Two days had passed since the refugees entered the town. After meeting with Gaston, it was decided that their group would stay at the eastern border, near the construction site. Since the young master had instructed that they should provide homes to the wounded and emaciated, several completed houses were given to the newcomers. This led some of the local residents to look at them with contempt. Soon, friction started forming between the two groups.

Anthony hummed as he pushed the empty wooden wheelbarrow. His gait was confident; he felt filled with purpose. Since the mine in the Endless Forest was discovered, he’d started helping out with various mundane tasks like cleaning the mining equipment and delivering food.

Today, his task was to deliver food to the miners. He stopped by the mansion and filled the cart with rations. It mostly consisted of commoner’s wheat, several dried jerkies, and fish. Even now, Anthony was amazed that the lord of the town kept opening the granary for the citizens. Sometimes, Anthony worried that food would run out, but he was proven wrong each day when he came to restock the rations.

I heard the young master’s developing the northern farmlands. One of the villagers said we’ll be able to sustain ourselves this year after the harvest.

Big brother’s right. The young master’s changed, reflected Anthony. He has become a wise and benevolent lord to this town.

Several months ago, the majority of the citizens of Blackstone Town despised the young master. He did all kinds of atrocious misdeeds and assaulted several villagers. But now, there were only a few left that still hated him. Though still a child, Anthony was sure of this. The noble had saved the locals from freezing and starving, after all.

After getting the rations, Anthony went to the eastern border, a path he needed to take to get to the mine. Many buildings were being constructed in all directions. Some workers poured cement on the ground, while others erected posts, or pulled logs and stones.

This had been the usual scene these past several weeks. Although the sound of hammers striking metal and stone was deafening, it was music to Anthony’s ears.

As Anthony passed through the construction site, he was greeted by some of the workers.

“Anthony! Working so early in the morning again, eh, kid?”

“Hey, kid, can we have some of those jerkies? I’m sure those guys in the mine won’t mind.”

“No, this is for the miners!” Anthony stood his ground. “Uncle, if you keep slacking off like that, I’ll tell Sir Silver Claw!”

Hearing the mason’s name, the workers tensed up and looked around nervously. Anthony had heard from his brother that the mason was really strict, but he had not expected it to this extent. A grin spread across Anthony’s face. He could use this to threaten these guys if he sees them slacking on the job.

“Hey, don’t joke around! We’re doing our job, alright?”

“Then stop being lazy and get to work.” Anthony sighed. He really wished to help the lord in developing the town. But for now, this was all he could do. He was still a child.

“Ah, also what’s that over there?” Anthony pointed at a shabby tent near the constructed houses. He watched several unfamiliar people going in and out of it.

The workers frowned at where Anthony pointed.

“The mutts,” mumbled one of the workers. “The guys that arrived two days ago. We’ve finally convinced them to stay out of the finished houses.”

“Those damn bastards have the guts to occupy the houses meant for us locals. If not for Sir Gaston stopping us, we would have chased them out of town already. Damn freeloaders.”

“Wait, isn’t the young master the one who ordered the allotment of those houses to the refugees?” said Anthony. “You’re going against the young master’s order by driving them out!”

Anthony could still remember when he first received the soup filled with wheat and meat during winter. If not for the young master, several locals would have starved to death during that time. Letting the refugees have houses of their own seemed unfair to the locals, but Anthony knew the young master must have his reasons for doing so. He was wise and benevolent, after all.

“You’re still a child, so you wouldn’t understand,” said one of the workers. “If we allow them to have the houses, they’ll think the locals are pushovers, and that we’ll give up the homes meant for us just because the lord told us to.”

“That’s right. We’ve been living here for several years. Why should we give them the finished houses first? Just because they have wounded people on their side? Then go blame the damn giant snake that attacked their village!”

“The young master must have been fooled by those bastards. They should be grateful that we’re even allowing them to stay in this town!”

The tension escalated quickly. Anthony was sure the refugees could hear the curses even from this distance. He glanced nervously toward the large tent. Sure enough, one of the refugees had had enough of the insults.

“Aren’t you bastards going to shut up?!” snarled the man. His brown beard was bushy, and after coming right to the workers that fired insults, his towering height became apparent.

The man’s glare did not intimate the workers. They stood, grabbed some hammers and wooden poles, and surrounded him threateningly.

“If you’ve got a problem, then stay the fuck out of this town,” said one of the workers. “You mutts should just be grateful that we’re allowing you to stay here!”

“That’s right! Go back to your village!”

The workers jeered. A vein popped out of the refugee’s forehead. He turned livid, his body trembling with rage. As he was about to punch the nearest worker, a raspy voice echoed.

“Valak!” shouted an elderly man.

Valak stopped his fist and turned around. “Ah, elder.”

The elder briskly walked toward him. “What are you doing?! We’ve all agreed to bear with it until Anandra wakes up. Do you think we can afford to camp out in the wilderness when he’s in such a state? And there’s still the debt we have to pay. We can’t just go without repaying the young lord for his kindness.”

Valak lowered his head in shame. He was still livid, but his trembling had stopped. He snorted, then turned around. “Let’s go, elder.”

The elder sighed. “This child…”

The two stopped in their tracks when a familiar voice spoke. “So, you’ve been waiting for me to wake up?”

Their eyes widened in disbelief when they saw who had spoken. “Anandra!”

“What are you… You’re awake! It’s really you, Anandra!”

Valak and the elder almost hugged the man before them. The strongest warrior’s face had healed and was no longer corroded. The skin that was missing before had grown back, fresh and new. His chest was still bandaged, but his handsome face radiated an air of strength and pride. His golden hair and eyes seemed to glimmer in the morning sun.

Several kids came running from the tent and surrounded Anandra. “Anandra! You’re finally up!”

“We were so worried!”

“I saw how you fought the basilisk! You were so cool!”

“Thank you for protecting us!”

Despite his wounds, Anandra bent down and hugged the kids. The sound of laughter filled the air as the refugees celebrated the recovery of their strongest warrior.

Anandra went to the workers. “I understand where the anger’s coming from. On behalf of the villagers, I’m sorry for taking the homes you’ve painstakingly built. We’ll be leaving this town soon.”

“Wait, Anandra…”

“Elder, I’ve heard the conversations during the time I was recuperating. I have a general idea of what’s been happening during our stay,” said Anandra. “The village is the people. We can still build a new village in the nearby forest. I’m sure the lord of this town wouldn’t mind—”

“Rejected.” Silver Claw’s voice made all the workers reflexively tense. Behind him was Gaston, the young master’s chief butler.

“I heard that friction between the two groups has been escalating,” said Gaston. The butler seemed displeased by what he saw. “The young master specifically told me to quell all discontent while he’s away. I can’t believe that you would quarrel over this petty stuff.”

“But the houses—”

“Were all built using the young master’s money!” snarled Gaston. It was the first time they’d seen the butler so enraged. His fierce glare made them shiver. “You all worked hard building them, but at the end of the day, the town is still under the domain of the young master. It is his property. An asset of the Marcus family!”

Silver Claw nodded at this. “I can understand the source of resentment, but I’m sure you all know this—those houses are not yours. They are the young master’s. Once this part of the town has finished its construction, those houses will be given to locals with a corresponding rent. They won’t be given for free.”

“We’ve given the houses to the refugees in hopes that their wounds will recover quickly, so they can help with more construction. But what did you do?!” Gaston shook in anger. “You went against the orders of the lord!”

“But—”

“A punishment is in order,” said Silver Claw. “I can’t believe these blockheads dare go against the young master’s orders.”

Silver Claw had never seen such massive changes in a town within such a short span of time. He had been long convinced that the young master was a wise ruler despite his age. The mason was sure that a few years from now, this town would prosper and become a splendid city.

“No free food for two days.” Silver Claw raised two fingers.

“Three days,” corrected Gaston. His piercing glare made the workers cower. “We can’t let those that disobey the rules be punished lightly. Remember, the food you’re eating for free every day comes from the young master. The least you can do is obey his orders and help this town prosper.”

Gaston turned to one of the refugees. “Anandra, right? I’m really sorry for the behavior of these men. It’ll take time, but hopefully, you’ll be able to get along.”

Anandra said slowly, “Does that mean…”

“Yes.” Gaston nodded. “You are free to stay in this town. We’ll provide you with houses. That’s the order of the young master.”

The elder was momentarily at loss for words. “We are grateful, sir.”

“Ah, but it’s not for free,” said Gaston. “Just like the locals, you’ll have to pay rent. But the young master’s in need of several workers—men and women. You’ll be able to find a job in no time. And the young master specifically wants to hire Anandra for a particular job.”

Anandra and the elder looked at each other. “A job.”

“Yes,” said Gaston. “Once you’re fully healed, the young master would like to see your skills.” His eyes glimmered for a moment. “If you’re qualified enough, he wants you to train the soldiers of this town.”