On a slope by the side of the main road, Dirk and the other guards busied themselves with setting up tents. After getting sidetracked by the herd of Gold Rams earlier, they ended up significantly delaying their progress homeward. They would have to travel overnight in order to reach the nearest city.
Priority number one was ensuring the safety of Roel and Alicia, therefore the two guard captains came to a consensus that it would be too dangerous to travel under the veil of the night.
One must know that it was no joke to be assaulted in the dark. The threats lurking in the wilderness were much more terrifying at night, and many distinguished figures had lost their lives to them. Even though Dirk had great confidence in the strength of his subordinates and the royal guards, he still felt that it was unwise for them to take on unnecessary risk.
Besides... if he were to suggest for them to continue traveling under such an atmosphere, he could very well earn the ire of every single person in the convoy.
"How much meat are we going to get later on? I mean, we have quite a lot of people here, and Gold Ram meat is quite valuable after all. We can't just finish up everything here by ourselves, right?"
"Regarding that, the chefs initially decided on slaughtering three Gold Rams, but the young master says that it's not enough to reward the men, so he told them to add two more in."
"Are you serious?"
"Bless Lord Roel!"
The soldiers chattered merrily with one another while skillfully constructing the tents. Those that were done with their duties gathered around the campfire with excited smiles as they waited in anticipation for the marvelous meat they would be eating with relish very soon.
Such was the joyous atmosphere drifting throughout the camp.
Meanwhile, on the side, chefs were busy preparing the slaughtered Gold Rams. They carefully removed each hair from the skin, before storing all the precious fur in a sack. Then they proceeded to wash and clean-up the meat, getting it ready for use in tonight's meal.
"Big brother Roel, the fur of these rams is worth a fortune. Should we try rearing them?"
"It won't work. I've already asked about it. Once a Gold Ram loses its fur, it would perceive itself to be in a 'state of danger', and this would accelerate the rate of its mutation. Its fur will not regrow, and it would become highly aggressive and dangerous too. Worst of all, its meat would also become tough."
"Ah, so we can only shear a Gold Ram once. That would explain why their fur is so expensive."
"Yes. By clearing this herd of Gold Rams, we have resolved a possible threat to the region. These Gold Rams won't be as easy to deal with once they grow up."
Roel watched the chefs busy with their work, feeling satisfied with the outcome. On top of the great profits, he would earn a good reputation as well.
Meanwhile, Alicia nodded her little head before lowering it contemplatively.
Roel and the other guards had chased the Gold Rams a far distance away, so Alicia didn't manage to perceive Grandar's power. However, that didn't mean that she hadn't noticed any anomalies.
The respectful gazes of the soldiers, Dirk's amicable attitude, or the subtle subservience of the royal guards; the sensitive Alicia had keenly picked up on all of these differences. It made her realize that something must have happened.
She remembered that Roel had only reached Origin Level 6 a few months ago, so it should have been impossible for him to win the admiration of these Origin Level 5 elite soldiers.
Big brother Roel never talks to me about anything regarding his transcendent abilities...
Alicia sighed deeply. Roel still thought of her as a frail and helpless little girl because she was still hiding her abilities. She was able to retain Roel's care and concern for her through this, but at the same time, it made it difficult for her to win his acknowledgment.
Could it be that he has reached Origin Level 4? But that's a little...
Alicia wondered in uncertainty. Dirk was an Origin Level 4 transcendent—this was something she had heard from Carter before. Based on what she knew, the military was rather strict on hierarchy, and they tended to value strength highly due to the nature of their occupation.
Considering how respectful Dirk was to Roel, that could really be the case...
Alicia had thought of her own rate of growth as 'average' as she didn't really have anyone else to compare to, so it couldn't be helped that she would end up overestimating Roel. The realization that Roel was growing way faster than her made her realize that she wasn't working hard enough.
This won't do! I need to buck up!
Alicia clenched her fists tightly. If she was going to protect Roel, the minimum she had to do was to catch up with him first. Furthermore, considering that there was a Nora above her...
This event marked the start of yet another growth spurt in Alicia's already insane growth rate.
Meanwhile, Roel watched intently as the chefs roasted four of the rams over a fire and used the last one to boil a huge pot of rich soup with spices they had gathered from their surroundings.
The morale of the guards was extremely high.
Some of them were wilderness survival veterans with knowledge of which plants are edible and which are not, not to mention which are the tastiest. As soon as they entered the forest, they immediately scoured the area and harvested every flavor-accentuating spice that they laid their eyes upon.
When Roel saw the heap of delicacies on the table, he realized that there were indeed a lot of valuable resources in the forests of the Ascart Fiefdom. He remembered from his previous life how some rare herbs were able to fetch exorbitant prices, such as wild ginseng. This could be a sector worth developing.
As Roel was trying to rack his brain to figure out a way to earn more money, the four rams placed above the campfire had started emanating a rich fragrance throughout the campsite. Dirk immediately assigned more soldiers to sentry duty, afraid that the fragrance would draw wild beasts over.
The sun had already set by the time they were done with all sorts of chores, and soon, the celebration banquet commenced.
Roel and Alicia were given a whole roasted Gold Ram whereas the remaining three were shared amongst the guards and the servants of the camp. That being said, there was only so much that two children could eat. After slicing off a few of the better cuts, the rest would be distributed to the soldiers.
Roast ram was one of the few dishes that didn't require too delicate a touch. The flavor of the food depended more on the quality of the ingredients themselves, and the meat of a Gold Ram could be said to be top-notch. The fat was marbled equally throughout the flesh, causing a rich explosion of juices to burst forth in one's mouth with each bite. The crispy skin only further contrasted to just how tender the meat was.
When it came to evaluating the quality of a meal, the two most important factors were the food itself and the atmosphere. Dining in the wilderness lacked the usual elegance of a nobles' repast, but this was made up for with a different vibe. The cooling breeze on the meadow, the beautiful moon and twinkling stars above, the singing and laughter of companions; all of these shed a carefree and merry atmosphere over the event.
"Lord Brother, do you want some wine to go with the meat?"
"I'll have to pass. Since no one else is drinking, I shan't be an exception," replied Roel with a smile.
He snuggled a little closer to Alicia, and the latter began giggling a little. However, when she noticed that the soldiers nearby were observing them, her face quickly reddened.
After filling up their stomachs, Roel called for a soldier to invite Dirk back from his sentry duty. The sudden invitation left Dirk feeling both flattered yet nervous. He couldn't understand why Roel would suddenly take the initiative to approach him, but he wasn't going to question the latter's intention. After having gotten a firsthand glimpse into Grandar's overwhelming powers, he swore to himself that he would take a respectful attitude toward Roel and never cross him.
Shortly after Dirk returned back to the camp, one of the chefs passed him a plate of ram steak that was just freshly cut from a roasted Gold Ram. The ram steak was drizzled with rich sauce, and there were some greens on the plate to clean the palate.
Dirk's eyes alternated between the plate of ram steak in his hands and Roel's 'Go ahead and dig in' look, and he suddenly found himself feeling a little uneasy.
"Young master, this... Can I ask why you've called me here?"
"You may rest at ease, I don't have any other intention in mind. I thought that there won't be enough meat to go around, and the ram I have here will eventually be distributed to the men anyway. Mister Dirk, you have worked hard protecting us throughout the entire journey, so it's only right that I treat you to a meal first."
"Haha! Young master, you're flattering me. It's my responsibility as your guard to protect you..."
Networking was all about interactive, mutual compliments, and both Dirk and Roel understood this fact well. Roel hadn't thought that this solemn-looking guard captain would actually be so good at formal social interactions, and Dirk also didn't expect Roel to be so humble and respectful. With the two of them bouncing off one another well, it turned out to be a fairly pleasant chat.
Dirk recalled the rumors he had heard about the young master having an inferior aptitude and horrible personality, and he felt that his brain must have short-circuited to simply believe those rumors without verifying it in person. How could the son of the great Marquess Carter possibly be mediocre?
With their intentions aligning with one another, it didn't take long for Roel to get closer with the cold-faced official. Feeling that it was about time, Roel gestured to Anna with a nod, and the latter immediately led all of the chefs and servants away, giving the three of them some privacy.
"Mister Dirk, to be honest with you, I do have something I need to ask of you. I believe that you're also well aware of the circumstances on the eastern border. I would like to know if my father has given you some instructions regarding the matter."
Those words brought about an instant change in Dirk's expression. He raised his head to look at the smiling Roel in shock. He didn't think that the boy would actually be able to deduce so far.
He first responded with a strained smile before lowering his head in contemplation. While the one who had asked the question was Roel, Carter's only son, it still wouldn't be appropriate for him to break the confidentiality clause of the military to divulge the order of a superior.
"Mister Dirk, there are no outsiders here. The only ones here are me and Alicia, so there's no need to worry. You can be assured that neither of us will raise this matter before my father. If, by any chance, my father learns of this matter, Alicia and I will unreservedly stand on your side and tell him that we were the ones who forced you into it."
Dirk was visibly moved after hearing Roel's guarantee. Had it been in the past, he would have likely rejected the request right away, but having seen Roel's potential firsthand, he was starting to think that it wasn't a bad idea to work for the young master.
The fact that there was only one son in the Ascart House meant that Roel's standing was unshakable. Furthermore, Dirk was aware that Alicia was training under Carter as his pupil, and he was shocked to see how much the little girl had grown within just a short period of time.
With such a line-up, the Ascart House had a bright future ahead of them.
Weighing the pros and cons of this matter, Dirk felt that it would be worth breaking the confidentiality clause of the military in order to get on good terms with Roel and Alicia. Besides, considering that the ones he was divulging the secret to was Carter's son and daughter, the punishment was unlikely to be too harsh.
Having made up his mind, Dirk raised his head to face the two children before him.
"Young master, young miss, I'm grateful that the two of you think so highly of me. Regarding the master's instructions, I'm not too certain if others have received other instructions, but I have personally received two myself.
"The first one is to update him on the affairs of the fiefdom. I am to compile a monthly report containing the actions and key decisions young master Roel has made for the fiefdom and send it over to Marquess Carter. If any critical matters were to occur, I am to inform him as soon as possible."
"That's fairly reasonable," replied Roel with a nod.
Roel was, after all, a 10-year-old child. No matter how much Carter trusted Roel, he would really have to be out of his mind to leave such a young child to manage a fiefdom without any fail-safe measures.
"Yes, there's no problem with that. What about the second instruction?" asked Roel.
"The second one is a little odd. The master has told me to try all means to inform him right away if the Sorofya House sends anyone over."