Chương 14: Gerald Blackstone

What I found inside the treasury was a small, hunched-over gremlin muttering to themselves. I was about to activate Mana Manipulation and fight the monster before I realized who it was. Julie, my Herbalist.

"Did you use the Skill Book already?" I asked, hoping she did. She didn't.

"I will use it later. First, I need–""Use it now," I said with some authority.

"I don't know why you are against using the skill, but I know it's not because of its value. What's the issue?" Julie looked at me. Her previous hesitant expression disappeared and instead a cold look covered her face. She stayed silent. I did too. It wasn't until after multiple minutes that she spoke up. Her voice barely a whisper.

"My husband lost his arm and eye because of me. I tried to create a strength enhancement potion. Instead, I brewed something that sapped his power. He almost died. My brother, who was hunting with him, wasn't so lucky. My experimentation led to my only family member's death and the crippling of my husband. I won't take that risk again." I took a sharp breath. I wasn't angry. I felt pity for her.

"If that's the case, I won't force you," I said, meaning my words.

"But I think this Skill Book will allow you to fill those gaps. You won't have to create potions for no one. But the town needs your expertise."

"I–I can't..." She stuttered.

"I just can't. I will fail, and people will die because of me."

"You can." A voice rang out behind me, causing me to turn around. To my surprise, it was Gerald. He was barely able to walk, yet here he was standing. His posture upright, as if he had never been injured. I wondered how he got here.

"I told Sebastian of our story," Gerald said.

"He told me your plan. I knew she would refuse, so I came to change her mind. Julie, you have to accept." Julie just stood there frozen. She stared at her husband with wide eyes. An expression of disbelief filled her face.

"What happened was not your fault. It was an accident. Those happen," Gerald said and stumbled towards Julie. I tried to help him, but he refused. Instead, he asked me to leave them alone. I did. I was called back in a few minutes later. The woman had the book in her hand. Determination was glowing in her eyes. She opened the book. A moment later it shattered into thousands of golden motes of light. They swirled through the air before flying directly into her eyes. Her head didn't move.

A breath later the motes were gone, and Julie had a glazed expression on her face. I knew she was looking at her notifications.

"That's... that's a lot," she said after a few minutes.

"Where are the other three herbs, Devil's Fennel, Witchgrass, and Coumarin-Grass?" I grinned and nodded.

"No wonder I didn't recognize them. They don't grow around here," she muttered and walked towards the herbs.

"If we mix it... this should work." Both Gerald and I looked at each other. We smiled and left wordlessly. I didn't pry how he had convinced her. It wasn't my business. Nor did Gerald share that. He simply said, "Thanks." And left.

The food distribution was going cleanly. Once the parents had eaten, they began to help out in the kitchen. They didn't look like they had the energy but did so anyway. With that, the line began to move forward as one person after another was allowed inside and received their food. Most of the time, the people who got the bowl of porridge looked like they were on the brink of death. I was glad we could help them.

As time went on, more and more people began to call me Lord, and with that, the first day came to an end. I allowed the cooks to stay and gave them some of my remaining beef cheek and bread. The kids didn't need it anymore now that the porridge was readily available, and they could use the extra energy. We rose early in the morning. Weed was gathered, followed by clay and the cooking. I stepped back inside and finally returned to my Mana Manipulation training.

I loved it, and I had missed it dearly these past few days. Occasionally, I would come outside and check the situation. Everything was going smoothly, and multiple days passed in quick succession. Each evening I tried using Life Simulation. I could feel the cooldown coming to an end. It filled me with a certain sense of doom and hope. It was weird. It was on the fourth day that something happened. I had just stepped outside when I saw a fireball blast into the sky. I forced the Mana into my legs and sped off.

I was fast, but it still took me a couple of seconds to arrive. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The result was two men with busted-up lips arguing while Sebastian stood by the side and ignored their screaming. The moment it looked like it would get physical, the butler would glare at the men. They kept it civil but continued screaming.

"You robbed us, asshole! You are part of that bastard's gang, and now you are here begging for food," one of the men screamed and pointed. The other one lifted his hands.

"I am sorry, okay? I have a wife and three kids. Three! I had to do something to keep them alive. Even if..."

"Even if you have to put us in a bad position!" The one who had been screamed at just nodded his head and stared at the ground. Looks like I found one of the troublemakers. I continued to observe and memorized the man's face. I didn't blame him for what he did, but he had to be punished. I returned to the mansion and summoned Gerald. The man arrived two days later. I was angry as I stared at him. By now, more arguments had ensued. I could have stepped in personally, but I decided against it. I was a Lord.

I needed to start delegating.

"You are late," I said.

"Really late." Gerald just nodded. I noticed something was off, but couldn't figure it out as the man pulled out the ginormous sword from behind his back. I didn't even know it was there. I pushed mana through my body and got ready to engage. One moment later, Gerald's knee hit the ground, and so did his sword, a heavy thud accompanying him.

"I, Gerald Blackstone, swear my loyalty to the Lord of Blackstone Town, Ivor Harvings. I shall become his sword and shield. His executioner and protector. His will is my command," Gerald said.

"May the gods in heaven and in hell be witness to my oath." A blinding light enveloped the man for a brief moment. I felt that his words were the truth. Not that he meant them, but that there was now a higher power binding him to his promise. Gerald had no choice.

"Why?" Was the only thing I could manage to say.

"The reason why I was late was because of my wife. She created a healing paste. It worked well. Too well. I was out for those days. She reached level 10 and Stone Rank and managed to acquire a Rare Class—Herbal Expert," Gerald answered, still kneeling.

"But most importantly, her will to live returned. Her happy smile. Her jokes. And her purpose. She loved Herbalogy and creating stuff. The Class she had was perfect for her. The accident stripped her of that. But you managed to give her back the starry look inside her eyes." Gerald looked me in the eyes.

"And for my wife, I would do everything, including repaying her debt of gratitude." I nodded slowly. It was a little hard to accept his sudden oath, but I did so anyway. Then I helped the man up.

"There was no debt of gratitude. We are all in this together."

"We are," Gerald said and stood up.

"But as a noble, you would have been fine. Had you sold that Skill Book, you could have lived lavishly for a good while. But instead, you invested it. In my wife. And that's the type of Lord I wish to serve. So, please make use of this old man." A smile broke away his serious expression.

"What did you call me for?" he asked.

"Right," I went back into work mode.

"There were a few troublemakers who have been blamed for robbing people. They need to be punished. They are part of the gang you mentioned." Gerald nodded and left. A couple of minutes later, he returned. Behind him were five young men. All of them were the same age as me. All of them looked at the ground.

"Some of the troublemakers had come to me," Gerald said.

"They want to be punished for their sins now that food is available again. I know all of them personally. Some are the kids of guards. One is the son of a baker I had frequented. Another is the son of a previous kingdom's scout. They aren't bad kids. Circumstances have forced them to become what they are." I looked at them closely. They looked well-fed, at least compared to the rest of the townfolk. I took in Gerald's words carefully. I knew he was having pity on them. I could understand that.

I was just wondering whether or not that pity was well-placed or a mistake. After a few seconds, I came to a decision I liked.

"Any of them have combat classes?" I asked.

"All of them," Gerald said. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. Gerald explained. All five of them had Common combative classes. They had chosen them right before the collapse of the mine. They hoped to join the Kingdom's army, rather than work in those mines. Then the famine hit. All of them had parents and siblings they wanted to survive. So, they joined Tom, the leader of the little gang here in Town. They were three warriors, one rogue, and one archer.

"They will all join the defense against the beastwave," I said. A few of the men went pale. One just nodded. I memorized his face. Also, the previous troublemaker I had remembered was nowhere to be seen. By now, Samuel had begun to spread the rumors of a beastwave. We had not made an official statement but decided to soft-launch it for now, before confirming those rumors and then appearing with a concrete plan. I wasn't concerned with them spreading the rumors of the beastwave.

It would only be a few days before we announced it anyway.

"You remember the others who joined Tom?" I asked them rather than Gerald. The one who had nodded previously answered.

"Yes, Lord Harvings."

"Lord Ivor," I said.

"Lord Harvings is my father." This wasn't true. He was Count Harvings. I still didn't enjoy being called by my last name.

"Of course, Lord Ivor," the man nodded.

"We do remember those who joined Tom. A few of them quit and are trying to get back to a normal life. A few others remain under the man's command." I turned to Gerald.

"Train those five here. Then capture those who quit but hid away from accountability. They will work in the kitchen and join the training in the morning and evening. Just make sure they don't starve. I will take care of the Gang myself." With that, the group left. I looked at the man who spoke to me. He was a rogue. I kept him in mind. I was now alone inside my room again. I could feel the simulation come nearer. I trained my Mana Manipulation and decided to focus a little on my Unarmed Combat. It was a lot of fun.

Each time I used Unarmed Combat, my punches and kicks were a little faster and harder. In combination with Mana Manipulation, I could truly deliver some lethal strikes. It was three days later that a notification stopped my morning training. [Unarmed Combat - Common] has reached level 3. Two levels in three days. I was proud of my progress. Most importantly, it felt exhilarating, especially with Mana Manipulation in combination. I stepped out of my room. It had been a week since we had begun feeding the town.

A few more troublemakers had been caught. They were put to work in the kitchen. The courtyard in the back was used for training my new conscripted guards. They would need protein soon. Sebastian was already out hunting. Most importantly, it was now time to spread the method of cleansing the poisonous weed. The town now had enough energy not to kill themselves trying to gather the food on their own.

By now, pretty much the whole town had caught wind of our operation, and everyone had been fed, even those that didn't have the energy to come themselves. They were placed inside the courtyard under intensive care. Unfortunately, a few died. Still, we saved a good amount. By now, the rumors of the beast wave have spread well. People weren't really concerned as they didn't believe the rumors, but they still were a little on guard. We were nudging them in the right direction. I looked at the crowd below me.

They looked up. I was standing on one of the walls that surrounded the mansion. I grew a little nervous seeing so many gazes lock onto me. Then I did something I should have probably tested out beforehand. I focused my Mana onto my throat, then I yelled, much louder than I had expected.

"Blackstone Town!"