Chương 106: Book 2 Chapter 58 - New Leadership

Kiara was livid. She was partly mad at Kane, but mostly mad at herself. She had known what kind of man Kane was. She remembered at the Norse party, the smug look he and Baron Norshod had when news of the fire was delivered. She had even suspected their involvement, and had said as much to Dustin! She had seen Kane bully innocent people with his powerful spiritual aura the first few times they'd met. She knew he was no good, and yet she had allowed herself to develop feelings for him? Why?

Just because he was nice to her a few times and was a good dancer? She shook her head in disgust at herself. How could she have been so foolish? How could she let herself get emotionally involved? She shook her head to try and clear it, but couldn't get the frustration out of her mind. She needed to run. She stopped by the estate to make sure everything was still okay. When she saw that it was, she left the city and ran towards Portish.

With it being night, she strained [Magical Sense 4] to the limit, trying to sense the world around her. The light of the two moons helped illuminate the path enough for her to not misstep and get injured. The running helped her state of mind, but she pretty much zoned out, and before she knew it, Portish was coming into view. She must have been running for an hour. Traffic at night through the city gates was rare, but wasn't uncommon enough for the guards to stop her for any reason.

She found herself in front of Victor's shop, but it was closed and locked. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, it was the middle of the night, after all. According to Dustin's reports, Victor hadn't been around to his shop in some time, and even if he was back now, he wouldn't be here now now. He would be off somewhere sleeping. Then again, Zoey said that tier 3s only needed three hours of sleep each night, and Victor was a tier 5. Did he even need to sleep?

Kiara left Portish and started the run back home, letting the rhythm of her feet hitting the dirt road clear her mind. * Gentry Dunsun had never been so grateful in her life for a single decision as she was for the one they'd made to come live at the Yountal Estate. Any uncertainty about the move had long since been eradicated from their minds. They were paid well, more than they ever would have expected.

Talking to the other servants, and some of the ladies in the city, she realized they were paid a higher-than-average wage, the same as all of House Yountal's servants and employees. Word had already spread throughout the commoners in Easton, and anytime Dustin opened new positions people clamored for a chance at getting hired. Beyond the wonderful pay, they were treated with fairness and respect, and had made quite a few friends amongst the other servants at the estate.

Gentry worked as a cook in Helga's kitchen, and the wonderful woman was always looking out for both Ava and Gabe, loving on them and doting on them like a long-lost aunt. To top it all off, Lady Shian had offered all of the house servants the chance to learn magic. Such an opportunity was reserved for the wealthy, and wasn't something Gentry had ever hoped for or even considered. Wonderfully, Ava seemed to have a natural knack for it, and Magister Belliston was still providing her with personal tutoring.

Gentry deemed it blind luck that both she and Ron had developed a mana core and advanced to tier 1. It was something she was grateful for, to say the least, but it paled in comparison to the bright future she now saw for her daughter. Belliston consistently talked about how Ava was likely to not only advance to tier 2, but go far beyond. If that were to happen, she would lead a life more wonderful and great than Gentry could have ever imagined for her.

Even the servants who hadn't succeeded in forming a mana core spoke of their increased strength and energy levels. The workloads felt easier, and they went about it with increased gusto, while still having spare energy at the end of the day to spend time with friends and family. It was truly wonderful. News of the trouble throughout the city was prevalent, and Dustin had even enabled a semi-lockdown of the estate.

No uninvited guests were permitted onto estate grounds, and Captain Soren's guards had begun more frequent patrols of the estate boundaries. It was still possible to leave, should one wish, but it was highly discouraged, as the violence in the city was escalating more and more each day. Why, just yesterday, a large-scale clash had happened between the Heniton faction and the Goren faction, not too far from the Yountal Estate. Apparently quite a few people had died in the fighting.

Having moved here, in part, to get out of the situation with the bandits in their old village, the violence in Easton was concerning, but Dustin assured everyone that it was temporary, and that they were safe here inside the estate grounds. Gentry had met most of the temporary guests staying in tents in the yard, which Dustin had procured for them, along with cots and other necessities. It warmed Gentry's heart to see Shian and Dustin doing so much for everyone within their sphere of influence.

Shian's mannerisms and actions sometimes reminded her of her sweet Kiara, rest her soul. Dustin's did too, to some extent, they were very similar in many ways. Perhaps that was partly why Gentry felt so comfortable around them both and had so readily agreed to the move in, once bandits began harassing them back at the village.

Speaking of which, the fact that Lady Shian was the one responsible for taking care of the bandits back at the village was just another instance where she had gone out of her way to help others at her own expense. Shian had called both her and Ron in for a surprise meeting just now, and was just finishing up some business outside the room with Dustin and Captain Soren. Gentry and Ron had of course both agreed to come immediately, and had dropped what they were doing to be here.

Anything House Yountal needed, Gentry was willing to help with. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Gentry couldn't help but wonder what the meeting was to be about. With so many recent developments in their own family, on the estate grounds, and even city wide, it really could be about anything. Shian and Dustin entered the room together, and Gentry straightened her posture. She noticed Ron doing the same in her peripheral vision.

"Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice," Shian said as she sat down.

"I don't want this to feel rushed, but some urgent business has come up for me in Portish, and I really must leave soon, hence the emergency meeting in the middle of your work days. I apologize for the timing." Ron shook his head.

"Not at all, Lady Yountal… err, Shian. No apology needed." Shian had really been stressing lately that everyone simply refer to her as Shian, although Gentry and Ron both slipped up still occasionally. It was an easy mistake to make, especially with how highly they both esteemed her. Shian glanced at them both in turn, and her tone softened somewhat, away from the urgency that was there a moment ago.

"How are things? How has the transition been, moving here from the village?" Ron smiled and answered for them both.

"Wonderful, my lady. Truly wonderful. Again, we can't thank you enough for the opportunities that you've provided to our family." Shian smiled and nodded.

"I'm glad it's going well. How are your workloads and your day-to-day tasks? Any complaints?" Gentry shook her head.

"None, my lady."

"Just Shian, please," Shian said with a pleading look in her eyes. Gentry blushed and bobbed her head in quick compliance. Ron chimed in, "Everyone treats us fairly, we're paid a handsome wage, and the work makes sense. We couldn't ask for more." His tone soured, "Especially compared to the state we were in when you first stumbled upon us at Lord Grivalt's place. Which, once again, we can't thank you enough for your assistance then, either."

Anger flashed across Shian's face at Lord Grivalt's name, but it passed just as quickly as it came. She took a deep breath, then paused and turned to Dustin.

"I'm not sure the best way to go about this." Dustin smiled a knowing and gracious smile, then turned to Ron and Gentry.

"Your advancement to tier 1 naturally opens up opportunities for both of you that weren't there before. You could obtain employment with a healthy pay increase at another house, doing jobs suited for tier 1 individuals." Gentry and Ron both shook their heads vehemently, but Gentry spoke up before Ron could.

"We would never leave. You have our word. We owe you both so much, we could never even consider something like that." She was mortified that Dustin had even suggested it. Dustin chuckled.

"I know, and your loyalty is appreciated. Be that as it may, though, we need to increase your pay to make it fair." They tried protesting, but he held up a hand.

"This is non-negotiable. Also, I understand that up until now you've been paying a small amount of rent to Shian out of your paychecks for your living arrangements here?" They both nodded in confirmation.

"Well, that stops now as well," he said with finality, leaving no room for argument.

"None of the estate staff pay rent." A short silence was broken by Ron.

"We are honored, of course, but… it just seems so generous. It wouldn't seem fair to get paid more while doing the same work as anyone else." Dustin nodded.

"That's true, but not unprecedented. Our tier 3 guards are paid more than our tier 2 guards, for instance. That being said, I agree with you, and we would like to offer you both new positions in accordance with your pay increases." He locked eyes with them and Gentry's pulse quickened in anticipation.

"We want you both to step into leadership roles here at the estate. Shian and I are both needed in Portish, quite urgently, in fact. In our absence, we need someone to look over things here in Easton. Once we return, I'll help train you up in any way you need, in order to function effectively in your new roles." Gentry was stunned. Her jaw fell open, and she forgot to breathe momentarily. Why would they offer leadership roles to her and her husband? Then it clicked: Ava.

Ava was on track to become a powerful mage someday, if Belliston was to be believed, and House Yountal wanted to ensure her continued loyalty by making her parents an integral part of the house. That made a lot of sense, actually. Ron furrowed his brows in confusion, apparently not arriving at the realization as quickly as Gentry had. Gentry saw this as an opportunity to ensure her daughter's future with House Yountal, and spoke up before Ron could say something to accidentally ruin the moment.

"We'd be delighted! Your generosity is both appreciated and understood." She bowed her head politely and offered Shian and Dustin a knowing smile. Shian looked as confused as Ron was, which was odd, but Dustin seemed to realize that Gentry had figured out their angle and chuckled to himself.

"You are quite astute, Gentry," he praised her.

"With a mind like that, you'll do very well in this new role." She beamed at the praise.

"Although I applaud your quick thinking and logical conclusion," he continued, "you might constantly find yourself surprised by Shian's true motives and actions." He turned to face Shian.

"At least that has proven to be true in my case." Shian raised an eyebrow at him.

"What are you two going on about?" Dustin smirked.

"I'll fill you in later." He turned back to Gentry.

"For now, I take it this means you both accept our offer?" Gentry nodded enthusiastically. Ava's future was as good as secured. Ron still looked confused, but she patted him on the arm, and he took the hint to let her lead for now.

"Great, then it's settled!" Dustin said with a smile.

"There is much for you to learn, but for now rest assured that the tier 2 and tier 3 guards will be your loyal servants while we are away, they are bound to House Yountal in an unbreakable way. I'll fill Captain Soren in as well.

"I know this is sudden, and it will be a bit of a trial by fire while we are away, but you have competent people around you, and I don't truly expect anything to happen while we are gone. If anything comes up, confer with Captain Soren and Helga, I would trust them both with my life. Zoey is coming with us to Portish, but Jaden will remain here at the estate, and he's a one man army for all intents and purposes. If anything happens, Captain Soren will put him to good use.

"I will likely be gone for a few days, possibly an entire week." He glanced briefly at Shian.

"Shian might return sooner, though." Shian nodded.

"I'll probably be back tomorrow sometime, a few days at most."

"We will do our best, my lady," Ron said. Shian smiled at them both.

"I know. Believe it or not, that's why I'm offering the positions to you, more so than because you've advanced to tier 1." Gentry was surprised by that, but later realized she shouldn't have been. It wasn't odd for low-tier individuals to hold positions of power at House Yountal. Dustin was only a mortal, after all, and he pretty much ran the whole show.