's nothing wrong with my sexuality, and I still only like the opposite sex. Then I began studying physiology to find the cause of this problem. The Naga were an unexplored Fae race because those who met them often became lunch. Thus, I had to undergo many rituals from Greek and Egyptian magic schools to figure out what was going on. As a male Naga, I am not yet ready for procreation. That's why I don't want to have fun with women.I didn't expect my new body to be such a surprise. Snakes turned out to be very frugal creatures who don't like to make unnecessary movements. If they are fed, they lie down in the sun and rub their backs. When they are hungry, they lie there for a little longer in case prey runs by. And only when their hunger reaches an extreme point do they start to move, so to speak, in a constant energy-saving mode. Their reproductive organs remain dormant until their bodies are ready to procreate. No, they can raise them with metamorphosis and fix them in the right position and size, but in this case the process of copulation will not give them pleasure. So we wait. "Okay, let's not talk about it yet," he said, ignoring my look. "We'll never talk about this." "What the hell happened?"- Briefly, a week ago, just after I returned from my trip, Vencenzo Amati wanted to talk to me. When I went to his apartment, I saw a cross on the wall that smelled of holiness. I wanted to examine it. With the cardinal's permission, I touched it. Then, a huge amount of holy power was released. That was it.All I could think about now was what the high hierarchy of the Church would decide. After all, what had happened could not be interpreted in any other way than God's blessing upon me. And they don't like it when someone with such support from above walks the earth. They will gladly canonize such a bright person. But it's only after he's dead that you can cut coupons for a dead "brand". In their eyes, I'm not only not a minister of the church over which they have no direct authority, but also an "Orthodox" parishioner from another denomination, which doesn't fit their paradigm of Catholics, who are the most righteous Christians, while the rest is considered heresy and delusion. However, they cannot ignore me either, as the whole of Venice saw and some even experienced the miracle themselves, cured from their ailments, eh. As if they wouldn't try to eliminate me from sin, so that I don't confuse the weak minds of their flock by my living existence.- Oh, Svyatozar, if you were Catholic, everything would be much easier, and I'd feel more at ease. Francesco must have come to this conclusion. - What do you mean, father? Little Maria didn't understand, as she looked at our faces which were not happy but rather sad. - Nothing, little girl, nothing. Everything is fine, let's not be sad. Did you see that I got all you asked for? Well, I never doubted you, Francesco. That you'd get what you wanted and that you'd make me pay for it. - Yes, Francesco, Maria and I thank you for giving us the chance to make her into a powerful magician.No, no, no. I won't take that debt on myself. I'm not talking about money for ingredients. You can't get even a third of these things. I didn't think he would be able to find everything when I made a list. So, I wrote down everything I wanted in my personal pantry, so to speak. It's all so rare. He wants to make it seem like he's doing this for me, but fuck you, Francesco. You did it for your favorite daughter. I will spend most of the money you gave me on her extra-class elixirs, so I owe you nothing.
Well, so be it, he admitted without much pleasure, but of course, he didn't hope I would pay back the debt. As comrade Beria says or will say, "Trying is not torture," and what can be said about Maria's success?- That she is doing well. Her results and efforts cannot but please me as a teacher. The little girl blushes at my words, she's pleased with my praise and recognition for her diligence. But I'm training her to be a true magician, not just a magician with a wand. So, the visible result of my training and her efforts will be in a few years' time. I'm currently teaching her how to control her magical energy and focus. Only when she masters these skills will I begin teaching her magic spells.
- What's taking so long? The head of the Badoer family wonders. Well, he's not accustomed to playing long-term games. He's a businessman. Money for money, goods for money - that's his usual way of doing things.- But with my approach, she'll be able to do non-verbal and wand-less magic by the time she's twelve. And as she tightens her control, I'll teach her magic theory, runes, rituals, and potions. If her dedication remains consistent, she will be unrivaled in magic in Europe by the time she is thirty, except for the very old hermits who sit in their manor, keeping to themselves.
And that's true. I have certainly seen many strong mages in Rome, the centre and concentration of the strongest mages of modern Europe. But all their strength results from their childhood attachment to a strong source of ancestral magic, which pumps their own magical core. However, their skills and knowledge could be better. That was strange for me. There are a lot of interesting books in their libraries that can help them reach unparalleled heights. Nevertheless, I haven't met any mages with interesting abilities. The question is - how do we know about their level of education and knowledge? Well, first, we weren't bent on searching for their minds with mental magic. Second, the use of rare spells and other forms of magic leave a mark on the development of a magic channel and astral body system. I didn't see anything like that in any mage I met.Gradually, the passions calmed down a little, and a month later, there were fewer than a hundred people in the castle of Badoer. It needs to be found out what they were hoping for, whether they want to see me or get to the cardinal's room, where the cross is hanging. But if I leave the castle, either I will travel through a portal, or I will be under an illusion. And I am not likely to be recognized by any of the guards on duty at the platform, and they will not let anyone into the castle. There was a small group of pilgrims from the noble families of Venice who wanted to see the Holy Cross with their own eyes and touch the relic. I am sure that Francesco made a lot of money from it; that trader won't waste anything. And if he has the chance, he can take other people's things.I was not affected by all the excursions that Francesco made every day in the castle. I told him that I would not play games with the aristocrats, and I clarified that I was only a teacher for his daughter's magical classes - no more or less. If he had any questions about her studies, he could ask me. But that was the end of it. So now, I continued to research and experiment. But as soon as I finished and was on the verge of a discovery, I was summoned again from the dungeon: Cardinal Amati had returned. And here we are in his chambers again, where visitors of the House of Badoer weren't allowed three days ago. Cardinal sits in his chair opposite a cross on the wall and I sit across from him, slightly to the side.- Svyatozar, after what happened, the Catholic Church couldn't ignore such a remarkable miracle and the involvement of Our Lord. A panel of cardinals was summoned. After a week of discussion, you were declared a blessed man. It was the first time that the Catholic Church recognised someone outside its ranks as a Blessed One, Venchienzo said, fiddling with his rosary and gazing at the cross.
- I don't know the ranks and titles of Catholics, but what does it mean? "Why do I need to know this?" I wanted to ask, but I held back.
Before canonisation and becoming a Saint, you first receive the honour of being called Honourable. If you perform another miracle that the Church recognises, then you will become a Saint when you die.That's great. I always wanted to be a saint. I can't believe how much I want to do another miracle and die immediately. Now I need a new identity to travel around Europe. To make up a legend and build up authority, if I want to go to interesting places and libraries of aristocrats. Oh, for God's sake! I just want to swear out loud. It's not enough that I have to watch my back all the time. After all, there are many opponents in the Catholic Church hierarchy who will be categorically against me becoming a saint even hypothetically. They will want to preemptively eliminate this possibility before I create another miracle that cannot be silenced.- I see you're not happy about it, - he continued, sighing sadly. - and I understand your thoughts perfectly well. You've made a lot of enemies among the Cardinals, but no one wants to set a precedent. However, I couldn't lie and had to be honest with the College about what happened, so you'd better stay away from Rome.
- What did you want to talk about last time? Obviously, you had something to tell me when you saw the cross and wanted to touch it. Well, now I need to be more careful about my surroundings, and it's good that I'm still learning about my true strengths and skills. Also, thanks to Salazar and Morgana/Rowena, I know how to stay alert. So, I decided to change the subject and confirm my conclusions, which I had already thought about.- Ah, yes. When you killed the Kitsune, my men took its belongings from its chambers. Among them was a space seal in the form of a piece of paper with Chinese characters on it. After opening the seal, a cage with a kitten appeared. This kitten turned out to be magical, but we couldn't identify it exactly. More precisely, thanks to your information, we suspect it might be a Nekomote, but I would like you to confirm this assumption.I can understand it. Nekomota and bakeneko are indistinguishable until they reach puberty, as both species have only one tail in childhood. After adulthood, the Bakeneko has two tails, while Nekomote is not dangerous to humans unless provoked. Bakeneko, on the other hand, is a demon with a bloodthirsty essence that awakens only when it has two tails. It is not a cute kitty, but a dangerous creature like Kitsune, capable of transforming into a werewolf. Nekomot is a half-spiritual creature that can take human form under certain conditions, such as living among its kin or humans. She can become a familiar to a mage and turn into a human if she wants to.
Where is this animal now? I couldn't wait to see it.
In the Church of San Giacomo, would you like to go there now? The Cardinal was surprised by my impulsive decision.- Vencenzenzo, if your men have carefully read everything I've learned about the magical creatures of Asia, they should realize that it could be a necromancer or a bakuneko. And if it's the latter, it must be destroyed immediately. Seeing that I was determined to leave immediately, Vencenzene also got up and followed me. Now, we're moving on to the Church of St. James. Hmm, this is definitely a necomancer. But it's strange. I've never encountered this type of Fae before. I only know about them from bestiaries in the East and Asia, and some notes from mage journals in my personal library inherited from the Slytherins. Why does she have such an affinity for fire? I walk in circles, thinking, casting one diagnostic spell after another on the cat. She sits in her cage, hissing as the magic of my spells touches her aura.
The literature I read about them says that nekomates, because of their semi-spiritual nature, have an incredible talent for astral magic. Thus, her strong gift for fire is a legacy from her father. However, this could be improved. These Fae, like Veils and Kitsune, can only be female, and when it comes to conceiving offspring, they use spirits traveling in the astral world. In extreme cases, the father may be human. It does not matter if he is a mage or non-mage.
To understand why she is so unconventional, I need to perform a ritual - Wencenzenzo. It is definitely a nekomate, but it is strange. To understand its essence and why it has the gift of fire that it should not have, I must perform a ritual. Where can this be done here? There is that research itch when you encounter something interesting. I am eager to find out the reason for its unusual nature. Is the ritual dark? The Cardinal asked.Eh, he seemed to be an educated man with a not very open mind, turned on by faith - but he was the same way. Vencenzenzo, you are the head of the Knights of Creation. So, it would help if you understand better than anyone else that it is not the tool that causes harm, but the hand that holds it. But, to reassure you, I will answer that no, this ritual can't be classified as dark according to current gradation. What's the difference between current understanding of light and dark rituals? It's the source of power to activate them! If it only requires mana and plant components, then it's light, but if it's blood, flesh, and prana then it's dark. The darkness is growing. In the Old Testament it is written that God accepted Abel's sacrifice and he brought him by killing a lamb, but he did not accept Cain's offerings of the Earth. It's not a holy scripture but contradictions.Then I was escorted to the floor below with a cage containing a cornered kitten in my hands. We found ourselves in a dungeon even deeper than the one I had previously explored with Kitsune. The new room was circular. In early Christianity, blood sacrifices were made, and I could feel it physically. I was the only person who felt that way, because neither the cardinal nor the two monks who accompanied us felt anything like it.
"So, ginger!" I said to the red cat with blue eyes. Having made a mental-astral connection, I tried to communicate my message through images. It was unlikely that he understood human speech, let alone Italian. "I will examine you now, but there is no danger. Just sit still in the circle I'll put you in." While doing this, I sent images of what I was saying to the kitten out loud.- Does he understand us? Vencenzenzo was surprised by my communication with the kitten. I transmitted the meaning of what I said directly into his mind, forming everything into images. Not catching my message of aggression and desire to harm him, Kisa stopped being furious with me. When I opened the cage, she allowed herself to be controlled. I took out my wand, but I did so not to use it, but solely to avoid revealing my full capabilities to the churchmen. Then, with non-verbal and wandless magic, I created a ritual circle which I tied to myself, and I was going to power it directly from myself, immediately receiving a mental package with the results of the diagnostics directly into my mind.So that's it! Now I understand her strong affinity with fire. This kitten is most likely Kitsune's experiment. After all, her father is a fire genie, or Ifrit as they call him. Where did foxes get this specimen? Apparently, they managed to find a genie sealed by ancient mages. For over two and a half thousand years, the path to the world of Great Khan of Jinns has been closed by King Solomon's seal. All this time, there has been no way back for them to Earth. Why do I think this kitten is the result of an experiment? Suppose nekomotes are half-energetic creatures tied to astral energy, and Jinn are also half-energy creatures tied to magic. In the case of Kitsune's father, it is fire mana that binds them together. A cat would not willingly get close to a red-hot octopus for intimacy or procreation. The flames of a fire jinn are far stronger than those of dragons here, even though they are actually wyverns.- Well, I basically figured out her nature. Her father is also a member of a magical race, hence her penchant for fire, "Oh, don't give me that glare." She's the daughter of a demon?!" I guess I overreacted when I thought he was a reasonable church dignitary. You've made your point, Cardinal."
- No, not a demon. Of that, I am absolutely certain." And I didn't lie." Genies don't eat souls, so they're not demons." Yes, they can capture souls and then milk the energy out of them." But people can do that," too." And the fact that the jinn widely practice it - they are just more educated." If most of the mages here knew how to do it," they would have killed each other long ago," chasing power and longevity."
"Cardinal Amati," I have a favor to ask of you." I didn' t want to ask the church," but this beast" is very useful for my plans." Sell me the neko-mote." What do you need it for?"The request I made only increased his suspicion. What could I be suspicious about? I'm a white and fluffy recognised saint. How annoying!
I don't want this for myself, but for Maria Badoer. Making her my apprentice will benefit her as a powerful mage. She will not find a better bodyguard. He thought about his decision for a long time, staring intently at me. After a pause, I wasn't expecting him to agree. But...
"All right, take it." "How much?" The Cardinal was confused. Only after a few seconds did he understand what I meant.- Nothing. You owe me or the Church nothing for her. This kitten can serve well in Marie Françoise's defence. Therefore, I'll gladly give it to her through you. After all, I'm her spiritual father, and though my direct duty is to care for her immortal soul, her body as a vessel also needs protection. And the Badoer family is zealous Catholics who've done much for the good of the church. I see. So much the better. Let Francesco be the one to owe him now. The Cardinal stayed at the church, saying he'd meet with Francesco tomorrow. So, I returned to the Badoers' castle without him and there I gave the gift to Marie. - Oh, it's lovely! Marie jumped up to me.The poor kitty apparently didn't even realise how she had ended up in Maria's arms. But she quickly agreed that the new location was more to her liking. After all, there was just an ocean of delight poured out on her, and I won't say anything about children's hands scratching her behind the ears.
- Maria, where are your manners? Is that any way for a noble lady to behave? - the honourable matron was indignant. I still need to find out your name. But you could have been. After all, you are, as it were, Little Miss Badoer's constant companion, teaching her how to be a lady. But Maria didn't care about her nanny's complaints: the girl was now fully occupied scratching her adorable little kitty. - Where did you get it from, Master? I've never seen such a cat before. Yes, it's like a flame in colour. - It's a magic cat of a rare breed. It comes from Japan.Maria furrowed her brow, recalling my lectures and having already read the bestiary. "Is it a nekomata?" her eyes widened with delight. "Yes, it is. And we are going down to the dungeon to the ritual hall where I will make it your familiar." "Yay!" Her chaperone could only sigh at the young lady's inappropriate behavior, realizing that it would be impossible to correct her without harsh training, but no one would allow that: neither I, nor her father.The ritual went without problems. After learning the meaning, the cat agreed to always be near such a charming girl. And it's no wonder, because she admires him, strokes him and feeds him with fish. I did the toughest ritual possible. No, it's not a slave ritual which also exists. They are usually used to bind aggressive creatures. The one I performed gives the widest mental-astral magical communication channel between the master and the familiar. Therefore, its participants have high chances of receiving not just affinity, but full-fledged gifts from the other side of this connection. Its only drawback is that if the owner dies, the familiar will die too. However, I still need to tell Maria about this. In the future, this will serve as another incentive for her development. Nekomata are conditionally immortal creatures, but when they reach a certain level of power, they enter the astral plane and live as long as they are strong.
Maria chose Koneko, which means "kitten" out of all the Japanese names she offered for her neko-mata. It made sense to her because a cat's baby grows very slowly. Maria even thought her kitten would be a kitten forever. However, after being told that such slow growth is the norm for long-lived species, she still decided on this name. A naming ceremony was even held for the kitten. To be more precise, it was held by Maria herself. This was her first independent attempt at ritualism.Another three years passed. Koneko grew by only ten percent. As I suspected, their bond was very beneficial to development. Maria's astral body is now slightly inferior to her magical body, which she has trained and developed daily for the past three years, unlike her astral body. She has also already developed the gift of fire mana control, which she learned from Koneko. In turn, Koneko can now travel in the dream world. Although Koneko may not have fully developed a gift for dream magic, she does have a predisposition for it. Thanks to their constant bond, Koneco became Maria's permanent companion in the world of dreams. Once Koneko settled in, she began to visit Maria independently. They have become an inseparable pair.During Maria's training, I had only one difficulty. It was because of the need to fight with her duenna, Teresa, whose name I still remember. She wouldn't let me into Maria's room when she went to sleep. The stubborn woman thought it was indecent and shameful. How could I watch Maria's work on the gift without her? But I defended my right to teach, not to be called an "honourable fool". Even though she was between me and Maria, I wanted to study the gift. Francesco allowed me to be in her room at night. He thought our pact would stop me from hurting his daughter. But that pact was a lie, he didn't know it. I wasn't going to do anything bad. I couldn't and I'm not a pedophile.The first time I was in the girl's room, it took her a long time to fall asleep and enter a dream world. It was all because of worrying and dwelling on her childhood fantasies. She read knightly novels, poetry, and other fiction during her time. For the first year and a half, Teresas kept me company during my nightly sits over the bed with Maria sleeping. But when she was convinced that I had no ill will towards my ward, she gave up and slept in her own bed. After all, she was an old lady, and sleepless nights weren't good for her health. Francesco was generally very pleased with his daughter's progress in education. A year ago, when Maria turned twelve, he and Silvius, the battle magician invited to the demonstration as an expert by the head of their guard with SB, were struck by what they saw.Maria summoned Lumos without a concentrate or words, then launched a jet of water onto the wall. She blasted the wall with a flamethrower and made it red-hot. The air sickles sliced the mannequin in knight's armor into several pieces. Francesco and Silvio were silent, only feeling emotions. By the end of the demonstration, Maria was only a third of her reserves left. Thanks to her gained control and no losses in charms, she could claim the title of master in ten years. Maria can claim the same title in five. But there is no guild for such mages.Now it is 1541 and I want to obtain the title of Master in all the schools that I own, which guilds already exist. This has to be done before information about the world of magic has completely gone into the shadows, at least among aristocrats. Having gathered all available information on these colleges of Masters, I learnt the following:
-The Guild of Enchanters is based in Paris.
-There is a guild of Runologists and Ritualists in Dresden.
-Light magic and healing are practiced in Rome.
-Dark magic and Blood Magic are studied in Prague.
-Climatologists and Florists are found in Utrecht.
-Magic of Change is practiced in Calais.
-Pottery and Alchemy are taught in Genoa.
-Numerology is studied in Vienna.
I spent a long time thinking about which guild I should start getting my master's rings from. Finally, my choice fell on the Guild of Runologists. Dresden, will you wait for me?