Ceaseless Devotion || Garroth Ro'meave x OC

7: The Birds and the... Pendants...?

Tensions had been high in the village of Phoenix Drop, or at least among the guards they were. While Lady Katelyn had made no moves or appearances over the last few days, everybody had been just as on edge as ever.

Just as planned, Katelyn did make her appearance at the guard tower for her interrogation. Cecelia answered as truthfully as she could without giving Katelyn and her guards any incriminating evidence that could be used against Jeffory.

On the bright side of things, Cecelia received a new cape from Katelyn. It was nothing special, just a plain white cape, only this one was missing the large O'khasian cross on the back. As for the O'khasian brooch that held the cape together, Cecelia simply rotated it from a '+' formation into an 'x' one.

As for Cecelia, she was currently on break. Laurance was resting after his night shift, Garroth was doing his part around the village, and Dante went out looking for a merchant who was lost in the woods.

Since Cecelia didn't feel tired enough for a nap, she decided to check up on the progress of the wall being built around Phoenix Drop. Garroth mentioned it during breakfast this morning, so she figured it might be a nice way for her to build up some trust with the townsfolk a little more.

Upon arriving in the construction zone, Cecelia ran into Brendan. He was collapsed on the floor of the newly built bridge looking as exhausted as can be. He tended to overwork himself when building, just as the others did.

"Are you alright?" she asked, stopping at his feet.

"Ye–Yeah... Just a little... tired..." He huffed, resting his hands on his chest while he paced his breathing.

"Pace yourself, Brendan. There's no need to work so quickly." Cecelia reminded him, helping him to sit upright. "The bridge looks great though, you've done well."

A smile lit up on Brendan's face while he nodded as thanks. Cecelia took this opening to leave and continued onward to the gate. While only a small amount had been built, there was a functioning gate set in place as well as a stone base for where the wall would be built.

The surrounding area was littered with tools, crates, tree logs, and other materials. Nearby stood Corey, carrying large stone bricks from a nearby pile over to the wall.

"Still hard at work?" Cecelia asked, catching Corey's attention. He quickly set the brick down on a smaller pile of bricks before replying.

"Oh, Cecelia! Yes, we've been hard at work since Lord Aphmau returned from her trip to Meteli." He replied, walking back to grab another brick from the larger pile. She followed as he spoke, listening intently.

Aphmau had left for a sudden trip with Laurance and Cadenza not too long ago. Their father, Lord Hayden of Meteli, had been presumed dead recently. Thankfully he was found alive and was promptly returned to Meteli.

That trip had ended almost a week ago now, meaning that Corey, Brendan, Brian, and likely Dale, have been working hard for quite some time now.

"That sounds exhausting..." She commented, to which Corey let out a long drawn sigh.

"Yes, and very expensive, too." He added, nudging his head in the direction of the piles of materials.

"Expensive?" Cecelia repeated repeated.

"Deforesting so much land is too time-consuming, so we've been buying all of our resources," Corey explained, placing another brick and leaving to grab another one.

Cecelia was told about the miracle that happened a few months back, where the statue of Lady Irene had blessed this land and cured it of a spreading disease called "the emptiness". The land that was once dying was transformed into diamonds, making Phoenix Drop decently wealthy overnight.