The news about the free porridge provided by the young master stirred up the citizens of Blackstone Town. According to the servants he sent, the noble from the Marcus family was going to distribute free food to everyone in the town. All they needed to do was go to the mansion and receive it personally.

When Loevar heard this, he dismissed the news. That young master was arrogant and condescending, even worse than the merchants that would occasionally pass through the town. Three months ago, when the black famine hit the kingdom, Loevar went to the mansion to ask for food. He was willing to take scraps, anything; his younger brother was dying of starvation.

Loevar would have understood if the young master was unable to spare them any food, since the black famine affected everyone regardless of status. But instead of simply rejecting his pleas for help, Loevar was beaten up by the noble’s guards. If not for the butler, Loevar would have died.

From then on, his hatred grew. He knew there was no way the mansion was giving out free food. There was no way that devil incarnate would care about common people like them.

Luckily for Loevar, his younger brother survived that famine. Although right now both of them were skin and bone from constant hunger, at least they were still alive. During the freezing winter, they would tear the bark off trees and eat it. If the gods were benevolent, a frog or a mouse would be available for dinner.

“Anthony,” said Loevar. He grabbed his wooden bow and quiver. “I’m going to try hunting for food. Don’t go out. Understood?”

It was freezing and the chance of successfully hunting a rabbit or other small animals in the nearby forest was close to none, but Loevar still wanted to try. He needed to find a way to procure food for the two of them, otherwise they would die this winter.

“Anthony?” said Loevar. There was no response.

He pushed aside the ragged cloth that served as partition between the bed and the kitchen. His supposedly still sleeping brother was gone.

Loevar furrowed his brow. “Where did that kid go?”

Hurriedly, he pulled on his tattered coat and went outside. Snow fell from the heavens, piling up above the roofs and streets. Steam came out of his mouth with every breath.

Usually, there would be very few people outside in this weather. Even the homeless would try to find a shelter from this cold. But right now, there were numerous people outside.

What’s happening?

He approached the tailor. After he grabbed her shoulder, the old woman turned around.

“Ah, Loevar. What is it?”

Since it was a small town, everyone knew almost everyone by name. “Why are there so many people outside?”

It was literally freezing cold.

“You didn’t hear about the free wheat porridge from the young master?” said the old tailor, raising her eyebrow.

“You mean that crappy news about the noble from the Marcus family?” said Loevar gloomily. He didn’t believe the news even for a second.

The tailor looked around nervously. “Shh! What if someone from the mansion hears you?”

“So what?” said Loevar. “They’ll kill me, right? Those guys are demons. Granny, you shouldn’t trust them. It’d be better for you to stay inside. You’ll just catch a cold here. There’s no way those arrogant bastards will open the granary for us common people.”

Although the tailor heard his warning, it seemed that she had not the slightest intention of going back. Loevar sighed.

He could see that more and more people were leaving their houses, probably going to the mansion.

“By the way, have you seen Anthony?” said Loevar.

The tailor tightened the thin scarf around her neck. “I saw him pass my shop some time ago. He’s probably headed to the mansion.”

Loevar groaned. The kid probably didn’t tell him because he knew that he would refuse. “I see,” said Loevar. “Thank you.”

Loevar walked along with the other residents toward the mansion. Upon arrival, he saw the exhilarated faces of the people. Some of them were holding large bowls of food, excitedly sipping them.

For a moment, Loevar was stunned to find that the news was actually true. So the young master was really trying to feed the starving residents? Loevar could not believe it. In normal circumstances when the granary was full, it would have been a miracle for the nobles to feed the common people. But now that the kingdom was under a state of famine, it was even more preposterous.

How did they gain enough food to feed all these people?

Don’t tell me the young master used his own pocket money to import food from Lion City? Impossible. A devil’s not that generous.

“Listen up! Once you’re finished with the food, put back the bowls so that others can use them!” shouted a young man with silver hair.

Loevar stared at him in wonder. There was no doubt about it—that was the second son of Lord Drakus.

The servants filled the bowls to the brim, then handed them to the people in line. The queue was long, but Loevar was sure that to the starving residents, it did not matter how long they had to wait. They were just grateful they would be able to eat at all.

“Anthony!” shouted Loevar. He finally saw his little brother, right at the front of the line.

As he was about to approach, the servants stopped him. The butler from the Marcus family shook his head. “No skipping in line. Get to the back.”

Helplessly, Loevar waited for his younger brother. After receiving his share of food, the young master stamped a charcoal mark on the back of the kid’s hand.

“Why did you leave without telling me?” reprimanded Loevar the moment his brother came to him. He carried a large bowl filled with porridge.

“You hate the young master, right? If I told you, you wouldn’t have let me come,” said Anthony.

He was speaking loudly; the young master stared at Loevar when he heard. Seeing this, Loevar panicked and hushed his younger brother.

“Shhh! Not too loud!” breathed Loevar. He could not help but stare at the bowl full of food his little brother held.

“Big brother, you should get a bowl too,” said Anthony. He scooped the bottom and showed Loevar the contents. “Look. They’ve added a lot of wheat to it.”

Loevar salivated. His stomach started rumbling. If he fell in line, it might take an hour or two before his turn, but the temptation of food was too enticing. A single bowl would probably be enough for them to survive through a full day.

“Listen!” The young master clapped his hands once. Despite the falling snow, he stood outside the manor, as though he was not afraid of catching a cold. “I want all of you to pass the news to everyone. Every day, until the next harvest, we will be giving out two bowls of wheat porridge to each resident. One in the morning and one in the evening.”

The declaration stirred up everyone. Murmurs filled the mansion’s grounds. “I-Is that true, Young Master?” asked one of the residents.

The young master nodded and smiled confidently. “Of course. I, Lark Marcus, never lie. You have my word.”

Although Loevar doubted the credibility of the promise, he got excited. The news regarding free food today was, after all, proven true.

“But it is not free!” declared the young master.

The residents panicked. This town was among the poorest in the region. If the young master started asking for silvers for food, they would have no means to pay.

“For each bowl of soup, an individual has to pay with three Poison Clouds!” said the young master. He took out a weed from his pocket and showed it to everyone. “You’ll have to give three of these in order to get your share of food. That is the rule!”

“That’s it?” asked a resident.

“If… If it’s just Poison Cloud… I have many of those growing around my house!”

“Me too!”

The crowd began to get excited. Loevar felt that the payment was too cheap. After all, it was possible to get Poison Clouds by simply walking through the streets.

The young master was grinning. “I declare that from now on, no one shall starve during the freezing winter under my rule. This is the promise of Lark Marcus!”