CHAPTER 64: AFTERMATH

Perhaps Gara’s biological father had been remarkable enough to inspire such fierce loyalty, enough for someone to devote over a decade of his life just to protect the man’s child.

He didn’t want to assume too much, but part of him suspected his father had been a noble of even higher status, perhaps even from a ducal house.

And with his mother being a Guardian of the Tree of Life, he’d been born with great power in his blood... and with it, great misfortune.

"Tristan said the druids aren’t actively hunting us right now. As long as we avoid the druid forests, he wants us to come with him to Marquess Cakra’s territory.

But I told him about your pregnancy and that your scent might become stronger. Worse, your child also has druid blood. That would only cause complications."

Getting protection from a noble sounded far safer than hiding in a remote village. But if Gara’s father—someone clearly more powerful than Tristan—could still fall to the druids, what hope did Tristan have?

The last thing Gara wanted was a repeat of the tragedy from sixteen years ago.

And this time, it could be him and Wina who wouldn’t survive.

"Actually, Tristan gave me a crystal ring to contact him in case of emergencies. But when you were kidnapped, he was on leave and didn’t pay attention to the ring. Fortunately, Madha happened to know one of the gate guards in town."

"At that time, I panicked so much," Wina whispered, eyes glassy. "I should’ve never agreed to your plan."

Gara gently took her hand. "I’m sorry, Mom. I went a bit extreme. But it’s over now. I promise I’ll be more careful from now on."

"Thank you, son." Wina stroked the crown of Gara’s head with a soft, motherly touch.

Before long, they arrived at the village chief’s house, now bustling with villagers.

Wina and Gara made their way toward Grandma Lasmyra and a few other villagers who were gathered under the guava tree across from the house.

"Elder, what’s going on?" Wina asked.

Before Grandma Lasmyra could respond, Grandma Mala cut in.

"Oh heavens, I’m so sorry for accusing you and being cold, Wina. I was terribly wrong to trust a woman like Lita."

Grandma Mala clasped both of Wina’s hands, while Wina stared at her in confused silence.

Then Grandma Lasmyra spoke. "That’s Albin inside. He’s preparing the documents to divorce Lita."

"Divorce?" Wina gasped.

Next to her, Gara smirked to himself. My plan worked.

Earlier that morning, the villagers had discovered Lita and Dilan asleep and naked in the herb field shack. Naturally, chaos broke out.

Even though the villagers were mostly elderly men and women, their strength was still sharp from years of tending the fields.

Dilan, despite being a man in his physical prime, couldn’t fight them off. He was beaten up, thrown into the river, but managed to escape and flee to the neighboring village.

Lita didn’t fare much better. Though the beating she received wasn’t as brutal as Dilan’s, it was still enough to leave her shaken.

When Albin arrived, he was so enraged he tried to strangle her on the spot.

Thankfully, Grandpa Abram stepped in and told him to do things properly: file for a legal divorce.

Either way, Lita was banished from Suruta Village right at the very moment.

Gara was stunned. These people are savage. They don’t even value human life.

He acted as if he had nothing to do with it, ignoring that this mess was his own doing.

"Albin probably saw this as a golden chance to finally leave her," Grandma Mala added. "They’ve been married over ten years and still have no children."

"Well, It wasn’t about she couldn’t conceive. who could stay with a wife caught sleeping with another man? And a thug, no less. In a field shack of all places," Grandma Lasmyra snapped back.

"You’re right," Grandma Mala nodded solemnly.

Then Grandma Lasmyra suddenly remembered something. "Oh right, either of you were around yesterday. Were you in town? Why did the town guards escort you back?"

Wina glanced at Gara, silently letting her son do the talking and of course, she expected him to fabricate story.

"We went to town for a little outing," Gara began, smiling sweetly. "There was no herb work, so we thought we’d take a break. On the way back, we stumbled upon an illegal human trafficking operation.

We reported it to the town guards, and they managed to shut it down. One of the victims didn’t have a place to stay, so he’ll be living with us for now. That’s why the guards escorted us home."

The two grandmas nodded in understanding.

A moment later, the grandmas excused themselves, apparently satisfied with the gossip for the day.

"You two aren’t heading back yet?" Grandma Lasmyra asked as she turned.

"No, we’re here to meet with the village chief about the herbal farming certificate," Wina said.

"The certificate? But the chief said there’s no such thing," she replied, frowning.

"Really?"

"Yep. We’re all a bit confused, but the chief said he’ll explain everything at the village hall tonight. He wants to address that and a few other matters. So we’ll just have to wait and see."

With no certificate to collect, Wina and Gara made their way to the general store, just as the two grandmas headed off to their homes.

This time, Grandpa Dian finally handed over the seeds they’d requested.

Back home, the seeds were soaked in water, waiting to germinate before being transferred to the field up on the mountain. Gara offered his water to help them sprout faster and stronger.

Fian, the elf who had recently become a member of their household, had been silently watching the two of them. More accurately, Gara and Wina hadn’t realized Fian was even there behind them.

"Ah! Stars above!" Gara jolted when he finally noticed the silent elf standing behind him.

Why is he using his Talent—Ghost Walk—in the house? he grumbled inwardly.

"Come help over here. Just scatter the seeds evenly and make sure they’re fully submerged," he instructed, handing him a batch.

Fian followed his directions without saying a word.