Crownless: The Fallen World - Chapter 48

After who knows how many hours, Cielle finally called back. 

The group stopped playing wooden block towers which they groaned to since they were already on the verge of completing a Trystan height tower. 

“Why does everyone seem to be not glad that I finally called back?” The albino shifted her attention at the council president who was too eager and jittery on her seat. “Well… I guess there is one. Old gal, the previous patient was passed out right now but he’s all clear. No more threats and some of us built a dwelling for now.” 

Zadie pursed her lips then nodded. Deep breaths, she tried to compose herself. “Well then. Since Sadon City is under the attack of arson, we will file cases for the remaining people who participated in the crime-“

“That’s where you are wrong, McKenna,” Cielle interjected with furrowed brows. 

“How am I wrong, Novalee?” 

The increasing tension between these two women was thick, giving the other people in the room a hard time to breathe.

Axel joined, “I agree with our doctor. Even though I don’t know the whole story, I got the gist of it by the evidence we got. Especially when we have one of the residents here.” The council secretary gestured at Julian who visibly flinched from the attention he got from the president. 

“Previous. I am a previous resident,” he voice shook but his face held a firm expression. 

“Okay? Then, please guide me as to why I’m wrong.”

“Firstly, this town is not what it looked like in the first place. They seem friendly and hospitable but that seemed to be only an act. A sweet act to attract bees, like us, into staying. Do you want to guess what after, McKenna?” 

“I don’t see your point, Novalee. Only I know that I’ve been receiving reports from Sadon Town, which I was crestfallen when Sadon City became a Town, but there seemed to be nothing wrong when I sent messengers to check on them since I haven’t heard anything from Favian.” 

“Tell me more,” Cielle insisted. 

“Speaking of Favian, when I asked the people there that I wanted to meet their Lord, they told me he just came back from a long vacation and is resting. After that, I never visited but I do get monthly reports.” 

“That’s a shame. I didn’t know that our mighty president was so easily fooled by mere words,” the albino shrugged then shook her head. Zadie’s eyes twitched, teeth clenched as she tried to reason herself out of this predicament. 

“Now, now. What I wanted to tell you is that there was never a Lord here. Axel and Trystan already checked and you can also ask what previous resident Axel spoke of.” 

“Are you saying I’ve been getting fake reports?!” 

“Might be so. Also, this town’s food supply is so unique. Do you want to guess?” Cielle smirked and wiggled her brows, purely just to irritate Zadie out of her mind. 

“Just go straight to the point, you wicked albino!” 

“Heh…” Cielle was forlorn, “You’re no fun! Anyway, it’s humans. According to the group we saved, the longest we have was 4 years. The background isn’t necessary but it indicated that their activity rooted deeply in the town’s history. Never knew how and when, and we might not know.” 

“What in the world?! You mean… this flourish city back in the olden days was reduced to this? No… maybe they were like that even in that time…” Zadie rubbed her face too hard. The clear signs of her frustration and fatigue showed in that instant. 

“Uh… yeah…” Cielle’s attention slowly went to her side. Her eyes widened as she sighed in exasperation, “These people… what in the world of man eating people are they doing?!” 

“What happened now, Novalee?” Zadie asked, slightly concerned. The albino’s words also got everyone’s attention in the room, expecting something excited to happen. Well, there they had it. 

There were people laughing maniacally at the burning town as if it was only a huge bonfire. Bonham joined the madness too as he kept on sending more arrows into the fire. Figures inside the fire kept on going down as the town was sent into a slow state of oblivion. 

Everyone in the room fell silent, watching how would the scene of madness unfold in front of them. 

Zadie threw her head back, slowly massaging her aching temples. “This is getting nowhere…” she mused.

“I’ll try to minimize the damage before it burns the forest in the vicinity. After this, we also have a plan to take them back home and continue on our mission, which is only Bonham and I. That is okay with you, right, McKenna?” 

“Yeah… but… the man?” 

“Oh, yeah. Right. Give me a moment and I’ll get you to him.” Cielle then rushed near Bonham’s figure and knocked his head hard so that it reverberated throughout the room. Some of them scrunched their faces and Axel was the only one who repeated the action with fervor. 

“Dumb idiot, clean this mess up before it destroyed the forest. I’ll tell the plans to you later. Gotta go,” the albino left the groaning man who shouted back at her with ferocity, but he ended up obeying her anyway. Who wouldn’t? Only a fool will try to disobey her, and that ended up badly the first time it happened to him. 

Cielle skipped towards a white dwelling, seemed to be so clean and sanitized into its four corners. The screen showed small rooms that contained the patients the doctor treated earlier and then stopped in front of an open room. 

Zadie recognized the figures sleeping on the comfortable bedding. She closed her eyes in content and breathed out a sigh of relief and gratitude. 

Julian’s eyes kept on going from Zadie and the face of the man on the screen. His eyes squinted and his thumb and forefinger on his chin. “There’s a strange kind of familiarity from the two of them…” 

The other rolled their eyes at him, but he didn’t skip on the thought as he blurted out almost instantly, “Are you, perhaps, his daughter?”