"Mam, the first batch of products are ready for trade. What should we do with them?" Cold and dead eyes looked back from the sultan Rose's face toward Iris.
It took three days for Oreta to return from the pool it had become. All one could see after it had been drained were the unconscious bodies of the fallen. There had been soldiers and people alike mixed into the body count.
It hurt to see but it had been the expected outcome from the start.
It took four more days for the first body to start stirring. It was happening just as Orpheus had said it would.
People were coming back to life but they were mindless and their eyes held no light. Everyone caught in the pool was as good as a doll - alive but not living.
Even the children had not been spared.
"Tell the merchants to send out the first batch. Also, welcome the council delegates and keep them busy. Whatever they saw a week ago was a mirage and would not happen again" the sultan bowed.
It was all anyone did now in Oreta, bow and act like Iris was their supreme leader. No one treated her like a human, just an omnipotent god.
"Understood" And then the sultan left Iris alone to brood over the happenings of a week ago.
[New message received from the MC: You sure nothing happened in Oreta? The council was in a panic over it a week ago. They seemed to have settled down after Oreta's last report but still]
The message was from Jackson. The MC had tried to contact her a few times but Iris had been stalling all this while.
As soon as the floor had hit, Orpheus had Oreta surrounded by a magical protection barrier that had lasted for a week.
Oreta would appear normal for a whole week due to the barrier. It would provide Irie with enough time to get things in order and come up with alternate lies.
Iris did not want to hide what had happened but it was important to keep all that information close. She was not sure how much she could trust Jackson to keep his mouth shut over this issue.
[Everything is in work as intended. You need not worry about here. Just focus on your training.]
It was bad enough that the council had decided to butt into their business. It was all too much for Iris to handle alone.
Thankfully, these doll-like humans had not lost their intelligence, just their emotions. They could still walk and talk and even answer the council. A normal person who did not know them would not find anything wrong with it.
"-was it not an illusion? We sensed a massive magical presence and lost contact with our agents for a whole day before Oreta send the report of the lockdown. You can't treat us like this-" Iris passed quickly through the hallway when the conversation reached her ears.
It stopped her short and she decided to wait outside the room to listen a little more.
"Nothing is wrong. There was the jade ceremony that caused a few complications. As you can see, no one is lost or hurt in Oreta. We also followed all the rules set forth by the council" Sultan Rose's voice was cold and emotionless.
It was surely unnerving some of the council elite who had not expected this treatment.
"I understand that point but still, you can't treat us like that. And what about that 'orphanage' of yours? And all those children? And that court of yours? I refuse to believe that it is all authentic" the council person replied.
"It is quite authentic. Would you all like to see the papers-" and Iris decided to leave now that she knew about the situation. It would be all right with Rose in the lead.
The city of Oreta had not changed even a bit from that flood. However, life seemed to be frozen at that moment.
"Lady Iris, are you here to check up on the troops? Or, do you need an audience with the Vizier?" Nicole's familiar voice washed over Iris and a new patch of guild strung up in her heart.
She should have taken the time to patch things up when she had the chance. Now it was lost forever.
Nicole's eyes held no light or spark of emotions. She was like everyone else here - an unfeeling shell of her former self. One is incapable of love or affection if it was not demanded by her master.
"No, there is no need to check up on you all. You all are quite capable. I was just here to check up on the town and nothing else. I need to leave shortly so I needed to see if the town was ready to handle it yet" It hurt to be in Oreta any longer.
The place was filled with countless memories Iris had made, people she had been close with, and incidences she had connections with. It was all here but the place was no longer hers.
"I see. Have a good day then" Nicole did not try to join her as she would have previously. Even the hesitation in her voice was gone and it hurt so much worse.
The children were happy to see her but it was artificial happiness manifested by their possession. The only good thing to come out of this whole mess was the increase in magical power in those children.
"Lady Iris, you are back. Look, I finally succeeded in casting that magic you told me about" children gathered around Iris and it was all too much.
It was always too much when she came down here to visit Oreta and the children. She needed to get away from here and catch up with real, breathing people.
It was finally time to leave Oreta.
"You all have done well and I'm happy to see that. I guess it's time I leave Oreta's safety in your hand and start traveling" her words were accepted without any fanfare. It was just another difference Iris was coming to accept.
Her words would not be refuted by anyone in Oreta. She would not be questioned by anyone.
She had become the supreme leader of the place but at what cost? Everyone she knew here was gone.
"Have a safe trip" no other words except this and Iris knew she could not take it anymore.
Was she running away from her responsibilities? Perhaps. But it was all worth it in the end. All the hardships, all the humiliations, and all the pains would be worth it in the end.
Iris would return home and put it all past her.