Kamil chose to stay in Tantan for an additional two days as a vacation of some sort during which he spent some quality time with Flora. They had gotten much closer as a result. He also had some time to observe the town. It turned out that fishing had mostly halted due to the lack of men. It was something he found out after conversing with the locals. While retired men volunteered to be back in the workforce, a lot of them ended up perishing in the sea. Aaron put a quick halt on the whole fishing as a direct result. Therefore, they had been catching what they could from the piers which was shrimp and oyster which, as Aaron said, considered delicacy. Because they were pretty hard to catch, fishing was still required. It turned out that Alban was a fisherman and had his own crew as well as a boat. None of his team was recruited into the small army that was sent to the war, and his team had pretty much been feeding the entire town. He was also in charge of educating newly arrived migrants on how to fish.
In the end, it was really none of his business and they departed Tantan two days later. There was a small farewell event for Gojar. He and his parents exchanged some words.
“It’s not like I am going away for good,” He argued after getting a bit frustrated by the fact that his parents were treating him as if he was going away for good. “With the airships, you can always visit me anytime!”
He wasn’t wrong. If there was no airship and he was leaving on foot, that would have been it. He’d unlikely ever to return again. The times changed however. With airships, it was just three days of safe travel. Still, his mother had teary eyes to see her son going away.
“We are away!” The pilot shouted from the back as the airship lifted off from its platform. Gojar, being a first timer, predictably had a shaky moment as he yelled, “Woah! Woah!” With his arms and legs spread widely, he looked like he was trying to balance himself on a surfing board.
“Easy there, will ya?” Lara told him with a giggle on her face.
Soon enough, he got used to the airship and was curiously looking down from an edge.
“Man, this is something, ain’t it…” He said to himself, not expecting any reply.
“Are you happy to be out of your hometown?” Kamil asked him casually.
He glanced back and forth before startling. He turned around at once and exclaimed, “Milord!”
“At ease. You don’t need to be so formal.”
“I will take you up on that,” He said gleefully.
“So, are you happy to be out of your hometown?”
“I wouldn’t say I am perfectly happy. I mean I spent my entire life there. But, you know, a man has got to do what he has to do. I had no future there. Besides…” He scratched his head.
“Besides?”
“Ehm, it’s a bit embarrassing, but I was being pressured to sleep with several women.”
“What?”
“The lack of men. There are a lot of unmarried women in the town and so few young men. So…, I was asked to sleep with like five women and get them pregnant.”
It was … an understandable situation although he was right. It was embarrassing. On the flip side, some men would have been more than happy to be able to have his personal harem.
“So…, did you?” He carefully probed.
“What? NO!” Gojar exclaimed in his defense. “I mean I’d love to sleep with women but, when you are treated like some seed producer, it just didn’t feel right!”
The guy was honest enough to admit that he was fine with sleeping around but had his principle to know that it was wrong.
“Well, you are free now. I hope you will find a woman of your liking.”
“I hope so. I’ve never been to Laufeld. Well, I’ve never been out of Tantan before.” He shrugged.
“Well, I am sure you will be surprised. Whether that will be positive or negative, I honestly have no idea.”
“What does that even mean?” He blurted.
Smiling, he replied cheekily, “You will see soon.”
When the airship reached Old Laufeld, something interesting was occurring in the town. It looked like people were trying to move en masse. Some families were emptying out their homes. Some were loading up their stuff onto a cart. It was overall a very busy sight.
“What is going on?” Gojar blurted, his eyes wide.
Kamil had no idea, either.
“We are landing! Please get away from the edges!” The pilot shouted. He was skillful enough to land the airship quickly and painlessly. Raem was the first one to welcome him. He bowed toward Kamil with a palm on his chest.
“Milord, welcome back.”
Kamil demanded, “Where is Sir Waszak? What is happening?”
“The wheat harvest season is here. If the farmers are to relocate, now is the time. So, they are fanatically trying to relocate and pick better lands.”
“I see.”
His attention moved to Gojar. His dark skin certainly made him stand out.
“Sir, that is …?”
“Oh, his name is Gojar, a chef’s son from Tantan. I’ve hired him to be my chef.”
Gojar bowed to Raem with a palm on his chest. Raem did the same in return.
“My name is Raem, the guard captain of Laufeld.”
“Gojar’s is the name. Nice to meet you, sir.”
Nestor soon arrived to bring Flora’s luggage back. The whole town looked really busy. He could also see that the number of refugees staying at the central market had reduced. As for the central market itself, it was no longer a market. Stalls had all moved.
“Sir Waszak is in New Laufeld. Masons had been busy trying to get the new manor in shape ASAP so that you can relocate,” Raem informed Kamil.
“New Laufeld?” Gojar looked confused.
“We are relocating the whole town,” Kamil said as if it was nothing.
“You are moving the whole god damn town?!” Gojar blurted, looking shocked. Rationally, relocating a whole town was not something that was done if ever. Rightfully so, he was shocked.
Kamil pointed at the only two story structure in the town. “Come on, that’s the manor for now. I don’t know what the new manor will look like, so we will see. A woman named Karla has been in charge of cooking. Inform her that you will be taking over.”
“Understood! Right away!” He replied enthusiastically and made his way toward the manor.
“Sir Vogel.”
“Yes, Milord?”
“How is the refugee situation?”
Nestor pulled out a small notebook from his belt and opened it.
“So far, 4,200 refugees have arrived in Laufeld. The wagon traffic has significantly been reduced however. They are mostly arriving via airships now. I believe it is slowing down.”
Nodding along, Kamil looked toward the town gate. Indeed, there was no more wagon coming in. The gate guards looked bored even.
“1,100 people have settled down here so far. It was 700 the last time I made a report. Likewise, 700 people have departed for Tantan, an increase from 400 I reported earlier. Additionally, I’d like to report that an airship from Rokk has been coming here to pick up refugees.”
“It’s coming here instead of Gonne?”
“Yes, sir. It’s been coming here ever since a deal for copper has been struck. You’d need to ask Sir Waszak on the details of the deal. He did tell me it was a good deal, though.”
“I see…”
“And, so far, about 200 people left for Rokk.”
“That’s a lot for such a short period of time.”
Nestor nodded. “Yes, but given the short turnaround between here and Rokk, I can see why. That leaves about 2,000 of refugees in Old Laufeld which I believe will disperse soon enough, given the fact that outgoing is far more than incoming.”
“Will our flour stock hold?”
“Yes, it will. In fact, I’d say Laufeld is the only place that could have taken this many refugees and feed them long enough without its economy breaking down.”
He paused and scratched his head with his pen. Soon, he laughed weakly.
“Well, Laufeld has no economy to break down. All it has is wheat! And thus flour. It turns out that that’s all you need to feed people.”
According to him, this whole idea of making the old town a refugee camp worked only because there was literally nothing else. There was nothing to go wrong. Farmers didn’t clash with the refugees and vice versa. Farmers were busy folks who generally never entered Laufeld unless it’s for sleeping and dinner. They had little reason and time to clash with the refugees.
“Very good. I will fly to New Laufeld now. Please look after our new chef, should he run into issues.”
Nestor bowed and replied, “Understood.”
Casting levitation, he swiftly flew to New Laufeld. The total population of the town should now exceed 6,000 at this point which would be a healthy 20% increase, which was unthinkable without the airship. Additionally, the new migrants were becoming laborers instead of farmers, creating a new class of folks. This was something the town needed badly in order to reach a new height. Before, the whole population was farmers.
image [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/7885/AjwnQB.jpg]
“Is that … the manor? But … it looks more like a fortress, ain’t it?”
Clenching eyes, Kamil saw something that resembled a fortress instead of a manor. He was already aware of the new location for the manor. Foundation work had started, but masons suggested digging into the mountain which he approved. On a face of a mountain, there were a pair of small stone towers that were about two stories tall and there was a large gate sandwiched between. It really did not look like a manor but more of a miniscule fortress. There was even an archer on the top of a tower who noticed his rapid approach. He initially aimed his bow at him but soon lowered his guard upon realizing who it was. There were masons outside who were doing finishing touches. Not far from the fortress-manor, he could also see some log walls being put up for the new Macomaco farm. He landed skillfully at which point three masons turned to face him and bowed.
“Is Sir Waszak in there?”
“Yes, Milord.”
And the masons opened the doors for him. It looked and sounded heavy. The doors had metal frames and were wooden. What welcomed him immediately was a corridor covered with stone bricks, wide enough for three people to pass at once. The corridor wasn’t long and was incomplete. At the end of it, which was about 10 meters, there was the raw rocks and soil, yet to be dug. There was a door on each side. He picked the right one and opened it without knocking, revealing what looked like a barrack. There were beds lined up on a wall and a weapon rack on another wall. There was no one inside at the moment. Then he proceeded to open the left door where he found Cezary inside. The room looked like an archive of some sort. Noticing Kamil, he bowed to him at once.
“You’ve returned, I see. Welcome back.”
“I’ve returned. Is this the manor?”
“Yes.”
“Is it just me? Doesn’t it look like a fortress?”
“Yes.”
“Could you explain why?”
“Milord, we won’t be able to build walls for a long time. The city will continue to grow. You can’t exactly start an expensive project like building walls when your population is going to grow continuously.”
Kamil didn’t miss when he said “the city”. In his vision, Laufeld was no longer just a farming community.
“Therefore!” He extended his arms widely. Yes, he was doing one of those acts where it was as if he was a part of a stage play. “We will build a fortress here!” Then he lowered his voice substantially. “Actually, two fortresses. One for you. The other for the miners and common folks.”
A huge advantage of building defensive structures inside a mountain was that they didn’t need to do much. It just needed a pretty entrance and that was it. And that was exactly what they were doing when they built the towers and a wall. Kamil wasn’t away for long, meaning it didn’t take much effort to create the pretty face.
“So, we have two rooms now? I think I saw a barrack and this is …?”
“A place to keep semi-important documents. We have a public library where books will go, thus we have no need for a library here. But we do need a place to keep diplomatic letters and such. This will likely become Sir Vogel’s workplace.”
Kamil nodded along. The barrack he saw earlier was already fully furnished, and this room looked to be almost done as well.
“We are going to redirect refugees to the new town now. It is time to really start abandoning the old town,” Cezary said.
Time to tell my family then.
“Alright, keep up the good work.”
“The third room will be yours temporarily. Your room and study are planned to be dug on the imaginary second floor.”
“One final thing. I was told by Sir Vogel that you struck a deal on copper. Could you tell me about it in detail?”
“Certainly, Lord Knell has agreed to sell a copper ingot for 20 iron coins each, which is not bad at all in my book.”
Kamil honestly had no idea. He had never seen copper being sold anywhere. He had to take Cezary’s words for it.
Nodding, he left the manor and cast levitation one more to get back to the old town. He went to visit the Macomaco farm to meet his parents to inform them of what was going on just in case they were oblivious. There was a good chance that his father may have not known. He was that kind of a guy who didn’t pay any attention at all to surroundings if it didn’t concern him. Likewise, Vilma ventured rarely out of the farm as well, and maids were generally trained not to talk unless talked to.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
After landing nearby the manor, he walked to Grent’s farm where he saw him and Taro working together. He should be eight years old with his elder brother, Faro, being ten.
“Hey, dad,” He casually greeted the man who was bending down to harvest leaves. Grent slowly stood up and responded.
“It’s been a while. What’s up?” He casually responded.
“We need to talk. Mom’s home?”
Taro, looking slightly confused, looked back and forth. It didn’t look like he recognized Kamil. Neither did Faro. To make the matter worse for the brothers, neither Grent nor Vilma went out of their way to explain Kamil’s situation to them.
“Should be. Taro, look after the field, yeah?”
The kid nodded repeatedly.
Grent walked toward his home, and Kamil followed closely. Taro tracked him momentarily before eventually turning back to harvest tea leaves.
Kamil asked casually, “Out of curiosity, have you noticed anything unusual around here?”
“I hardly go out. I noticed that it’s been rather loud. Other than that nope.”
Well, figured as much. If I don’t tell them, they might just continue to tend the farm even after the whole town is emptied.
Once inside, Vilma welcomed her son with a warm hug. He had gotten tall enough that his face was buried in her breasts when bugging. He took a good sniff and enjoyed the moment. Once sat down, he broke the news of relocation to them.
“They are already preparing the land for you. They are building log walls right now. When they are ready, I will send a messenger.”
Grent nodded along. He probably didn’t understand the scope of work involved. In contrast, Vilma seemed to have understood.
“That is a lot of work,” She remarked. “There has to be a reason people are willing to move?”
He explained to her the invention of the airship as well as the discovery of quartz from the nearby mountain.
“A ship that flies in the sky…?” She mused aloud. “This, I have to see.” She turned to her maids. “Have you seen it? This airship.”
“I’ve, Milady,” Both of them replied in unison.
“Does it really fly?”
“It does.”
She mumbled, “Fascinating…”
Grent said indifferently, “What’s so fascinating about it? It’s a ship that happens to sail in the sky.”
Well…, when you put it like that…
“Anyways,” Kamil decided to change the subject. “How is Faro?”
“Seems to be enjoying his life as of late,” Grent replied. “Been bragging about how he now has a girlfriend.” He scoffed dismissively. “That kid, he’s too young for that.”
Uh…, it can’t be Esther…, can it?”
“By any chance, do you know the girl’s name?”
Two contrasting answers came.
“Nope,” Grent replied curtly.
“Esther,” Vilma replied softly. “The lass has beautiful crimson hair.”
Damn it.
“You saw her even?”
“He introduced her to me.”
“What?” Grent butted in. “How come he didn’t introduce her to me then?”
“Didn’t you say you weren’t interested?”
“I did?”
“Look, guys,” Kamil interjected. “I need to tell you something.”
When he gained both of their attention, he broke the news.
“She is our cousin.”
Vilma covered her gaping mouth in shock, and Grent frowned at once.
“She is Lord Edmund’s illegitimate daughter.”
Grent and Vilma looked at each other, looking dumbfounded. He didn’t want to tell them if he didn’t need to. Sadly, it looked like Faro was getting a bit too serious with Esther. It was time to put a stop on them.
“Well, I will be damned,” Grent said with a sigh.
If they inform Faro that Esther was his cousin, they might need to explain how they share the blood where they might need to explain Vilma’s root. Given the fact that they never told him about her noble roots, it seemed clear to him that they intended to raise Faro as a commoner. If that was indeed their intention, they might need to lie about a few more things. Vilma seemed to be having some thoughts with her arms folded on her chair. There was nothing more for him to do at this point.
I trust that you will do what you feel is best for him, was what he wanted to tell them but chose not to. He didn’t feel the need to command his own parents on what to do. Bidding them good-bye, he left the house and was walking out of the farm when Taro stood up and stopped him.
“Who are you?” He asked bluntly.
How am I supposed to answer here?
The very fact that he asked such a question meant that his parents didn’t tell him anything about him. Still, he should have gotten a picture based on how he spoke to Grent. He apparently didn't.
“I am the Lord of this town. I do business with your father.”
“Didn’t you call him ‘dad’, though?”
“I did. We are close enough that I call him that way.”
Taro looked clearly skeptical but seemed to have accepted the answer. He may have been too young to fully understand what was going on.
When he returned to the manor, Nestor and Karla were in the lobby, looking troubled. Their faces brightened up as soon as they saw Kamil.
“Milord, it’s about our new chef,” Nestor said. “He’s really mad.”
“About what?”
Karla replied, “He said something about the quality of the food or the lack thereof. He sounded really mad. Please go talk to him.”
As he walked toward the kitchen, the two followed close by. Upon reaching the destination, they found Gojar visibly fuming. As soon as he noticed Kamil, he blurted out loud.
“Milord, what the hell is this?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about, Gojar.”
He pointed at a large pot which Karla was using to make vegetable soup.
“You call this food?!” He barked.
Kamil glanced back at Karla, and she responded, “It’s veggie soup.”
“That is NOT soup!” Gojar retorted strongly. “You throw in some vegetables, put in some salt, and that is it?! Are you friggin’ kidding me here?!”
Calmly, Kamil told him, “Gojar, the veggie soup is the staple food for us. We eat it every day.”
“Please tell me that this is for staff. Please tell me that you do not eat this shit, Milord.”
“I do.”
“OH, FOR THE LOVE OF-” He shouted in frustration. Soon, he controlled his breath to calm down during which Kamil and Co were looking amused as to why he was so pissed to begin with.
“Milord, if you want to consume vegetables, you eat raw. Boiling it will destroy most of its nutritions.”
“It’s not easy to eat them raw,” Kamil said.
“True, which is why you make something called salad. You put some dressing on it and eat it,” Gojar replied. “The point is eating it raw.”
“What is dressing?”
He sighed. “Let’s say it’s sauce. I noticed that you do have spices from Estana. It’s not exactly what I need but this will do. I shall try making dinner with what I have, but my word - this is atrocious. You shouldn’t be eating like this. Commoners eat better than this in Tantan.”
This was a direct result of isolation between settlements. Whatever was developed in one place was unable to spread, resulting in a stagnant overall development.
“Very well, I will eagerly wait for it.”
Honestly, he didn’t have any issue with the food he had been consuming. Perhaps, he didn’t know better but he never really had any complaints. As long as he could eat, he was fine with anything. This was due to his former life as a hunter who always worked very hard to bring food to the table. Anything was better than starving, therefore any food was good enough. If there was his favorite, it would have been a combination of beer or ale and a roasted rabbit hind leg with salt. He didn’t favor wine; it was too sweet for his taste.
Several hours passed, thus evening arrived. A maid, one of the new ones, moved a cater cart into Kamil’s room. She was flanked by Gojar. Flora was also present in the room as well. They had been quite a pair of lovebirds as of late. It was probably only a matter of time before they end up sharing the bed for real.
A large dish was served which had a roasted rabbit hind leg but it looked to have been cooked differently. The fact that it was covered in some sort of dark red goo was standing out. This was basically a BBQ which was an entirely new concept for everyone, bar Gojar, in the room. There were raw pieces of vegetables with dark orange dressing mixed together on the other side of the dish. Flora was served the same dish. Gojar was observing the maid with very watchful eyes from the back. A fork and a knife were also provided for both of them.
“It smells nice,” Flora remarked with a grin. As they gently cut a piece of the leg and put it in their mouths, both of their eyes lit up.
“It is nice,” Kamil commented. “It tastes like … I don’t even know how to describe it.”
“The magic of spices, Milord,” Gojar replied.
“I thought spices made food hot?”
“In large concentration, yes. I didn’t think you’d be able to handle it, so I made mild sauce. Besides, not everyone likes hot food.”
They eventually moved onto the salad. It was a bit hard to eat it with a fork, but they managed.
“It feels… fresh?” Flora remarked while tilting her head. “I’ve never eaten raw vegetables before.”
“Milady, hot temperature destroys most of the essential nutrients from vegetables. It should be consumed raw.”
“What’s this sauce? Dressing, you said, right?” Kamil took a closer look. “Its hue is orange.”
“It’s something I made up in a rush. I don’t have proper ingredients. I had to make do with what I had.”
“It made raw vegetables edible for sure,” Flora added. “Before today, I’d have never imagined eating raw vegetables as is.”
Gojar bowed with his palm on his chest. “I hope that this is to your liking.
It is different in a positive way. I admit that I was initially appalled how atrocious your cuisine was. Then I realized that I wasn’t exactly in a position to make judgments.”
“Chef Gojar, if I may,” Kamil said.
“Yes?”
“What you believe to be right isn’t always right. I do understand that Tantan has developed a superior cuisine culture. But that does not mean your way is the only way.”
He had a point, and Gojar wasn’t going to argue.
He added, “Each to their own, I hope you see the point.”
Goar bowed even deeper. “I do understand where you are coming from. My apologies if I stepped too far.”
He did step too far, Kamil felt. At the same time, he meant no harm. Therefore, he was willing to let this slide. It didn’t matter how superior Tantan’s cuisine was. At the end of the day, people of the kingdom survived on their bland food for generations, meaning it was adequate enough. Therefore, Gojar’s harsh criticism wasn’t warranted.
Once their meal was done, Gojar inquired.
“Do merchants from Estana come here frequently? I’d like to order more spices.”
“No, I don’t believe any merchants from Estana come here at all. You will need to ask Julian, the merchant. He was the one who imported the spices you used today.”
“Julian, I see. Understood.”
Once the maid and Gojar left, it was just the two of them.
“It was indeed nice. There is no other way to say it,” Flora remarked with a smile.
“I think he is a bit of an oddball.” Then he shrugged with a crooked smile. “But then who isn’t an oddball around here?”
She frowned slightly and pointed at herself. “Does that include me as well?”
“Well, if you are married to an oddball, then you are an oddball.”
“Surprisingly…, I cannot argue.”
“Anyway, I’ve heard that the library is complete. Have you been there?”
He wasn’t actually told but did see it being pretty much complete in the air.
“It is?!” She stood up at once, only to realize that she was in the old town. She sat back down calmly. “I wasn’t even aware.”
“We should be moving to the new town soon. According to Sir Waszak, it should be really soon.”
“I haven’t seen Marat in a while. I suppose I know where she is.”
He hadn't seen her in a while as well.
I really should check the library out.
Therefore, he did. The library was a square two story building with a thatched roof. It was located on the east side of the market, a good spot to draw traffic in. Upon landing right in front of the entrance, which was already open, he could see that the interior was entirely empty. Marat was inside with a broom; she was sweeping the stone floor.
As he walked inside, she noticed him and bowed.
“Milord,” She said curtly.
He surveyed the interior. There was no internal structure at all. It was just a huge empty space. It felt more like a hall.
“There is nothing at all here,” He remarked while looking around.
“Bookshelves will be here. That is about it. Oh, there is a kitchen in the back.”
What kind of library needs a kitchen?
He chose not to ask why.
“So, I am assuming that this place will be full of books, eventually?”
“Eventually, yes. Your lady has two books she is going to donate once we get a bookshelf in. I am going to start teaching kids how to read and write soon once I get some papers in.”
He nodded along. She was doing her part, whatever it was. Casually walking out of the library, he observed the market. It was quite lively with folks purchasing goods. Esther’s stall was busy as well. Miners were rushing to buy bread and whatnot. Some were so hungry that they were eating right on the spot. There used to be only food stalls. But now there are stalls selling general goods as well.
There isn’t a meat vendor though. Miners should be really fed meat instead of just bread.
There was no hunter in Laufeld. Stroking his chin, he thought of ways to attract hunters. Hunting was a trade that required more training than one would expect. He’d need to learn the art of hiding as well as grow endless patience to keep his head down for the right moment to fire an arrow. They’d leave early in the morning and return in the evening with their catches. It wasn’t an easy job by any means although it was probably less physically demanding than, say, farmers. Then he came to a realization that most migrants were from Gonne where they were farming and hunting at the same time to get by. Therefore, the next logical step was to visit the mine, but he decided to visit the mine the next day early in the morning so that he could meet all miners at once.
With two watchtowers and log walls, it looked more like a prisoner camp than a mine when he paid a visit to the mine the next day.
“Milord!” A guard recognized Kamil instantly.
“At ease, could you gather the miners?”
“Sir? He looked confused.
“Do it.”
“Yes, sir!”
Miners checked in the early morning and worked in the mine until around noon, at which point they were released from their mining duties and were free to do whatever they wanted. Essentially, they worked about six to seven hours of hard labor a day. He caught the miners just before they’d enter the mine. About a hundred people gathered around. Kamil, flanked by four guards, spoke to them with his hands in the back.
“I am Kamil Fenchel, the lord of Laufeld. I am here to ask something.”
The miners looked at each other and murmured. He waited until they became quiet enough.
“Are any of you hunters? Raise your hand if you were.”
Interestingly, most of them raised their hands.
“Do any of you wish to go back to being hunters?” Raise your hand if so.”
About half of them raised their hands.
50ish hunters, huh… Would that be too many or too little? I haven’t got a clue.
He glanced back at a guard.
“Could you get their names on a piece of paper?”
“Eeer…, I don’t know how to read and write, Milord.”
He turned back and looked at the guards. “Can any of you write?”
Apparently, none did.
“I can write.”
A man among the miners spoke out. He was a bald middle-aged man with a rugged look.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Ravas with R, Milord. I am from Maiava.”
“How did you learn writing?”
“I was a mining foreman. I basically oversaw a group of miners and made reports on their outcome and such. The job required literacy.”
A mining foreman… Do we even have a foreman here?
“Do we have a foreman?”
“The merchant, Julian, has been acting more or less like a foreman but he doesn’t come here everyday,” Another miner replied.
“Ravas, do you wish to resume your old job?”
“What?” He looked a bit surprised. “I am from the Siwen though?”
“Why would that matter?” He asked innocently. He was fully aware of what he was trying to say. He used to be a citizen of an enemy country. His loyalty could easily be questioned.
“Because…,” He tailed off and refused to say it out loud.
“Because you were a citizen of our enemy?” Thus, Kamil finished it for him.
The miners looked at each other once more, some grimaced.
He continued, “You came here though. You made the journey which I take that you’ve chosen to settle down in Egra instead of Siwen.”
“We didn’t have a choice,” Another said.
“Do you want to go back to the Siwen then?”
He was met with silence.
“No,” Ravas answered on their behalf. “I am not going back to the cold land. The weather here is just too nice.”
“Yeah,” Another replied in full agreement, and others nodded along.
“Besides,” Ravas continued, “I feel like I have a real job to do here. We are building a whole town. Every single day, we work hard and are seeing the fruits of our labor. You don’t see that every day.”
Other miners nodded along. It was a sense of achievement, which was something rare.
“Then I ask you once again, Ravas. Would you like to be the foreman of the mine?”
This time, Ravas nodded firmly. “I will.”
“Then you are the foreman,” Kamil declared. “You will report to Sir Cezary Waszak. He is my advisor.”
“Then…, may I give the first order to the men?” He carefully asked.
“Be my guest.”
He stepped forward, leaving the group. Turning around to face the miners, he raised his voice with both of his hands on his back.
“Men! We will now work in shifts! Those who want to work in the morning, do that. Nothing changes for you. Those who want to work in the evening, go home and report later. I don’t have a paper now, but I want all of your names and group them into two, the morning shift and the night shift.”
“Nice, finally,” A miner said joyfully. “I ain’t a morning person.”
About one third of the miners began to disperse.
“Ravas,” Kamil called.
Turning around, he replied, “Yes?”
“I want ten hunters for now. Choose ten men out of the miners and give me their names later. I will have equipment ready.”
He saluted. “That shall be done.”
He decided to start small and see where it would go before increasing the number of hunters. With that done, he turned around and walked out of the place. Ravas’ eyes were fixed at his back, filled with an equal amount of awe and confusion. Kamil’s decision to hire Ravas was something he’d never see from Siwen nobles. The nobles were always so arrogant and condescending to commoners back in Maiava. Nepotism was also rampant in his former country. Without proper connections or bribes, he could never get a decent job. In fact, he had to pay 10 silver coins to get the job as a foreman of the mine back in Maiava. He always felt oppressed but had to carry on. In stark contrast, ever since coming to Laufeld, he tasted what freedom tasted like because the nobles in Laufeld had a hands free approach to commoners. And, upon learning that the lord of the town was just a kid, he became quite curious. Initially, he figured that someone else was taking charge because realistically he could not imagine a child taking charge of this whole operation. However, from his encounter with him, it was clear who was in charge. The young lord spoke authoritatively and made a decision on the fly. That was not a mark of a puppet.
“A real noble, huh…,” He whispered to himself.