The cloaked figures looked at each other.
The old man with monocles was frowning. “But young Master—”
“—Stop.” Evander placed a hand on his forehead. “I’m feeling dizzy. Take me back home.”
The old man closed his eyes and eventually bowed his head. “Of course. You must be tired. As you wish.” He turned to the cloaked figures. “Escort the Young Master to the carriage. Ask the Healer to examine his body.”
Five cloaked figures assisted Evander in getting up.
After Evander left the chamber, he amplified his senses. He heard the words uttered inside the room.
“Sir Gaston, what should we do with these men?”
“I’ve spoken with Silver Hand. They’re unaffiliated small fries,” said the old man. There was not an ounce of empathy within his voice. “Make them spill it out. All of it. The method doesn’t matter. Make them talk. You can kill them afterward.”
“Understood.”
Chapter Three
“Lark Marcus,” he mumbled. Evander liked the sound of his new name. At the very least, his parents have good naming sense.
Currently, Lark was inside a carriage heading towards his mansion. Through the window, he was able to see the small town. The houses resembling mud clays were haphazardly built in all directions. The streets were covered with snow, creating a white background.
In the Magic Empire, this place would hardly be called a town. It would be more appropriate to call it a village. By sight alone, he estimated that there were probably only a hundred houses in this place.
Still peeking through the window, his eyes landed on the residents shivering on the streets. They were skin and bones, as though they have not eaten for several days.
“Why are you letting the residents starve to death in this weather?” asked Lark curiously.
Gaston, who was sitting beside him, was surprised by this question. He had known the young master since he was young, and the old man knew that he did not have the slightest care about the residents.
The old butler cleared his throat. “Young Master, you don’t remember the Black Famine?”
Under the watchful gaze of the butler, Lark replied, “Don’t really bother to remember the small stuff. What of it?”
Gaston sighed. “Three months ago, the Black Famine hit the entire Kingdom, just right before the harvest. As a result, all the crops withered. Only root crops remained. Right now, wheat is weighed in gold. The nobles themselves are hardly getting by. We can’t afford to feed those residents.”
Gaston further explained to him that the Black Famine was caused by numerous small insects that ate the crops. Although they did not linger for long, their bites cause crops to die and wither in a few days. The Kingdom had been infested by these insects for such a long time that the King had even tasked the Ministry of Research to find a way to annihilate the pests.
Judging by the description of the butler, those insects were probably Kelnup Flies. Lark had encountered them before in his previous life. And based on his knowledge, it was actually really easy to take care of those pests.
If those are really Kelnup Flies. And the plants growing in this place... They’re the same.
The possibility that this was the very same world was high. But right now, he had not enough evidence to prove that. If possible, he wanted to go to a National Library and learn more about this world. But that have to wait for now. First, he needed to address the immediate problems.
Lark furrowed his brows. “But I don’t understand. There’s so much food growing on the ground. There’s no reason for the residents to die of hunger, right?”
Gaston also peeked through the window. “What do you mean, Young Master?”
Lark pointed at the weeds that grew on the snow-covered ground. If one were to look at the sides, there were actually a lot of them.
“Those things are edible,” said Lark.
Gaston looked at the young master with eyes filled with understanding. “Young Master, those things are poisonous—”
“—if eaten raw, yes,” said Lark. He shouted towards the coachman. “Stop the carriage!”
Immediately, the carriage halted to a stop. Lark opened the door and was immediately assaulted by the freezing snow.
Gaston quickly followed behind him. “Young Master! You’re going to catch a cold! Please go back inside the cart!”
Lark simply ignored the old butler. He bent down and pulled numerous weeds off the ground.
“What do you call these here?” said Lark.
Although hesitant, the butler replied, “Poison Cloud, Young Master. It helps melt the snow during winter, that’s why the residents didn’t pull them out. But Young Master, as I’ve said before, those things are proven to be poisonous.”
Lark smiled. “Have you heard of commoner’s wheat before?”
There was a small pause before Gaston shook his head. He wanted to drag away the young master from this freezing street. He was worried that he would catch a cold from this weather.
“Tell the other servants to pull out as much Poison Cloud as they can and place it inside the carts,” said Lark. When he saw that Gaston was about to object, he added, “That’s an order.”
Unable to object, the old man simply sighed and bowed, “As you wish, Young Master.”
Soon, the servants in the next carriages went down one after another. Wearing nothing but tunics and wooden sandals, they trembled from the assault of snow. After receiving instructions from the butler, they began pulling out the weeds and placed them inside the cart.
“Gaston, how many residents are there in this town?” said Lark.
“Around half a thousand, Young Master,” said the old man.
As expected, this place was almost desolate. It should not even be called a town with such meagre population.
After knowing the population of his territory, Lark instructed the servants to gather enough weeds to fill two carts. Some of the residents walking through the snow would stop and stare at them as they pulled the weeds off the ground.
Gaston could not help shaking his head. What they were doing was a waste of time, he knew, but he could not do anything since it was the young master’s orders.
“That should be enough,” said Lark. He clapped his hands once. “Let’s go.”
After filling two carts full with weeds, the group went back towards the mansion. It was a place located in the middle of the town. According to Gaston, before the House of Marcus gained this territory, it was home to a wealthy merchant from another country. The mansion’s interior was good enough for Lark to give it a passing mark.
After changing his clothes, Lark asked Gaston to summon the servants. Soon, eleven men and women gathered in the hall.
“Listen,” said Lark. He was holding a poison cloud in his hand. “As the Lord of this territory, I do not wish for my subjects to starve to death.”
The servants were clearly confused, but they remained silent regardless. “We will be distributing food to all of the residents in this place. After that we will teach them how to gather their own food during this freezing winter.”
One of the servants timidly asked, “But young master, the reserves in the granary are almost empty. We might even have to import some wheat before winter ends. Forgive me for saying this, but it’ll be impossible to feed all of the residents.”
“We have a solution for that,” said Lark, confidently. He raised his hand holding the weed, showing the poison cloud before everyone’s eyes. “We’ve gathered two carts of these things. You call it poison cloud, correct?”
The servants were baffled.
“Young master, those are poisonous!”
“The residents will die if we feed them those things!”
Lark found it amusing. In his previous life, these things were highly-valued crops. They were easy to cultivate and hardly needed sun and water to grow. The only downside was that they were not as delicious as wheat, but for a starving person, the taste
of food was trivial.
“Silence!” said Lark. Everyone immediately shut their lips. “These weeds are not poisonous if cooked properly. First, you will burn it until it turned into dust. Gather all the remnants and boil it. Understood?”
The servants were clearly hesitant. After a fierce glare from Lark, they all bowed their heads. “Yes, Young Master.”
Lark clapped his hands. “Remember the instructions. Now, get to work!”
The servants dispersed and began working. Under the supervision of Lark, they cleared the hearth and used it to burn the weeds. After turning it into crisp and dust, they gathered the remnants and boiled it in water. To their surprise, the small black particles turned pale brown and bloated. They somehow resembled caryopsis.
Gaston was speechless upon seeing it. He looked at the young master and noticed that Lark was grinning.
“T-This…” Gaston’s voice trailed off.
“Commoner’s Wheat,” said Lark. “They aren’t tasty at all, but they’re edible. After burning, the poison within the weed is destroyed by the heat. Tastes a bit nasty, actually, but this should do for now.”
“I-I see…” said Gaston. “But Young Master, are you sure it’s safe to eat? If the residents die because of this, your father—”
“—It’s absolutely safe,” said Lark. He scooped out a caryopsis and placed it on his mouth. Gaston’s jaw hanged when he suddenly saw the young master eat food that was supposedly poisonous. “See?”
After a few more minutes, Gaston was finally convinced. The young master ate the poison cloud but was still fine. Therefore, the burning process must have indeed destroyed the poison.
“Disseminate the news to the residents. The mansion will give free food to everyone.”
Gaston felt that something was different from the young master. His arrogant and invidious demeanor was gone. Instead, he could see a different kind of light within those eyes. The old butler could not define what exactly it was, but he could not help but tremble in excitement. This was, after all, the first time the young master showed compassion for the common people.
Gaston bowed. “As you wish.”
Chapter Four
The news about the free wheat 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 need to do was go to the mansion and receive it personally.
When Loevar heard of this, he immediately dismissed the news. That young master was an arrogant and condescending noble, even worse than the merchants that would occasionally drop by the town. Three months ago, when the Black Famine hit the entire Kingdom, Loevar went towards the mansion to ask for food. He was willing to take even the scraps, for his younger brother was dying of hunger that time.
Loevar would have understood if the young master was unable to spare them any food, since the Black Famine affected everyone regardless of the status. But instead of simply rejecting his pleas for help, Loevar was beaten up by the guards of the young master. If not for the butler stopping the noble, Loevar would have died from that encounter.
From then on, the hatred within Loevar grew. He knew that 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 bones from constant hunger, at least they were still alive. During the freezing winter, they would tear off the bark of trees and eat them. If the Gods were benevolent, a frog or a mouse would be available for dinner.
“Anthony,” said Loevar. He grabbed his wooden bow and the quiver. “I’ll try hunting for food outside. Don’t go out. Understood?”
It was freezing outside and the chances 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. He found out that his supposedly still sleeping brother was not there.
Loevar furrowed his brows. “Where did that kid go?”
Hurriedly, he wore his tattered coat then went outside. Snow continued falling down the heavens, piling up above the roofs and the streets. A steam would come out every time he breathed.
Usually, there would be very few people outside in this weather. Even the homeless ones would try to find a shelter from this cold. But right now, there were numerous people outside.
‘What’s happening?’ he thought.
He approached the tailor walking in front of him. After grabbing 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?” said Loevar. It was literally freezingly cold right now.
“You didn’t hear about the free wheat porridge by the Young Master?” said the old tailor, raising a brow.
“You mean that crappy news about the noble from the Marcus Family?” said Loevar gloomily. He never believed 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 those guys. It’ll 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 clearly heard his warning, it seemed that she had not the slightest intention of going back. Loevar sighed in his heart. He could see that more and more people were going out of their houses, probably going towards the mansion.
“By the way, have you seen Anthony?” said Loevar.
The tailor tightened the thin scarf around her heck. “I’ve seen him pass through my shop some time ago. He’s probably headed to the mansion right now.”
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 towards the mansion. Upon arrival, he saw the excited faces of the people. He could see some of them holding large bowls of soups in their hands, excitedly sipping it.
For a moment, Loevar was stunned 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 wherein 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 so much food to feed all these people?
‘Don’t tell me, the young master used his own pocket money to import food from the 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 of the noble would fill the bowls to the brim then hand it towards the ones in line. The queue was long, but Loevar was sure that to the starving residents, it did not matter how long they had to fall in line for. They were just grateful that 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 kid, he was stopped by the servants. The butler from the Marcus Family shook his head twice. “No skipping in line. Get to the back.”
A bit helpless, Loevar simply waited for his younger brother to finish the queue. After receiving his share of food, the young master
stumped a charcoal mark on the kid’s nail.
“Why did you suddenly leave without telling me?” reprimanded Loevar the moment his brother went to him. Right now, the kid was carrying a large bowl filled with soup.
“You hate the Young Master, right? If I told you, you wouldn’t let me come,” said Anthony.
The voice of the kid was loud, and the Young Master stared at Loevar upon hearing it. Seeing this, Loevar panicked and immediately hushed his younger brother.
“Shhh! Not too loud!” breathed Loevar. He could not help but stare at the bowl his little brother was holding.
“Big brother, you should get a bowl of porridge too,” said Anthony. He scooped the bottom and showed Loevar the contents. “Look. They’ve added a lot of wheat in it.”
Loevar could not help but salivate. His stomach started grumbling. If he fell in line, it would probably take an hour or two before his turn, but the temptation of the wheat porridge was too enticing. A single bowl would probably be enough for them to survive through an entire 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 lies. You have my word.”
Although Loevar was doubting the credibility of the promise, he could not help but get excited. The news regarding free food for today was, after all, proven true.
“But it is not free!” declared the young master. The residents panicked upon hearing it. This town was among the poorest in the entire region. If the young master started asking silvers for food, then they would have no means to pay up.
“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 this in order to get your share of food. That is the rule!”
Legend of the Arch Magus- The Expansion Page 2