Chapter 104: Anyone Involved In The Trafficking Of Children Deserves Worse Than Death: Elyn
Chapter 104: Anyone Involved In The Trafficking Of Children Deserves Worse Than Death: Elyn
They had been focused on what was in front of them—how to get the children back to their families, how to stop the buyers from getting more innocent children, how to make sure every child was safe and returned. They hadn’t questioned whether the rot went deeper.
And it was only now that they were realizing they had made a mistake.
Elyn let out a quiet sigh.
She reached forward and gently took the papers from Naviel’s hands. Then, without ceremony, she plucked the single parchment Zorathys had been holding as well, like his was heavier than the pile Naviel had been holding.
Elyn laid them all out on the desk.
"Tell me what each file is," she said, gesturing to the arranged piles of papers in different sections.
Naviel cleared his throat. "That one lists the children retrieved from the culprits."
Ignivar pointed to another pile. "That one contains reports from families who filed missing cases."
Elyn gave them a look.
"You guys actually went through the reports of families who filed missing cases?" she asked in surprise.
"Yes," Ignivar nodded.
Elyn chuckled, then all of a sudden straightened her expression. "You know, I’m curious—how did you guys even know there was a child trafficking case?" she asked them.
Naviel turned to Ignivar and pointed at him.
"Someone from his territory reported directly to him," Naviel said.
Elyn nodded. She had an inkling that they did not get the information about the trafficking from the reports the citizens had filed.
"I am not even surprised," she said, giving Zorathys a pointed look.
"Before you get angry at me, Firefly, no one had actually reported it to me. It was only after this was made known to Ignivar that people started bringing in reports of missing family members," Zorathys told her.
"And I’m sure the reason why it wasn’t made known to you in the first place has nothing to do with you not actually going through the petitions, right?" she asked him.
Zorathys yawned, then nodded as he rubbed at his eyes sleepily. "I’m almost certain."
Elyn rolled her eyes, choosing not to answer him, then nodded to the next pile on the desk.
"And that?" she asked. "What is it about?"
"Families and children who’ve already been reunited," Naviel answered. "Ignivar and I made sure that every family member got their missing children back."
She nodded, then moved to the last stack.
"And this?"
Ignivar hesitated. "That’s... that’s about the demons involved in the trafficking."
Elyn picked up the first paper and began to read it.
Zorathys watched her, brows knitting slightly.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
Elyn didn’t look up.
"Sometimes," she said quietly, "networks like this don’t end with just a few demons."
Her fingers moved quickly, eyes scanning names, connections, locations.
"They branch. They hide behind legitimate fronts. They sell to outsiders. They trade information."
"But we already dealt with them," Zorathys told her.
"And sometimes there could be something you missed. And if you’re not careful, another will spring up again. So if we’re doing this, we need to do it well."
Then her voice hardened.
"And anyone who profits from selling children deserves full punishment."
She looked up at him, eyes blazing.
"Death is too easy for people like that."
Zorathys smirked.
A slow, dark curve of his lips that held approval—and something dangerously close to admiration.
Ignivar and Naviel and every other demon in the room looked at Elyn with approval.
"But, Your Highness...death?" Vaelory called out.
Elyn gave her a look. "I just said death is too easy for people like that. People who sell children should rot, and death is too quick and merciful."
Then Elyn turned to Zorathys. "Is there no other way apart from death that can be used to punish these people?" she asked him.
Zorathys gave her a look. "There are other means, yes..."
"And how cruel is it?" she asked him.
"You want it to be cruel?" Zorathys asked her.
"Am I speaking an unfamiliar language here? Why is no one understanding me? Yes, I want it to be cruel. They sold children, after all. Do you know what those children are going through from being sold? Do you know how much trauma they’ll experience from being separated from their families? And let’s not even begin with what these buyers would be doing with the children."
Zorathys nodded. The main reason the children were being sold was because demons had a higher affinity for magic, and some humans were using them to improve their magic.
But there was also more. Some nurtured the demons to use them as sex slaves, especially the incubus and fox demons. When Zorathys had first become king, the first thing he did was get back every demon from the human realm and give them a place to belong.
He had made it known that anyone who sold their kind would be killed immediately, but no matter how much they tried to get rid of the trafficking, it continued without stopping.
And honestly, if Elyn could help them put a stop to it once and for all, then he would appreciate it.
Elyn moved back to the files. But as she worked, Zorathys used his magic to discreetly remove one of the human kingdoms involved in the trafficking—the one he knew would hurt her when she found out.
Aelthryn.
Elyn didn’t know, and neither did anyone else in the office notice.
She worked effectively, using Morthen, Rin, Ignivar, and Naviel, who knew with certainty that they were not leaving the office anytime soon.
Ignivar sighed loudly. This was one of the reasons his wife left him—overwork.
Meanwhile, Azerion gave Zorathys a glare, his blue eyes turning into slits.
Zorathys gave the boy a look. He was nothing but a pest Zorathys could get rid of with a flick of his hand, but he decided against it in case Elyn got angry.
"I don’t like you," Azerion told him.
Zorathys yawned loudly, watching as Elyn worked. Then he turned back to Azerion.
"I don’t like you either," he told him with a smile.