"We'll soon be the Red Cross and the Salvation Army all in one."
- My dear fellow, this is the Baron's business. This is his land and you should go to him.
The headman looked confused.
- So how is it, Your Grace, that your men--
- My men what?
- Snasilnachal.
Alexander stood up involuntarily from his chair.
- What?!
- Sofka says that one of your magicians dragged her into the hayloft and dishonored her.
- Who?!
- She doesn't know him, but it wasn't ours, not a villager.
Alexander forced himself to calm down, walked over to the table and leaned on it.
- My men visited Sands three days ago.
- That's when the scoundrel dishonored that fool!
- And you've only just arrived?
- Your Grace, I've been out of town all this time.
The knight looked helplessly at Konstantin and sat down. Until today he had somehow managed to avoid incidents with the locals. The only violation of the law was evading paying taxes to the baron, but here the vampires managed to observe the eleventh commandment - "Don't get caught!". And here we go. Rape! That's a good start.
No. Rape itself wasn't such a terrible crime from the local point of view. Especially if the perpetrator took the victim as his wife. Then there was no offense. The moral side of the case also allowed such treatment of a woman. Here they were not reduced to the level of powerless animals, but they did not have full independence and were completely dependent on the older man in the family or husband.
And not because they were "stupid women", but on the contrary, because they were clever, cunning and devious! That means they are dangerous creatures and must be kept under strict control, more rational men! And all this had a strict religious basis.
The antipode of the local god was his earthly sister, Moore, in whose honor they named the planet's satellite. What do you mean, "Earth sister"? Even the vampires who drank the blood of the local priests couldn't explain it. The point was that the sister, unlike her brother, had no divine powers. And jealous of that, she shat on her brother in every way she could. And it was the little things. Never speaking against her brother openly and never criticizing his actions to his face. Intriguing and turning everyone she could against him, she achieved her goal - the divine brother left the world without building a paradise!
And since Moore was a woman... all women have been suffering for her ever since, along with the dogs. What's a dog got to do with it? The dog was considered Moore's animal. And it was the dog's loyalty that played havoc with them. Because if their mistress is a Moore, then they can't betray her, and she does her brother a favor. And the whole logical chain of events was clear. Dogs were outcast animals, and women were kept strictly subordinate to men, "to avoid" so to speak.
Alexander looked out the narrow window. It was a clear day. Not a single cloud. Everyone is asleep. What to do? The morals of the locals allow them to rape women. But vampires have a different morality. At least not yet.
- Bring your daughter to me, my good man.
The headman bowed and left. Well, it's a good thing they didn't kill her. Mages are like that... After the battle on the Cursed Bridge, and that's how the historical chronicles included the battle in the fall, everyone was horrified to learn that the strange strangers who had appeared in the barony were actually mages. Mostly personal mages, but it did not cancel the fact of their giftedness. Naturally, the warming of relations, which had just begun, immediately came to naught.
After all, it was one thing to communicate and befriend villages, with their brother peasant, and another thing to get into the comradeship of a mage. And when the neighbors showed up at the spring festival, no one even thought of chasing them away, especially in the absence of the headman, who had just been summoned by the Baron, but everyone shunned the guests.
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