Chapter 102 Dealing

Aion never had heard of followers of the god that disappeared… even those that still followed the goddesses were reduced to Artemisia. Still, it didn't seem like he was a bad person, and he had that feeling when Aion talked with him.

"Although we never got along, Milleris family and Heradins family always knew about each other's existence and activities," Artemisia said. "They followed the teachings of the god that disappeared, and thanks to it, they had a fraction of his power… they can control time in numerous ways."

"That sounds like a powerful ability to have…" Aion said.

"It has its merits and demerits… those who can't control their power end up having shorter lives, or someday they wake up feeling like they slept for days…" Artemisia said.

"I take it is a hard skill to control… that guy's aura changed when he used it, so it seems that he can control it in spite of his mana," Aion rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Considering his fame, I thought that the pirate attack was linked to his disappearance, but I can't see his people making the business of asking help for pirates," Artemisia said. "That family remains hidden most of the time nowadays, but I think you would benefit from building a good relationship with him."

"I think I will proceed with caution since we don't know what his people might think about who I am," Aion said.

"Right, they rarely interact with others, so it is hard to say what they think of others, even not of the people with complicated situations like us," Artemisia said. "Putting that aside, I did some research about the eggs, and I didn't find anything similar to eggs of that size. I also don't think slave traders would leave dragon eggs in a place like that. It should have some level of rarity, though."

"Hmm, is that so… I guess we will have to wait and see what will come out," Aion said.

"About the scarlet tigers… how did you take them so fast?" Artemisia asked. "Also, since you can't show them in the open for the time being, we need a place for them to stay for a few weeks. They are rare, but they can be bought. If you show them at the right time, no one will have enough proof."

"All right… they are coming," Aion said.

​ Jairo showed up, and he looked pretty proud of himself. Aion imagined that he wouldn't treat the fugitives well, but it didn't look like they were that scared or nervous. Regardless, Aion didn't have much time to waste with Jairo, so it would be better to deal with him as soon as possible.

"My lord, these group of people were captured when they tried to enter the town," Jairo said. "Some reports said that they entered the territory at some point yesterday."

"I see," Aion said.

"I believe that they are slaves that escaped from the nearest territory," Jairo said.

"Why do you think that is the case?" Aion asked.

"Their clothes, the state of their health, the fact they are walking in a group like this and that they refuse to say where they came from," Jairo said.

"Is that so? If they are indeed slaves, do you think that the people of the neighboring territory is treating them while following the king's law?" Aion asked.

"That is…" Jairo hesitated in accusing the lord of the neighboring state.

"Well, let's put that aside for now," Aion said. "They said that they aren't slaves on the run, and you say that they are. Do you have any physical proof of that?"

"They clearly aren't from this kingdom…" Jairo said.

"So, they are from other kingdoms… are you saying that they are war prisoners turned to slaves?" Aion asked.

"I can't say for certain…" Jairo said.

"It seems that you aren't certain of many things," Aion said. "Until they are proven to be anything else, we will treat them as travelers. That being said, what do you people want to do?"

"... A place to stay and the chance to have jobs to buy us food," A random fugitive replied.

"That can be arranged," Aion said. "Still, we don't have free houses within the walls, and the inns are full. "We can help you guys build some houses outside the walls. I think it would also help you guys to avoid problems since, as you can see, some people are looking at you with troublesome eyes. Is that fine with you?"

"Yes, sir," The fugitive said.

Telling someone to do that job and speed up things as soon as possible would take time, so Aion decided to do that himself. At that point in time, Aion had already gotten used to it, but it looked like every single of his actions made people around him frown. His mother was the only exception… receiving fugitives and then building the homes alongside didn't seem like the thing the people from that world would expect from nobles.

Regardless, using the bricks of that big rock that he destroyed the other day, Aion built the foundation of many houses, and then using his magic, he created cement, water, and other things necessary to build the houses. Rarth had some knowledge on how to build houses properly, so he came to give a hand, and in no time, on that very same day, five houses were made. While they were simple, that wasn't something most people would expect to be built in a few hours.

When it comes to magic coming from the Mirellis kingdom royal family, most people expected spells of mass destruction, but they only saw Aion using his magic to build things and remove obstacles. That wasn't something he had planned, but it made a lot of people change his mind regarding his fame…

In any case, on the next day, Aion found some jobs for the fugitives. They were going to properly process the leather that Aion had from the monsters. Two days later, the second group arrived, but the gray-haired guy had vanished…