The archbishop's men, who had arrived for additional investigation, had to be content with only the written testimonies recorded from the accused's words and a dozen carefully selected witnesses.
Fully confirming the bishop's court's conclusions, they expressed their gratitude to Knight Blood on behalf of their lord for exposing the filth and darkness within the ranks of the Holy Church. This was the only way they could jab at the bishop, who had seemingly overlooked it all. But this could no longer tarnish the good relations that had developed between the vampires and the church authorities of the barony.
Peskov received a new priest, entirely loyal to the central authority, and the conspiracy of the left-bank priests was now meaningless, especially since the priest from Torfyano had also fallen out of favor with the archbishop as a close neighbor of the wrongdoer.
The city of the dwarves was impressive. Its thoughtful design was evident in its transitions, living levels, workplaces, and places for farms, all resembling a futurist's dream of a single building where one could live, work, and entertain oneself without ever leaving. The richly decorated frescoes on the walls only enhanced the positive impressions. However, the dampness and musty smell quickly spoiled the effect.
Rats and goblins felt quite comfortable in such places, and cities like this were perceived as fairy-tale palaces by them. But the vampires, already accustomed to the forest, wandered through the abandoned underground settlement with visible disgust on their faces. The admiration for the magnificent wall, floor, and ceiling decorations didn't last long before mold, stains, rot, and other "charms" became evident.
— I'd love to have this mosaic in my little house, — Olga pointed to a small depiction of flames, crafted with such precision that the fire looked real, especially when even a small amount of light fell on it.
— I'm not going to carry it, — Eugene immediately replied categorically, not always understanding when his wife was joking and when her words were instructions.
— I'm not asking you to, but admit it, it's beautiful.
— Beautiful! — confirmed the husband.
After the battle, all the vampires behaved somewhat stiffly. Each had killed over a hundred goblins, and although these screeching lumps of fur were hard to consider rational, they were indeed such. It was difficult to come to terms with being a cold-blooded killer, especially for the girls who had just realized how many they had killed. And how could they not realize it when a pile of their victims lay right in front of their eyes? Leonid, while not hindering the self-reproach of his subordinates, figured that he could always correct those who didn't come to their senses on their own.
— Everyone come here! There's an amazing hall! — a female voice called out.
They had to obediently trudge along; it wouldn't do to start a quarrel over such a trifle. But the hall was indeed impressive. The open space in the center could accommodate a large number of beings, and along the walls, there were passages connected by stairs, stretching across five floors. Almost a classic atrium.
— Strange, — Eugene remarked, looking around.
— What exactly? — Leonid, who had just arrived, hadn't seen anything unusual yet.
— Well, the design of such patio-atriums is common in this city, but there are entrances to dwellings from the passages along the walls, and here it's just solid walls, and poorly decorated compared to the central part.
Now even the warlord saw the discrepancy. Such a layout was typical for residential caves, but there the decorations were quite simple. This room was larger and decorated in a very elaborate manner, indicating its public status. On closer inspection, it became clear that the patterns on the walls were likely inscriptions.
— It seems like some sort of educational institution with the great sayings on the walls.
— And why create these floors and passages that obscure the inscriptions and make them difficult to read from the center? — Eugene was full of skepticism.
— And what's your explanation? Galleries for spectators?
— These are not walls but stone panels behind which something is hidden, as indicated by the inscriptions on them.
— A storage room?
— Think bigger! What if it's a library?
The statement caused a real stir. The vampires rushed to the nearest inscriptions and began to examine the walls. It was soon discovered that, besides a small niche, each stone wall with its inscription also had two recesses, about two centimeters in diameter, on either side of the niche. No other unusual items were found.
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