Chapter 3757: Clockwork (Part 2) "You lying straight to my face was the best thing I could hope for. With me here to protect you, you had no reason to be afraid of village head Belam. I’m not even from this region. "You could count on my discretion or ask me to be moved to the Ernas region if you feared retaliation from some noble. Instead, you lied, and did it with confidence. "In my experience, it means it’s not your first time, and that’s what I’m going to write in my report. You just added obstruction of justice to your charges for aiding and abetting slavery." "How can you say we are lying, milord?" The baker refused to drop the title, hoping it would earn him some mercy if the Commander was telling the truth. "Have you not wondered why I came here in a DoLorean? Why did my daughter make such a pompous entrance? Why did she give you a long-winded speech that kept all of your eyes and ears on her?" Orion’s smile turned soft, an echo of what Jirni offered her victims before dealing the deathblow. "The problem with investigations in small villages is that rumors travel fast. Unless everyone is glued to the ground like a moron, of course." He pointed at the outskirts of Cerea, where the cultivated fields and the farmers’ houses were. Only then did the artisans notice that the work in the fields had stopped. That farmers, farmhands, and stable boys were all talking with strangers in high uniform and pointing at the village. Only then did the villagers remember that the orphans came from the poorest farmers’ houses, whose parents died of illness or accident without anyone to take care of them. The artisans could all afford a trip to the nearest healer, and even in case of their death, their children would not be given to Belam. The surviving parent had all the means and skills to keep the business going until the child could help them run it. Only farmers’ children ended up in the village head’s care, and the farmers hated the villagers for it. The farmers owed nothing to the villagers and had kept their mouths shut until that moment only because they feared retaliation. With the Knight’s Guard there, however, there was nothing to be afraid of. The villagers could almost hear the farmers spill out decades-old grievances. There was no statute of limitation for murder, and every child who had died of malnourishment or while working on Belam’s house counted as such. The Kingdom had entrusted the children to the village head to protect them and paid her for her services. In the same way, the Kingdom had entrusted the villagers to keep an eye on Belam. They weren’t paid for that, but it was their civic duty. In the eyes of the Kingdom, the artisans were as guilty as Belam of every death that had happened under her tutelage. "Now, please, there’s only one more thing you can do to make this day perfect." Orion unsheathed his blade while keeping the recorder on. "Resist your arrest." *** Quylla brought old and young orphans to the White Griffon and entrusted them to Vastor’s hospital ward. "Please, Professor, take care of them like you did with me." She nodded her head since a bow would have caused her to stumble and fall. "I’ll pay for everything." "Quylla, my girl, consider me offended." Vastor grunted in mock outrage. "How could I charge my former Assistant Professor and favorite alumnus for something like this? The Light Magic department looks after its own!" "Thanks, Professor." She nodded again. "Our alchemists will have to work overtime to concoct enough tonic for everyone, but that’s their problem." Vastor chuckled. "I’m confident in restoring the children to perfect health, but I don’t think I can make the adults more than a few centimeters taller." "Wait, you can?" Quylla and the others said in amazement. "Yes, Body Sculpting has made constant improvements thanks to our research." He pointed at himself and Quylla. "You left behind a great legacy, my girl, and I’m building on it." "I can’t believe it!" Quylla squealed with joy. "I won’t be the ’Little One’ anymore." "I’m sorry, man, but this doesn’t sound believable." Morok said. "If your method works, why didn’t you use it on yourself? Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You could use being a little taller and a little less wide." "Morok!" Quylla blushed up to her ears. "Excellent question, Moron." Vastor laughed, calling Morok by the wrong name by "mistake". "Morok." The Tyrant grunted. "My bad." Vastor raised his hands in apology. "The answer is that I can’t. My spell works, but only for those whose body, for some reason, failed to reach its full potential. I had perfect health and plenty of food in my youth. "This is my best, and I can’t get taller without taking a bunch of unnecessary risks." "Wait, doesn’t that mean..." Quylla felt her enthusiasm fade. "Same for you, Little One." Vastor shrugged. "My tonic brought your body up to speed, and your growth spurt did its best. That’s as tall as you go." Quylla sighed, but everyone else rejoiced. *** Verhen Mansion, later at lunchtime. "I’m so glad my plan worked." Jirni sighed. "I only wish I were there with you." "It didn’t just work, dear, it went clockwork." Orion held her hand gently. "Every one of the villagers was put into custody, and the farmers will be rewarded and protected as whistleblowers. "I’ve already arranged with Brinja a new liaison with the merchant guild. They were happy to give the farmers long-term, favorable prices to avoid an investigation." "What about the people you saved?" Solus asked. "They can stay at the White Griffon for a while, but what about once their treatment is over?" "There’s nothing to worry about." Quylla shook her head. "The children will go to the Ernas orphanage in our regional capital, while the adults will receive the training they need before being hired in one of our facilities. "The Ernas family owns so many businesses, cultivated fields, and establishments that my old friends are spoilt for choice." "Is it safe?" Kelia asked. "The orphanage, I mean." The word evoked only bad memories, and she clenched her cutlery as she fought the demons of her past. "I’m not going to lie and say the system is perfect." Quylla replied. "Some orphanages are bad, but the Ernas family runs the one where the children will live from now on. No one messes with the Ernas family right under its nose." "Well, that’s a relief." Kelia sighed, feeling a huge burden move from her chest to her stomach. "I was afraid that-" Then, the huge burden flared up in her abdomen as if it had exploded in a ball of fire. Kelia doubled over, pain cutting her short. "Something is wrong with me." She said amid gasps. "My mana core feels like it’s going to burst, and my chest is killing me!" The pain moved from her solar plexus to the fragment of Dusk’s crystal stuck into her flesh right beside her heart. "Don’t worry, child." Baba Yaga Blinked from her seat and reappeared right next to Kelia. "I knew this would happen. It’s the reason I spend most of my time here."