Chapter 49: Village Chief’s Son (2)
Satyo greeted his two guests with a warm smile. But Gara could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand.
"So, what brings our guests here at this hour?" Satyo asked, settling into a chair directly across from Gara.
The young man felt Satyo’s gaze like a blade stripping away his defenses. Beside him, his mother was trembling.
She thought she’d come prepared to face Satyo. But sitting across from this Liner, Wina realized just how small she truly was.
Gara gently squeezed his mother’s hand. They’d come this far. They couldn’t back down now.
After a few moments of silence, Wina gathered her courage. Clearing her throat briefly, she spoke without preamble.
"Elder Jaya, about the upper mountain area—what they said about it being a training ground for the Liners—it’s all a lie. They’re planning to build a crystal refinery up there.
The waste will be dumped straight into the river that our village uses to irrigate the herb fields. I heard it myself, when Satyo was speaking to someone from the county."
The room seemed to tighten with the air thinning. Both Grandpa Jaya and Satyo froze mid-breath.
"Don’t make up stories, bitch!" Satyo snapped, his face flushed with anger.
"If I’m making it up, then surely you wouldn’t mind if we went up there sometime to check the place out—of course, when the Liners aren’t using it for training. How about that?" Wina said boldly.
Satyo’s sudden fury only served as further proof that what she said was true.
Only after Wina spoke again did Satyo realize he had lost his composure. "I can’t allow you up there. There are noble secrets in that area, things commoners like you aren’t allowed to see."
He turned toward his father, who was still frozen in shock. "Father, don’t listen to her. You trust me, don’t you?"
The old man with his graying hair slowly shook his head. "Wina is right. At the very least, we should be allowed to inspect the area—just once. If not, then as village chief, I can’t give my approval."
The villages surrounding Falopo Town were technically under Raksa County’s jurisdiction—but in practice, control still rested with the Mayor of Falopo.
Decades ago, when the founder of Falopo Town dedicated the surrounding villages to herbal cultivation, he made one thing clear:
As long as the villagers used their land to grow herbs, anything that happened on that land required their consent.
If the villagers truly refused, not even nobles had the power to force them—unless they resorted to secret, underhanded means.
"Father, it’ll take months before everything is ready! Are we supposed to wait that long? What if the villagers change their minds after it’s all built? That wouldn’t be fair to the nobles who’ve already invested so much."
"If what you say is true, and the area really is just for training, then as village chief, I’ll make sure the villagers give their approval," Grandpa Jaya replied firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.
A sharp pain throbbed in Satyo’s head.
"Father, I’m not trying to threaten you," Satyo said, massaging his temples. "But if we delay the nobles’ plans, nothing good will come of it—for any of us."
"Then maybe, if we’re not allowed to be involved, we should report it directly to the Mayor in Falopo Town. Let them supervise the entire process." Wina said calmly
Satyo’s headache worsened. He lowered his head, drawing in a long breath.
When he looked up again, his expression had twisted into something cruel. "Damn it! Why does a widow like you have so much to say?!"
Flames erupted from Satyo’s hand, shooting straight toward Wina.
But Gara reacted instantly. Water surged from his palm, dousing the fire in midair. The blazing orb, as large as a grown man’s fist, fizzled out with a hiss.
"SATYO, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!" Grandpa Jaya bellowed.
He pushed himself to his feet, but the motion sent a searing pain through his skull. And as the pain throbbed, the world around him began to go dark.
Meanwhile, Satyo looked confused and shocked. His fire had been extinguished by a mere greenhorn?!
He was about to attack again, but Wina’s panicked scream diverted his attention. Grandpa Jaya had collapsed.
In that split second, Gara reached out his hand, creating a water bed just before the old man’s body hit the ground.
Satyo rushed to his father. Gara’s water vanished, and Grandpa Jaya fell into his son’s embrace.
Satyo glared at Wina and Gara with hatred. "This isn’t over. I won’t let you get away with this. My father fainted because of you!"
He moved swiftly to the side of the house, where he had placed his carriage and horse. The neighing of the horse signaled their departure.
"Mom, what do we do now?" Gara looked anxiously at the empty, dark road.
"Let’s go home for now. We’ll visit Elder Jaya tomorrow morning. He’s on our side. Satyo won’t dare do anything."
The woman in her mid-thirties took Gara’s hand and led him back home.
Gara didn’t say anything, but inside, he was deeply worried. From the look of fury in Satyo’s eyes, that man wouldn’t stay quiet.
He had to prepare for whatever might happen to their family.
In his bedroom, before Gara drifted off into sleep, he faintly heard the sound of raindrops. He could only hope Grandpa Jaya would reach the clinic quickly.
That night, he slept without dreams, but was abruptly awakened by Wina’s panicked voice.
He sat up groggily, then stumbled out of the room, still half-asleep. "What’s going on, Mom?"
Wina looked like she had just gotten dressed. Gara then realized there was a commotion outside the house.
"The herb field is on fire, dear."
"What? But it rained last night."
Wina shook her head, confused and panicked.
They both went outside and joined the other villagers rushing toward the herb field.
The sun had yet to rise. The villagers walked down the village path, flanked by tall, dense trees.
When they reached the field, Wina’s eyes widened. Her entire field was engulfed in flames. The fire devoured the plants fearlessly.
...