Next Morning
The shelter where Lucan was sleeping was small and not soundproof, so voices often drifted inside. Most of the time, Lucan woke up because of those sounds, though sometimes he woke on his own.
This morning, he woke to the sound of Nors and the old man talking. Their voices were loud enough for him to catch pieces of the conversation. Lucan rubbed his eyes, noticed the light filtering in, and stood up. A moment later, he stepped outside his home.
There, he saw Nors and the old man speaking near the fifth shelter. Lucan's was the third one, yet the sound had carried all the way. He caught fragments like, "So how did this happen to you?" from Nors, to which the old man replied, "I will tell this to the lord, sir. Why don't you just wait a bit?"
They were clearly speaking about what had happened to the old man. Around them, others were also stirring—Dalia was talking with the little girl, while Alian clung to his mother's side. Kenny was pacing back and forth, enjoying the view and stretching his body with some light movements.
Seeing all this gave Lucan a good picture of the morning. But first, he grabbed the water bucket kept just outside his shelter. It was there so he could wash his face the moment he stepped out. After splashing his face with the cool water, he walked toward Nors and the old man.
The old man spotted Lucan and immediately hurried over. The distance wasn't far, so Lucan didn't have to wait long. Though the old man struggled to walk, he still managed to reach him in a few seconds, with Nors following behind at an easier pace.
"Lord, thank you for helping us last night," the old man said earnestly. "I did not see your face clearly then, but now, seeing you—lord, it is truly great of you. I don't know what I would have done if you had not accepted us into this small village."
Lucan didn't enjoy being praised for what he saw as a simple deed. "It's not much, old man. I only helped because I couldn't just leave someone to die in this land—especially when you came directly to this small village of mine, as you put it."
With that, he ended the gratitude there.
"Lord, I know your name from Nors Silan, but you don't know mine," the old man continued.
Lucan nodded. "I thought I had forgotten something, but you've reminded me. So, old man—what happened to you? Start with your name first."
The old man drew a breath to answer, but Nors, unable to hold his tongue, interrupted. "Lord, when did you help him? Last night, he and the girl weren't here. Did it happen while we were asleep?"
"Yes," Lucan replied calmly. "When you were sleeping, they came in truly bad condition. I didn't think too much and simply helped them stay here, saying I would hear what happened the next day." He paused, then added with a firmer tone, "And Nors, stay quiet for a moment, alright? After hearing what happened to him, we can talk again—about the work you'll do."
Nors straightened and gave a knight-like salute. "Yes, lord. I will stay quiet." He turned toward the old man. "Now, speak. Lord is here."
"I was going to, if you hadn't interrupted us," the old man replied with a smirk. Nors ignored the jab, and the old man continued after a breath.
"Lord, my name is Cedric Laynor, and my granddaughter's name is Lyra Laynor. I was a gardener, not too far from here in the state of Fineras. I worked in the gardens of a mansion with Lyra's help. Every day was peaceful, and we were happy—until a problem came."
His eyes darkened.
"The mansion lord's son was a lecherous man. Not old—about your age, lord. When he grew bored of other girls, he saw Lyra working in the garden and set his eyes on her."
"What? That bastard looked at this cute girl in such a way? If I were there, I would have killed him!" Nors burst out, his emotions boiling over. But when neither Lucan nor Cedric said anything, he fell silent.
Cedric pressed on. "His name was Aeris. He first asked Lyra many times to take his hand, but she rejected him every time. Then one day, when he saw Lyra alone, he dismissed his guards and tried to force himself on her. I was nearby, watching. Rage consumed me, and I couldn't bear it. I grabbed the grass cutter and stabbed Aeris in the heart before he could touch her.
"But afterward, I realized what I had done… killing a lord's son meant certain death for me."
"Of course," Nors muttered, his face wet with tears but also strangely relieved.
"So I grabbed Lyra's hand and ran—ran as fast as I could. I never looked back to see if we were followed. Sometimes we ran, sometimes we walked, but with no food or water, our condition worsened until we became like this. I only hope Aeris's family won't send knights after us. I don't even want to think of him, even if he's dead."
The weight of his story lifted from him slightly, though Lucan noticed his expression had shifted at certain points. Lucan felt sorry for them both. 'If a lord's son is such a scumbag, then what of his father? His workers? Will they all be the same?' he thought.
"But Cedric," Lucan said slowly, "I think you didn't tell me everything. It looked like you deliberately skipped something. Your face changed when you mentioned Aeris."
Cedric faltered. "Lord… there isn't anything. Perhaps I just forgot." His voice was shaky, tinged with fear.
Lucan fixed him with a steady gaze. "I don't know what you're hiding, but if it's something that could bring danger to us, I need to know. I won't let your secret become our downfall."
Before Eldrin could reply, Nors spoke up. "Lord, whatever Cedric is hiding can be discussed another time. I don't think he means us harm. He could have left after you gave him shelter, but he stayed. That means he trusts us."
"Yes, lord," Cedric added quickly. "I swear, I will not let any harm befall on us because of me. I only want Lyra and me to live here peacefully."
Lucan thought for a few moments, then nodded. "If you truly mean that, then I'll let you stay. Work here as you did as a gardener, and I won't send you away. But later, we'll speak again about what you're hiding."
Cedri's face brightened with relief. "Lord, no matter how much I thank you, it will never be enough. I will work, and if that isn't enough, I'll help in other ways. I will repay this debt."
"You don't need to think like that," Lucan replied. "Just help when I ask. For now, there is one thing you can work on. But first, Cedric, call your granddaughter over."
Though he didn't know Lucan well, Eldrin believed this lord would not harm them. He gestured to Lyra, and the girl immediately understood.
Lyra bowed to Dalia and ran over with a smile. She bowed again before Lucan, then shyly looked aside before gathering her courage to face him. His handsome face made her heart flutter, but she forced the thought away and whispered softly—so softly that only Lucan could hear:
"Sir Lucan, thank you for helping my grandpa. I don't even know how to repay you. My grandpa can't do heavy work because of his age, but I can help you instead, sir."
Lucan studied her face, then Cedric's, before speaking. "Your grandpa isn't as weak as you think. This land has a healing effect—it restores vitality. So don't worry too much."
Lyra, who was about Alian's age, believed his words wholeheartedly, though Cedric knew better.
Lucan put that aside and opened his system screen.
[Blueprint Store (Tier 1)]
[Teahouse – 250 CP]
[Smithy – 250 CP]
[Farming Plot – 50 CP]
[Well – 100 CP]
[Warehouse – 200 CP]
There were many options, but Lucan focused only on farming. He purchased the farming plot blueprint.
[-50 CP]
[Farming Plot Purchased]
'If it's like this, then we'll need to prepare accordingly,' Lucan thought, studying the blueprint in his mind.
He turned to Nors. "Nors, we need to make the farming plot. Call Kenny here."
"Yes, lord!" Nors answered, then walked a short distance away and shouted, "Kenny! Come here, lord has work for us!"
Kenny, who had been pacing around, immediately came over.
"Now," Lucan said, drawing in the dirt with a stick, "with you, Nors, and Cedric, we'll make the farming plot here." He explained the plan step by step.
Lyra, too young to join the labor, ran back toward Dalia and Alian near the ninth shelter. "Grandpa, I'm going to Dalia aunty, okay?" she called, and Cedric nodded.
Once the plan was clear, Nors, Kenny, and Cedric began working together.
"You three start here. I'll go get tools from Ronan," Lucan said, but just then, Evan approached with a shovel in hand and a bundle of tools.
"Lord," Evan greeted warmly, "I've recovered fully. Now I can work with my family and help you. You don't need to labor yourself—just give the orders."
Lucan smiled faintly. "No, I won't accept that. Let me help too." He took one of the tools from Evan's hands.
Together—Evan, Lucan, Kenny, Nors, and Cedric—they built the farming plot. The area wasn't large, so it didn't take long.
[Farming Plot Made – +60 CP, +6 LP]
The system confirmed completion.
As everyone rested, Lucan glanced at the store again.
[Purchase Grass Seeds – Y/N]
He chose yes.
[-10 CP]
Grass seeds appeared in Lucan's inventory. With a simple gesture of his hand, they materialized into a bag, weighing exactly 100g—just as listed in the store.
Cedric was stunned. Evan, who also saw it, stood frozen in disbelief. He had heard from Dalia that his lord could make things appear out of nowhere, but witnessing it with his own eyes was entirely different from hearing it secondhand.
Nors and Kenny, however, remained calm. They already knew their lord could do such things. To them, it was nothing surprising.
Lucan pointed at the bag of seeds and said to Cedric, "Here, this bag is filled with 100g of grass seeds. First, you'll need to grow these. That way, I can get a clear picture of your ability to cultivate crops. If I wanted, I could give you vegetable seeds or other varieties, but since they take more time to grow, I'll hold off for now."
"Lord, you're entrusting me with this—I'm happy for that. I'll grow them quickly so you can provide me with other seeds soon," Cedric replied with a bright smile, though his body still showed signs of exhaustion.
"Cedric, correct me if I'm wrong," Lucan continued. "Now that the farming plot has been made, the soil here should be fertile enough. Why don't we sow the seeds right away? You can tend to them afterward."
Cedric paused for a moment, then nodded. "Lord, you're right. We just need to sow the seeds now. After that, I'll take care of them all day."
"Kenny, Nors, Evan—let's help Cedric sow the seeds first. After that, we can rest," Lucan said, standing up and picking up the bag. As soon as he rose, the others followed.
"Lord, do we have to do all the work? Why not leave something for Cedric?" Nors asked, his tone sounding tired. It wasn't true exhaustion—just him acting.
Cedric smirked and replied, "Sir, I'm just an old man in poor condition. What can I even do? At best, I can lend some light help to the lord, but nothing more. You, however, are younger than me, so you should handle it."
This time, Nors couldn't ignore him. "I'm not that young, you know. I have a son—and even a grandson—growing up. And you're calling me young? You must be joking," he shot back.
Cedric stayed quiet after that—not because of Nors, but because Lucan handed him some seeds. He began sowing them, scattering the grains evenly across the soil rather than digging with his hands.
Lucan distributed seeds to the others as well. Though the first bag was only 100g, he purchased another bag of grass seeds to ensure there was enough for everyone to sow.