Cale could see the dissatisfaction on Loys' face even from a distance. He approached them with quick steps, without taking his eyes off them for a second.
"What are you doing?", Loys asked, his gaze fixed on Jonat. "With Sir Paseru, no less."
"Who are you?", Jonat asked, confused.
"Duke Loys of Freigoud", Loys clarified sharply, but Jonat was not intimidated. "I hope my colleagues have informed you of the situation."
"They did, yes. I am accused of involvement in the... massacre."
Loys stared silently at the accused before turning to Cale and glaring at him expectantly.
"I want to show him what's currently happening in front of the mine", Cale explained calmly, even though he had hoped Loys wouldn't notice his plan. "You're welcome to accompany us if you like."
"This isn't a free-for-all, Zod. You can't just let an accused person walk around like that. Have all the good gods abandoned you?"
"He's not walking around freely, and he can't run away from me either."
Without waiting for an answer, Cale set off, followed by Jonat. Only Julius remained standing there, confused, shifting his gaze back and forth between them before running after Cale.
"Seriously, Zod. Go back to the tent. How do you think this looks to outsiders?", Loys called after him when he caught up.
"Since when do we care what other people think?", Cale replied, but didn't stop. They didn't have far to go anyway, just a little way over the hill and then they would be able to see everything.
"Zod, that's an order. Stop."
Cale stopped on command, but discreetly pushed Jonat forward. Jonat seemed to understand the intention behind it, because he took a few big steps and climbed up the hill.
"Sir Paseru!", Loys shouted after him and started to sprint, but slowed down again after only a few steps. Jonat had come to a halt and was silently watching the events unfolding before him. When he realized what exactly he was seeing, his legs gave way and he slumped to the ground.
"This can't be true", Jonat Paseru muttered as the rest caught up with him.
"I said it's not a pretty sight. How many bodies do you think there are?", Cale asked Jonat, standing directly behind him. Loy, on the other hand, held his breath, but never took his eyes off Jonat.
"I... don't know. Hundreds."
"Try a few thousand", Julius interjected, leaning his back against the nearest tree, his gaze fixed on the group rather than the mine entrance.
"How... how long did you say the children have been missing?"
"For several years. Jarle of Mornet told us that Duke Inar had known for a decade how to increase the value of the mine", Cale explained calmly.
"The value of the mine?", Jonat repeated, confused. At the question, Cale produced the red crystal and tossed it to Jonat. "Is that... a Levione?"
"That's right. What do you think gives it its red color?"
Jonat jerkily dropped the crystal on the ground and bent over to the side as nausea overcame him. Loys seemed to be feeling the same way, because he too leaned against a tree and forced himself not to vomit.
"According to Jarle, Duke Inar discovered 10 years ago that human blood is responsible for discoloring the crystal. We don't know exactly how he came up with the idea of using children's blood, but children have been kidnapped for about 7 years. However, it only became really worrying this year. So you can imagine how many children have lost their lives here."
Loys took a few large steps to the side and vomited, but Cale ignored him. His attention was currently focused on Jonat, who was staring at the corpses that were being covered by the soldiers - his face as white as snow.
"This... doesn't make any sense. Inar wouldn't be capable of this. I know my brother."
"You knew your brother. How long has it been since you last saw him? Several decades?"
Jonat didn't answer.
"People change, whether you want to accept it or not. And their true personality often comes to light when it's too late."
"Life in Sylve corrupted him."
"Possibly", Cale confirmed, sitting down on the ground next to Jonat. "How did Inar react when you came to Mornet?"
Stolen novel; please report.
"He was happy to see me again. On the same day, he also introduced me to his wife Runa and his two sons, Hayero and Jarle. Jarle moved to Bellator after that, and Hayero was away a lot... because of work. I... I never got around to..."
"Tell him why you came in the first place?"
Jonat turned to Cale at the comment.
"Zurakekama", Cale added. "You were looking for a successor. At least that's what Chief Heriog mentioned when I was in Norgram recently."
"So you really did talk to Jarsep?"
"Did you think I was lying?"
"I've never seen you in Norgram before, and even if I had... I would have noticed Karekama's presence, at least."
"And yet I was in Norgram far more often than you might think."
"Do the chiefs know that you carry Karekama with you?"
"Of course. You would probably have noticed if you had been in Frignez."
"Probably", Jonat confirmed and turned back to the corpses. "I can't believe it. The whole thing was... right under my nose and I... I just let it happen..."
"Why did you claim to work for the Duke of Mornet?", Julius interjected.
"I didn't lie. Inar asked me for... help when I... when I asked if one of his sons would be willing to... become my student."
"You let yourself be blackmailed?"
"No. I... I was living at their expense, and at some point Runa said that I could work if I was already living here. Then Inar came up with the suggestion that I... guard the mine until Jarle returns."
"You know that Jarle started training as a soldier in Bellator, right?", Cale interjected, confused.
"What?"
"Didn't Inar mention that? How long would you have waited for him?"
As Cale asked aloud, he answered it himself in his mind. In all likelihood, Jonat would have waited until Jarle committed suicide, which would happen in about a year. Cale couldn't explain exactly what had happened in his other lives, but he knew one thing: Jonat didn't know what his brother had done until the end.
Otherwise, he would certainly have done something about it. Even though Jonat was a stubborn, know-it-all man, he was not a monster.
"I... I don't know."
Cale sighed audibly and looked up at Julius. To his surprise, Julius was looking somewhere else entirely, so Cale turned around and saw that Loy was anything but fine. His face was completely pale, his eyes unfocused, and judging by his frantic breathing, the situation was too much for him.
"Wait here, Julius", Cale announced and stood up.
At first, Julius seemed to want to reply, but halfway through, he paused and gave Jonat Paseru a skeptical look. Secretly, Cale had expected Julius to rest his hand on the borrowed sword, but Julius did not. Instead, he sighed quietly and then nodded to Cale.
When Cale reached Loy's side, Loy had fallen to his knees and had pretty much emptied his stomach. But Loy had by no means calmed down, so Cale drew an invisible barrier to block the smell.
"How about we two go back to camp?", Cale announced quietly and knelt down next to Loys, but Loys shook his head. "Don't be silly, Loys. You should lie down and rest."
"Don't let him out of your sight", Loys managed to say before another wave of nausea overcame him.
"I won't", Cale said, producing a bottle of water and handing it to Loys. "Come on, have a drink and let's go."
Loys breathed heavily, glanced at the bottle beneath him, and closed his eyes.
"I have the situation under control, really. You don't need to worry", Cale added.
Without comment, Loys reached for the bottle, rinsed his mouth, and took a few large gulps. Only then did he sit up straight and take a deep breath. Cale glanced back at Julius, who immediately understood what was going through his mind. He politely asked Master Jonat Paseru to also stand up and come with him.
"Come on, let's go. Can you stand up?", Cale asked before Loys forced himself to his feet and walked away without waiting for Cale. He clutched the glass bottle tightly as he headed for the large tent where Cale had spent the whole day.
"Duke of Freigoud!", a soldier called out.
"Not now. Talk to me, Julius", he replied sharply and simply continued walking. Julius walked a few steps beside Cale, accompanied by Jonat.
"Can you manage without me?", Julius asked Cale.
"Yes."
"Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."
With that statement, Julius left the group, leaving Jonat and Cale alone. Cale's attention shifted from Julius to Loy and back to Jonat himself, who looked down at the ground in dismay.
"How are you?", Cale asked cautiously.
"Let's just say I can understand Sir Freigoud's reaction", Jonat Paseru replied.
"Let me know if you need anything."
"Am I not your prisoner?"
"That doesn't mean I'm treating you inhumanely. After seeing something like that, I can understand if... you need time."
"Thank you", Jonat said quietly, looking up. "And thank you for letting me see it."
"I only did what I thought was right. You're welcome."
Cale watched as Loy literally tore open the tent and disappeared inside. Cale didn't know exactly what he was doing, but he didn't move much. Julius had meanwhile arrived at a larger group of soldiers and was engaged in a heated discussion that Cale could hear from where he stood. Judging by the comments, it was about Jonat Paseru, but he wasn't listening that closely.
"Zurakekama", Jonat said, just before they reached the tent. "Please take care of the sword until the situation has settled down. I couldn't bear it if it disappeared."
"Of course", Cale announced and also entered the tent. Loys had taken off his cloak and was crouching on the chair, the bottle in one hand and his head propped up with the other.
Cale also took off his cloak and began moving some wooden crates to create a flat surface. Jonat, on the other hand, let himself fall back against the wooden post to which he had been tied until recently.
After a few minutes, Cale knelt down next to Loys and looked up at him with concern. He hadn't thrown up again, but he didn't seem to have calmed down much. At that moment, he remembered that he still had some pills with his zero magic that the doctor had given him for Aaron. In addition to the fever reducers, he had also gotten something for coughs, nausea, and insomnia-just in case.
"Loys", he said cautiously, producing the small cloth bag. "Don't ask why, but I have some medicine with me that should settle your stomach."
"That's... not it. I doubt I can throw up anything else. I... my heart... I can feel my heartbeat even in my fingers."
"How about you lie down and try to breathe deeply or even get some sleep", Cale explained, nodding toward the back. He had built a small bed out of the boxes and placed a pillow on it that he had brought along for the trip.
"I can't sleep, not now. I have work to do, that's why I came here."
"It's already late, and Julius will take care of the rest. Come on, it certainly won't hurt you."
"Zod...", Loys murmured as Cale produced another bag containing the sleeping pill. When Cale then stood up, Loys followed him silently with his gaze. In his hand he held a small white tablet, which he held out to Loys. "I really don't need anything..."
"It's a sleeping pill."
"You really carry everything with you, don't you?"
"Habit", Cale replied. "Ever tried to get some sleep in Tsuke?"