Chapter 19: Mission

“What happened?”

“Where did that loud bang come from just now?”

Hearing the commotion, the nearby Note militia drew their weapons and rushed toward the scene.

“It’s nothing. I just fired a blank to teach an disobedient dog a lesson,” Gavin said to the leading militia squad leader.

“So it was Master Gavin and Captain Aust. Fine, fine, it’s nothing. Everyone disperse, disperse! There’s nothing to see here.” The squad leader was quick to read the room; as he led his men away, he also shooed the onlookers. Before leaving, he didn't forget to whisper a warning, “Master, please watch your restraint. Don't go too far and make it difficult for us to explain things to the Captain. You know what his temperament is like.”

No one spoke up for Aust; there was only schadenfreude. This fellow had never been popular in Note Fort, as he and Roan had frequently engaged in bullying the common folk.

“I understand,” Gavin nodded, giving a perfunctory reply.

“Gavin * Note!” Aust roared in fury, suddenly standing up with eyes wide and glaring like a man-eating bear.

“What? Want to try again?” The gnome blunderbuss, which had just been reloaded, was pressed against Aust's forehead once more. “Either drop your belt and get lost, or gamble on where I’ll hit you next.”

“You... you... you...” Aust gnashed his teeth, unable to even finish a coherent threat. Finally, through gritted teeth, he spat, “Fine, you win. Take it. Today's debt will be settled sooner or later.”

Aust unbuckled his combat potion belt and turned to leave; staying any longer would only bring more humiliation. However, he found that the damn brat was still clutching his leg and wouldn't let go. His rage nearly made his head explode, but fearing further provocation, he gritted his teeth and said, “Kid, you can let go now.”

Startled, Gavin hurriedly pulled a bottle of Wound Healing potion from Aust's combat belt, pried Darren's mouth open, and poured it down his throat.

Gavin made Aust leave the combat belt behind. The humiliation was secondary; his main goal was the potions within. He had scavenged only two bottles from the Note family treasury—one for light wounds and one for medium wounds—and both had been exhausted in previous battles. Such consumables were always used up quickly, and even the Note family treasury didn't have much surplus.

As for the rest, Gavin took the belt and the remaining potions and strapped them to his own waist. Compared to his own ordinary one, Aust's was a deluxe model. Not only were the materials sturdier, but it could hold up to twelve potion bottles—double the capacity of a standard one. It was packed full; even if they weren't healing potions, they were other magical concoctions, worth thousands of gold pieces alone.

It was no wonder that when he unbuckled the belt, Aust's expression looked worse than if his parents had died.

A few seconds later, Darren woke from his unconsciousness. The first thing he said upon seeing Gavin was, “Master, I have completed the task you entrusted to me.”

“Very good, very good. You can let go now,” Gavin said, giving Darren's shoulder a firm squeeze.

He hadn't expected that a simple gate-guarding task would nearly cost Darren his life. The boy was truly stubbornly admirable. It was a pity his path didn't lie here; otherwise, Gavin would have certainly found a way to cultivate him properly.

It was thanks to that very stubbornness that Aust hadn't ruined Gavin's plans. All the things he had worked on for a day and a night were still in the carriage.

Gavin wasn't afraid that a fool like Aust could understand what he had written; he was afraid that Aust wouldn't understand and would burn it just to spite him. Although he could rewrite it, his itinerary would certainly be disrupted, and he had many important matters to attend to. He had no time to play these childish games of internal strife.

“Disperse!” Gavin waved his hand, clearing the crowd. “Darren, come with me.”

“This isn't appropriate, Master,” Darren said. Although he was dying to know what secrets Gavin was hiding in the carriage, he felt a bit hesitant given their respective statuses.

“I told you to come in, so come in. Given your performance just now, I have another task for you.” Gavin had fully recognized Darren's character and intended to include him in his next phase of the plan.

“Another task?” Darren's interest was instantly piqued, even forgetting the fact that he had just been beaten half to death.

“Keep this book for me. When the time is right, hand it over to Captain Zaranda.” Gavin solemnly handed Darren a book about a fist thick, bound together with rawhide cord.

Although Gavin had tried his best to select high-quality parchment and cut them to uniform sizes, there was a significant color difference between the parchment and the kraft paper. Combined with the age of the pages, the mixture gave the book a strange, historical flavor.

Originally, Gavin had thought about crafting a magnificent bronze cover for the book.

On second thought, Zaranda wasn't the type of person who cared only for appearances; the important part was the content inside.

“The right time?” Darren blinked, looking bewildered. “What do you mean by the right time?”

“That's simple. Later, you will continue to guard my carriage. No matter what happens outside, do not leave until Captain Zaranda arrives at my carriage. Then, give her this book and tell her it was left specifically for her and that she must read it,” Gavin instructed. “Do not peek at it yourself. Keep this a secret. Do not mention it to anyone except Captain Zaranda. Understood?”

“Understood,” Darren nodded, though he didn't quite grasp the full weight of it.

“Very good. This combat belt is yours.” Gavin tossed the retired, ordinary combat potion belt to Darren.

“I can't take this. How can I accept such a valuable gift?” Darren shook his head repeatedly. Although he didn't know the exact value of the belt, he knew it was expensive—at least many Note militia members didn't even own one.

“This is your task remuneration. If you don't accept it, I'll have to rescind the second task. Only by accepting it can our employment contract take effect,” Gavin threatened.

“Alright!” Darren was, after all, just a child, and his emotions were written all over his face. He took the combat belt, unable to put it down, and carefully strapped it to his waist.

No boy could refuse a prize like that.

Gavin gathered up the nearby manuscripts and stuffed them toward Darren. “These drafts are yours. How much you learn from them depends on yourself. Also, if Captain Zaranda doesn't accept my gift, or if she doesn't care and tosses it aside, remember to pick it up and keep it safe for me. When that happens, you can read through them as you please.”

Although the latter two possibilities were low, Gavin had to consider them. After all, what he was about to do would touch upon Zaranda's bottom line. He couldn't predict how she would react; if she took her anger out on others, anything could happen.

If that situation arose, Gavin would rather let this boy, whom he had acknowledged, benefit than let it fall into the hands of irrelevant people.