Chapter 752 752 Resolved
While the majority of the town had been ignoring the presence of the Seraphim, unsure what the creature from the Upper Planes was doing here, his words shocked them to their cores. Not only did he claim that the Witches and humans were the instigators of the wars, but he was over ten thousand years old, and had advocated for the species to be eliminated even then?
What had this creature seen that he wanted them gone? Or, more importantly, what had happened ten thousand years ago that the Upper Planes were considering eliminating the humans and witches entirely?
They hadn’t taken action when the Magi were eliminated, and that had been built up for a while before the war. So, whatever had happened to cause him to hold a grudge, it must have been horrific.
While the Witches didn’t view the Seraphim with the reverence that the humans did, there was still a level of respect for something that old and powerful, especially when it was standing right in front of you, and feeling a bit murderous about your actions.
In light of that, the Magi Patriarch’s explanation about cleansing curse damage seemed quite reasonable.
Nobody seemed to know what to say, but fortunately for them, there were children in the crowd with no filter on their thoughts.
“You’re ancient. But why did everyone make you so mad when you were little?” A girl in the crowd, not more than five years old, asked. She was obviously confused and not following the storyline so far.
“They did something so terrible that I just couldn’t forgive them. There was a species of beautiful white deer, with glowing magic antlers on its head, and it loved everyone and granted them wishes if they were pure hearted like you. The people back then did really bad things because they wanted that power for themselves so they could hurt each other.” The Seraphim explained in a gentle tone, simplifying the situation for the girl.
One of the little boys shouted out in the crowd. “Oh, I read that bedtime story. It’s about the Forest Guardians. They looked after the whole forest, and my grandma said that they granted the first witch her powers so that she could be more in tune with nature.”
The boy’s mother shushed him, but the Seraphim smiled. “That is close to what happened, and they did grant many early witches their powers, so they could help as guardians of the forest. But that was a long time ago, and the witches have forgotten all about that. Now, they cast bad magic and get themselves in trouble.”
The Seraphim’s words were for the child, but every Witch in town got the message. They were in a lot of trouble, and there was nobody that would or even could step in to save them. Their strongest Elders had just reached Rank Two, and the witch that was with the Magi Patriarch was well into Rank Four already, while the men were even stronger.
Finally, the Elder sighed and bowed her head.
“Alright, we agree to your terms, we will free the slaves and turn them over to you. They are all the Magi descendants that the seer said showed a threat of gaining magic. The servants are already paid, so that should complete your terms.” She muttered.
“See, now, wasn’t that easy? If there are more who show the promise of magic, turn them over to us in the future, and do not harm them. I get that you don’t really want them here, so we will take them off your hands and ensure that they are properly trained and not a threat to anyone.” Ella agreed.
“How long will the Servant Bond last?” A witch near the front of the crowd asked.
“How much is it worth to you to have the curse damage removed, your lifespan returned, the Bloodline Curse purged, and your children and grandchildren grow up to their full potential? Once you have repaid that, then it will dissipate on its own.” Ella reminded her.
Then she turned her head to where one of the little girls, one of the very few that she could see who showered before coming here, was tugging on the dress of a woman who smelled like medicine.
“That one is awakening already. It looks like she has excellent promise if she awakened her aura without help so quickly.” Ella informed the crowd.
The other young girls around here were glaring at her in envy. She was not the apothecary’s oldest daughter, but the third of four, and barely twelve years old. Being the first one in the family to awaken was a huge deal to her sisters, and they would not forget about it any time soon.
The whole situation was taken over by shocked parents checking their children for signs of awakening, and family members celebrating the one who had already begun.
It completely overshadowed the tense situation from earlier, and the fear that these three invaders were here to kill them all for some petty grievance with the way that they enforced their laws, and had done so since the war.
In the confusion, Wolfe went and collected their target, the boy with the immense potential, and the Seraphim rounded up the other slaves with a gesture that brought them all running to the front of the crowd.
“Are there any more? Possibly old, infirm, injured or currently too ill to get here?” The Seraphim asked, and the young men shook their heads. The Seraphim’s look turned annoyed, but Wolfe couldn’t tell what he was annoyed about, only that he was again considering just eliminating this village now that he had the target safely out of danger.
“Why don’t we all leave for now and let them celebrate as their youngsters awaken their auras? I will surround them all in a flight spell, and we can talk outside the village.” Wolfe suggested to the Seraphim.
“Yes, that sounds much more pleasant. Lead the way, Patriarch Noxus. I will send one of my people later to supervise these villagers and make sure that they are not going back on their words.”