Theo continued, “Given last night’s assassination attempt and the demise of all those involved, it's likely they'll send more men to search the forest and possibly plant spies in our village. So, keep an eye on everyone, even your own guards. And ensure no information about me should leak out. For the upcoming month, I won't make any appearances in the village. Use that time to weed out any spies and those whose loyalties might waver.”
Henry nodded in understanding. “I already planned a thorough investigation, Lord Silverblade. However, villagers might become restless if they lack rations and resources in your absence. They may even think you've abandoned them.”
Theo slid a purple ring across the table. “This should help. It contains rations and a good amount of gold. Use it in my absence. If anyone inquires, tell them it was sent by her highness.” As always he loved to blame it all on Liliana’s head and he was shameless enough to even ask Henry to do the same.
Henry eyed the ring with surprise. He was familiar with Theo’s previous situation. Upon inspecting the ring’s contents, his eyes widened. “Aren’t you afraid I'll run off with this?”
The ring held more than ten thousand gold coins, enough to sustain the village for a decade. Money was Theo’s least concern at the moment.
“Elena has informed me of your past services to the Empire and your unwavering loyalty to the princess. I trust you won’t be swayed by mere gold. I’m sure you've been offered more in the past to betray the Empire. Besides, the village won’t require all this gold. Use some to improve our defenses by recruiting more guards, and consider the rest as a personal token of my appreciation.” Theo calmly explained.
Henry chuckled. “I merely wanted to gauge your reaction to my possible betrayal. Yet you countered by basically telling me to keep all the gold.” He sighed and stood, signaling his intention to leave.
“Elena, please prepare another cup of tea. Captain Henry didn’t get to enjoy his earlier because of our conversation,” Theo called out.
From the kitchen, Elena’s gentle voice responded, “Yes, Master. Just give me a moment.”
Henry couldn’t help but laugh as he reclaimed his seat. Elena returned with a freshly prepared tea and set it on the table.
Theo commented, "I've already had mine. so please join Captain Henry." He gestured for Elena to sit.
She hesitated to sit with them, but her Master didn't allow her to leave. Theo’s insistent gaze made her understand that he wanted her to suffer along with Henry for the discomfort of drinking tea in front of her Master. Elena understood that It would have been awkward for Captain Henry to drink tea alone in his lordship's presence. Theo wanted her to share Henry's burden, even if it meant teasing her a bit.
As Henry and Elena enjoyed their tea, Theo continued discussing other matters with the captain.
Once Henry finished his tea, he departed from the mansion. Theo, for the remainder of the day, kept to himself within the confines of the mansion, with Elena choosing to do the same.
Outside, Captain Henry, taking Theo’s safety as his first priority, positioned his trusted guards near the mountain path and began his thorough investigation.
In the evening, Henry summoned every single guard outside their quarters and began inspecting their belongings personally. After a thorough examination, he found a cryptic, half-written letter among the possessions of one guard. Retrieving it, he continued his inspection on the rest, but no other suspicious items were uncovered.
The letter was written in a coded puzzle, but after what felt like hours, he finally decoded the cryptic letter. The scrambled text read:
‘The young cub remains unseen, blood and battle traces taint the green.’
It was clear the message referred to the young baron, and the recent battle in the nearby forest.
With the information from the decoded letter, it was easy to find who the spy was. Henry's gaze snapped to the guard from whose belongings he'd retrieved the letter.
"Speak! Before it's too late for you." he demanded.
Before the guard could even consider answering, his body convulsed violently and he dropped dead, as if a concealed curse had been triggered.
The villagers too underwent investigation, but no spies was found amongst them.
Over the next few days, he closely watched those who ventured outside the village, despite them having received ample food supplies and other resources. Most villagers chose to stay within the village's protective walls. Their curiosity about the young baron's whereabouts was a common topic of conversation, but Captain Henry remained tight-lipped about the matter.
Two days into the intensive surveillance, a few men were caught in the forest. When Henry tried to interrogated and extract information from them, they too met the same mysterious end as the earlier spy – they died from what seemed to be the activation of a concealed curse.
On the sixth day, there was a big surprise for the villagers. Someone they all knew by name ‘Doran’, was found with things he shouldn't have: new clothes, fancy drinks, and a pouch filled with silver coins. Henry decided that everyone should know, so he brought Doran to the village center.
In front of everyone, Henry asked, "Answer, where did you get these things?"
Doran, visibly trembling, shuttered, “I... borrowed them, Sir."
But the villagers' murmurs grew, and they whispered among themselves, not believing him.
When Henry pushed him further and threatened to execute him right away by drawing a sharp blade, Doran finally told the truth with a trembling voice, “While I was laboring, carrying goods for a store manager in the ironkeep city, a group of men approached me. They wanted information about the Baron's recent activities. For such a small detail, they offered me a substantial sum in silver coins. I couldn't resist it, and I didn't think that saying I hadn't seen the Baron for two days would put me in trouble.”
Elder Morin yelled, "Why, Doran? Why would you leak information about our kind Baron to some mysterious group of men?"
Tears welled up in Doran's eyes as he stammered, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to betray anyone.”
Mira's brother, Rolan shouted, "He should be punished!" Some, who didn't like him, even demanded his execution for being a traitor and staining the village's name.
However, a woman with a young child shouted back, "Please don't hurt him! He's my husband!" She was crying and pleading for mercy. The villagers, and even the guards, started to feel sympathy for her, but they didn't voice it, knowing a fierce captain was present.
The village head requested, "Can we let the Baron decide what to do with him, Sir Henry? For now, can we just lock him up?"
Henry saw that the situation was getting out of hand, so he agreed. He instructed his soldiers to take Doran away and lock him up until the Baron could decide his punishment.
While the village was caught up in its own drama, Theo was immersed in his daily quest, ‘The Weight of Destiny’, within his farm.
Six days had passed since he shared tea with Henry. Theo had chosen not to venture to Elwyn City. Instead, he spent his days cultivating his crops and closely monitoring the village activities and Elena.
Lilith hadn’t expressed any complains about no trip to Elwyn City. Perhaps it was because Elena pampered her with sumptuous meals at the mansion, despite Lilith’s continued cold treatment towards the sweet maid.
As he was running around the farm, two notifications interrupted him.
<<<<
[Quest Complete: "The Weight of Destiny"]
[~Congratulations! You've successfully tackled the challenge to counteract the mysterious bug's poison. The sweat-soaked clothes and aching muscles are proof of your will power. Your determination and commitment have paid off.]
[Reward: +1 Basic Elixir of Stamina Gained]
[Current Body Weight: 126 kg]
>>>>
The first was about the completion of his daily quest. The second was something he had eagerly been awaiting.
Theo continued, “Given last night’s assassination attempt and the demise of all those involved, it's likely they'll send more men to search the forest and possibly plant spies in our village. So, keep an eye on everyone, even your own guards. And ensure no information about me should leak out. For the upcoming month, I won't make any appearances in the village. Use that time to weed out any spies and those whose loyalties might waver.”
Henry nodded in understanding. “I already planned a thorough investigation, Lord Silverblade. However, villagers might become restless if they lack rations and resources in your absence. They may even think you've abandoned them.”
Theo slid a purple ring across the table. “This should help. It contains rations and a good amount of gold. Use it in my absence. If anyone inquires, tell them it was sent by her highness.” As always he loved to blame it all on Liliana’s head and he was shameless enough to even ask Henry to do the same.
Henry eyed the ring with surprise. He was familiar with Theo’s previous situation. Upon inspecting the ring’s contents, his eyes widened. “Aren’t you afraid I'll run off with this?”
The ring held more than ten thousand gold coins, enough to sustain the village for a decade. Money was Theo’s least concern at the moment.
“Elena has informed me of your past services to the Empire and your unwavering loyalty to the princess. I trust you won’t be swayed by mere gold. I’m sure you've been offered more in the past to betray the Empire. Besides, the village won’t require all this gold. Use some to improve our defenses by recruiting more guards, and consider the rest as a personal token of my appreciation.” Theo calmly explained.
Henry chuckled. “I merely wanted to gauge your reaction to my possible betrayal. Yet you countered by basically telling me to keep all the gold.” He sighed and stood, signaling his intention to leave.
“Elena, please prepare another cup of tea. Captain Henry didn’t get to enjoy his earlier because of our conversation,” Theo called out.
From the kitchen, Elena’s gentle voice responded, “Yes, Master. Just give me a moment.”
Henry couldn’t help but laugh as he reclaimed his seat. Elena returned with a freshly prepared tea and set it on the table.
Theo commented, "I've already had mine. so please join Captain Henry." He gestured for Elena to sit.
She hesitated to sit with them, but her Master didn't allow her to leave. Theo’s insistent gaze made her understand that he wanted her to suffer along with Henry for the discomfort of drinking tea in front of her Master. Elena understood that It would have been awkward for Captain Henry to drink tea alone in his lordship's presence. Theo wanted her to share Henry's burden, even if it meant teasing her a bit.
As Henry and Elena enjoyed their tea, Theo continued discussing other matters with the captain.
Once Henry finished his tea, he departed from the mansion. Theo, for the remainder of the day, kept to himself within the confines of the mansion, with Elena choosing to do the same.
Outside, Captain Henry, taking Theo’s safety as his first priority, positioned his trusted guards near the mountain path and began his thorough investigation.
In the evening, Henry summoned every single guard outside their quarters and began inspecting their belongings personally. After a thorough examination, he found a cryptic, half-written letter among the possessions of one guard. Retrieving it, he continued his inspection on the rest, but no other suspicious items were uncovered.
The letter was written in a coded puzzle, but after what felt like hours, he finally decoded the cryptic letter. The scrambled text read:
‘The young cub remains unseen, blood and battle traces taint the green.’
It was clear the message referred to the young baron, and the recent battle in the nearby forest.
With the information from the decoded letter, it was easy to find who the spy was. Henry's gaze snapped to the guard from whose belongings he'd retrieved the letter.
"Speak! Before it's too late for you." he demanded.
Before the guard could even consider answering, his body convulsed violently and he dropped dead, as if a concealed curse had been triggered.
The villagers too underwent investigation, but no spies was found amongst them.
Over the next few days, he closely watched those who ventured outside the village, despite them having received ample food supplies and other resources. Most villagers chose to stay within the village's protective walls. Their curiosity about the young baron's whereabouts was a common topic of conversation, but Captain Henry remained tight-lipped about the matter.
Two days into the intensive surveillance, a few men were caught in the forest. When Henry tried to interrogated and extract information from them, they too met the same mysterious end as the earlier spy – they died from what seemed to be the activation of a concealed curse.
On the sixth day, there was a big surprise for the villagers. Someone they all knew by name ‘Doran’, was found with things he shouldn't have: new clothes, fancy drinks, and a pouch filled with silver coins. Henry decided that everyone should know, so he brought Doran to the village center.
In front of everyone, Henry asked, "Answer, where did you get these things?"
Doran, visibly trembling, shuttered, “I... borrowed them, Sir."
But the villagers' murmurs grew, and they whispered among themselves, not believing him.
When Henry pushed him further and threatened to execute him right away by drawing a sharp blade, Doran finally told the truth with a trembling voice, “While I was laboring, carrying goods for a store manager in the ironkeep city, a group of men approached me. They wanted information about the Baron's recent activities. For such a small detail, they offered me a substantial sum in silver coins. I couldn't resist it, and I didn't think that saying I hadn't seen the Baron for two days would put me in trouble.”
Elder Morin yelled, "Why, Doran? Why would you leak information about our kind Baron to some mysterious group of men?"
Tears welled up in Doran's eyes as he stammered, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to betray anyone.”
Mira's brother, Rolan shouted, "He should be punished!" Some, who didn't like him, even demanded his execution for being a traitor and staining the village's name.
However, a woman with a young child shouted back, "Please don't hurt him! He's my husband!" She was crying and pleading for mercy. The villagers, and even the guards, started to feel sympathy for her, but they didn't voice it, knowing a fierce captain was present.
The village head requested, "Can we let the Baron decide what to do with him, Sir Henry? For now, can we just lock him up?"
Henry saw that the situation was getting out of hand, so he agreed. He instructed his soldiers to take Doran away and lock him up until the Baron could decide his punishment.
While the village was caught up in its own drama, Theo was immersed in his daily quest, ‘The Weight of Destiny’, within his farm.
Six days had passed since he shared tea with Henry. Theo had chosen not to venture to Elwyn City. Instead, he spent his days cultivating his crops and closely monitoring the village activities and Elena.
Lilith hadn’t expressed any complains about no trip to Elwyn City. Perhaps it was because Elena pampered her with sumptuous meals at the mansion, despite Lilith’s continued cold treatment towards the sweet maid.
As he was running around the farm, two notifications interrupted him.
<<<<
[Quest Complete: "The Weight of Destiny"]
[~Congratulations! You've successfully tackled the challenge to counteract the mysterious bug's poison. The sweat-soaked clothes and aching muscles are proof of your will power. Your determination and commitment have paid off.]
[Reward: +1 Basic Elixir of Stamina Gained]
[Current Body Weight: 126 kg]
>>>>
The first was about the completion of his daily quest. The second was something he had eagerly been awaiting.
