Chapter 3756: Clockwork (Part 1) "I’ve become a mage and built myself a better life, not thanks to you, but in spite of you." Quylla turned around, returning the spiteful glances she received in kind. "I’ve come here because I wanted to show my husband and father my birthplace and cut all ties with Cerea. "You people disgust me and won’t receive any help from me, now and in the future. Yet I promise you this. I’ll come back once my children are born and have grown old enough to understand what this place means to me. "That will be the last time I come to Cerea. The day when I use you as a cautionary tale to teach my children what kind of adults they must strive not to become. To show them the scum of Mogar and teach them how to recognize people like you." She clung to Morok’s arm the entire time she spoke, her fingers clenching to his armor and flesh with so much strength that he felt it through the various protective enchantments. Quylla had brought Morok to find the strength to face the past from which she had run away for so long. To have someone who could understand her pain and help her get over it once she was done. Most of all, Quylla had brought Morok along because she was terrified that those same monsters who had hurt her as a child could do the same to her twins and needed him to feel safe. It was an irrational fear, and she knew it. Even without the pregnancy, an Awakened like Quylla could turn Cerea into a molten crater with a simple spell. Yet her inner child was still scarred by Belam and could not be reasoned with. Facing the village head and rescuing the orphans didn’t change the past, but it helped Quylla to close that Chapter of her life. She opened a Warp Steps leading straight to the nearest branch of the Mage Association, where food had been prepared in advance, and Healers were ready to administer first aid. The orphans gaped at the tear in space in awe, circling around it. The branch of the Mage Association was visible from the front and back, whereas the Warp Steps was invisible from the sides. The dimensional corridor was bidimensional and lacked depth. "Come on, kids." Quylla said. "Holding this thing in place is hard, and I can’t hold it forever." The mages on the other side of the Steps were shocked. Cerea was quite far away, and covering such a distance with a single Warp Steps was an impossible feat even for a powerful mage like Orion. Quylla would have never managed to do it without the power she received from her twins. "Can you show it to us again later?" One of the orphans asked. "Of course. Now get in." She smiled, and the children walked through the dimensional corridor one after the other. The shock of passing from mud and cold to solid stone and warmth was so great that the children froze in place, and the mages had to force them to step away from the passage to allow the rest in. Then Quylla waved at Coryn and all her old comrades who still lived in Cerea to get in. She stepped through the Warp Steps last, walking arm in arm with Morok and without turning back. Once the dimensional passage faded, Orion was still standing in front of the villagers in what passed for Cerea’s main plaza. He threw a disgusted look at the crowd assembled around him before moving towards the village head’s house and scanning it with a series of enchanted devices he took out of his dimensional amulet. Once he was done examining the external walls and the roof, he went inside, keeping the basement for last. He couldn’t risk massacring everyone in a fit of rage and needed to buy himself some time to go from raging father to detached professional. "What do you think you are doing?" Said one of the villagers. "That’s not your house. You can’t go in." "I’m sorry." The spite in Orion’s voice made it clear he was anything but sorry. "I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Orion Ernas, Commander of the Knight’s Guard at his majesty’s service. "I’ve come to Cerea to investigate after receiving the report that someone here practices slavery and exploits children." Orion showed them his badge and threw a handful of search warrants in the face of the villagers. "I’m not here as Quylla’s father, but in my official capacity to collect proof of said crimes. Slavery is a crime punishable by death, and so is aiding and abetting slavers. I’m going to ask you a question, and you’d better think twice before answering." Orion stopped talking but continued to scan the house for traces of blood, skin, and to estimate how long ago the most recent house maintenance had been performed. "Do you know if someone inside this village perpetrated such crimes, and for how long has it been going on?" He asked once he decided he had given the villagers enough time to make up their minds. "I need your testimonies along with those of the children to assess if there’s enough evidence to charge someone and with what crime." The people of Cerea looked at Belam and then at each other. They didn’t know the law of the Kingdom. All their lives, Belam had been the law. It was her connection with the merchant guild that allowed the artisans to sell their goods and restock at a fair price. With her gone, someone would have to step up and a new deal be negotiated. "I know nothing." The baker shook his head. "I mean, sure, I noticed the orphans were thin, milord, but that’s hardly a novelty here. Doing chores for the village head raised no alarm either. "This is no Royal Palace. Food is scarce, and everyone has to earn their due. My children also work, and so do the children of the farmers. They grow taller and stronger simply because we can sacrifice ourselves to give them more food." Orion looked at the man’s bulging gut and then at the rest of the assembled people. Some were lean, others were more muscular, but none of them looked malnourished. Once the baker started talking, the blacksmith and the tailor confirmed his words, claiming their innocence and ignorance of whatever crime Belam might have perpetrated. The village head studied the Commander’s reaction, praying to the gods to spare her life. She promised them that she would change. That she would be good and treat the next batch of orphans better. "I see." Orion smiled at the villagers, and everyone inwardly sighed in relief. "Then everything is alright. I don’t have to worry anymore." "Don’t you mean, we don’t have to worry anymore, milord?" The local merchant and richest man in the village asked in confusion. "I know what I said." Orion still smiled, but the joy in his eyes switched into a savage kind of joy. "I was afraid you could expose this piece of trash and bargain yourself a plea deal. Claim that she blackmailed you or say something that would lighten your sentence."