Rhaet had no intention of killing them in the first place. Eliza, too, reacted quickly, fearing that he would kill them, so she thought of a plan to threaten them. She was willing to put their lives in danger for freedom; to either live free or die fighting for it.
Now that Rhaet has given her his word, she felt relieved, giving her a glimmer of hope for survival.
Rhaet and his men finished scouring through the entire village. It was normal to go through the village and bring anything of value. After several hours of foraging, they obtained a few edible foods as well as a few other materials.
They immediately left right after.
It would take more time as the number increased. Most of them were women and children. He wanted to reach the village before daybreak, as the night winds could be more severe.
***
Four weeks passed by as the weather changed. It was cold, but not to the point of melting. The winter this year has been too severe for the people of the village.
The workers in the fields had to finish their work before the sun disappeared. The night's cold winds made everyone feel chilly; it was so severe that they had to complete whatever labor they had.
The fields likewise didn't yield many crops. They did, however, have enough reserves to endure for seasons to go on.
Aragon went to live with his aunt. He continued his training by climbing mountains every day. He diligently practiced without any interruption. The three stages of the skill slaughter, which his grandmother taught him, he had efficiently performed.
After the completion of three stages, he could feel the amount of power it had.
At first, he sensed the skill's devastating force, but as he progressed through the levels, he realized that the skill was more powerful than what his grandmother had demonstrated.
It meant that what his grandma showed was not the limit. He thought it may be related to the user and the amount of mana he could put in to bring out the potential of the skill. It was just his thoughts about the skill.
He stayed on the mountaintop from the moment the sun rose until the sun went down. He practiced for hours without food or water. Sometimes he would forget the time and swing his sword for hours straight. Then his aunt would come looking for him. She had also gotten used to this.
As they both spent their time together, Katheryn grew fond of him. She started to take care of him with more affection.
Before Aragon came to her house, she was living an aloof life. She spent most of her time drinking and fighting battles and rarely fooled around with Gaerr.
But after Aragon's arrival, she started to change. During his initial days, she spent her time drinking and sleeping. Then Aragon began to take care of her and the house. He prepared food, bringing meat and cooking it in the house for her and him. He learned cooking from his grandmother. He learned cooking because he wanted to help his grandmother and he had become good at cooking too.