The Order of Architects (Book 7): A Portal Progression Fantasy Series, page 14
“Well, what do you think?” she asked, awaiting my reaction.
“You look incredible!” I said honestly, gazing at her in admiration.
“Thanks, Theodore,” she replied with a smile, her eyes glistening with joy. “I was so worried!”
We went downstairs, and Boris opened the car door for us.
“That’s a lovely dress, Countess,” he remarked.
Ana smiled, somewhat embarrassed by the compliment.
The whole way there, Anastasia talked about what she thought about what she’d bought. I just listened without interrupting. She looked particularly beautiful that evening with her sparkling eyes, happy smile, and the slight rosiness of her cheeks. I couldn’t help but admire her and savor every moment I got to spend with this incredible woman.
As we approached the orphanage, I noticed that a lot of people had already gathered outside, including journalists, aristocrats, caregivers, representatives from the authorities, and curious onlookers. And of course, there were the children themselves, who were smiling joyfully and whose eyes were glistening with delight. They couldn’t wait to finally enter their new home.
Anastasia and I got out of the car, and I could feel everyone’s gaze turn to us, and to Ana, in particular, of course — the men followed her with admiring glances, and the women whispered enviously among themselves, discussing her outfit. I reassured myself once again that bringing her with me had been the right decision.
The orphanage manager, Father Michael, met us at the door. We’d only talked on the phone previously, so this was the first time I’d seen him in person. Father Michael was, it turned out, an elderly man with a gray beard and a kind face. He was wearing a black cassock.
We exchanged a few words and discussed a few administrative matters.
“Thank you so much for this, Theodore. It is a real miracle,” he said, shaking my hand gratefully. “You truly are these children’s guardian angel.”
“No need to thank me,” I replied. “I just did what I thought was right.”
And so, the official part of the event got underway. I gave a speech in which I stated how important it was to help orphaned children. I reminded everyone that each one of us can do good for others, even in such challenging times as we were currently experiencing, and that we should never forget those in need. My words were met with rapturous applause.
Following my speech, the ribbon-cutting ceremony began. I gave Father Michael the symbolic key to the orphanage, and the children rushed inside with jovial laughter to check out their new home.
Next came the stage of dealing with the press. The journalists filmed everything, recorded interviews, and competed with one another to ask me questions about the construction of the orphanage, our plans for the future, and my views on life.
“Mr. Babylonian!” asked Darya Foxberry, a correspondent for Liechtenstein Today. As always, she was right in the thick of things. “What inspired you to create such a unique orphanage?”
“I think caring for orphans is every nobleman’s duty,” I replied. “And I’m glad I had the opportunity to make an investment in Liechtenstein’s future.”
Questions came flooding my way like a torrent. However, I answered them calmly and confidently, seeking to be as sincere as possible.
Suddenly, one of the reporters, a young man with a sly look in his eyes, asked a question that put me on edge.
“Mr. Babylonian, people are saying that you built this orphanage very quickly. Is that true? And aren’t you afraid that such haste might have negatively affected the quality of construction? Or did you just want to… er… ride the wave of publicity?”
“The prince’s committee personally checked all stages of construction,” I replied, maintaining my composure. “And they confirmed that everything complied with the relevant regulations, and even exceeded them.”
“But how did you manage it?” the young reporter continued, undeterred. “The deadline was so short… Surely your builders don’t work twenty-four hours a day?”
I didn’t even get a chance to reply before another voice could be heard from the crowd:
“How did you manage to fix all the defects so quickly?”
And then:
“Doesn’t it seem like you’ve just slapped this building together to improve your standing?”
I quickly realized what was going on. These questions were oddly specific and pointed — they were clearly intended to sow doubt in viewers’ minds. Someone had evidently decided to use the orphanage’s grand opening to damage my reputation.
“Konstruktor is a team of professionals who know how to work fast and do a quality job,” I said, looking directly into the camera. “We use only the best technology and materials. Most importantly, however, we put our hearts and souls into this project.”
“Yes!” Darya Foxberry interjected. “I saw their team working on the construction site with my own eyes. It was incredible!”
“I am sure this orphanage will serve children for many years,” I continued. “But if you have doubts, feel free to check the quality of our work for yourselves.”
“And how are we going to do that?” asked the young reporter, who clearly hadn’t expected me to respond in such a manner.
“Very easily. There are lots of Gifted Ones here. Would anyone like to try damaging the building? Go ahead! You have my permission!”
Everyone began murmuring and whispering.
“Alright, then!” one of the aristocrats present suddenly shouted, evidently wanting to have some fun. “My guardsman will give it a go.”
A giant, muscular, hulking man stepped out of the crowd. His fists were each as big as my head.
“Try that wall,” I said, pointing at a brick wall that formed part of one of the orphanage’s outbuildings. “There’s no one inside, so no one will get hurt. If you can so much as scratch that wall, I’ll admit I was wrong. In fact, I’ll pay you a reward.”
The guardsman gave a skeptical smirk and flexed his fingers. He walked over to the wall and examined it carefully, as if choosing its weakest part.
“There goes our orphanage…” muttered one of the children, watching in fear as all this unfolded.
At that moment, the colossal guardsman took a huge swing and slammed his fist against the wall with all his might. There was a deafening bang, but the wall didn’t even quiver.
The guardsman looked at his fist in astonishment, and then struck the wall a second time, this time using the Flaming Strike skill. A burst of flame illuminated the courtyard so brightly that everyone present involuntarily narrowed their eyes. Once the fire had subsided, however, everyone could see that it hadn’t left a single mark on the wall — no cracks, chips, or even soot from the flames.
“Holy crap…” whispered someone in the crowd.
“And they were saying the materials were poor quality…” remarked another voice in an ironic tone.
The huge guardsman shook his wrist in disbelief that his efforts hadn’t had the slightest effect.
“Thank you for your help,” I said, walking over to him and shaking his hand, gauging the strength of his grip as I did so. He was an absolute beast! “You really did me a favor.”
“No problem,” muttered the guardsman, still unable to believe his eyes.
“As you can see,” I remarked, “our company doesn’t just build things quickly, but to a very high standard. We take great care when it comes to the safety and security of those who put their trust in us.”
The fake journalists glanced at one another with confused expressions. They had no reply. Their plan had failed miserably.
“From this day forth,” I said triumphantly, “this orphanage shall be under the protection of the Babylonian Dynasty. I guarantee its safety. I will provide everything that it needs, and I will ensure that the children live in comfort and have everything necessary for a happy childhood.”
The whole place resounded with applause. And with that, the official part of the ceremony ended.
“You were amazing, Theodore!” said Ana when we were back on the road. “You handled it all so well! And the children… They were so happy!”
She pressed herself against me and kissed me.
“Errr… Theodore,” came Boris’s voice from the front seat, “are your plans for this evening still the same? Do you still want me to take you to the store?”
Upon hearing this, Ana smiled mischievously.
“I think Theodore’s plans have changed,” she said, pulling me into herself and kissing me again.
Boris, although slightly embarrassed, nodded.
“No problem,” he said. “In that case, I’ll take you home…”
Chapter 10
I WAS AWOKEN BY THE SUN’S RAYS passing across my face as they shone through the gap between the curtains. I screwed up my eyes, unaccustomed to the sensation. For the first time in ages, I had allowed myself to sleep in.
Even back at home with my parents, I had always been up at the crack of dawn to hit the books. I’d buried myself in my studies nonstop, trying to glean as much knowledge as I could from them, little by little. I had known it would be a challenge with a capital “C.” My current situation wasn’t too dissimilar, in fact — time was slipping through my fingers, and my powers were nowhere near perfect. I hadn’t yet taken my place in my new world… I was far from it. That day, however, I allowed myself to have a lie-in. Particularly since I had such a beautiful girl sleeping on my shoulder.
I turned my head carefully, trying not to wake Anastasia, and looked over at her. Her hair cascaded over the pillow, her long eyelashes twitched slightly as she slept, and her lips were parted in a serene smile. She looked so peaceful and vulnerable.
Ana... With her, I felt… truly alive. She wasn’t just beautiful and intelligent. She was mine. And that feeling, that sense of closeness, warmth, and trust gave me the strength to keep going, to overcome all challenges, and to fight for the future.
At first, all my efforts had been directed towards finding my place in this world. Building it brick by brick, you might say. But now, as the days passed, I was starting to think more and more of others. That’s probably a sign of true strength — when you can afford to care not just about yourself, but about those around you too. That orphanage… I hated injustice, and I couldn’t just stand idly by and do nothing. In his attempts to bring me down, Prince Boschild had achieved precisely the opposite result.
I picked up my phone and began scrolling through the news while still holding Anastasia with the other hand.
All the news channels featured reports about the construction of the orphanage, about the “wonders” that the Konstruktor company had worked, and about the “superhuman” speed with which we’d completed the project. The comments people had left were unanimously adulatory. “We’ll definitely be able to hold out in this war now!” read one. “How can I place an order?” said another. “Does anyone know how long the waiting list is to have them build me a bunker?” inquired a third.
At that moment, Anastasia stirred. She stretched drowsily, opened her eyes, and smiled at me. I leaned over and kissed her tenderly on the forehead.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I whispered.
“‘Morning, Theodore,” she replied, pressing herself into me. “What have you got planned for today?”
“Today, I want you to be my representative. You need to go with Colonel Grimrock to some talks with a particularly important aristocrat.”
“Who?” she asked in surprise.
“Count Svyatoslav Volynsky.”
Ana’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You mean the Count Volynsky? Are you joking, Theodore? He won’t even want to talk to me! He’s one of those influential types who doesn’t even talk to people of lower status than himself.”
“Yep, he’s one of the most powerful aristocrats in Liechtenstein,” I affirmed. “And he’s not known for being all that friendly, to put it mildly. But,” I added, smiling at her bewildered expression, “he’ll definitely talk to you, I promise. Grimrock will help you, too.”
I’d been planning on meeting up with Svyatoslav Volynsky for a while. Despite being very much an old-school aristocrat, he was renowned for his business acumen. He owned vast tracts of land, and, more importantly, he had access to some rare materials that I needed for my projects. The time had come to play this particular card.
“I don’t even know what I would talk to him about,” muttered Ana, still unable to believe that I was sending her to such a difficult meeting.
“Grimrock will explain everything,” I replied.
“Okay, Theodore,” she agreed. “I’ll do my best.”
I kissed her gently.
“I believe in you. You’ll do great,” I said, getting up from the bed and starting to get ready.
After breakfast, I bade farewell to Ana and headed to one of my building sites. My men were having some issues. They were renovating a small store on the outskirts of town, and, apparently, some Shadows had shown up.
“Alright,” I thought, “I’ll take care of this myself. I’m not going to call the Shadow Fighters. That might take too long, and I’m in the perfect mood to take care of things on my own today, quickly and efficiently!”
* * *
The Greenfield Golf Club
The outskirts of Vaduz, the Principality of Liechtenstein
The sun bathed the pale green grass in bright light that glinted off the gleaming golf clubs.
Prince Robert Boschild, dressed in snow-white breeches and a striped shirt, swung his club elegantly and sent his ball flying off into the distance. The ball soared into the air in a beautiful arc and landed on the emerald green a few yards from the hole.
“A superb shot, Robert!” remarked Duke Nikolay Pokrasov with feigned cheerfulness. Pokrasov, a well-built man with graying hair, was the prince’s closest ally and also a major player on the principality’s real estate market.
The prince didn’t reply. He merely gestured for the duke to take his next shot. He looked calm and collected and seemed to just be enjoying the sunny weather and the game he was playing, but deep down, he was in turmoil, and his thoughts were far from golf. The past few weeks had been far too eventful for that. He’d suffered too many failures, all connected with the name of Theodore the Babylonian.
Next to the prince was standing another duke, Anton Chekov, the man who managed the principality’s finances.
“I still don’t know how the Babylonian managed to pull off that stunt with the orphanage, the little upstart!” he said reproachfully. “You had the perfect opportunity to completely destroy his reputation, and you ended up giving him a goddamn license!”
As he played with his two associates, the prince struggled to restrain his anger.
Just the previous day, they’d had a plan. The prince had thought he’d be able to use the situation to his advantage. His plan had been to get rid of all the principality’s orphanages amidst the chaos of wartime and pocket the money that was allocated by the Empire for maintaining them. Then, Pokrasov would start building his own orphanages. He would maintain them and establish his own production lines there using the free labor.
But that goddamn Babylonian had ruined the whole thing! And now his business partners were prowling around him like hyenas waiting for their chance to tear him to shreds. Chekov, for instance, had been constantly reminding him of his failed scheme involving the orphanage. Pokrasov, meanwhile, who had been entrusted with overseeing land and real estate, had just added fuel to the fire with his veiled remarks regarding the prince’s managerial shortcomings. However, Boschild knew that they both depended on him, just as he did on them. Their alliance was a fragile one, but it was essential for them to maintain their power and influence.
“These damned vultures!” thought Boschild with contempt. “If you assholes were half as competent as the Babylonian, we would’ve had this all sewn up ages ago and wouldn’t still be treading water.”
Aloud, however, all the prince said was, “The Babylonian is cunning, but his luck will run out sooner or later. Time is on our side.”
Chekov grunted and struck his ball hard, but the latter flew off in a completely different direction from the one he’d intended.
“We need to do something about him urgently, I’m telling you! He’s interfering with our plans!”
“I suggest we take drastic action,” Pokrasov remarked, echoing his business partner’s sentiments. “We need to eliminate him. Physically.”
“Easier said than done,” thought the prince irritably. He’d already tried all the various methods at his disposal — he set the Babylonian up with that contract, he’d organized the “accident” involving Thor’s Hammer, and he’d even tried poisoning the young man. However, as if by magic, that little wretch always seemed to emerge unscathed! And now that the people had come to worship the Babylonian and regard him as a hero, he’d become virtually untouchable.
“I understand your concerns, gentlemen,” the prince said aloud, putting his ball toward the hole. “But let’s not make any rash decisions. We need to act prudently. The Babylonian is currently at the peak of his popularity. The people love him, and the press are calling him a hero. Any ill-considered actions on our part could backfire.”
Duke Nikolay Pokrasov frowned.
“So what do you suggest?” he asked. “That we wait for him to become even stronger? For his guard regiment to grow into a full-scale army?”
“Of course not,” replied the prince, pretending to be deep in thought. “We need a plan. A cunning plan that will allow us to eliminate the Babylonian without drawing any suspicion on ourselves.”
There was another matter that was bothering Robert Boschild, however — why had the Austro-Hungarians attacked him? As if reading the prince’s mind, Anton Chekov asked, “What about the Austro-Hungarians? Have your ‘partners’ not been in touch?”
