At this point it was midday and there were a few caretakers around. Some were grooming the horses, some were fitting them for horseshoes, and others were filling their feeds. But, everyone seemed to have a tacit agreement to leave this middle-aged woman her own space.
For those of lesser status, there was no greater sin than getting in the way of someone above you.
Seemingly sensing something, Lady Eve turned. Her eyes brightened somewhat when she saw Leonidas. Though it was one part platonic happiness for finding the person she was looking for, it was honestly mostly surprise.
The Leonidas she saw now was far different from the one she had met just five weeks ago.
Leonidas' back was no longer slouched. In fact, as though he was overcompensating for years of poor posture, his stance was almost overly perfect. One could draw a straight line from his heels to the top of his head.
Finally standing at his full height, Lady Eve realized that Leonidas had grown to well over two meters, standing at 6'9". It was a shock that he had actually lost as much as three-quarters of a foot to his slouched back.
Beyond that, Leonidas' figure seemed fuller, his skin more lustrous and his steps more even. His feet no longer dragged along the ground as he walked, giving his gait a slight improvement in confidence.
Though his gaze was still as dead as when she first met him, Lady Eve realized that this dead look in Leonidas' eyes wasn't a sign of defeat. No, maybe it had never been a sign of defeat. Rather, it seemed like the eyes of someone who saw things for what they were and nothing more.
Lady Eve got lost in her observation of Leonidas for a moment, not realizing that she had stared for a slight hint too long.
When she recovered, she didn't feel much embarrassment. As Leonidas had concluded when he first met this woman, he should never mistake a modicum of modesty for something more than it was. This woman still saw herself as above him, and rightfully so.
Would you be embarrassed if you were caught looking at a dog for too long? The answer was obviously no, so why should she feel embarrassed?
Even now, Leonidas only felt the power gap between the two of them all the more clearly.
"Leonidas, I must thank you." Lady Eve said with a smile. "The little one is doing better than ever and I can feel that she is even stronger than she was in the past."
She laughed lightly. "Look at that, the little one is even so happy to see you. It seems that she's forgotten who her true partner is."
Lady Eve lightly teased the young horse for a moment, stroking the mare's long jaw.
"Ah, right. I wanted to apologize. I said a month, but I actually had some matters to deal with and made you care for the little one a week longer than we agreed. Here is some compensation."
Lady Eve tossed over a pouch, but when Leonidas caught it, he realized that it was far too heavy.
"Lady Eve, I believe that this is a… bit much." Leonidas chose his words carefully.
"Oh?" Lady Eve looked over, a slightly amused light in her eye.
The first time she gave Leonidas money, he didn't speak a word of refusal. But he was now? Depending on his response, this sort of change could have either a positive or negative tint on her opinion of Leonidas.
"We agreed to 20 silvers for a month of work. An additional week should at most cost five more, but this…"
Leonidas looked down at the pouch. He didn't open it, but he had felt a pouch of more than 90 silvers before, and this was at least that much.
Leonidas took a deep breath and chose to speak directly.
"… Nothing in this world comes for free, Lady Eve. I cannot accept this money unless I understand the true reason behind your kindness."
Leonidas pressed for an answer for a reason. He could feel that Lady Eve wanted more from him and that this simple toss weighed more than the coins in it. In fact, maybe her coming a week late wasn't as much of an accident as he thought.
Lady Eve looked Leonidas up and down. This time, she seemed to have no intention of stopping out of politeness.
What must have been at least half a minute later, she finally looked into Leonidas' eyes.
"The truth was that I do indeed need you for something. News might have already spread amongst you Clergymen, maybe even long ago… The issue was that though you were a good caretaker, in all other aspects, you were sorely lacking.
"Your body was too weak, your speed too slow, and your health too poor. Though I am in no need of your fighting strength, taking someone like you along would have been too much of a detriment.
"However, it seems like that person was right, you have indeed had some good improvement. At the very least, you seem capable of keeping up without slowing us too much now."
Lady Eve nodded to herself.
"In there is your forward payment. Should you come back alive, I will give you double this amount. My only task for you is to care for the horses of my nephew and I during this expedition. You likely do not have a horse of your own, so we will lend you one. In this time, I hope that you will learn to ride.
"Also, I recommend you use what I've already given you to exchange for the things you will need. As you are now, your chance of survival is less than 20%."
Leonidas clutched the pouch in his hand.
"Yes."
Lady Eve nodded, her smile returning.
"I will be leaving now, then."
Leonidas watched Lady Eve walk away. He had noted her wide hips long ago, but even as she walked away from him, he didn't shift his gaze downward.
However, at that moment, there was something in his belly that ignited. He had finally found his second step. Since it existed, there would be a third and a fourth. One day, he'd reach a point where he didn't feel any shame gazing upon where her hips led. One day, he would gaze upon her just as unabashedly as she had gazed upon him.
Without a word to the caretakers sending greedy glances toward him, he finished his last three hours of work for the day and left.
Scabbers clutched his meaty fists looking toward Leonidas' back, but the latter seemed to have no intention of sending a gaze in his direction.
How ironic it was. Maybe if Scabbers hadn't tried to push the blame onto him, this opportunity would have never landed in Leonidas' lap.
***
Leonidas closed another book on geography and mapping. He had already read them before and he felt his memory was pretty good. But, there was no harm in reading them again.
Though Lady Eve didn't explain what her mission was, if she needed a caretaker, she needed a horse to reach it. This would obviously place them outside the confines of Violet Waters, a place Leonidas had never left.
Understanding the basics of navigation, orienting oneself, reading maps, and finding water sources was definitely key. Leonidas felt that this sort of preparation was only logical.
Rising up, Leonidas felt that everyone would be asleep by now so it was about time he went to the well.
The truth was that Leonidas didn't plan on buying the things he needed for this journey now, he planned on doing so only the night before to avoid any accidents. After all, he had already read everything on the Exchange and had already decided what to get.
However, Leonidas still decided to go tonight. He needed to check to see if the list underwent any changes. It would be embarrassing if he prepared everything for the night before, only to realize the list he had come to know was far different from his expectations.
So, in order to avoid running into anyone else, Leonidas decided that he would do a quick check every night before he rested. He could never be too careful nor too prepared, at least that was what he had learned from a book written by the commander of an army.
Of course, Leonidas was being overly cautious. There wasn't just a single stone well. In fact, the stone well was only an illusion projected to everyone who walked into the Church. There were as many as there needed to be.
Still, Leonidas thought it better to not run into anyone in a place that would make his destination obvious.
As luck would have it, though, the moment he stepped out of the library, he actually found Daisy walking by with a towel drying her hair.
"Oh, Leo. You're up?" Daisy smiled, but her eyes seemed to carry a hint of fatigue.
Leonidas nodded. "Mm. I'm headed to bed now."
It wasn't a big deal if Leonidas skipped a single day of checking. He'd chalk it up to his bad luck tonight.
"Right…" Daisy's voice trailed off as they walked toward their communal room.
Daisy's silence was quite odd. Even when Leonidas didn't respond, she seemed to always have an endless barrage of things to say. But, she had been quite solemn recently.
"Leonidas…"
"Yes?" Leonidas shifted his gaze over.
"If… If there were two lives in front of you…
"One of them would allow you to live out the rest of your days comfortably. You might not achieve all the things you wanted, but you'd have a family, a spouse, kids… You'd probably live to a ripe old age and die with a bittersweet smile on your face…
"In the other, you'd probably die long before achieving your dreams, crushed beneath the boot of someone who had the same ambition, but just better tools.
"Even if you knew you would probably die… which would you choose?"
Leonidas' steps paused. Daisy couldn't help but stop as well, looking back at him.
"I only have two goals in life. One is to bury my mother on land no one dares to touch. The second is to have a name no one dares to say. That is all."
Leonidas walked past Daisy, his steps steady. Even long after he had slipped into bed, she hadn't moved.
Daisy hadn't been expecting Leonidas to answer. But, even if by some miracle he did… Those were the last words she ever thought she'd hear.
Her shoulders couldn't help but tremble, the baritone of Leonidas' voice still sending vibrations through her chest.