Wolf was greeted by kowtowing villagers as soon as he stepped foot into Oakwood Freeland. At the head of the group were the old woman, who introduced herself as Granny, and the grumpy old man, who was only kneeling, his rickety back more or less straight.

“Please stand up. There’s no reason for you to act this way.” While that’s what Wolf said, deep inside the youth felt very happy.

The fact that these people showed him respect meant he hadn’t misjudged them.

“My Lord, Captain Rand is not here. He and his team are out chopping wood,” the old woman immediately explained as she rose to her feet on her own.

The old man on the other hand couldn’t budge from his spot. He needed a pair of youngsters to help him up.

“My Lord, I apologize if I offended you, my old back is too bad for me to bow and show my respect properly,” the old man said with genuine tears in his eyes.

Years ago he’d thought that this boy had come to cause trouble. With time Wolf proved to be the person who saved him, his wife, his children and grandchildren. Not only that, even his great-grandchildren were now being born thanks to this young man’s benevolence. The doubt he’d once felt turned into shame and reverence.

Oblivious of the old man’s deep feelings, Wolf looked around and saw thirty odd houses. All of them were either new or in good repair. “I see you expanded quite a bit. I didn’t know, otherwise I would’ve sent you more food.”

“No need my Lord,” the old woman said. “You’ve done plenty. Just by sending Sir Rand and the merchants our way you’ve shown us great favor. The fact that you still send enough food for everyone to this day,” she faltered, not knowing what to say.

“We will never be able to repay your benevolence,” she concluded after a moment of silence.

“Quick! Prepare a feast for our Lord!” the old man shouted, and immediately several women in their thirties and forties started moving.

“Stop!” Wolf said. “There’s no need. I’m simply passing by, and I wanted to check on how Rand and all of you were doing. I wanted to see whether you needed anything and whether you were facing any troubles.”

“Milord, Sir Rand will be back in several hours. Please let us welcome and host you. We have nothing else with which to return your favor. We know our food is not appealing in your eyes, but please…” the old woman kept convincing him, and finally Wolf nodded his head.

“All right. But everyone gets to eat and don’t go overboard.” Wolf was aware that these people, while living better than before, still didn’t have the means to hold a feast without going hungry later.

Seeing how benevolent their lord was, everyone started laughing happily and running errands to prepare the so-called feast. Wolf looked around and smiled, feeling something unfamiliar. It was a sense of accomplishment and seeing the results of his good deeds.

He had turned a bleak scattered group of buildings into a real village. This was the result of simply giving a little bit of gold to those less fortunate than him. How much more good could he do, if he put his mind to it? He couldn’t help but recall what Silver’s parent, or mother as Wolf thought of her, had said.

An hour later the lumberjacks returned. Apparently the elderly couple sent someone to fetch them. Rand ran over towards Wolf as soon as he saw him. Then the former bodyguard went down to one knee before his liege.

“My Lord,” he said with his head bowed, acting like a proper knight.

“You look a lot better,” Wolf complimented Anna’s former guard. He’d grown bulkier and looked more fit than he did in Silver City.

“Chopping wood did you good,” Wolf continued. “Let’s have a little spar.”

“Yes, my Lord. Please go easy on me,” he replied respectfully, confusing everyone within earshot.

While chopping wood for ten hours every day really did increase Rand’s strength and endurance, the true reason behind his metamorphosis were the potions Wolf had given him.

Those tonics pushed the limits of Rand’s body and unleashed some of his untapped potential. And the fact that he was forced to labor despite being lethargic from the lack of Internal Energy honed his will and physical strength. Apparently, sometimes forgetting something basic, like giving your retainer much needed recovery potions, could bring forth unexpected benefits.

Wolf and Rand went outside the palisade and had a short mock battle. The youth felt several people watching through the cracks between the wall’s logs, but pretended not to have noticed.

Rand’s fighting style was unrefined. He poorly enhanced his arms with Internal Energy, something he’d learned while chopping down trees. However, unlike Wolf’s technique for circulating Internal Energy, Rand’s way of doing it was at least ten times more wasteful.

Furthermore, the man didn’t know any martial maneuvers and his perception was much worse than Wolf’s. He didn’t even have the ability to awaken his senses the slightest bit.

Due to all these reasons the spar was short and ended with Rand grazing grass after Wolf knocked him down.

However, despite Rand’s seemingly humiliating stance, Wolf nodded in approval.

“You’re really excellent,” the youth loudly praised. “You’ve most likely reached the Third Order of Sword-Sage, but you don’t know any maneuvers, nor how to properly use your Internal Energy.”

Four books appeared in Wolf’s hand and he passed them to Rand.

“Here, these should be helpful to you,” Wolf said while sharing valuable knowledge. “One of them explains how to circulate your Internal Energy to reinforce your body, while leaking only a bit of it during the circulation. It’s not a perfect technique, but it doesn’t waste Internal Energy as much as yours, and it will make your body considerably stronger. I think you’ll find it quite useful.”

Wolf didn’t say that the book was actually his personal notes and findings he’d jotted down when practicing calligraphy.

He paused. After considering things for a moment, Wolf decided to give Rand a bit more advice on how to improve. He saw no harm in it, only benefits.

“Now that you’re a Third Order Sword-Sage your body doesn’t require sleep when resting, as long as you have enough Internal Energy,” Wolf explained. “Meditation would probably be better for your soul. So, whenever you want to go to sleep, try meditating instead. It will be hard at first, but you’ll find it quite rewarding later. Especially if your soul gets strengthened in the process.

“And, to give you some extra motivation,” Wolf tried to sound like Roger when pitching an idea to him. “You should know that every time you advance your Sword-Sage Order you will slow down your aging a bit. More importantly it will extend the lifespan of your body by roughly ten percent.

“But, no matter how strong your body gets, you can still die from the decay of the soul if you don’t expand your Mind Hall. For every column you manage to reveal the life expectancy of your soul increases by a hundred years. That’s why most people die due to the age of their bodies, not their souls,” having said the final bit, Wolf faltered.

Even though he tried explaining this as academically as his father had explained it to him ages ago, he couldn’t maintain the composure until the end. His mother had died from the decay of the soul and in fact it was the most common cause of natural death for the elven population. That’s why they remained youthful and beautiful even at their deathbed.

Rand could tell something was up with his lord, but not exactly what. He was never the sharpest tool in the shed and he unfortunately had absolutely no talent in Soul Refinement. He’d never entered his Mind Hall and in this lifetime he never will.

Wolf had a gut feeling that was the case and thought it unfair. In this world just about everyone could become a First Order Mage and the majority could reach the Second Order before dying of old age at seventy or eighty.

On the other hand, reaching the First Order of Sword-Sage was beyond reach, except for a talented minority.

After taking a deep breath Wolf continued explaining various things he believed Rand should know. Things Wolf knew since childhood.

While Wolf spoke Rand carefully listened and nodded his head. This youth was his master in more ways than one. Wolf talked about a variety of topics, trying to help the man find a reason to continue his training, as well as a better way to go about it.

Even though Rand wasn’t a bright man, the reasons Wolf spoke about were prolonged youth and longer life. No matter how slow a person was, they would be swayed by such promises.

Once Wolf was done with his carrot-waving masked as a lecture, he asked Rand to give him a short overview of Oakwood Freeland’s happenings.

First and foremost, the locals were happy that they could work and expect to be compensated for their efforts. Cornucopia offered excellent conditions for barter, and Oakwood Freeland folk started trading for their own necessities with their own effort. They even bought some luxuries, like actual cloth with which to make their clothes.

Another important piece of news was that some forty-odd people had joined the settlement in these months Rand lived there. Since there was enough food and more paid work than there were hands, people of Oakwood Freeland accepted the unfortunate wanderers, who needed food and a place to settle down.

It wasn’t only the decent folk who stumbled across the settlement. A couple of weeks ago a group of bandits also found them. Luckily, the villagers, led by Rand, managed to drive them away, killing a few.

When he heard this Wolf couldn’t help thinking how lucky they were. If they had encountered a madman like Chris everyone would’ve been wiped out.

There was fortune in misfortune. The fact that this trade route wasn’t often used meant bandits considered it slim pickings and only the weakest bands were pushed into this region. To handle them Rand plus twenty-odd able-bodied men were enough. With some luck they might even wipe them out completely.

But Wolf couldn’t help thinking about how the village was turning more prosperous, and about how Roger’s growing caravans might attract more unwanted attention as time went by.

Wolf considered the problem for a couple of moments before realizing he already knew the best way to defend a stronghold. By scribing a proper Spell Formation he could make a zone of certain death, with a safe area at its center.

The more Wolf dwelled on it, the more he liked the idea. This way he could even stop a thousand man regiment, unless they had an expert who could crack Spell Formations. It was an overkill against a bandit raid, and it would cost Wolf a small fortune, but it would ensure the safety of Oakwood Freeland and it would give Wolf peace of mind.

While villagers prepared the feast, Wolf inspected the layout of the settlement, which had grown to the size of a hamlet. They still had no cattle, but a number of vegetable gardens were hidden within the palisade and there were chickens clucking around.

By the time Wolf finalized mapping the area, Rand came over and invited his lord for the feast.

Well, it was a feast for the Freelanders. There was some cured meat cooked in a stew, fresh spring vegetables and bread which was baked in a rush, before it had the chance to properly rise. The villagers even sacrificed a chicken, albeit with a heavy heart.

All in all, the meal was inferior to an average Mage Academy breakfast.

Yet, Wolf was still touched. He was well aware that this modest meal was an offering these people were making for him.

This cheap, yet honest show of devotion scattered the last remaining doubts Wolf had about setting up the village defenses. The Monster Cores he planned on using for the Spell Formations were worth a fortune, more than the entire Oakwood Freeland put together, yet he felt the safety of these people was more important than gold.

He realized that what had initially started as a pet project really became a cure for his soul. Wolf couldn’t help but once more think that the woman with a melodious voice was right, and that she’d given him good advice.

Just like that Wolf decided to spend three days in the hamlet in order to make the central storehouse a restricted area.

Anyone who entered would be caught in illusions until they died of thirst. Wolf designated Rand, Sean, Kit and the elderly couple as people who could safely enter the warehouse. That way strong men could drag out anyone who accidentally entered the restricted area, while the elderly couple could make sure everything was in order.

Unknown to locals he also set up another Spell Formation. It could unleash a Call of the Netherworld spell once before the Monster Core crumbled.

The Spell Formation was scribed in such a way that any manlings and weak Monster Beasts within a couple of hundred meters would drop dead immediately. This thing was really terrifying and Wolf entrusted it to Rand. He was the only one who knew about it and had the authority to trigger it. Wolf carefully explained how powerful the Spell Formation was, where the safe areas were as well as how to activate it.

When Rand realized he had access to such a destructive weapon he shuddered, praying he’d never be forced to use it.