84 A rock in calm water

"T-this is a carriage?"Hectos gasped as he approached the RV with Pav guiding him in front. He now looked little cleaner than before as the men cleaned him and shaved his beard. There were some scratches on his chin, but he didn't seem to care. He was busy looking at the RV. Jackson, who was walking beside him, was more or less the same."This is amazing! Have you ever seen such a thing before? Huh?"'This idiot can't think right.'Jackson frowned as Hectos kept speaking in awe."Hectos, he is a noble-""Don't be afraid. We're not his subordinates. Our master is Count Khalodian. Not him.""Hah."He was right, but it was not that simple. Nobles hated to be challenged in their ranks. They did not stop at anything to use their power if needed. It was more severe when they felt like they were challenged by people of lower rank.'And nobles always side with nobles. Even if he is from some foreign country.'Nobles knew that it was best to respect each other to earn their respect anywhere. That was the reason why very few of them died during the war. Unless they were in a bloody feud, it was rare that they killed any noble if they were captured as hostages. Most were usually treated as guests until they were released.'But this really is amazing. It's not like those huge carriages of the royal families of the empire, but it's still amazing.'Hectos also gasped when Pav said to them, "It's here.""Thank you."Jackson showed his thanks in place of the awestruck Hectos and approached the door."Wait. You have to change your shoes to the shoes that have been prepared in front of you.""Huh?""Why? Why do we have to do that?"There were clean shoes without any dirt ready in front of them. Jackson realized the need of it quickly, but Hectos did not."Are you going to meet with the Countess and Sir Knight with feces-ridden shoes? You wish to make the carriage full of that smell?"Hectos hesitated but Jackson intervened."Thank you for your courtesy. We'll change. Come on, go ahead!"'Luckily, I made him wash.'Jackson shook his head as he thought about Hectos' smell. He began taking off his shoes and put on a new pair of shoes."Oh! This is nice. It's fluffy! Hey Jackson, feel it!"Hectos seemed like he had forgotten about how he was bothered by it and showed an interest in the shoes. Jackson sighed."You can go in now."Hectos did not hesitate as he hopped into the RV. Jackson followed."Wow.""Hmmph!"Both gasped as they walked in. They seemed to be awestruck from the interior. It was extravagant. Everything was squeaky clean and the floor was covered with some unknown linen. The interior was also full of various furniture. What was more amazing was the fact that the inside did not have the usual mossy smell that existed in most carriages.'This was why!'Jackson realized what Pav was talking about when he talked about the smelly shoes. This place was nicely scented. It was only the start.They turned their eyes to the woman in front of them. The woman was in a beautiful but very foreign dress, looking down at them. She didn't seem arrogant as she was watching them with dignity. 'That's the Countess!'They didn't need an explanation of who that was. Joonbum grinned at their reaction."H-Hectos. Captain of the Guards. It is pleasure to meet you, milady.""I am Jackson. We are grateful for the opportunity to meet with you, milady. Please forgive us if we miss any formalities."Hectos was kneeling as Jackson was introducing himself.'Whew. He knows what he needs to do at least.'Jackson let out a small sigh. Sunsook stood up."I'm going in.""Yes, Mother."Joonbum answered as he bowed his head to his mother. Sunsook and Mayze stood up and walked inside, disappearing from sight."Rise."Joonbum ordered Hectos and Jackson to stand up."I guess I don't need to introduce myself again.""Yes? Oh, yes, of course."Hectos flinched and answered quickly. Joonbum then asked Jackson, "Do you know why I summoned you?"Jackson answered as Hectos hesitated to answer the question."I-is this related to the feast?"Joonbum drank his tea and turned to Jackson."You're smart. I heard you're the brains, right Jackson?"It was a compliment, but it made Jackson shiver. He was a noble from a foreign country that visited the village just a day ago, but he seemed to know about him already."It's alright. Captain Hectos, I have a favor to ask of you.""Huh? T-to me?""Yes. It's not much. As Jackson said, there will be a feast. Isn't it wonderful? All the people of Khaloda Village will come out and enjoy the food. Even the hungry kids will get to eat it to their fill. The Ainos people are buying stuff in bulk to prepare, so that's another good thing. Isn't it wonderful?""R-right. That is true, milord.""But I am worried that there might be ruffians who want to mess up all the happiness that the people will enjoy. I am really worried. What do you think of that?""B-but I can't move the guards on a private matter…""Private matter? What do you mean?"Hectos flinched as Joonbum asked coldly. Jackson intervened."W-We will do our best to keep our village safe. We will dispatch more guards to protect the villagers at the feast also."The air softened. It felt like the cold air had warmed up instantly.'That's weird. I almost felt a chill…' Hectos thought as he experienced unnatural coldness disappearing at Jackson's reassurance.'The A/C proved to be useful.'Joonbum smiled at the thought of the airless A/C that was being used."Great. Now that you solved my concerns, I will reward you. You will see a gift for yourself and for Count Brant Khalodian, the lord of this town. The gift I'm sending to the count is very fragile so be extra careful with it while you deliver it to him. You are now dismissed."Hectos and Jackson bowed and walked out."This is from Sir Joonbum. This is for you two and this here has to be delivered to the lord, Count Khalodian."They opened the beautifully-crafted wooden box that was given to them to find two bottles of liquor with two clear glass cups in the middle."This is liquor made by the Count Christos family. You cannot get these on this side of the continent. Even the emperors have not tasted such liquor. The glass that holds it is also crafted by master crafters. You can use the bottle after you finish it all, so be very careful. It's the same with those glasses. They're nothing like those steel or wooden cups that you use. You have to clean it afterward and prevent it from dropping or let it get hit with similar impact. It will shatter." Pav explained as Hectos watched in awe. Jackson also was very shocked by the gift. The inside of the RV was full of stuff they had never seen, but this gift was also amazing. Pav grinned and opened another box that was to be sent to the Count.The bigger wooden box contained a tea set and a porcelain kettle."This is the gift to the Count. It's pretty firmly made, but any hard impact with metal or a rock will break it. Pick out your finest soldier and move it with caution."Both men nodded and called their soldiers to move the gifts. They carefully moved the box out of the campsite."Hey Pav, you're so cool!""You look like us from before."Other warriors complimented his work.*"This way…""That's here!"Many people moved into the campsite. It was not a small feast. Two hundred Kuku were being prepared. Men began covering the Kuku meat with flour and dumped them into the basin full of boiling oil.The smell of fried Kuku meat filled the area. As tens of basins let out such a smell, the entire village was filled with the smell. It was the day before the feast, but people gathered to take a look. The kids in particular were watching from the outside with their mouths full of saliva.There were a lot of stores who began moving their food into the campsite. They were concerned about Donian, but they had to sell it when the Ainos wanted to buy it in bulk. It was also supposed to be free to eat on the day of the feast, so they had no problems with selling it to them.There was also the smell of bread being baked. It was not the hardened black bread villagers were used to. The bread was being piled up in large amounts.Also, an old Duran that was no longer able to pull carriages was killed for the meat. The meat was sliced off its bones and the bones were thrown into a basin to create a broth.