After spending another night in the forest, Arthur and his followers set off back to the city. On the way, he noticed several valuable and useful herbs that he had previously ignored due to his focus on acquiring the magical artifact and eliminating the goblins. Without delay, he ordered the recruits to gather as many herbs as they could. Within a few short hours, they had filled several linen sacks.
After walking a few more miles, they reached the city. The recruits' morale was mixed—joy at their victory was tempered by sorrow over the loss of one of their comrades. Yet one thing was certain: their loyalty to Arthur had grown immensely.
As they passed through the city, Arthur noticed subtle changes in the expressions of the townspeople. It was clear that they had been worried about the recruits. This made him feel more satisfied with the current situation.
Upon arriving at the castle, Arthur noticed a few peasants gathered in front of the gate. The moment they saw his large procession, they bowed in fear, unable to meet his gaze. This piqued his curiosity, so he asked one of the soldiers:
"Why are these villagers here?"
"They came, my lord, to settle a dispute among themselves. Shall I send them away?"
"Leave them be. That's Edgar's concern." In this world, there were no courts or law enforcement; in the case of disputes or crimes, the feudal lord was the one who judged and ruled, serving as a magistrate over his people.
'I need to establish some laws to structure these people's lives... and I also need to create new governmental positions. Unfortunately, illiteracy is rampant in this place, and I doubt anyone is educated enough to serve as a judge or minister.
There's no need to overcomplicate things—I can select a few promising individuals and teach them myself. I think the first thing I'll do after getting rid of Edgar is build a school.'
After a brief moment of thought, Arthur guided his horse into the castle. He then ordered Chadwick to find a good spot in the cemetery to bury the fallen recruit. He also instructed the treasurer to give each recruit a silver coin and granted them a day of rest as a reward for their service. The treasurer made a displeased expression but couldn't object—he thought a silver coin was excessive. Low-ranking soldiers typically earned 80 copper coins per week. Experienced soldiers could make up to two silver coins, while higher-ranked soldiers and important individuals in the castle earned more than three, sometimes even five silver coins. As for low-ranking servants and maids, their wages ranged between thirty copper coins and a single silver coin.
After bathing and changing his clothes, Arthur returned to his room with a relaxed mind. Now that his personal safety was secured, he no longer felt as tense. However, he remained cautious and focused on his goals. After a short moment of lying down comfortably, he called out to Octavia.
"How may I serve you, my lord?"
As soon as she entered the room, she bowed and greeted him respectfully. Unlike before, there was no longer any fear or nervousness in her voice or movements. She had begun to feel safer around him—or rather, she had come to respect him, both as her lord and her teacher.
Beneath his strict and villainous facade was a kind person who had treated her with gentleness, increased her wages and status, and earned her recognition among the castle's residents. The extra money had improved her family's life, and more importantly, he had guided her to study magic—something that had completely turned her life around.
Unlike in the early days, when she had dreaded being summoned, she now ran to fulfill his requests with joy and loyalty, eager not to disappoint him.
Arthur noticed a small smile on Octavia's face, which made him curiously glance at her. 'I hadn't noticed before, but she's become quite beautiful after taking proper care of herself.' Thanks to a proper hygiene routine, Octavia's skin had become soft and fair, highlighting her delicate features. Even her usually somber eyes had gained a brighter gleam. Upon realizing this, Arthur instinctively felt a flicker of excitement.
He calmly shook his head and cleared his thoughts. 'Now's not the time for that.' Perhaps due to his newfound sense of safety, he was finally noticing things he had never paid attention to before.
Although Arthur was a grown man of twenty-one years, his experience with women was practically nonexistent. Due to a turbulent and painful adolescence—especially after the death of his parents and his forced move to another state to live with his aunt—he had become isolated.
Even after years of therapy, he still wasn't great at dealing with people. But that didn't mean he couldn't be assertive like he was now. He wasn't afraid of people—he just preferred to avoid them. And when he did need to engage, he sometimes surprised himself with how well he could speak.
As these memories flashed through his mind, he let out a soft sigh and said, "Go and find out if the Baronet made any unusual moves while I was away."
"As you command, my lord."
Octavia left quickly and made her way to the areas where the maids usually gathered. She blended in naturally and joined their conversations.
It didn't take much time or effort for the maids to start talking on their own, telling her everything that had happened during her absence in exchange for some of the scented soap she used. Even though bathing culture wasn't widespread in this world, women were still women—they felt jealous and envious when they saw a fellow maid looking like a noblewoman.
As soon as she gathered the news, Octavia ran back to Arthur's room and informed him that the Baronet had sent a messenger to the city of Duskspire.
'I figured something like this would happen.' Without giving the matter much thought, Arthur nodded, satisfied with the information.
"Well done."
Octavia felt a surge of happiness from his praise. She wanted to talk more, but she wasn't bold enough to try prolonging the conversation with Arthur.
"Since you've gathered a fair amount of mana, I'll now teach you the basic spell of water magic."
Octavia was surprised, but nodded eagerly. "Yes, my lord."
Following Arthur's instructions, she brought a bowl of clean water and placed it in front of her. Arthur stood calmly beside her and said, "Place your hands next to the bowl."
"Now, sense the mana in your mana core. Focus on that subtle moisture."
"Can you feel it?"
"Yes, my lord."
Octavia followed Arthur's instructions to the letter, unwilling to miss a single detail.
"Good. Now, try to draw the mana out and connect it to the water in the bowl. Focus on the moisture and direct it to your hands—visualize the water moving according to your will."
She obeyed, but after five minutes, she said helplessly, "I can't do it. The mana won't follow my commands."
"Alright, repeat after me."
"Shihara, honora, rotoba, sirwa…"
Arthur uttered a series of mysterious magical words. Octavia, taking things seriously, repeated them word for word. At that moment, She sensed the mana inside her body becoming denser and gentler. It instinctively responded to her will, flowing out from her palms and merging with the water in the bowl.
To her astonishment, the water began to ripple and move according to her will.