From Londoner To Lord

Chapter 340 - 335. Moving On

The evening was grey and cool when Kivamus was bent over the long dining table which doubled as his drafting board, marking the next curve on the blueprint. The burning brazier was the only source of light in the manor hall as his quill made a steady, practiced sound. He had just reached for the straightedge when the outer door opened and a servant came running in, grinning so wide his cheeks were flushed.

"Milord, two of the hunting groups have just come back — with a lot of meat!"

Kivamus straightened, the tiredness leaving his shoulders as he grinned back. "That's excellent! Duvas, this calls for a feast - even a small one. It's a good opportunity for a celebration after our victory last night. Everyone needs a way to put that raid behind us and have something to cheer for after the difficult weeks recently."

Duvas set his quill down on the ledger he had been scribbling in and was on his feet before Kivamus had finished the sentence. "I agree. I believe Madam Nerida wouldn't have started on the dinner yet. I'll tell her to use this meat tonight. Madam Helga can also make her signature Rizako stew too using that meat — everyone would like that."

"Certainly," Kivamus said. "With the haul from two hunting groups there will be a lot more meat than what we need for the manor. Send the rest to the longhouse blocks. Let the villagers have it - a good meal will put a smile on everyone's faces after living under the threat of bandits for the last few days."

Duvas nodded and left at once, the servant following him outside.

After a while, Kivamus went back to his blueprint, but couldn't concentrate even after some time, since half his thoughts were away from the designs. With two hunting groups back they were in a much better position in terms of the number of available guards. Although three other hunting groups were still out right now, perhaps a small caravan to Cinran could still be organised, but he would have to talk to the guard captain and the majordomo before deciding anything.

However, Duvas still hadn't returned and Hudan must still be training the guards right now, so that question would have to wait. Hearing the sound of a door opening, he glanced around and realized Gorsazo must have already finished up today's lessons for Syrene, since the young woman had just entered the hall with an already scribbled-over sheet of paper, perhaps working on some problem which her teacher had taught her.

On the other hand, Gorsazo himself must have gone to meet with Madam Helga again, like he often did. He had an odd, private amusement at the thought that the two of them were often found in the same small conversations these days. In fact, he had begun to think that there was something going on between them, not that he had any opposition to it.

Madam Helga was a widow, with her husband killed by bandits years ago, back when Lucem was still a child, while Gorsazo's wife had died a long time ago because of fever and illness. Neither of them had married again after losing their spouses, and they were both of a similar age as well in their mid 40s. He chuckled. Perhaps he should even nudge both of them towards each other if they were hesitating. He knew Lucem wouldn't mind getting a new father, and neither would Clarisa - who had basically been adopted by Madam Helga as a daughter in everything but name - while Syrene already treated Gorsazo with huge respect as her teacher.

He shook his head as he turned back to his blueprints. He had more pressing matters at the moment instead of meddling in others' love lives - whether real or imaginary.

After a while, he had still not managed to concentrate properly and was weighing how many guards an escort to Cinran would need when the outer door opened a second time and a guard entered, wiping mud from his boots on the doormat kept just outside the door before he walked further.

"Another hunting group has returned, milord," the guard reported. "They brought a good haul of meat - and a lot of losuvil leaves."

Kivamus looked at him in wonder. All three hunting groups returned together on the same day, right when they needed them the most? "Perfect! Meet up with Hudan and take as many leaves as necessary to the injured guards so they can use the fresh paste. Make sure to take proper care of the man who had burnt his skin. Tell the hunters to bring the rest of the leaves here."

The guard gave a quick nod before he exited the hall.

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Kivamus turned to the young woman. "You've already prepared the new clay pots, right?"

Syrene, who had been sitting on the low bench by the window with a new scrap of paper and a stub of charcoal, stood up and answered without pausing. "Yes, milord. The village potter gave them to me days ago. If I can have a few servants to help, I can now process at least three times the amount of losuvil than what I managed before the winter."

"That's very good," Kivamus said. "But it is mid-spring already, so those leaves might not last until the morning after the time the hunters already took between plucking them from the vines and bringing them here."

Syrene folded the paper into her lap and gazed into the distance for a moment, as if she was already lining up tasks in her head. "I know. That's why I was planning to start working on them tonight. The Toloraberry shrubs have already started to give fruits, so that will help me in starting the preservation process immediately. Although it does mean you won't get to eat a Toloraberry pie anytime soon."

Kivamus chuckled. "I'm sure Feroy will miss it far more than me, but it's fine. Anyway, the hunting group will bring the leaves outside, then you can take the help of the servants to transport them to your, uh... laboratory," Kivamus said. "Until then, go and make sure the bigger pots are ready and there is enough water and wine in that room."

Syrene grinned. "I think I know how to process the leaves better than you!"

Kivamus laughed again. "I have no doubt of that at this point. Anyway, try to use the remaining wine sparingly until we can afford to buy more of it from a visiting merchant."

Syrene nodded and slipped out of the hall to get the servants.

A few minutes later Duvas returned, brushing some water from his sleeves. "I've told Madam Nerida to start on the feast. We got losuvil leaves from the last group?"

Kivamus gave a grin. "I think today is a lucky day for us."

The majordomo nodded as he looked upward, murmuring something as he sent a prayer to the goddess.

Kivamus leaned back with relief as well. Three hunting groups back — that would push the food stores up by several days. It might be enough to avoid sending a caravan immediately — provided a merchant turned up with enough grain by then. He didn't trust the safety of the northern road one bit, but the extra days would buy them more time for the guards to heal and to arrange a proper escort for the caravan if they still needed one.

He went back to his blueprint, the lines clearer in his mind now. Tonight there would be a small celebration, a hot meal, and an evening of relaxation for everyone. But from tomorrow they would have to start moving on to the next thing in their long list of problems. However, for the next few days, there would be meat on the table and losuvil to help the guards heal faster, and that was enough to steady him for now.

***

The next morning, when the sun was already climbing high, Kivamus had just left the manor for a walk toward the southern farms. The rain had stopped in the night, leaving the air cool and dry. Small puddles still glittered on the packed dirt road, and the smell of wet earth still lingered, where some weeds had also started to sprout by now. He could feel the warmth growing by the hour—it wouldn't be long before summer began pressing in.

He smiled thinking of the feast from the night before. It had been held in the southeast corner of the manor grounds - which was usually used for training the guards - but these days it was the only large open area left, since vegetable patches had spread over nearly every other open space. The servants had brought benches and tables from the hall, lining them up in rows, and the guards, maids, grooms as well as the servants themselves had crowded in, tired but smiling.

It hadn't been much of a feast by noble standards—no cheese and no pies—only stew and bread with a full serving of meat and some veggies, as well as the famous Rizako stew from Madam Helga - but it had been enough. The guards had eaten until they were beyond full, the servants and maids had laughed over their plates, and even Lucem and Clarisa had run between the tables, their laughter bright in the light of the braziers, probably having forgotten about the raid already.

Back in the present, Duvas was walking beside him as usual, a small ledger tucked under his arm, while Hudan and three other guards followed at an easy distance. The path curved eastward until they reached the southeastern gates of the village, and they exited it to continue walking south.

Soon, he walked past the wood press machine, where he saw the laborers packing the sawdust into the wooden molds before they turned the levers of the huge screw to make new sawdust briquettes. In the evenings, the briquettes would be piled together to be transferred to the manor for use in the braziers everywhere, and then the laborers would use the press machine to compress and make new sheets of paper which the paper-workers would bring from the east of the manor by then.

They didn't have to walk long before they saw the fields being worked ahead of them. The farming foreman Pinoto was talking to another man at the start of the farmlands, his straw hat pulled low to shade his eyes. The old farmer waved when he saw their group approaching.