"Yes, young master, you called?"
The butler, dressed in his working uniform, stood in front of Dorian.
Dorian, resting one hand on his waist, replied, "Yes, I need something. Something hard enough to dig with, perhaps a shovel."
Other workers who happened to be walking by all kept their eyes glued to the young master of the mansion.
If he was heading out again, there was a chance he was going to get drunk.
Yes, they all stared at him with pity.
Though he ignored them all.
After understanding Dorian's request, the butler spoke.
"A shovel, yes, young master, that can be arranged. When do you need it?"
"Right now."
"As you wish, I'll have one of the guards get it for you from the mansion's warehouse."
Dorian watched as Sebastian called for a soldier patrolling and ordered him to get a shovel from the warehouse.
'The house of Aurelian still has guards? Either we are also in debt to them, or they are serving purely out of loyalty. Either way, this is a bad look for the family.'
In due time, the soldier returned with the shovel and then respectfully handed it to Dorian.
Dorian didn't waste time analyzing the shovel.
It was rusty and the handle was short, meaning if he wanted to dig, he would need to bend his back more than usual.
'This is all we have in the mansion right now, huh…'
He sighed out loud before walking away.
As he walked, Sebastian and the soldier watched.
"Head Butler, do you think… the young master is going to cause a scene?" asked the soldier, whispering into Sebastian's ear.
To which the man grunted tiredly.
"Honestly, who knows what runs through the young master's head? Come on, head back to work."
….
The next moment, Dorian was roaming down the street of the barony.
Thanks to his active skill [Resource Gathering], he was able to still track the iron ore, following the golden line on the ground.
With the shovel resting on his shoulder, he moved through the streets of the barony, following the line.
As expected, people were throwing him all kinds of looks while whispering.
"Look, it's Young Lord Dorian; why is he carrying a shovel? Do you think he is going to cause a fight at the pub like he did the last time?"
"He looks pissed, too. I'm surprised he is even walking in a straight line; normall,y he would be staggering."
"Poor Baron, his son is out here embarrassing his entire lineage."
He heard every single word they said. While it did, in fact, affect him, deep down he knew their anger towards him was justified—their anger towards Dorian, rather.
'I can deal with insults; it's something I learnt while working in a company in my former world. 'As long as I have a clear goal in mind, insults and rumours are baseless and have no effect.'
Stop.
He was now standing in front of the pub house.
The sign at the entrance read "Saloma's Pub".
Simply staring at the place was already flooding Dorian's head with unpleasant memories.
'Hm…'
Dorian turned his gaze to the ground.
The golden light he had been following pointed all the way behind the pub and a bit further down into the forest.
'Now that that is settled, let me first do what I need to do before I continue.'
He heaved a deep sigh, and with the shovel placed on his chest, he strode into the pub house.
The instant he opened and closed the door, the bell rang, signalling that a new customer had entered the building.
For some reason, it was louder than usual, drawing the attention of everyone close enough to hear it.
The pub was a mix of a gambling center and a beer hall for those just there for the drinks and food. Either way, they all had their eyes on him.
"Eh? The young master of the house of Aurelian? He's back again."
"I wonder how much he owes now? His debt might be a life-changing sum for me."
"Dayum! He even entered with a shovel."
The red lighting overhead didn't do Dorian justice either. From any angle, he looked as though he was there to cause a commotion.
It wouldn't be the first time he was doing so.
Which was why, the moment the pub mistress saw him walk into her tavern with a shovel, she immediately began sprinting to meet him.
Dorian had already walked all the way to the centre of the room when, from nowhere, the pub mistress showed up.
"Stopuuuu!"
She yelled at the top of her lungs, blocking his path.
With a somewhat judgmental face, she spoke just as quickly.
"Young Lord Dorian, I ask that you think about this before making any rash decisions. I won't think twice about calling the authorities from the viscount."
Every eye in the tavern fell on them.
The pub mistress was the most beloved figure in the entire barony, due to her kind and just behaviour. Without a doubt, if Dorian were to fight her, everyone in the pub would jump to her rescue.
"Just the person I was hoping to see," said Dorian, before suddenly bowing his head slightly.
"EH? Everyone quick, scatter!" the pub mistress shouted.
For a second, it really looked like people indeed wanted to run. The baron's son bowing his head? That was not a sight anyone could ever imagine.
But then—
"I am sorry for the trouble I have caused you. Please let me know how much I owe you; I'd like to pay it back, no matter the cost."
These words were loud and clear.
-Silence.
"Ehhhh! The young master apologized?!!! And wants to finally pay his debts?!"
This quickly caused an uproar in the tavern.
While everyone was losing their mind, claiming it was just another one of the young master's ploys, the pub mistress had a serious look on her face.
To her, it was unexpected, but at the same time, she knew honesty when she saw it.
"You are really serious about this," the pub mistress uttered.
To which Dorian raised his head and responded, "Yes, I wish to clear my debt. So tell me how much."