"Hmm? Is there a problem with it?" asked Damien with a confused expression.

The man coughed, trying to quickly think as he said, "There are some terms that have been revised that guardsmen cannot leave the village at any point in time."

"Not even on the account of the Lord of the land?" Damien raised his brows. The magistrate was trying to get out of it but there was no reason he could find right now. According to what he had been told, all he had to do was wait and look over the village but who knew that someone would come to pick the guardsmen out of this village. 

"You can take them tomorrow if you want to," he said, quickly correcting himself. 

"It appears today is not a good today for you," the magistrate agreed to Damien's words and nodded, "But today is a good day for me. I am occupied with dinner and lunch invitations. It would be quite rude to ignore the invitation of the elites. I am sure...a peasant like you doesn't know how rude it is."

The magistrate looked offended to hear it. Was this man calling him a peasant?

Penny interrupted both of them saying, "Sir, we'll be sure to bring them back by night. They can have dinner with us."

"I will have to refuse the invitation on behalf of the guardsmen. If you ask them, I a.s.sure you that they have the same thoughts as me. We are just local men and want to live a local life," the magistrate gave out a nervous laugh. 

Damien's eyes fell on the man's neck and he asked, "Is that why you are wearing gold around your neck? Speak about double standards," he commented and the magistrate looked even more nervous than before. 

"It was a gift I brought for myself."

Silence fell in the room and then Damien said, "Alright. I will let the Lord know that the two brave men of this village will be having dinner with him tomorrow."

"Of course," the man nodded his head and they started to walk away from the village. Penny could still somewhat feel the people's village. When they were a good distance away from the office, Penny asked,

"Are we leaving just like that? Why did you want the guards?" she asked him curiously. 

"The man asked me to help him."

"What?" 

"Mhmm," Damien hummed and pulled her to an alley where they were heading back to the office, "They are controlled but there are some strong-willed people who are trying to fight whatever curse that has been put on the people in here."

The alley they were walking in was dark and murky. Quiet with no one around. It seemed like they were going to spy on the magistrate. Heading closer to the backside of the office where the window was barely open, 

"Why was the councilman asking me to take you both then?" they heard the magistrate's voice coming out of the window. The man must be an idiot to keep the window open and question the guards of this village thought Penny to herself. 

"I didn't say anything, Sir."

"I didn't say anything, Sir."

The same sentence was repeated by two people who were the guards. 

"He's going to come tomorrow again and let me tell you, you are not going to step out of this village or anywhere. This is where you are supposed to be and listen to my word and your master. Don't disobey any of us else you know what will happen," the magistrate scared the two guardsmen.

"Yes, Sir!"  

Damien pulled Penny away from there quickly to the side when the magistrate pushed the door open and leaned forward to see if someone was there behind the window. Penny had stopped breathing and placed her hand on her mouth when the window opened wide, she heard the magistrate say, 

"If they do come tomorrow and take you away, make sure to kill him before reaching the destination. I already heard from one person that they have been snooping around since last evening. The word has already reached the Artemis and we'll be going there to see what we need to do next."

The magistrate jumped out of the window and at the same time, Damien apparated along with Penny within a heartbeat. The man looked around, his red eyes flickering to another color and he sniffed the air. Someone was here, he was sure about it. 

Damien and Penny landed on the bed with a poof. She placed her hand on her chest. 

"Did he find out?" 

"Don't think so," Damien said getting up from the bed along with Penelope, "At least now we know from the blabbermouth that the Artemis is indeed involved in what is going on. But we still don't know why they are keeping the humans and the others locked in there without letting them go."

Penny wished she knew about it. Even though the vegetable books had things regarding the forbidden magic mixed up along with black witch magic and white magic, Penny didn't know why and what the spell that had been placed on the village. She bit her lip in concentration before saying, 

"What if...what if they are trying to source energy?" 

"Elaborate it, darling," Damien said, listening to her as she started to speak.

"The bodies of humans, vampires or witches are mostly used to source or channel energy. That is why they have been making use of the ma.s.sacre. Do you remember when we first met the switcher, the town there consisted of dead bodies." 

Damien remembered it, it was one of the worst memory of his, "They weren't testing the ma.s.sacre," Penny nodded her head, "First it was the ritual of sacrificing people who were alive, then came the dead and now it is the doll-like human..."

"They aren't being killed but their soul energy must be diminis.h.i.+ng. What if the first target where the animals and they were the first ones to die? Maybe that is why we didn't see any animal there."

That was a plausible theory, thought Damien to himself.