Return of the General's Daughter
Chapter 164: The Conspiracy

Chapter 164: The Conspiracy

In the end, Alaric’s soldiers took custody of the human traffickers after first escorting the rescued children to the House of Mendel on Narra Alley. Their arrival was quiet, but the weight of what they carried echoed louder than any horn or shout could.

The three closed carriages rolled into the backyard under the cover of night, their wheels crunching softly on the gravel.

From the kitchen window, Reya caught sight of the unfamiliar wagons and frowned in confusion. But as soon as the doors opened and the children began to step down with the assistance of Jethru, Lara, and Percival—some blinking against the lamplight, others too dazed to react—her heart lurched.

Sandoz, who alighted from another carriage together with Ivan and Ivy, clenched his fists, and his look was somber as he recalled the harrowing experience he had two years ago. His young voice broke the silence with a fierce promise. ’When I grow up,’ he muttered, ’I’ll wipe out every last one of those monsters. I’ll cleanse Northem of them all.’

Reya, on the other hand, covered her mouth with trembling hands, tears spilling freely as realization sank in.

"Reya," Jethru’s voice cut through the emotion like steel, calm but stern. "Stop crying. These children need strength, not tears. Go prepare something for them to eat."

Lara’s voice followed, gentler. "Please make it light, Reya. They probably haven’t had a proper meal in days."

"Of course, Miss." Reya nodded slowly, still in a daze. She stood motionless for a moment until Jethru nudged her toward the kitchen. With a gasp, she turned and hurried away.

At the living room, Bener and Gideon stood frozen. They had been waiting for Percival, but instead, they were greeted by dozens of children—dirty, shaken, and silent. Many still had the vacant look of the recently traumatized, while others clung to one another like lifelines.

Their eyes fell on their sister, whose clothes were stained with blood.

"What happened?" the two brothers asked Percival.

"Ah, some unlucky human traffickers encountered these master and disciple pair. They dared try to abduct Ivy and were beaten to a pulp by the duo." Percival then narrated what he had witnessed.

"I’m not even surprised anymore," Bener muttered. "I’ve seen her fight. She becomes someone else. Focused. Deadly."

"Yeah." Percival continued. "Even when they tied her up, she found a way to dodge attacks like she was dancing." Then, in a low voice, he added, feeling ashamed, "Brother, I felt insecure. I am sure I could not bring down so many enemies, but our sister did it so fluidly. When she was cornered and tied up, she was still able to dodge the enemies’ attacks."

"And you just watched?" Bener rounded on Percival, incredulous. "You didn’t step in to help?"

"I wanted to secure Ivy first. I could tell that was what she wanted me to do. She was helpless when Ivy got caught. I just used my brain," Percival retorted defensively.

"But there were so many enemies. How could Lara deal with them alone?" Gideon asked, bewildered.

"Because Grandpa Jethru arrived," Percival said with awe. "And I swear, he was even more terrifying than Lara. He didn’t leave a single one of them able to walk. The mercenaries, the traffickers... all of them taken down in minutes. I wish he’d take me as his disciple."

His dreamy expression earned him two simultaneous forehead flicks from his brothers.

"Ouch!" he protested, rubbing his head.

Then his face grew serious.

"Brothers, we should stay the night. I don’t trust the situation. When we brought the traffickers to the magistrate’s office, something felt... off."

"What do you mean?" Bener asked, his voice low as he imagined the possibilities.

Percival looked between them. "What if this trafficking ring isn’t just a band of criminals? What if someone powerful in town is backing them?"

Gideon’s eyes narrowed. "You think the mayor or the magistrate is involved?"

"Yeah, what if they are?" Percival, who has the same mindset as Galahad, spoke openly. He was also influenced by the books that his twin forced him to read. "Think about it," Percival said, his tone hardening. "Calma is practically forgotten by the capital. There’s not even a baron here. Brothels run openly. Gambling dens on every corner. It’s a breeding ground for corruption."

"Heh! Brother, what wild imagination you have." Bener snorted.

"Well," Gideon shrugged, "General Kromwel is in town. Maybe that’s why he’s still here—to root this out. Let him handle it. Our mission is getting our sister to come home with us."

"But I don’t think she will come back with us. She said she is not ready yet." Bener said quietly.

"So... what do we do?" Gideon asked.

"I’ll stay with her," Bener said with finality. "You two should return to Savadra and go back to school. Now that the war’s over, it’s time to catch up with Peridur."

"We can also stay here." Gideon and Percival protested at the same time.

Gideon and Percival looked ready to argue, but the firm set of Bener’s jaw told them the matter wasn’t up for discussion.

"We’ll stay for a few more days," Percival bargained. "I want to see Mount Ourea. Maybe we can convince Lara and Grandpa Jethru to take us. I want to see where they’ve been these past two years."

...

That night, the House of Mendel was warm with the sound of children breathing, though many still trembled in their sleep. The Norse siblings laid blankets on the living room floor while the thirty rescued children were tucked upstairs in the three bedrooms.

Lara shared her room with Reya and Ivy. Down the hall, Jethru, Samuel, and the boys took the other room. The flickering lamps were dimmed, but none of the house’s guardians truly slept.

Across the street, behind a shuttered window in a darkened house, three pairs of eyes watched.

One belonged to a hulking man with a hooked nose and predator’s eyes. His presence exuded quiet menace, the kind that made lesser men shift nervously in his shadow.

"The three men did not leave the house," one of his men whispered. "I’ve learned that they were highly trained soldiers recently from the war. There are also soldiers outside the house, hiding in the shadows. What do we do now, boss?"

The tall and bulky man didn’t answer right away. He just stared at the now-dark house across the way, jaw clenched tight and he pinched the tip of his hooked nose.

"We lost a lot tonight," he growled finally. "Our goods, money, men, and leverage. We’ll have to lie low for now."

If Lara had been there, she would’ve recognized him. Hook!

"What about Stone’s group? Shouldn’t we try to rescue them?"

"Are you insane?" he hissed. "Didn’t the officer say someone from the Ministry of Civil Affairs is here? One wrong move and we’re dead men."

"But Stone wasn’t among the captured. He wasn’t in the injured group either. He’s... missing."

"Dead?" one asked.

Hook said nothing for a long time.

"Did you find out how those three men captured our Stone’s men?" He finally asked.

"We were told soldiers cornered them, subdued the traffickers, and kept chasing the others. They happened to be in the area and said the soldiers ordered them to bring the prisoners to the magistrate."

"So... there are more soldiers in Calma now?"

He exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose—a nervous habit.

His gaze darkened, voice dropping to a whisper.

"Something’s not right."