Chapter 90: Chapter 81 – Criminal Rehabilitation

"Any fool stupid enough to break a law in my city gets a second chance, unless they broke one of the cardinal laws, in which case they're dead. Otherwise, even the worst criminal will be given a second chance at life, a chance to serve the people. Are we not merciful?" - Azar'ēl Cèbrúnæ, lifelong Mayor of Sev-Galas.

For once, Cal allowed herself to relax and just enjoy the peace as she joined the rest of the group and played with the children in the orphanage. The orphanage itself handled abandoned children from as young as infants and toddlers - though those were sparse - to those in their early teenage years. Children were cared for and trained in the orphanage until they reached the age of sixteen, at which point they were expected to strike out and live their own lives.

 

Cal played with a toddler as she raised him high up in the air, which made him giggle happily. She kept the smile on her face as she entertained the child more, but her mind wandered elsewhere, to less happy days in the past where she had ended the lives of several children younger than the one she played with now. Every time she saw small children she couldn't help but to have lamented and wondered how those children might have grown up had they lived on.

 

She shook her head as she chased away the thoughts that disturbed her. The past was the past, and she could not alter what had already happened. She played with the child a while more, before she handed him over to Miranda, as the child had just filled his diaper. Fortunately she had not gotten any of the mess on herself.

 

Out of the group, Grünhildr and Willa clearly had the most fun as they played with the children. The large, boisterous woman clearly liked children and happily let them treat her large frame as a playground to climb and swing on. Willa on the other hand had four children on top of her back as she ran on all fours around the perimeter of the park with high speed, which elicited excited shrieks from the kids.

 

Miranda explained to Cal while she deftly cleaned the giggling toddler and dressed him in a new diaper how once the kids reached six years of age they would be educated and assessed. At nine they started to receive small chores and other tasks as a prelude to work training, as well as a further stage of assessment to see where their talents were. At twelve the children would enter full-time training during the day that would hopefully have them prepared for life on their own.

 

The wishes of the kids themselves were also considered of course, and factored in on their training. One reason a burly guard with a scar that ran across his oft-broken nose was present in the park. He trained a group of young teenagers - the ones who wanted to be a guard - through a series of physical exercises and weapon drills that looked very well structured to Cal.

 

Azar'ēl even hinted to Cal once they were out of earshot from the children that it was not uncommon for abused children - like the eldest of the siblings they met earlier - to have opted for a live of violence. He further hinted that many such children ended up as members of his personal group of assassins, and that they often derive great pleasure when jobs came by, especially when it involves people who abused children.

 

Cal had wanted to rebut his words, but found that she could not. To her surprise, it was Micah who chimed in on the conversation, and said bluntly that many people treated abused children as if they were damaged goods. They were treated with respect as Azar'ēl's enforcers, not with pity or scorn, and that was often what most of those children desired the most. She revealed further to Cal that she spoke from experience, as unofficially she was still the leader of Sev-Galas' enforcers.

 

As well as the best assassin in the city.

 

That little revelation somewhat surprised Cal, but at the same time also brought some of her doubts to light. She had wondered how the elven woman had always moved so quietly and how she barely extruded a sense of presence. That she was a trained and skilled assassin definitely explained both of those.

 

As they walked out of the orphanage later that afternoon - Micah had bid them farewell as she went back to the brothel, which left Azar'ēl to be their guide - the mayor explained further that orphans helped staff around one-third of the city's workforce. Free citizens covered most of the rest, but a portion were left for rehabilitated criminals to fill in.

 

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While Sev-Galas legalized many things, crimes like theft, assault, and murder were still completely forbidden in the city, and the guards were renowned to be highly efficient when it came to crimes. Punishments were severe, with rape and murder deemed as capital crimes. Those that comitted lesser crimes were given two choices: either they were to be "rehabilitated" and then serve time as part of the city's staff in a manner akin to the slaves, or they died in the rehabilitation process.

 

Azar'ēl led the group to the rehabilitation camp, which had looked like an unassuming residential block from the outside. Inside, Cal saw that the building actually merged a few blocks together and was designed similar to the orphanage, with an open area in the middle surrounded by the residence. In the open area they saw groups of people in shackles, who were being disciplined by guardsmen as they were made to do physical labor.

 

The way the guards cursed and yelled at the convicts reminded Cal of how some military trainers used similar methods. The guards here has far less tolerance for disobedience or resistance however, as she saw some of them beat up convicts that resisted. She wondered whether such methods would have been effective to rehabilitate people.

 

"Of course they try and pretend to be cooperative just to try to stab you later," the mayor answered when she asked him about her doubts. "That's why we have Miranda check over them every week, and every month we publicly hang ones caught to have such ideas before all the rest as examples."

 

"Miranda is a gifted soulweaver, Cal. It's child's play for her to detect disgust and loathing beneath a smiling face," added Aideen.

 

Cal fell silent for a bit, as she had some difficulty while she processed the juxtaposition of the image of the kindly cat-therian girl in the orphanage to someone who'd point out which people needed to be hanged in public.

 

"Those that were successfully rehabilitated from here are obedient and loyal people. Ones who dare not betray Sev-Galas, for they know all too well what awaited them should they try to do so."

 

This time Cal couldn't help but nod at the mayor's confident words.

 

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