"Did you send the letters?" Kairon queried, folding his arms to his chest and leaning on the table in his study room. He looked at Varn, trying to hide his excitement of going to his favourite novel clichés. The Magic Academy!
"Yes. It's been half a week by now, so it must have reached them. To be honest, it would be so much better if we had the phones. The messenger's are so slow." Varn hurriedly replied, checking a number of documents while trying to focus on Kairon.
Kairon paused. "..eh? Phones?"
Varn caught the glimpse of his hesitation.
"What?"
Kairon quickly hid his nervousness, trying to cover it up with a question. "I-I.. mean.. aren't they expensive?"
"Well... They undoubtedly are.." Varn mumbled.
"Stop dreaming random nonsense and focus. How's the condition of the citizens?" Kairon approached Varn, throwing his hands in unslightly manners.
"Ah. It's.. You could say it's normal, or rather not good. Like the people can live, for now that is."
"Since this is the only town with a living population, we are only focusing on only this. Although, the capital used to be a different one. I think it would be better to change it to this for now."
Kairon nodded, rubbing his chin while indulging in deep thoughts. He looked up at Varn and replied.
"Sure. I will write the papers. Ah. Now that I think about it. Since we are heading to the Academy anyways, we could give it to His Highness on the way. What a lucky coincidence."
Varn scratched his head. "We? Who's going to look after the viscounty if you, as well as me aren't present?"
"Jig" Kairon replied without hesitation.
Varn hesitated. He scratched his ears, believing he had heard wrong. "Repeat that again, please?"
"Jig. The clown."
Varn snapped "I think you are the clown here!! Do you seriously think a random jester can be trusted? Are you stupid? No. You are! Idiot. Weirdo. Strange eyes."
"Stop insulting me. Also, my eyes are beautiful. Curse them again, and I will put a curse on you." Kairon replied, his voice harsher at the last words.
"Ah.. about curses. I put a curse on Jig."
"Are you a demon or what?"
"It's just a contract." Kairon reassureed.
Varn sighed, then—started laughing at kairon for thinking a simple contract would actually make someone listen to him.
"Seriously?! What kind of contract is it? A blood contract?" He mocked, laughing even harder.
"Yes."
Varn went silent. Cleaning his ears once again before Kairon interrupted him.
"You didn't hear wrong. It's a blood contract." Kairon reassureed. Although it wasn't really reassuring.
"How do you have so many blood contracts? I mean, isn't Elira also under your blood contract?"
"No."
Varn stared at the ground, trying to recall exactly what happened at that time. He glanced back, looking a little confused, mostly guilty.
"..M...Me?" He uttered, like he didn't wanted to let those words out. They just came out like vomit. Embarrassing. Ugly.
Kairon nodded.
Varn gulped, he started shivering. "She will kill me. Yeah. She will. God damn she will. I mean, she looks good in red hair too. No. That's not it. I won't be alive to see that. Oh shit."
"Calm down. The contract removes the ability to kill the opposite side. That means you won't be able to kill her." He paused, a sly smirk appearing on his face "you couldn't do that anyways." He mockingly laughed, before calming and explaining the rest, "..and she won't be able to kill you. So you are all good."
He snapped his fingers, smiling ear to ear for no absolute reason. "Ah! Beating to near death doesn't count."
A single tear fell out of Varn's bang-shadowed face.
Kairon suddenly noticed something strange.
"Wait?! Bangs? Wasn't Varn balding?" Kairon took a closer look at Varn's hair, realising it was regrowing.
"Eh? When did your hair grow back? Weren't you balding?" He went ahead and grabbed Varn's hair with unnecessarily high amount of strength. Almost like he wanted to pluck them out. Out of jealousy. Pure, unrefined, jealousy.
Why? Well, In his previous world, as a student of economics, he was balding at the ripe age of 21. And this bastard! This god damn bastard grew his hair back?
Varn strongly resisted, but the strength of a furious man was no joke.
Kairon raised his voice, almost tearing up from envy. "H-How.. How old are you?!"
Varn pushed Kairon back to his desk, patting his own head with strange possesiveness. His eyes, already teared up, now gouging water like a tap.
"Geez!.. Why are you so angry!? I am 26!"
Varn's words hit Kairon like a truck, a heavy truck full of garbage, and the garbage fell on his. The unhealthy amount of humiliation was saddening. His legs gave out, and so did his heart.
Varn couldn't help but stare, he could instinctively feel that fact that he shouldn't intervene in Kairon's sorrow.
---
After a long set of complaining over a man growing his hair back, Kairon headed straight towards the townspeople. 54 families, equaling 54 houses out of the 72. The net population was 274 exactly.
Now, as victims of migration. They obviously couldn't pay taxes immediately. And so, he gave them jobs.
Agriculture. It is said to be the backbone of economy, in any country. The first way of civilization is building a good foundation for food and water. Thankfully, A river passed down right next to the town. The water was no issue. The crops were.
The ratio of people to feed, and the ratio of crop production was too low. So, Kairon had to pay the prices himself. It took some time to adapt, but the people were hardworking.
With a labour of around 100 men, and even a handful of women(Yes, even Elira helped), the agricultural revenue was getting decent.
However, Depending solely on agriculture is not good. Since the monsoon days were over and the winter was here. It was okay for now.
But summer is the worst time of the year for farmers. Since agriculture is a seasonal dependent means, it wouldn't be wrong to say they wouldn't last long.
Fortunately, the river was there. But depending on a river with unknown origin is risky.
Kairon kept explaining everything to Varn as they patroled throughout the town. Visiting house, checking on the people.
"House number 47, huh.." Kairon glanced at the paper, then at the plate next to the door on the house.
(House number: 47)
"I thought I told everyone to put up their names next to the plates? What's up with this one?" Kairon side-eyed Varn, expecting him to give an answer.
Varn shook his heading, gesturing his hands in confusion. "Dunno. I do remember their name. I think they were orphans. Two siblings, brother and sister. I remember the little kids name to be Aurelia. And the brother... Uh.. I forgot."
"Seriously? What a great memory you have." Kairon mocked, knocking on the door in the process.
"Thanks." Varn rubbed his back of the neck in embarrassment, smiling awkwardly.
"That was sarcastic."
Varn's face straightened. He put his hand in pocket, trying to act nonchalant.
Kairon chuckled. Before he could knock again, the door opened. A man, slightly taller than him, and with a greater build, emerged out of the door. Kairon's eyes first fell on his cloths, the man was wearing an unwashed dark green cloth, however it's appearance was captivating.
Kairon looked up at his face, eyes widening in surprise.
A handsome face, with golden-blue eyes and light blue hair stared back at him, expression of gloom and confusion filled in his eyes.
But the handsomeness wasn't the issue here. The man was.
That man, was a character. An important character of the story. And also one the strongest.
Aldryn Everhart. The silent starlight.