Third Prince - Stood Beside the Sixth Princess

Seiryu-no-kami Parsifal stood beside the Sixth Princess and Garrett in a gazebo. The painter Ri Ran stood nearby, painting. Water fell from above their position and disappeared into a cataract below. Renjie met with representatives from the Ministry of Works and Ministry of Antiquities on rocks near the cataract's edge. The Ministry of Works's lead hydromancer was a Warakirikoban named Marakari. She and the Fourth Prince hopped around on the rocks like two songbirds.

Technicians assisting Marakari emptied barrels of dye into the cataract.

With each barrel released, Renjie and the hydromancer hopped with more excitement.

A messenger ran up to Parsifal and presented a special tablet. It was a sensitive message. Once Parsifal took hold of the tablet, characters appeared briefly on its surface. The Crown Princess was informing him of what she had learned following her raid on a flophouse in Little Gargogryeo. Parsifal almost dropped the tablet. Iba Algi had done what?

"Rangiku," said Parsifal. "The longer you and Garrett keep your brother occupied with that waterfall, the better for Great Yao."

"You have always been too melodramatic," said Rangiku.

Parsifal leaned close.

"According to Esmaralde," he whispered, "Iba Algi has released the God of War from four thousand years of imprisonment somewhere underneath our feet."

Rangiku narrowed her eyes.

"If that isn't true," she said, "I will consider it a great disappointment."

"Just keep Renjie busy."

Rangiku sighed.

"Whenever Garrett takes his clothes off," she said, "he can keep Renjie busy indefinitely. But if there's something you don't want Renjie to know, it's better to just tell him. That way he'll forget it in a couple of days."

"Even sooner," said Garrett, "if your mother gives him more bath toys."

"What we're doing here is more important than ever," said Parsifal. "It's for the best if Renjie doesn't get distracted."

"Fine," shrugged Rangiku. "It's not like I'm opposed to more paintings."

"I would rather stand over there in the sun," said Garrett. "It's cold here."

"It's true that the cold makes some things smaller," said Rangiku. "But I think those things are cute when they're cold."

"Really?" asked Garrett.

"The cold also makes your nipples pop out," said Rangiku.

"Is that cute too?" asked Garrett.

"It is…," said the Sixth Princess.

Parsifal left.

There were many places for him to be at once. Giselle's ability to create a simulacrum of herself would have come in handy. The first place Parsifal chose to visit was the Palace of the Rectifying Commandant. It was on the other side of the Mound and nearly as far from Plum Terrace Palace as possible. That was a pain, but it was also where the Censorate was based. The Censorate investigated everything going wrong in Great Yao and proposed ways to make it go right.

The Censorate had already received notification of the Crown Princess's raid on Little Gargogryeo. Mhoddim practitioners rarely drew the Mithril Guard's attention (in part because mhoddim practitioners were also rare), but it wasn't unprecedented. The Crown Princess was one of the strongest fighters in Great Yao. She was associated with the Mithril Guard as its unofficial official commander. Her participation in the raid made sense. Because the raid was successful, nothing had gone wrong and the Censorate would take no further action. But the Crown Princess's interviews with the flophouse tenants would produce a different result.

It turned out that the flophouse was a base for Dragon Turtle Society. Lady Wu, the individual in charge, was strong enough to fight the Goddess of Glaives. Another powerful mhoddim practitioner escaped during the battle. There was hearsay testimony that an ancient vampire had been released. Additional hearsay testimony asserted that the purpose of the ancient vampire's imprisonment was to bind the God of War.

The Censorate would reasonably conclude that many things had gone wrong.

Why was Dragon Turtle Society able to establish a base in the capital city? Where had the second mhoddim practitioner gone? Was there actually a vampire? Could that vampire have been part of a formation to imprison the God of War? If that was where everything ended, then much of the testimony would have been dismissed as nonsense from starving students.

But Esmaralde interviewed Princess Iba Algi – and Iba Algi answered.

Only Esmaralde could have done it. Iba Algi would have chased off anyone from the Censorate or Moonlight Chamber. The Grand Preceptor's overblown language about the world ending was not overblown after all. The Censorate would insist on investigating.

They would try to take Iba Algi into custody.

The world would end.

Parsifal climbed the steps in front of the Palace of the Rectifying Commandant. Against token protests, he marched into the Rectifying Commandant's office – disturbing a meeting between the Commandant and his supporting censors. They wouldn't have seen Esmaralde's full report yet, but there were probably rumors circulating. Parsifal silenced complaints about decorum and procedure with a raised hand and a grim expression.

"My intent is explicitly to break protocol," he said.

Parsifal cut short further protest by raising his other hand.

"I'm here because I recognize the effectiveness of your institution," he said. "That effectiveness forces me to break protocol in order to avert catastrophe. At some point, you will receive a report detailing Crown Princess Esmaralde's interviews regarding an action in Little Gargogryeo."

"We're familiar with that action, Your Highness," said the Commandant. "There is no need…."

"You are not familiar with it all," said Parsifal. "When you become familiar with it all, you will investigate. Your mission is to investigate. I get that. However, Starlight Chamber, Moonlight Chamber, the Third Consort, and the Crown Princess are all taking action on this. Your involvement now would render an optimal outcome impossible. I therefore order you to take no action on the Crown Princess's report until you receive further instructions from me."

"Your Highness," said the Commandant, "you do not have that authority. The Censorate…."

Parsifal marched up and slapped the man hard enough to knock him over. Angry outbursts exploded around the room. This time, Parsifal addressed the censors with a ferocious command to be silent.

"I have given you an order," he said. "Take no action related to the contents of Crown Princess Esmaralde's report. If you do, I shall consider it insubordination and punish you with death. Silence! If you disagree, your only option is to petition His Majesty for a countermanding order. Is that clear?"

Protests.

"Is that clear?" Parsifal demanded with sufficient force to shut everyone up again.

"It is clear," said the Commandant.

Parsifal left.

His next stop was Golden Cherry Blossom Pagoda. The Grand Preceptor did not look as agitated as Parsifal would have expected if he knew any details from Esmaralde's report. The Third Prince suspected that the Crown Princess only sent her findings to him. Esmaralde usually treated him like a cute little brother. This was a gesture of respect. He felt honored. After saluting the Grand Preceptor, Parsifal complimented the old man's ability to pierce through celestial noise.

"I never dismiss what you tell us," said Parsifal, "but I do sometimes suspect exaggeration."

"However?" asked the Grand Preceptor with bemusement.

"Let's sit down," said Parsifal.

They sat. Refreshments were served. After being told that Esmaralde had, on her own initiative, gotten Iba Algi to reveal what action she had taken, the Grand Preceptor leaned forward eagerly for more details.

"The princess released an ancient vampire," said Parsifal. "How is not entirely clear."

"Such a creature would be powerful," said the Grand Preceptor, "but…."

"This vampire had been imprisoned by First Qianqiu Emperor," said Parsifal. "The First Emperor was using him in a formation with four other vampires. The purpose of that formation was to bind the God of War. That formation is now missing one of its five anchors."

The Grand Preceptor's eyes got large. He set down his tea cup.