Steel and Mana

"They did not notice the change in its consistency?" I asked, squatting before the mortar that was used, examining it in the palace's garden. Although it already hardened, it was powdery and easily broken apart by hand. It reminded me of a term from my old world. Tofu-dreg.

"I asked them the same thing first," Merlin answered me quickly, "But they thought it must be okay because it kept the building firm."

"Because the anti-gravity formations were operating, making it easy to lift the slabs and place them in place. Their weight was significantly reduced... There is good in what happened."

"Good?" Sasha murmured, making me smile wryly.

"Imagine what would have happened if it collapsed after being finished. It could have been worse. Maybe it stood still for weeks. Months. Years? Then it collapses on a sermon, killing innocents, kids, and families! It would have undermined the people's perception of my buildings. It would have made them question if their homes would collapse or not... it could have been catastrophic."

"What I see," Merlin murmured after thinking over my words, "Is that someone tampered with it before the morning shift, and then it got remixed when people began arriving and continued building, further weakening it... And it was going on probably since the beginning."

"Whatever their original goal was, they became murderers." Sasha added with a firm voice, "I can't forgive them! Even if they hate the church, as I do, risking our people's lives is outrageous!"

"What will be their punishment, My Lord?" Merlin asked me, and although he was young, the way he looked at me, I knew he was fully aware of the weight of the situation.

"I am going to send them on a walk."

"..." I watched with a half-smile while they looked at each other, surprised by my answer.

"You heard me right. I will arm them, give them supplies, and then send them out through the valley into the land of the beasts. They will be tasked with exploring the other side, and if they survive for one year, they can return. They must take notes, draw maps, and come back with information. If they do that, they will be pardoned. If they perish, their death at least served a purpose, unlike their current existence. That will be my ultimate punishment for taking others' lives."

"What if they don't do it?" Sasha blurted out the first thing she thought about.

"I will put them into a metal cage out in the valley and leave them there to die a slow death."

...
....
......

By the time we returned, Oleg had rounded up everyone who worked on preparing the mortar, numbering four individuals. Luka, Tomak, Zarta and Gartosh. They were chosen from the original team who worked on the walls, and because they showed more intuition than the rest, taking on tasks by themselves, they were delegated to the building of the temple. A promotion, if you will, letting them work more independently and oversee certain parts of the whole project.

"Merlin, when Rennar returns," I whispered to him before heading into the first interrogation, starting with Zarta, "tell him to take people to the walls and do a complete investigation. I want every centimeter of the walls to be inspected and tested to guarantee they weren't sabotaged. If anything is amiss, demolish it and start over!"

"Don't worry, My Lord, I will go there myself now and start on the examination! It can't wait!"

While he left in a hurry, I entered the first room with Oleg and Sasha, sitting down the opposite of a distraught, crying man. He knew full well why he was here, and when I asked what happened, he began pleading for his innocence. If I believed his words, he was doing nothing wrong. He came to work, mixed the mortar the same way as always, and helped distribute it amongst his small squad, working on the foundations. He could recite the correct mix from memory, proving he was taking his job seriously.

I am no trained investigator, but my first feeling was that I believed him. Maybe because of the crying... or the fervor, he was trying to prove he was a loyal subject. While Sasha took notes, recording his words and my questions, Oleg was there to intimidate, always ready if he would become aggressive and need some discipline. When I was done, I made Oleg take him away and bring in the second one, Tomak.

His tale was the same, and although he was deathly afraid, pale, and trembling, he told me the same thing. Arriving and preparing the mixture, he noticed nothing weird... he even recited the correct mixture as well. After hearing all of their statements, it finally became strange. I think even a beginner detective would have spotted it by now.

"Let me reread it Tomak's confession..." I whispered, taking the papers from Sasha after we finished interrogating the last one, Luka, and we returned to my study to debate over them. "And give me the one Gartosh gave, please."

"I think the same thing." She nodded, knowing what I was puzzled about.

"Their confessions are the same." Oleg joined in the conversation, picking up the papers and recording the other two's words. "Almost to the last detail."

"It does feel rehearsed. Structured. Memorized." I agreed, shrugging, "They began the same, talked about the events in the same order, and they all finished with the same monologue. They are lying. But that is not enough of a proof..."

"Proof?" Oleg harrumphed, "This is enough, My Lord! Off with their heads!"

"I always forgot how things work here..." I murmured, making my wife gently pat my hand, "But I want more! We need to know if they worked alone or not? Why did they do it? What was the motivation? I want to learn it so I can avoid it next time."

As I was thinking, a knock interrupted me, and I watched Rennar walk in, accompanied by Luna, leading him forward.

"I thought you were resting?" I chuckled, raising an eyebrow, and then he bowed and began to explain hastily.

"I have news, My Lord! Do you remember Master Perth?"

"My master sculptor, yes. Of course, I do. What happened? Was he... amongst the dead?" I stood up, biting my lips, but he shook his head, making me sigh with relief. Losing such a talented individual would be regretful.

"No, he wasn't, thank the Gods! Um, My Lord, he came to me, saying he may know what or who was behind it!"

"Really?! Where is he?"

"In the throne room! I only brought Minister Rennar here." Luna interrupted us with a slight bow.

"Great! Come! Let's go, I want to hear this at once!"

Hurrying in, I saw Perth pacing nervously up and down beside the Minister's Table, his arms crossed before his chest, his eyes betraying how tired and fearful he was at that moment.

"Mister Perth!" I exclaimed, startling him, followed by a deep bow from the master sculptor.

"My Lord!"

"I heard you have news for me? About the collapse of the temple? First, let me say I am grateful you were not amongst those poor souls who got buried under the rubble."

"I almost was, My Lord... I just overslept." He answered, lowering his head, unable to look me in the eye.

"It seems your luck is prevalent, Mr. Perth; I am thankful for that! So... Please tell me what you know. We just interrogated those who were in charge of handling the mortar."

"Sorbo. Sorbo Rugaria." He said, finding it hard to force his full name out of his mouth. I glanced at Rennar, but he knew not about the name, which wasn't surprising. "He is a worker in the same group I was, and he is someone I grew up with. We worked on constructing the city and on the wall together before I was accepted to... to my current position, My Lord."

"The wall..." I whispered, drawing in a deep breath, hearing Oleg harrumph behind me with deep anger.

"The wall should be intact, My Lord!" Perth continued, almost pleadingly, "Sorbo and the rest of my old friends were unhappy that the church was going to reappear and that they even got a temple to boot!"

"It's not the church but-" I began, but I very quickly stopped. I did not honestly explain it to them, did I? Damn it... I should have made it clear that it wasn't the church but MY decision to build it... To allow my people to continue worshiping their Gods as they pleased.

"Leon?" Sasha murmured, seeing me freeze in place, stopping in mid-sentence.

"Some of the responsibility lies with me." I looked at her, "I never bothered with explaining it to them clearly, did I? They can read and write; I should have made an announcement detailing why some things are being done..."

"My Lord, it can't be your fault; you already have to deal with multiple issues!" Rennar spoke up at once, not waiting for me to give permission to talk, "If anything, this oversight was my fault, and I will take full responsibility!"

"And mine, as your General. We didn't even guard the construction zone at night. We have been too lax, My Lord!" Oleg added, making me shake my head.

"What happened, happened." I raised a hand, stopping them from starting to argue about who was to blame for it. "We will come up with a way to support the dead workers' families, make sure they can stand on two legs as, ultimately, it stemmed from my oversight that they lost their husbands and sons. But I want to hear more! Perth, please, continue!"

"My Lord, Sorbo expressed multiple times when we met in the tavern that he doesn't want the temple to be completed and for the church to return. We even argued about it, but I never thought they would resort to sabotage! I still can't believe it!"

"He never told you?" Sasha asked, making Perth shake his head vigorously.

"After my position was approved and I got the job to create the statues that would decorate the church, I was seen as a traitor. An enemy. We didn't speak for months, My Lord."

"Thank you for telling us this, Mr. Perth. You did a great service to the crown!" Sasha continued, stepping forward and gently bowing to him, making him bashful and troubled, bowing back even deeper, almost kneeling down.

"It is my duty, Lady Sasha. It is our duty to serve the Sovereign and help protect our new lives from those who would try to demolish it! Be it from the outside or the inside!"

I don't know if this was the result of their changed life or the lessons of Merlin. I did see some of his materials, and he was instilling the words 'duty' and 'serving' into the people, especially the youngsters. He was even turning some of my deeds into a bit of legend, like how I defeated the local nobles and church by myself and held the key to all magic. These were especially prevalent in his little fanfictions about me that were now in print and distributed in his classes as homework readings.

"How many people could have seen you come in here, Mr. Perth?" I asked, making them go silent, looking at each other, not having an answer.

"You have a plan?" Sasha turned towards me, smiling.

"I do. When escorting Mr. Perth back out, make sure nobody sees us. I ask of you," I continued, looking at the sculptor, "to stay home and stay quiet."

"Yes, My Lord!"

"Oleg, you are going to release our 'guests!' Let them go home and tell them they are cleared!"

"Should I send people to... follow them?" He asked back, unsure, but he was thinking of the right thing.

"It won't be your job; that would be too obvious. Yuri will tail them and watch over them, including Sorbo's home. If they feel safe, they may make a mistake now. Like... visiting the one who came up with this all. Either to blame him, extort him, or whatever else! My goal is to make them meet. Let them link me to Sorbo! We round them all up the moment they do, and our first open trial will begin!"

"Open trial?" Everyone asked, looking at me.

"Yes. What happened affects everybody living here, so we will hold their trial in the main square for everyone to see and hear. I will not make the mistake of leaving my people uninformed... They will know exactly what is going on!"

"It's okay..." Sasha whispered, hugging me and stroking my hand.

"It is not. That was a stupid mistake that cost me dozens of lives and future master workers. It is time we establish our first newspaper..."

"Newspaper?" She asked, tilting her head, making me smile and caress her face.

"Yes. I will make it so my people know precisely what is happening and why."