It was incredible how quickly a rumor could spread across a place, even without a way to mass-release information.
By the end of the day, even the commoners knew about the Countess and her miraculous recovery. So how could those in power not realize what was happening and come to pay their respects?
That evening, for the first time in forever, the Countess's castle saw a surge of people rushing inside to try and gain a meeting with her.
Fenrir was the only servant of the Countess, so he received all the attention from these people. Even they knew that they needed a pass from him if they needed to get close to the Countess.
That was why, when the time came for people to gain favor, people approached him and tried to bribe him.
One such person was the local temple lord, who relied on the gracious donations made by the Countess to keep the temple running.
Divine power might be the backbone of this country's power, but not everyone treated it equally. And for a weak backside temple like theirs, relying on the central power for anything was akin to a death sentence.
Fenrir could not help but chuckle at the irony of this situation.
Never in a million years could anyone have seen this scene coming. A servant of divine power was bowing his head in front of the first demon lord and asking for his help.
"-and that's why we need the Countess's grace. Now that the Countess has recovered, I am sure she knows how precious human life and God's benevolence is. She can repay her debts by helping us out."
The temple master spoke in an almost arrogant manner, but his mask was slipping off his face quickly. The more Fenrir ignored him, the whiter his face got. Tears threatened to fall out of the temple master's eyes as he was made to wait.
"I see. So, it's because of the 'God's' benevolence that I woke up. I guess that does call for a donation. However, if we donate too much, it might cause an issue with our other backers.
So how about we call forth a trade? You can send some of your people to help us prepare for the banquet and in return, we not only offer you a huge sum, but also offer you a regal title and a deed for help."
The Countess sipped her purple-colored tea, but her words were sharp and clear.
Fenrir gave a beautiful smile as he stood behind the countess. His beautiful face helped the temple master relax a little bit more and fall under his charm.
The temple master wanted to call forth the Countess's greed. She could donate a lot of money if she were to acknowledge that she was doing this because god interfered in her destiny and cured it.
But the older man did not dare speak anything.
No matter how much influence he and the temple had over these people, the real backbone of power was still the countess in these parts. What she said went, and no one could argue with her.
*Cough*
"It is an excellent idea. I will ask my people to come and help you out. I will also look around for other servants to buy you everything you need.
God's charity extends to all. And now that he has blessed the Countess with good health, it is our honor to help you as well."
The temple master quickly left after he had gotten what he came here for. He did not notice anything wrong even after he reached the temple.
'So that was the temple master? He had no divinity inside him. He might as well be a normal human at his current level. Has the divine order fallen so far that they have to employ regular humans as their leaders?'
Whatever the reason for this man to be here right now was, it did not matter to Fenrir. He just knew that he had gotten lucky that the leader at this temple branch was a pushover who would do anything he asked.
...
Now that the party had been announced, there were suddenly hundreds of things to do.
The maids Fenrir had requested had arrived, and they all looked thrilled to have the chance to work in this mansion.
Most of the workers sent here were young and good-looking maidens of the nearby village. They were sent here in order to catch Fenrir's eye so that he would employ them as permanent workers and maybe even more.
After all, who did not know of the Countess Ann and her mysterious savior in the form of the cripple man?
"Master Fenrir, I am done with the West Wing. Is there anything else you want me to take care of?"
"I am also done with the kitchen. Do you need some new drapes? I can make you some. I might not look like it, but I am a good craftsman."
The second maid butted in, not letting the first one take Fenrir's attention.
His face was popular among these maids, and most of them wanted to gain his superficial favor so that he would give them a lot in return.
It was a pity that these fools would not get anything by sticking to him. In fact, their lives were just toys for Fenrir to play with at this point.
"Hmm, we do need new curtains, but I am sure we have put in an order. But we do need something decorative to liven up this place. Maybe you all can work on it?"
At Fenrir's insistence, a lot of maids began to leave and start what he had suggested them to do. They were all bright humans, but they chose the wrong man to follow.
The party was being held at the end of the week, so there were about 4 days left. 4 days was nowhere near enough time to prepare for something of this grand scale. But with about three dozen working hands, it seemed possible.
All through these preparations, the Countess did not show herself to her workers once. She followed her usual schedule where she spent her time alone or with Fenrir. No one else was allowed to approach her.
Fenrir kept himself busy.
He helped organize the party in the morning, and he hunted in the evening. And since the village was too big, he chose a different hunting ground every day and chose his victims among the people no one would look for.
Two days passed like this, and finally, Fenrir got his first 'real' visitor.
The escort leader had heard what happened to the Countess and he immediately made his way back to the village. His first destination was to meet Fenrir and confirm what he heard about him still being alive.
Everyone he met along the way said that it was a miracle how the Countess being alive was a miracle. With so many people talking about the same thing, he knew that it was not a lie.
The Countess had snapped out of her daze.
But a part of him refused to believe that this was true. And that part made him hurry up and sneak inside the castle when no one was looking.
It was much easier to slip inside since the castle covered a huge area. The barrier that kept the Countess inside was no longer active, showing that the Countess was no longer a threat to the village.
So far, everything he saw and felt aligned with what he had heard in the gossip. There should have been no reason for him to feel this conflicted. And yet, he could not help but feel as if something was not right here.
He snuck all the way inside, but no one tried to stop him. In fact, no one even noticed him with how busy things were.
The escort leader was able to get all the way to the Countess's room, and he pushed the door open. It had only moved an inch when he felt a hand grab his arm and yank him back.
"What do you think you are doing? Do you have any business with the Countess? If so, then you should come back later once she is feeling better."
The escort leader felt his heart leap out of his chest before he realized that the person who had stopped him was just Fenrir.
It made him sigh in relief and turn his head toward the crippled male standing behind him.
"Oh, kid, thank god you are fine. You are the reason I came here in the first place, so it is nice to see you. Do you have some time to talk to me? There is a lot I want to let you know about."
The escort leader looked visibly relieved to see Fenrir.
For someone who pushed a human into a situation where they could die any second, the escort leader sure looked relieved and happy.
Not a single sign of shame showed on the escort Leader's face but Fenrir did not show what he really thought about that man.
Instead, he just smiled and welcomed his guest inside.
"I see! If you are here to talk to me, then I guess I can welcome you in. I have no intention of turning away a guest. Would you like tea or coffee?"
Fenrir asked in a pleasant voice. He looked happy to be working with the Countess, but this whole situation sent shivers down the escort's back. He felt himself shake before he snapped out of it and walked behind the crippled servant.