Bookworld Online: Marsh Man

Bokuboy

Lunch was an interesting affair. Since I had a special food card, I could eat what I wanted from the gold and silver tables and even request anything from the cooks. I wasn't going to be a bastard about it, though. I choose several nice dishes and filled my plate before handing it to Gella. She gave me raised eyebrows before accepting it and I filled another plate. When we sat down at a table by ourselves, Robin Jackson, the head cook, brought out their best wine.

“Please join us.” I said and she blushed.

“Of... of course, my lord. Thank you for the invitation.” Robin said and went to the gold table to gather similar food to my own, so she could also share in the wine, and came back. I held out her chair for her, making her blush again, and sat down to continue eating.

“You know I'm supposed to be guarding you.” Gella whispered as she ate.

“I'm only in danger of being verbally assaulted.” I said without turning to look at the girls staring at me.

“My lord.” Robin said. “I've heard... an odd rumor about you.”

Gella laughed softly and didn't say anything before she kept eating.

“Does it concern a certain young woman that visited my current living space?” I asked and she nodded. “I don't know what the entire rumor states; but, I can confirm that I did avail myself of her bountiful breasts and reassured her that they functioned quite well, despite her own opinion of them.”

Robin's face flushed to a deep red and she ducked her head and took several sips of wine.

We stayed quiet for the rest of the meal, only exchanging the occasional look. Robin would blush each time she met my eyes and that didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

I picked up the glass of wine. “Thank you for joining me for lunch, Miss Jackson.”

Robin blushed as she raised her own glass. “R-Robin. You can call me Robin.”

“I can't presume to use your first name.” I said and emptied the wine glass.

“My lord, I would be honored.” Robin said.

“It doesn't bother you that I've killed so many and my skin and hair are whiter than paper?”

Robin shook her head. “You are Lord Drake, no matter what happened to you or what you've done.”

I smiled and stood as I took her hand. “If only everyone was as accommodating as you, I would have had a much better time here in the capital, Robin.”

“Th-thank you, my lord. I...” Robin said and then gasped as I kissed her hand and shared some magic with her. Her necklace lit up as it became fully charged and then it activated, covering us in a very thick and obscuring fog and blocked any outside sounds. “My LORD!”

“Interesting.” I said and let her hand go to look around.

“It's almost thick enough to touch.” Gella said and took out a dagger to swipe at the fog. It split slightly and then filled back in. “It actually is thick enough to touch.”

I reached out and tried to put my fingers into it and felt resistance. “It's actually become a full barrier and not just the misty fog it's supposed to be.”

Robin stood and walked forward to try touching it herself and the fog barrier moved with her, centered on her necklace. “I can't try that myself.”

“Sometimes we can't all have what we want.” Gella said and stood. “My lord, you have Botany next.”

I nodded and reached for Robin's necklace. She didn't try to avoid my hand and I smiled as I touched the necklace with a finger. I pulled my magic back from it and the fog barrier started to fade away as the enchantment deactivated.

“It's never done that before.” Robin said.

“It might not have been fully charged before.” I said. “I'll see if I can fix that for you.”

Robin looked surprised. “My lord?”

“I can tell your necklace enchantment has several inherent errors stopping it from working fully like it just did. My magic essentially overcharged it and forced it to work at full capacity.” I touched it again and spoke. “Minor Repair.”

A lot of people in the cafeteria gasped when her necklace glowed and changed from its current condition to a pristine one.

“There. I believe it should work fine now.” I said.

Robin just stared at the necklace as if she had never seen it before.

“Have a good day.” I said.

Robin nodded without looking up at me and I left her at the table.

Gella followed me out of the room and down the stairs. “They are all talking about you now.”

I shrugged and kept walking. The whispered comments didn't really bother me because I had learned a long time ago to ignore them, even with my vigilance technique going constantly.

We made it to the botany building and went inside. I hadn't treated my new uniform with waterproofing potion yet, so I took off the uniform jacket and Gella tucked it into her backpack. She pulled out a pair of normal pants for me and I stripped my uniform pants off and put them on. I also gave her my two swords to strap to her hips. I kept my bandoleer on and we walked through the building's growing area to Victoria's office and knocked on her door.

“Just a minute!” Victoria said. A few moments later, she opened the door. She wore a thick apron over her thin blouse and loose pants.

Gella had to turn away to hide her laugh at such an obvious attempt at covering up.

“I hope you're ready for an extensive review!” Victoria said, a bit more excitedly than she normally would.

I nodded and entered her office. Gella came in as well and shut the door.

Over the rest of the afternoon, Victoria told me exactly what was going to be on the exam and gave me several pages of notes to read over on procedures and replanting techniques.

“Thank you.” I said as Gella tucked the notes into the backpack. “I'll read through everything tonight in my dorm room.”

“Oh? They gave you an assignment this close to exams?” Victoria asked.

“It will be easier to have me this close to the academy for the next two weeks, just so I'm not wasting so much time travelling from here to the Sanctuary several times a day.”

“That does make sense.” Victoria said.

“It's going to severely cut down on his work at the Sanctuary.” Gella said. “We can't hold it against him, though. He's done so much for us already.”

I sighed slightly. “If Greta hadn't decided to run away and go back to work without telling me...”

“She didn't!” Victoria gasped.

“It set my lord on this path and now he must see it through. Everything he had planned has been delayed for nearly three weeks, until he passes into the next year of the academy.” Gella said.

“Do you want me to talk to her?” Victoria asked with steel in her voice.

“No, I've already told her how she messed up my testing schedule.” I said and looked at Gella. “With the delay, I should... hopefully... be done with my special project by the time nearly everyone is done taking their rehabilitation potions.”

Gella touched my arm. “I told you that we didn't hold the delay against you, my lord.” She said and let my arm go. “We should get to the dorms before someone gets it into their head to wreck it or something.”

That made me sigh again, because I hadn't thought of that myself. “All right.” I turned and took Victoria's hand. “I'll see you on the weekend when you visit.”

Victoria stiffened slightly as I bent over and lightly kissed it. She relaxed when I didn't share my magic with her. “See you then, David.”

I let her hand go and Gella and I left her office. When we reached the other side of the botany building, before we left, I changed back into my academy uniform. We made our way over to the first year dorms for the men and went inside.

“What are you... oh.” The woman at the desk there sighed. “Room assignment, please.”

I handed over the official papers and she checked them, glanced at Gella, then at me.

“Only the one?” The woman asked.

“I have two, possibly three more that will stay with me, now that I'm allowed more than the one.” I said.

“Of course you're going to abuse the privilege.” The woman said and signed the papers. “When the others show up, show them to me before taking them to your room, so I know who is allowed to enter.”

I nodded and she told me how to get to my room before leading us there. I followed her to the top floor and my room was the last one on the left. When I entered it, it looked like a grand suite from one of the more expensive inns. The dorm monitor left us there to return to her duties.

“This will do.” Gella said at seeing the large space inside. “At least the director knows your worth, my lord.”

I ignored her comment and went to the bedroom to see that it was nearly as big as the room back at the Sanctuary. “Send word to the others and get them to bring a bed... in pieces... for easy transport. We can bring enough clothing when we return on Monday for the two weeks we'll be staying here.”

“Right away, my lord.” Gella said as she took off the backpack, then she left the room.

I took off the uniform jacket before I went to work clearing an appropriate space for the spare bed. I also made sure there was enough room in the closet for all of our clothes. I was satisfied that it would be enough and didn't try to modify it or add extra shelves.

“They are on their way, my lord.” Gella said as she entered the room and shut the door behind her.

“Rough estimate of their arrival?” I asked.

“Half an hour.” Gella said.

I walked over to the small kitchen and looked at the food stocks and available beverages. The director must have wanted to please me, because it was filled with all kinds of food, wines, and teas. I went to work and made a meal for the four of us, with a bit extra in case Jill came over as well.

It was up to her if she wanted to continue with her assumed duties. She knew she didn't have to do them and each time she did, her confidence grew and she seemed quite pleased with herself. I wasn't going to stop her or refuse her if she needed to fulfill her own needs. I would be worse than the lords that refused their own personal maids if I did.

That thought brought my mind to Tabitha, Alex's old personal maid. He had let her languish in depression for years as she worked for him as a normal maid without allowing her to use her skills. I imagined that she was at least being fed back in Ester's Village, since she had a significant savings to take with her. Of course, all my maids did, Hope included.

I wonder if they found a house to live in or if they were all piled inside the Addams' farmhouse. I thought to myself and kept working in the kitchen.

When half an hour had passed, I set the pot of stew on a low heat before Gella and I went downstairs to await the arrival of my slave, my apprentice, and possibly Jill. A few minutes later, the carriage arrived with a large bundle in the top luggage rack and I stepped to the door of the carriage to open it.

“My lord.” Hanna said and took my hand to step out.

Farra was next and she smiled at me as I handed her out as well. “Jill couldn't decide to come until the last moment.”

Hanna laughed softly and nodded.

I reached back and held a hand out to Jill, who gasped at the treatment. I wagged my hand at her and she sighed as she took it and stepped out of the carriage like a proper lady.

“We brought small bags with some essentials.” Jill said. “Please tell me there's a private bath in the room.”

“There is.” I said and she relaxed. She might be proud of doing the bath ritual for me; but, that didn't mean she wanted other people besides our own to see her doing it.

The driver helped me unload the luggage rack and the women took their bags inside as I pulled the bed mattress off of the top of the carriage.

“Pick us up after school tomorrow to take us back to the Sanctuary for the weekend.” I said.

“Yessir.” The driver said and climbed back onto his seat and drove off.

I carried the wood bundle inside the dorm building and saw Hanna, Farra, and Jill sign in with the dorm monitor.

“Are this many really necessary?” She asked, a little put out.

“Personal slave. Apprentice. Temporary personal maid. Sworn sword.” I said as I pointed to Hanna, Farra, Jill, and then Gella.

The woman's eyes widened and then she nodded. All of them were accepted visitors and guests of dorm students.

“I brought an extra bed, just so you know.” I said and followed the women up the stairs.

“At least you are acting appropriately.” She said and sat back down, forgoing escorting us this time.

I dropped off the wood pieces and went back downstairs to grab the mattress. The dorm monitor nodded to me as I passed her again and I nodded back before going back up the stairs. It was a little difficult carrying it with only four fingers and two thumbs, while also walking in women's boots. I managed it safely and brought the mattress into the bedroom.

Hanna already had the stew set out onto the table for us and I sat down with everyone to enjoy the meal. They talked about how things were progressing at the Sanctuary and about how they had already arrested a dozen mages that had tried to return to the guild.

“Eight of them had to be put down.” Farra said with a shake of her head. “The other four protested the executions and tried to fight. Two of them lost their lives and the other two are being sent to the medical building with Linette to be treated.”

“I assume they were all shown copies of the royal commands?” I asked and Farra nodded. “Then I'll congratulate everyone when we return there tomorrow afternoon.”

“You don't need to thank us for protecting our new home, my lord.” Farra said. “We were all quite happy that our security was too strong for them to overcome.”

“Unlike theirs.” Gella said with a feral grin, then she and Farra laughed.

We finished eating and Hanna cleaned up as Gella handed me the papers and things Victoria gave us earlier. I sat down on the couch to read them over and both Gella and Farra snuggled into my sides. I was about to ask them what they were doing, until Hanna moved my legs apart and settled down onto a cushion to rest her head on my lap.

“Did you take your potions?” I asked and the three of them jerked slightly.

“I'll get them.” Jill said with a soft laugh and brought over one of the bags that had several vials of the rehabilitation potion in them. She handed one to each of them and tucked the empty vials back into the bag. She sat down on the chair beside the couch and gave me an odd look.

“I know Helena would approve. I haven't taken advantage of them.” I said.

Jill smiled with a nod and the three young women around me cuddled back into me as I started reading my assigned homework.