Gaston was clearly not fully convinced, but he nodded regardless. Still, the old butler did not immediately back down. “As for the iron ingots. Young master, there’s no sense in buying raw materials when there’s not even a single blacksmith in town.”
“We have a solution for that,” said Lark. He was actually planning on using the iron ingots to make farming and mining tools. He planned to include some weapons too. Still, he did not tell the old butler his thoughts. After all, he was going to transmute those raw materials into high grade tools using magic. It was better, at this current time, for the other party not to know.
Lark grabbed a large pouch from the drawer then handed it to the butler. “For now, just do what I say.”
Gaston opened the pouch. Numerous gold coins were inside. He grimaced upon thinking that these would soon be spent on useless things. The list of the young master was simply unreasonable.
After a long sigh, Gaston bowed. “I will do as the young master says.” He bit his lips. “This old man shall obey.”
He took a peek at the young master. He remembered the reports he received just a few hours ago. According to the “inquisitors” hired by Silver Hand, the Young Master was the one who subdued those men that kidnapped him. They all mentioned the use of magic – silent magic. This single fact alone was hard to believe, since even among the Royal Court Magicians, only a handful knew how to perform such complex technique.
But Silver Hand has no reason to lie. And I was also there when the leader of those scums finally confessed. But… it doesn’t make sense. I’ve been with the Young Master since he was born. He knows nothing but the most basic of magic – the mandatory education required by the Duke.
The old man breathed in.
“Young master?” said Gaston.
Lark noticed that the butler had been staring at him for quite some time now. “What is it?”
Seconds passed. Gaston sighed.
“Nothing,” said the butler. “Just some useless thoughts of an old man.”
“Gaston, you’re becoming a little thin lately,” said Lark, his brows creased in worry. “Be sure to take some rest every now and then. If you need a vacation, be sure to tell me.”
Gaston softly smiled at the concern shown by the young lord.
That’s right. So what if the young master knows silent magic? Even if it’s true that he did subdue those kidnappers, it doesn’t change a thing. I’ve vowed to serve him the moment he was born. Nothing will change that. This old man shall see things through until the very end.
“There’s no need for the Young Master to worry,” smiled Gaston. “This servant is perfectly fine. Then—” he made a bow. “If you’ll excuse me.”
As Gaston was about to go out of the room, the young master called out to him.
“Ah, I almost forgot,” said Lark. He stood up then handed the old butler two notebooks. “Here. Give the other one to Melody.”
Gaston adjusted his monocles as he stared at the notebooks. “What are these, Young Master?”
“Basic Arithmetic,” said Lark. “I wrote them down myself.”
Chapter Ten
Silver Claw restlessly moved around in his house. He pulled open the cupboard then grabbed the small pot inside. After checking its contents, he groaned. It was empty.
“F-Father!” cried a small, weak voice.
Silver Claw hastily tossed the pot towards the ground, breaking it to numerous pieces, then ran towards the bed. He was violently trembling, face drained of all color as he looked at his daughter.
“J-Just a bit more! Hold on just a bit more! Father will surely find more herbs for Anisette!” he frantically said.
The entire body of his daughter was skin and bones. Furthermore, numerous patches of brown and black was spreading all over her skin. Her eyes were white and sunken. Some of the neighbors speculated that she had been possessed by evil spirits, while those that knew better said that she was inflicted by the Seven Weeks Disease. It was a disease that would always take away the life of a person on the seventh week. Although it was not contagious, its origin was unknown. Silver Claw had tried all treatments available to him. In the end, all he could do was alleviate the pain by using expensive herbs.
He held the head of his daughter and helped her sip water from a cup. The thin girl coughed numerous times, tears coming out of her eyes. After some time, she eventually fell asleep.
Silver Claw looked at the figure of his only family. He could not help but groan in frustration. He knew that even in the Royal Capital, there was no one capable of healing this disease. He even heard of the news three years ago when a noble died because of the Seven Weeks Disease.
Still, even if there was no way of curing her, as a father, he wanted to alleviate the pain as much as possible.
I need to visit Herbalist Mores’ house.
Silver Claw donned his coat then left the house. It had temporarily stopped snowing. The sun above shone, unobstructed by any clouds. Winter was going to end soon.
With heavy steps, he traversed the streets; his goal was the Herbalist’s house.
Along the way, he passed by the Plaza. He stared at the crowd that gathered. They were all looking at a large wooden board. Pinned to it was a parchment with numerous things written inside.
They can’t even read. Why are they crowding around it?
“Is it true that the Young Master will pay us six silvers a month if we worked for him?”
“Of course,” said an old man. After staring at him for a while, Silver Claw realized that he was the butler working in the Mansion. Beside him was a servant. “The Young Master needs not only farmers. He’s also in need of Builders, Poultry breeders, Soldiers, and Miners.”
Silver Claw frowned upon hearing those words. It seemed that the Mansion was trying to hire workers en masse.
How stupid. Poultry breeders? Miners?
Silver Claw was well aware that there were no mines in Blackstone Town. He had lived here for fifteen years. He was sure. He could only snort and snicker at the thought. As expected, nobles were full of lies. This was the same reason why he moved from Lion City to this isolated town. At the very least, there were no nobles living here. Well, that changed half a year ago when the second son of the Marcus Family was sent to govern this territory.
That brat will leave this place soon anyway. Someone like that will never stay in a town like this. Let’s just hope he leaves sooner. This town doesn’t need an incompetent ruler.
After passing through the Plaza, Silver Claw finally reached his destination. He knocked twice on the wooden door of the house.
“It’s me, Silver Claw,” he said.
A few seconds after, a shabby-looking young man peeked through the door. After seeing that it was indeed Silver Claw, he opened it wide then smiled. “Ah, it’s you.”
Silver Claw was pressed for time. He went straight to the point. “I need more Purple Plumes.”
The Herbalist frowned. “So soon? But… the Purple Plumes I’ve given you yesterday’s the last one.”
“Wait! That can’t be! You must have more inside the storage!” said Silver Claw, his voice agitated. “I’ll help you look inside!”
When he was about to intrude, Mores stopped him at the entrance. The Herbalist leaked a sigh, his eyes filled with understanding. “Listen, I understand your situation, but there’s really no more Purple Plumes available at this moment.” He lowered his head. “I’m really sorry, Silver Claw.”
Silver Claw knew that in this weather, finding Purple Plumes would be really hard. It was something that usually grew deep within the western part of the Endless Forest. One would first need to cross the Rile River, which was freezingly cold right now, before reaching the place.
“I see,” said Silver Claw. He gripped tightly the pouch he held in his hand. After receiving a commission from the Mansion to create stone tablets, he had quite a decent amount of money right now. But all of it proved useless since the herbs themselves were unavailable.
“My friend, once I find a Purple Plume, I’ll personally deliver it to you,” said Mores. He knew the situation of Silver Claw’s daughter and sincerely wished to help.
“Thank you,” said Silver Claw. He turned around then went back. Along the way, he once again passed by the Plaza. The butler was still there, answering the questions of the citizens. But this time, Silver Claw no longer listened to the speech. His thoughts were elsewhere.
Mores is unable to go deep within the Endless Forest because of the weather. I have to do it myself. It doesn’t matter if it’s dangerous. I have to find Purple Plumes for Anisette.
When he reached his house, he was surprised to find a hooded figure standing at the door. The figure looked at him and said, “Are you Silver Claw?”
The voice was that of a young man. Silver Claw frowned. “Yes, I am.”
The figure pulled down the hood, revealing his silver hair. His deep blue eyes stared at Silver Claw’s.
“You’re…”
Why is the Young Master here?
“Silver Claw, I plan on developing this town,” the young master went directly to the point. “I want you to work for me.”
Silver Claw gritted his teeth. He was annoyed at the time wasted with the current conversation. He needed to go to the Endless Forest now. Still, he tried to be courteous to the noble.
“I’m sorry, but I will have to refuse, Young Master,” said Silver Claw. He took out his keys then approached the door. The young master slowly stepped aside. The knob twisted open and the door creaked.
“Is that so?” said the young master. “Could you tell me why?”
Damn it. Just go away already. It’s useless to speak with a stupid noble like you. My daughter needs me right now!
“Young Master,” exhaled the mason, “Forgive the impudence, but let us have this conversation at another time. Please.”
“I heard that your daughter is sick,” said the Young Master. He looked through the opened door. “Is that the reason why you wouldn’t work for me?”
Upon the mention of his daughter, a vein appeared on the mason’s forehead. Still, he contained his anger. Each second wasted here would mean more pain for Anisette. He need to drive away the Young Master as soon as possible and go towards the Endless Forest.
“That’s right,” said Silver Claw. “I can probably accept small commissions like the stone tablets from before… but working directly for the Young Master is a no. I simply cannot leave this place. My daughter needs me.”
“Then, if I heal her for you, will you work for me?” said the young master.
The question was thrown out casually, as though it was nothing but a simple task. At this, Silver Claw’s eyes broadly widened.
A few seconds of silence befell them.
“If you can heal her, I will serve you for life,” said Silver Claw. He almost snorted. “But that’s impossible, Young Master. Not even the Court Magicians know how to cure the Seven Weeks Disease. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”
“—Excellent! So you’ll work for me then!” clapped the Young Master. The noble forced his way in then went towards the bedroom. Silver Claw hurriedly rushed after him.
“Wait!” shouted Silver Claw. He wanted to strangle the damn noble but restrained himself. “What are you doing?!”
The Young Master stared at the sleeping girl lying on the bed. Her arms were skeletal, as though she had not eaten for months. The numerous patches of brown and black that spread all over her skin gave her the appearance of a corpse.
“I’ve analyzed the flow of mana while outside,” mumbled the Young Master. “As expected. This is that disease, huh? Then, this should be easy enough.”
“You call this the Seven Weeks Disease here?” inquired the Young Master. "Please do forgive me for this."
Silver Claw had yet to respond when the Young Master suddenly unbuttoned the dress of his daughter.
“You! What are you doing!?” snarled Silver Claw. He was about to grab the young master and throw him outside when suddenly, vines shot from the ground and twined around his body. He could not move from his spot.
“Calm down.” The Young Master looked at him for a moment. “I need to undress your daughter for the treatment to work.”
Silver Claw was livid. “You damn bastard! You fucking bastard! If you dare touch my daughter, I’ll kill you! I swear! I’ll kill you!”
Silver Claw’s voice reverberated. His entire body was red with fury. He knew of the notorious reputation of the Young Master. This noble before him was a demon that would sexually assault women without hesitation.
Silver Claw wanted to pounce at him and tear him to pieces, but the vines held his body tightly. He could not even move a single step. All he could do was spout out curses while the Young Master undressed his daughter.
The young master touched the girl’s forehead, and a faint light appeared on his fingertips. Numerous veins of light appeared from it, slithering down towards the body. Slowly, the black and brown patches started to fade, revealing the girl’s pale skin.
“In the place where I previously lived, we call this the Mushroom’s Revenge. A funny name, isn’t it?” chuckled the Young Master. “Look.”
On the girl’s chest, knees, and arms, numerous brown and black mushrooms started sprouting.
“The patches on her skin are because of these things,” said the Young Master. He started plucking out the mushrooms one by one. Surprisingly, no wound appeared on the girl’s body. “There are three ways to heal someone with Mushroom’s Revenge. First, Tears of Ubroxia. I doubt those rare plants grow in this region, so that’s out of the equation. Second, burn the entire body then heal it using magic. That way, the roots of the mushrooms will die from the heat. Third is this method I am doing right now. Force the mushrooms to sprout using magic then pluck them out.”
In the Magic Empire, a lot of magicians were capable of the third method, that’s why Mushroom’s Revenge was a fairly easy disease to treat. But it seemed that in this Kingdom, it was a disease with absolute fatality. Lark sighed at this thought.
After plucking out all of the mushrooms, Lark released the vines binding the mason. The plants slowly went back towards the ground.
Silver Claw immediately ran towards his daughter. He was huffing, eyes red from anxiety. After staring at her for some time, he finally spoke.
“Is… Is she really healed?” he said in disbelief. He could clearly see that the pained expression on her face was gone.
“Yes, she is.”
Sobbing sounds were heard inside the stone house. It had already been six weeks since Anisette acquired the disease. Helpless beyond words, the Mason thought that her daughter would leave his arms soon. After all, it was a disease said to be without cure.
After some time, Lark said, “Before she got the Seven Weeks Disease, did she go somewhere? Like… the Endless Forest?”
Now that Silver Claw thought of it, she did go to that place before the symptoms appeared. She was picking berries near the forest.
“Yes, she did,” nodded Silver Claw.
“I see. So those mushrooms grow in that place, huh?” said Lark. He took one of the mushrooms he plucked from the girl’s body then showed it to the Mason. “These things are capable of growing inside the body of humans. Your daughter must have eaten one of these when she went to the forest.”
Everything finally made sense. Why his daughter suddenly fell ill after that day. Why those black and brown patches suddenly spread through her entire body. Silver Claw felt that ‘Mushroom’s Revenge’ was a really fitting name.
Silver Claw grabbed the sheet and covered the naked body of his daughter. He looked at the young man standing next to the bed.
Silver Claw had met the Young Master before when the noble first came to Blackstone Town. During that time, he got into a tussle with some man. The reason: the man accidentally splashed mud on the hem of the young master’s clothes. It was a petty squabble in everyone’s eyes, and during that time,
Silver Claw immediately judged the Young Master to be incompetent and arrogant.
He’s grown so much during the past few months.
The young master before him seemed so different, as though he was another person entirely. The arrogant eyes from before was now filled with confidence, and peculiarly, strength seeped through it.
Seeing his gaze, the Young Master smiled.
“A promise is a promise,” said Lark.
After a sigh, Silver Claw nodded his head. “You’ve healed my daughter. I’ll listen to your request.”
Although Silver Claw still held questions on why the Young Master was so proficient in magic, he brushed those thoughts aside for now.
“I plan to reconstruct Blackstone Town,” said Lark.
Soon, the young master explained to Silver Claw his plans. A large main road that would run until the eastern part of the Endless Forest. Expansion of the eastern border of the city. Construction of stone houses for the residents. Creating a Mine in a cavern within the Endless Forest. Creating an irrigation system connected to the Rile River. Reclaiming the barren lands in the west and the north. Creating a poultry farm in the south.
After the explanation, Silver Claw felt out of breath. The plan was too ambitious, and he never heard of a noble attempting so many things at once. And judging by the way the Young Master spoke, it seemed that those things were merely the start, the stepping stones of his plans.
Silver Claw carefully said, “Are those things… really possible?”
In the first place, he never heard that there was a cavern located at the eastern part of the Endless Forest. Moreover, that cavern was, according to the young master, a Kalrane Mine. Silver Claw had so many doubts and questions, and his mind was screaming at him that such plan was too grand and ambitious for such a small town.
“Of course,” said Lark, without a hint of hesitation.
Legend of the Arch Magus- The Expansion Page 6