Chapter 58: Twice as hard
Raze knew that he had to intervene because he was certain that Ella would begin to ask a ton of insensitive questions.
"Nice to meet you, Gavin, and sorry for your loss," Raze said. He had a soft smile on his face, and his hand was stretched out for a handshake. Gavin was slightly hesitant; he glanced at the hand for a good two seconds and then looked up before finally shaking it.
Raze noticed this, but he didn’t add any importance to it. He let go of Gavin’s hand and then stepped back a few steps. "So, what brings you to Ribest, all the way from the West?" Raze asked, sounding genuinely curious as to why the hero of the story would suddenly pop up here.
"I’m heading to the Raven Academy. Their entrance examination is in a few days, and I want to partake. It was on my way there through the forest that I saw the monsters headed this way, so I had to come and check it out to make sure no one was hurt," Gavin said, keeping out key details of what happened in the forest.
"Raven Academy?" Ella asked.
"Yes, do you know it?" Gavin asked.
"Well, everyone in Vermilion knows the academy. It’s one of the best, and I am personally a second-year student there," Ella said.
Gavin’s eyes widened. He didn’t think he would come across someone from the academy here on his journey.
Gavin was a lighthearted character; he got along easily with anyone that wasn’t suspicious. He immediately bowed to Ella. "It’s nice to meet you, senior," he said.
Raze watched the two, and a lot was going through his head. ’With the talent that Gavin had, how come he was still participating in the examination?’ Raze recalled very well that he was part of the exam, but the book never explained how he even got permission to come for it.
’Someone must have scouted him somehow and recommended him, and that person is who I want to know,’ Raze thought. But since he couldn’t get an answer now, he decided to move past it.
I don’t want to get close to the hero because this dude is a magnet for disaster, but I can still observe him and see, Raze thought.
"Let’s head back to town. The construction will be held up for today; the people need to rest after what happened," Raze said and turned around. He walked a few steps and then stopped, looking back at Gavin. "You can come; we’ll be heading to the academy in a few days. Travel with us, that’s if you want to," he said and kept walking.
Ella looked at Gavin, and he gave her a nod before following. Fey was behind, watching Gavin. ’Who exactly is this kid? Tsk, his aura worries me,’ he thought.
Raze got in front of Ken, Lewis, and Lady Terra, and then he gave them a bow. "Thank you for assisting us; it would have been a lot worse if those infected had gotten through," Raze said.
"Hmm, so you know about the infected," Lady Terra said.
"Yes, I read a lot. Gathering information of all sorts is my thing," Raze replied.
"Infected at this part of the kingdom isn’t a good sign at all," Lewis said as he adjusted his glasses slightly. "It could mean someone from the demon cult was here, or a demonic beast is within the forest," he added. Gavin looked away when he said that; no one noticed it aside from Lady Terra, Fey, and Raze.
’He’s hiding something. He saw something inside that forest and doesn’t want anyone knowing, Raze thought.’
"The baron should report this to the count, have him aware of the situation. Do well to tell your father," Lady Terra said.
"I’ll do that. For now, let’s head back. I’ll make sure I prepare a feast to appreciate you all," Raze said with a smile.
"Damn, that’s great. I can barely wait," Ken said joyously.
But then Raze’s smile deepened, and for those that knew about that smile, Fey and Ella, they held their breath for the worst.
"But then, I’ll be cooking myself, and it would take a lot of energy and resources," he said with an innocent smile. "Make sure you remember this young master did all that for you in the future," he added and then started walking.
’Did he just try to land a favor with all of us? Something tells me he’ll use this when he needs something from us,’ Lady Terra thought as she watched him go.
"I definitely like this kid. Maybe if it’s him, it can work," she muttered under her breath.
As they headed back into town, they saw all the workers standing outside on the streets with their tools.
"Alright, you guys can go home for today. It’s a day off," Raze said, but the men didn’t budge. He frowned. "If you’re worried about your pay, I’ll hand it to you tomorrow after work, that’s including tomorrow’s pay as well," he said, expecting that to settle the issue.
"Young master, it’s not about the pay," Robert spoke from the crowd. As the leader of the workers now, he was their spokesman.
"Young master, if it hadn’t been for you, those beasts would have torn through the town. We are grateful to you and everything that you have done for us," Robert said, and then they all bowed their heads.
"What’s happening?" Raze muttered.
Robert looked up. "Young master, the children and everyone else are safe inside. We, the workers, will be returning to work at your command right now.
If we help you fix the town, it’s for our own benefit and safety. You are doing all this for us, so we will do our best and work twice as hard. Won’t we?" Robert bellowed.
"Yessssssssssss!!!!!!!!!" the men roared, their cries thundering through the town.
A smile formed on Raze’s face. "Twice as hard, you say?" he asked.