Norn closed the ledger, still feeling a bit lightheaded from the gold coins swirling around in his mind. No wonder the knights below him howled with excitement at the prospect of war. Norn had thought they were fearless, but now he realized they were just desperate for money.
Looking at the war spoils, Norn marveled, "War really does pay off big time." He had worked hard for over two years, and his savings were still less than what he had plundered in just two months. It made him almost wish he could raise another army and go raid Saladin again.
"Greed is truly a deadly sin," Norn muttered, crossing himself. His rational side pulled him back from the edge. These victories had been sheer luck. If Saladin had been more cautious, it could have been Norn's manor getting sacked.
After a few stern reminders to himself, the fire of greed finally died down. Norn took one last look at the numbers in the ledger, sighed, and said to the nearby maid, Adile, "Make the arrangements. We're having a celebration feast tonight. Everyone gets a bonus: 100 gold nominals for each knight, 30 to 10 for the manor guards depending on rank, and 1 gold nominal for each manor worker."
Suddenly remembering something, Norn stared intently at Adile. After spending a lot of time with Sassan, Norn had figured out a not-so-scientific way to recognize her: whenever Sassan was alone with him, no matter what disguise she wore, her expression was always cold.
When Adile's face showed a puzzled look, Norn knew she wasn't Sassan. "Where's Sassan?" he asked.
"Master should be in training at this hour," Adile replied, her face as calm as ever.
Norn looked at the increasingly frosty Adile and smiled, ruffling her hair. "You should smile more! After all, hardships will pass, and life will get better."
"Take the day off and have some fun. I'm going for a walk," Norn said, leaving the slightly blushing Adile behind. He wandered around the manor alone.
The shadow of war had lifted, and the manor maids no longer wore worried expressions. They were back to their peaceful, mundane, and cozy routines, and the manor had returned to its former prosperity.
However, Saladin's ravaging of half the kingdom had severely impacted the supply of raw wool, leaving many workshops in a semi-shutdown state. As Norn approached, the maids who were resting quickly stood up to greet him.
"My lord, we're not slacking off, it's just that..." an older maid began to explain.
Norn waved his hand. "It's fine. There are no raw materials now. Rest if you need to." Norn valued these maids who had been willing to move with him. In this dark age, a long journey was akin to a life-or-death challenge. Those who were willing to follow him had proven their loyalty.
Norn chatted casually with them for a few minutes when a group of children, fresh from school, burst in like a gust of wind. Before their mothers could scold them, they dropped their writing tools and ran back out.
Norn reassured the anxious maids and watched with interest as the children gathered in the open space outside, playing a game of tag. One girl was "it" and was chasing the others. At this age, kids in Norn's previous life were not only well-cared-for but also had no worries about food or clothing. In this dark age, however, they had long since taken on the responsibilities of their families, and it was perfectly normal for them to help with household chores. Even Norn's hiring of "child labor" was met with gratitude from their families. After all, Norn was willing to pay a wage for a child, even though he himself was embarrassed by the amount. So it was only in these recent moments of leisure that the children could gather and play freely.
The girl who was "it" was Adile. Norn knew that Adile, trained by Sassan, could run much faster than the other kids, but she was deliberately moving clumsily, just barely letting the other children escape each time. Seeing the other kids happily dodge, Adile seemed a bit frustrated, but it made the other children laugh even harder.
Norn watched the happy children and sighed, "It's so nice to have a childhood!"
Then he suddenly snapped back to reality, "Right! I'm still a kid too!"
Norn quickly changed into a coarse linen shirt, rubbed some dirt on his face, and with a whoop, he charged into the group of kids. The children, seeing this tall "big kid," were a bit puzzled at first. But Norn ran straight to Adile, grabbed her hand, slapped it against his own, then turned to the other kids and shouted with wild gestures, "I'm the ghost! I'm coming to get you!"
The kids, no longer caring about the strange newcomer, laughed and scattered in all directions, leaving Adile standing there, stunned.
Though Norn was tall and fast, he enjoyed playing "ghost" with the kids, deliberately pacing himself to match their speed and chase them around. But when it came to Adile, he didn't hold back. Knowing her capabilities, Norn lunged at her with his full speed.
Adile, who had been acting clumsy, instantly blurred out of the way, leaving Norn with a mouthful of sand.
"Ptui!" Norn spat out the sand, thinking how quickly Sassan had trained Adile. But carefree as he was, Norn didn't dwell on the details and continued to play. No matter how hard or cleverly he tried, he couldn't catch Adile.
When it was the other kids' turn to be "it," Adile reverted to being the clumsy little girl, only able to express her frustration at the other kids. It was only when Norn felt bad for her that he'd let her catch him on purpose.
William, who had just "acquired" some wine from the storage, was walking along when he saw Patrick and DeMol lurking behind a house, acting suspiciously.
William quietly crept up, ready to surprise them, but Patrick, who had seen him coming, clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Shh!" Patrick gestured for silence, then pointed to the playing children. William glanced over and immediately recognized the tallest kid as Norn. His first instinct was to hide the wine he had just "acquired," but then he realized no one was paying him any attention.
Curious, William asked the two men, who were grinning mischievously, "What's Norn doing?"
The other two just smiled without answering.
So William peeked out and watched the kids playing happily, sighed thoughtfully, took a swig of wine, and said, "Norn's only 12 this year!"
Just as William was about to get up and join them, Patrick quickly grabbed him.
"Where do you think you're going, you oaf?"
"Of course I'm going to play with them! I'm Norn's favorite Uncle William! Let go, pretty boy!"
"Quiet! Quiet! Don't get caught!"
Ignoring the bickering trio, the kids continued to play until the sun began to set. The children gradually dispersed, leaving only Norn and Adile.
Seeing Adile's face turning cold again, Norn smiled and took her hand. "Let's go set off some fireworks!"
At the lively celebration feast, the knights presided over the ceremony, expressing thanks to everyone on Norn's behalf and handing out bonuses as instructed. Faced with people wanting to thank Norn, the knights just smiled and said nothing.
Bursts of fireworks shot up into the sky, blossoming into brilliant flames. The colorful lights flickered on the faces of the young boys and girls. Norn, holding Adile's hand, spoke to himself: "Adile, do you think Sassan can see these fireworks?"
Thinking about how Sassan had earned him a fortune in the two battles, Norn happily said, "If only Sassan were here, I'd grant her one wish!"
Adile, standing next to him, seemed touched and turned her head to look at Norn, her usually cold eyes showing a hint of change.
"But I guess Sassan's wish would be for her people to live a better life," Norn, oblivious to the girl's shifting expression, continued. "I've decided. Tomorrow, I'll free all of Sassan's people and give the ones who are already free a 30% raise!"
Only then did Norn turn his head to look at Adile, who was smiling. "If Sassan heard this news, she'd be really happy, right?"
Adile's cold demeanor seemed to thaw a bit, her facial lines softening.
Seeing that Adile's face was still a bit stern, Norn, in a playful mood, pinched her cheeks, forcing a smile.
"Got to smile more!" Norn grinned, showing his teeth. "Though being a cold beauty is nice, I think smiling looks even better."
Adile swiftly slapped away Norn's dirty hand, then took a deep breath, as if making a significant decision.
A smile appeared on her face. It was like a delicate orchid blooming in winter, or an elegant dolphin leaping on an ancient glacier, and Norn was instantly mesmerized.
The fireworks eventually faded, and the earth returned to darkness. But the person in front of him suddenly vanished.
"I hope you remember your promise, my lord," Sassan's cold but slightly flustered voice echoed in Norn's ear.
But at that moment, all Norn could think of was that faint smile.
It took a while for Norn to snap back to reality and realize that he had mistaken someone again.