When I had finally made my way back to Mayer's home, I walked in solemnly. Rethi was still on my back, sleeping now. He deserved the rest. I had been incredibly inconsiderate of him these past few days and he deserved all the pampering I could give him for that. To be honest, I can't say that I thought someone would dare attack anyone even marginally related to Mayer himself, but I guess two degrees of separation and being a beggar was reason enough.
I wasn't furious or anything, I was actually pretty calm, which was surprising in a way. I don't know if I should be really angry or what, but I wasn't. I was, however, going to get a certain justice.
When I walked into the home, I passed the living room in which Mayer was resting in and went straight to my bedroom. I gave my bed to Rethi, plopping him down as gently as I could, which was made easy seeing as I had the new strength from all that work. It was a good feeling. Most likely that increase in Might will be the largest I will ever receive. A full sixty six percent increase in strength all in one go is a massive increase. Hopefully, it will serve me well. Though it still isn't enough to truly handle my hammer. Thank god that my muscles don't tire out, or I wouldn't be able to use it at all.
After I put Rethi down and took off his shoes, I left and went to the living room and sat down in the chair that I sat down in a few days ago. I could swear that it only felt like twelve hours in retrospect. Mayer fixed me with a raised eyebrow.
"You didn't come home." He said, his tone inquisitive.
"No, I didn't." I said, as if that answered anything. Mayer's face grew slightly humorous for a moment and then back to inquisitive.
"Did you sleep?" He said, looking down to read a line of his book.
"No, I made an effort not to. I haven't felt the least bit tired in two days at least. Even under extreme physical stress my body has maintained itself." I said this quite blandly. Informatively, some might say. Mayer nodded again and stopped, fingering the edge of a page and bending it over. I cringed internally—that book looked like it was a thousand years old. I couldn't imagine doing something like that to a book half its age.
He looked up at me and saw me eyeing the book and gave a chuckle, then opened the book and ripped out a page before I could say or do anything. In that moment, I felt more emotion than I had in days, I was scandalised. But before I could say a word, the ripped-out page in Mayer's hand melted into smoke and wafted over to where he had pulled out the page.
It was hypnotizing, watching the page rebuild itself from nothing. It was as if the smoke slowly got into order and began to print the page back into existence. By the time it was done, my outrage was well and truly quelled.
"An indestructible book?" I asked, half curious, half mystified.
"Indestructible?" Mayer shook his head, "No, not truly. Really, really difficult to destroy is more accurate." The older man chuckled wryly.
"You've tried I assume?" I said, eyebrow raised poignantly. He looked at me incredulously.
"Of course. I have. If someone says it is indestructible, then its limits have to be tested." He said as he flipped to the very last page of the book and showed me a tiny little hole in the corner of the page. It wasn't a normal hole, it was too clean, too seamless. Its edge was too perfect. But even so, I didn't quite understand what he was showing me.
"This is all the damage that I could manage to do to the thing. I threw my all at this book, and this is the fruits of my labours." I looked at Mayer, then back to the hole. Now, I don't know how strong Mayer is. But he is most likely the strongest being I have ever met—besides the God that brought me here. If he couldn't destroy the thing, then I don't know who possibly could.
"Seems like someone really didn't want that book destroyed." Mayer looked down at the book, seeming to gaze into the soul of it, the true being of it. Before sighing and putting it down on the small table beside him.
"Alright, how did your job go?" He rested his face on his palm and looked at me, obviously asking what I gained.
"Good, increased my Might by a large portion, and managed to get myself acclimatised to not sleeping and being able to work endlessly." Mayer nodded and looked about to move on, but I cut in.
"Mayer, I believe that we may have given a gift to someone that wasn't entirely worthy." I was calm and assertive. I do not believe that Mayer would be offended by something as simple as that, but I wanted to make my point clear. It seems to work better that way with Mayer.
"Oh?" He replied simply.
"While I was working on their fence, it seems the family that own the farm were neglectful of my… helper." I said hesitantly, not knowing the boy's exact job title yet, "He was given very little to no food over the past few day, likely the only good meal he has had was the breakfast he ate beforehand." I paused for a moment to read Mayer's face, but he seemed to be thinking, so I continued on.
"Then, on the final day, it seems he was assaulted by their family in some fashion. I am unaware of the exact circumstances, but Rethi will be able to clear up any confusion. I personally believe that they have gone out of their way to starve my companion, and then at least one member of their family has attacked him." I stopped talking and let Mayer think. He was a smart man, but you had to also realise that he was born in a very different place that I was. On Earth we are so hellbent on justice and fairness that this sort of situation would clearly be abuse and would earn the ire of many, but here? Who knows. But as well as this, it isn't my reputation that I am using, it's Mayer's. I'm beholden to his whim, and if he doesn't believe that it's worth punishment, then I can't really say otherwise.
Mayer thought for a good minute. I had no idea what it was that he was thinking about, and I was intensely curious, but I stayed still and let him be.
"What do you think of this. Personally." Mayer spoke suddenly, breaking himself from his thoughts. I hesitated. I had initially kept my opinion out of it as much as possible, but when he asked, I answered.
"My companion is a young boy, whose mother is incredibly sick, likely without enough money to get treatment, even if there was any for her specific condition. The boy resorted to becoming a beggar to be able to make ends meet," Mayer grimaced at that, but I continued on, "I employed the boy under dubious pretences—as in reality, I don't truly need a companion, but I believe that they need money enough that I should help them. I used employment as a façade for my charity, but I'll hold myself to this. I intend wholeheartedly to deliver on what I said I would." Mayer nodded. I don't know if it was an approving nod, or an affirmatory nod, but I took it all the same.
"Under this context, I believe that you have the social power over this village to potentially change the opinion of the many townsfolk on this matter. If you enforce your word by protecting a person that is loosely related to you—who so happens to be a beggar—it will at least stop people from acting on their misguided thoughts. It will become important to this village that, if they want you to continue to be part of their community, then they must abide by your rules in part. This would be a worthwhile rule to have to your name." I bowed my head slightly. I finished my argument. It was a bit all over the place really, but I think it got the point across loud and clear. Mayer took a deep breath in, held it for a few seconds and deflated.
"And how do you propose that this will be done? Do we make an example of them by beating them and hanging them up in the street? Killing them? Destroying their farm?" All of Mayer's options seemed quite violent, but I have a feeling that they weren't all too uncommon, even in smaller towns like this one.
"No, no need for something as drastic as that. You aren't a King, ruling from up on high. But your word, is just as powerful to these townsfolk." Mayer looked at me, head slightly tilted.
"How do you propose that this works?" Mayer said, interested. He didn't exactly seem all that keen about any of his other options.
"Well, it will take Rethi telling us the entire story first. But…"
---
When Rethi awoke, questions were asked and answered. Turns out it was the young boys of the family. Thinking back on it now, I don't remember being helped by anyone during doing the job. I don't even remember where the Father went in the end. I have a feeling, however, that those boys should have been helping me. Mayer definitely didn't look all too happy about it.
Me and Mayer talked about this, and we decided on how this would go down. It was a non-violent way of sorting things out, but it worked all the same. Well, at least I hoped that it would.
After Rethi had been thoroughly questioned, he requested to go home. He seemed somewhat apologetic, and we implored him to stay for at least a meal, but he left saying that his mother may need him. We gave him a loaf of bread to take home. Hopefully that should last them a day.
Soon enough, night fell over the town, and my plan was pit into action.
I walked into the well and truly abandoned streets of the town, lugging a massive pole of wood over my shoulder, not too dissimilar to the ones I had been pounding into the dirt these past few days. I walked with a large piece of paper in my hand, holding it gently.
I walked silently in the night, drawing as little attention to myself as possible, but I wasn't particularly afraid of being found either, it would ruin the magic of it though. At my pace I quickly got to the centre of town and found a small patch of loose soil, and placed down the wooden pole, lining it up with the desired spot. I then lifted the pole as high as reasonable, then slammed it down into the dirt with as much force as I could muster. The end of the pole went into the dirt by just enough that it stayed standing once I pulled away. After that, I gently placed the paper on the ground, and summoned my hammer into existence. I then used it to drive the pole further into the earth, which worked spectacularly.
After unsummoning the hammer, I grabbed a small symbolic dagger, placed the paper on the pole facing the middle of the clearing, and stabbed the dagger into the wood. I heard a splitting sound as the dagger was driven into the wood a little further than what I intended, but it worked all the same.
Now it was time to wait till morning, and to see what will come.