Chapter 24: Casper’s Report!
When Lord Ashbel watched his beloved soldier slay the lizard monster and saw the kill notification that followed, he felt a wave of overwhelming joy. At last — some spoils to compensate for his losses.
But his joy lasted no more than a single second.
He watched his elite soldier suddenly collapse, clutching his flank in pain. Then he saw the cursed humans emerge from behind a rock formation like death's own shadows, hunting his terrified soldiers like flies.
Ashbel froze in place, all four of his eyes flooding with confusion — especially at the last soldier. He was right there in front of him, only two steps from the protective barrier. Ashbel could see the hope in the soldier's eyes, could see the protective barrier drawing closer…
Then the spear pierced the soldier's back and burst out through his chest with violent force. Ashbel was far too close. Close enough that both his faces were splattered with blood — warm droplets ran down his cheeks as he witnessed the death of his last soldier with wide, unblinking eyes.
Ashbel fell hard onto his back, his gaze fixed blankly at the sky, with nothing left inside him but despair filling his entire being.
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The sorrows and joys of men are nothing alike.
At this same time, Kaiden stood at the newly expanded borders of his territory. The sun had begun to set on the horizon, and the shadows around him grew long. He gazed into the distance with visible concern on his face. Could something have gone wrong with them? he thought to himself, his mind beginning to sketch grim scenarios. This world was full of dangers, darkness was drawing near, and so all pessimistic thoughts had begun seeping into his mind in a way he could not control.
Suddenly — consecutive notifications appeared before his eyes, dispersing all the dark thoughts within him:
[System Notification: Your forces under Golan's command have slain a Bronze-tier alien warrior of the "Twin-Headed" race. Reward: ×2 Origin Points.]
[System Notification: Your forces under Golan's command have slain a Bronze-tier alien warrior of the "Twin-Headed" race. Reward: ×3 Origin Points.]
Then the quest completion notification for the last mission of the day followed:
[Quest "Valuable Hunt!" Completed! Reward dispatched to the Lord's inventory: Black Iron Treasure Chest ×1.]
And that wasn't the end — the notifications kept coming:
[System Notification: Your forces under Golan's command have slain a Bronze-tier alien warrior of the "Twin-Headed" race. Reward: ×3 Origin Points.]
[System Notification: Your forces under Golan's command have slain a Black Iron-tier alien warrior of the "Twin-Headed" race. Reward: ×8 Origin Points.]
Kaiden's smile widened as he tallied the fallen through the notifications. Four kills in total. Three Bronze-tier units and one Black Iron-tier unit — an elite. The quest's requirements had only been to kill two, yet his forces had doubled that count.
Kaiden had no complaints. On the contrary — the quest was an added bonus. What truly mattered was that the neighboring territory had been weakened to its absolute limit, and that was all that counted.
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In the end, Golan and the rest of the team returned as darkness fell, laden with spoils: the bodies of four Twin-Headed soldiers — one of them visibly massive — along with their weapons and full equipment, in addition to the body of the large lizard monster.
Kaiden was there to receive them, welcoming their return with warmth. He walked side by side with Golan, who began recounting the details of what had happened. Kaiden listened with great interest, and when he heard the story of the bait, he nodded with appreciation. He hadn't expected Ashbel to be this cautious. I mustn't underestimate anyone, or I'll regret it later, he thought to himself.
He was impressed by Golan's strategic patience and praised him with genuine words of commendation. Golan responded with his customary flattery: "All of this is thanks to the Lord's wise guidance," and other such words of praise. Kaiden burst out laughing. Truly, this soldier was skilled at carrying out missions — and skilled at flattery. He was fortunate to have recruited him to his side.
Kaiden distributed words of praise to every member of the expedition team, thanking each one by name. He then sent them to Sidra's tavern, specifically requesting that she prepare a lavish dinner for them that night. They had earned it.
As for himself, he turned and headed toward the Lord's Hall.
There, Casper was waiting for him. The Head Steward stood ruler-straight, hands clasped behind his back, posture impeccably upright. When he saw the Lord approaching, he calmly brought his hands from behind his back — a simple ledger in one hand. He placed his free hand on his chest and bowed with a respectful inclination.
Kaiden smiled at the sight. How different this was from Golan's fawning salute. Both were loyal — but each had his own way.
When Kaiden reached him, Casper said in his measured voice: "Your humble servant presents his report, my lord."
Kaiden nodded and gestured with his hand for him to begin. Upon receiving permission, Casper opened the ledger and began speaking in an organized and precise manner:
"My lord, I have conducted a comprehensive census of all residents. The Lord currently commands a total of 48 residents. Among them, 22 are villagers — three of whom had their rank upgraded by the Lord today — with their resource-gathering efficiency having more than doubled."
Kaiden nodded and listened with interest.
Casper continued, turning a page in his ledger: "There are also 8 craftsmen. Four of them have reached the maximum level for their rank and are awaiting the Lord's blessing to upgrade. They are: Hook the Blacksmith, Masmar the Carpenter, Joel the Butcher, and Sidra the Cook."
Kaiden was taken aback. What remarkable progress. A memory from that morning came to mind — when he had shown Hook the Blacksmith the mithril units. Hook had excitedly told him it was a precious and rare metal used to craft weapons with special effects, but then shook his head in regret, saying that at his current rank he was incapable of crafting weapons incorporating mithril. Tomorrow, Kaiden thought. The first thing I'll do tomorrow morning is upgrade them.
Casper continued his report: "As for combat units, the Lord commands a total of 17 combat units in service: 10 militia and 7 elite soldiers. I have not yet tallied the levels of the elite soldiers, as six of them were on a combat mission — with only the shield-bearer remaining in reserve, who is currently at Level Three."
Casper raised his eyes for a moment to confirm the Lord was still listening, then continued: "As for the militia soldiers, one individual by the name of Rob has reached the maximum level for his rank and is awaiting the Lord's blessing."
Upon hearing Rob's name, a warm smile spread across Kaiden's face. He still remembered — just two days ago — that shy warrior carrying out his comical monster-taunting maneuvers. It was rather like watching a child grow up before one's eyes. Kaiden gestured to Casper to continue his report.
Casper nodded and went on: "Regarding the territory's production progress today: 380 units of stone and 310 units of wood were gathered, along with an additional 20 units of stone and 15 units of wood under the effect of the territory aura."
He then proceeded to detail each craftsman's achievements individually:
"The blacksmith produced 7 new tools, two of which were farming implements.
The carpenter completed the large barrel and 3 new tools.
Butcher Joel finished dissecting 4 monster carcasses, extracting a total of 128 units of meat. 25 units were sent to Sidra's tavern, with the remainder placed in the warehouse temporarily for transfer to the Lord's inventory. Other useful parts were distributed among the relevant craftsmen.
The leatherworker completed the tanning of 5 hides.
The tailor finished preparing 3 leather armor pieces derived from lizard hide, making them sturdy armor capable of absorbing heavy blows.
The bone carver is currently processing and converting the feathers of both eagle monsters into arrows, having produced 20 arrows so far.
The alchemist completed two batches of potions — a Speed Potion batch and a Stamina Potion batch.
As for farming progress — it is proceeding well. All seeds have germinated into small, healthy seedlings."
Casper closed the ledger quietly and looked directly at Kaiden: "And that concludes today's report, my lord."
The report was enormously useful to Kaiden. He felt the true value of this capable steward, who had transformed the chaos of information in his mind into clear and organized figures. Kaiden was not stingy with his praise: "You have done demanding work, Casper. Your report has lifted a great deal of worry from my shoulders. Well done."
Casper bowed without the faintest hint of pride crossing his face, and said quietly: "It is my duty to serve the Lord."
Kaiden smiled and looked outside, where the sky had darkened completely. His stomach had begun to growl. After a long and productive day of work — it was time for dinner.
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— End of Chapter Twenty-Four —