Chapter 46 — A Small Windfall (Part IV)

  Toren’s firm knock was met by a familiar no-nonsense voice, and the tier-2 guard he’d previously met in the Governing Hall sitting behind a desk doing administrative work was not a sight Toren expected to see before entering the room. Whether to be relieved or-

  The sudden Skill increase set Toren’s heart back to galloping and his worry spiking.

  Lieutenant Kale looked up from several piles of paperwork to fix Toren with a judging gaze. “The murder fine is not a license to murder. I put you on notice, and you agreed that there wouldn’t be any more trouble.”

  The reason for the summons confirmed, Toren grimaced and tightened the control over his emotions. This was potentially bad, but maybe not too bad. There was most likely some room to negotiate the punishment or he would have been arrested at the gate. “During orientation, Captain Ferdor specifically mentioned enlisting the help of Eshem`Zel’s reavers to assist with kidnapped steaders. Two members of my stead were kidnapped.”

  Kale stayed stony-faced as he held Toren’s gaze.

  Likewise, Toren kept his expression blank. It didn’t matter if he was right or wrong; the only opinion that mattered was the local [Official]’s and those who wielded his power. Unfortunately, there was the possibility of the coins and things he took being marked as stolen. That would further complicate the situation.

  “I hear you claimed Levish’s Orchard.”

  “I have. We’ve returned to sell the harvest.”

  The silence resumed, and Toren kept as still as possible, not wanting to further aggravate the man.

  After another lengthy count of heartbeats, Kale sighed. “Fine. But don’t expect further leniency from Lord Hanoval or [Official] Rarick.”

  The man opened a large lower drawer and pulled out a sack that clinked with the familiar sound of coins, placing the sack on the desk and pushing it toward Toren.

  “With the deed to the former Conclave-owned property being awarded by Lord Hanoval to the women you rescued, shares of the sale price were divided among those deciding not to stay there. See that the coins properly reach the two you rescued.”

  Toren blinked. That result was completely outside his most remote expectations for this dreaded summons.

  “Well?”

  “…yes? Er, I mean, I offer thanks for Lord Hanoval’s generosity on behalf of Emina and Laiya Hatterwick. Both are in town with me. I’ll make sure it gets to them.”

  “You do that.”

  Toren bowed before scooping up the sack and finding a safe place for it in his mostly empty backpack. He made his exit as quickly as he could without seeming rude, but the lieutenant had already returned to his work.

  The woman working the Town Services counter welcomed him back when his turn in the queue came again, and he had no issue depositing half the credits each into his and Warnel’s accounts. At his surprise, she did note that without a mana-signed note, the person needed to be present to resolve withdrawals and transfers.

  Deposits apparently weren’t a problem either way.

  That just left their debts. He was assured that the enlistment debt would be taken directly from his and Warnel’s Farharbor accounts. Debts owed to lenders in other towns and cities were a different matter and dependent on the guilds or other arrangements made by the debtor.

  “The Courier’s Guild provides this service. Most of the population living here has debts to pay or family to support in the mainland, so we’re lucky enough to have a local branch. The guild keeps record of all deliveries to ensure proper resolution of disputes. Let’s see… Greenvale, Greenvale… ah, here it is.” The woman smiled as her finger found the entry in the open timetable. “There’s a scheduled teleport to Greenvale tomorrow.”

  They really had cut it close.

  “Thanks. I’ll do that then. 1000 from my account, to be sent each tenday.”

  “Boat passage to Blacksands, 20 rods per person!” a [Crier] yelled out.

  “Caravan to Mistmire forming!” another yell followed, and sure enough orrog-, horse-, and raptor-pulled wagons were gathered in the square outside the town’s Governing Hall.

  Word of the high-tide must’ve been spreading. If the floods brought the expected beast wave, travel would undoubtedly become difficult until the beasts were culled. He could also see the appeal of taking to the seas to avoid the effects of the flooding entirely.

  Was he a fool for trying to ride the flooding out inside the jungle? With the Conclave having already sent an assassin after him, fleeing to Blacksands would be a rational and maybe better choice.

  Toren shook his head. No, thanks to Horevi and the sponsored Profession, paying his debt was no longer out of reach. If he was going to flee, he should have picked [Arbiter of Nature’s Fury] or [Assassin of the Silent Winds] for his primary class. For better or worse, he had chosen to face his troubles head-on in this second chance at achieving a future for himself, and he was already in a much better situation than before he left for the colonies.

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  There were other steaders that regularly rode out these floods and beast waves. How many of them had a powerful combat Profession like he did? Not many, he’d bet.

  Toren started back toward the market square and The Wallowing Warbler where he’d agreed to meet the Hatterwicks. He’d just have to do what he could to improve their chances, and the most important thing he could do now was be properly prepared, just as everyone else was doing—even with Horevi now high in the sky, the crowding hadn’t eased.

  It was good that the Hatterwicks had merchant backgrounds and were already visiting the shops. During times of crisis, prices normally went up and needed goods became scarce as news spread. Though, would that really be the case here? The surge of monsters and beasts would surely mean a coming influx of raw materials. With an expected abundance of supply, wouldn’t prices tend to decrease as vendors and shops tried to clear soon-to-be-overpriced inventory?

  Maybe the situation was more likely to be mixed, as he’d gotten a good price for his tavi-

  Toren was jostled out of his thoughts by a muscled laborer. [Combat Awareness] quickly revealed the reason, and the press of men and women around him eased as the carriage rolled past. Still, it was bad that his awareness had slipped. He would have to work harder at increasing [Divided Focus]’s level.

  “Pardon,” the laborer offered in Toren’s direction.

  “No worry,” Toren replied and tipped his helmet.

  Having reached level 5 with a viridium Profession, he had regained a respectable mana-aura for his age, probably feeling as strong to others as he had before sacrificing his Profession. No longer being viewed as an easy target was an important step forward in this dangerous land. At the current rate, reaching level 10 should mark him as someone to avoid. Beyond that, he would have to work on suppressing his aura to not attract the attention of nobles.

  Movement at the edge of his view caught his attention. A scrap of threadbare cloth had been tied to his arm.

  The cloth looked suspiciously like the kind Yana and the other girls at the orphanage would use to wrap and tie up their chests—or torn from one maybe.

  Untying the cloth, revealed a message scrawled in charcoal.

  Meet at Viella’s.

  Viella’s Vivacious Vixens. One of the brothels Kesta had recommended to him.

  If not for the danger from the Conclave and having been recognized entering town, Toren would have thought it a joke. And maybe it was. There was one person he knew who was good enough with his hands to have tied the cloth without Toren noticing.

  ~~~

  『Name: Toren of Theravos

  Race: Human

  Age: 20

  Profession 1: Level 5 Burningblood Berserker (4300/10000)

  Mana: 72/72

  Strength: 16

  Constitution: 13

  Dexterity: 14

  Agility: 12

  Wisdom: 12

  Intellect: 8

  Will Power: 18

  Perception 15

  Appearance: 8

  Charisma: 8

  Luck: 10

  Attribute Upgrade Points: 4

  Traits:

  Sacrificial Guardian

  Abilities:

  Burning Blood (Rank 1) Proficiency: Mid

  Control Blood (Rank 1) Proficiency: Low

  Flurry of Blows (Rank 1) Proficiency: Low

  Ability Upgrade Points: 4

  Profession Skills:

  Severe Wound Recovery 5

  Focus Rage 3

  Combat Awareness 3

  Berserker Knife Arts 1

  Spear 9

  Club 8

  Pain Tolerance 5

  Intimidate 3

  Skills:

  Danger Sensing 1

  Stealth 18

  Mana Sensing 14

  Wilderness Harvesting 12

  Theravos Language 11

  Religion 10

  Meditation 5

  Bone Strengthening 3

  Divided Focus 1

  Hunting 20

  Archery 19

  Running 12

  Wound Binding 8

  Body Conditioning 5

  Arithmetic 4』