72. The Manor House 8

Novum led the two girls up to the earl's manor and Aureus was waiting on him at the front door. "Good evening Baron. It is good to see you. How have you been?"

"Lady Aureus, I have been busy. I dealt with the tower that I found in my lake and had to deal with it. So I have been busy. I did come in for a one day trip about a week ago and did not have the extra time to come see you since the tower was an issue but I am going to be here a few days and I thought that I would visit like I promised your mother."

"You mean was threatened into by my mother. But that is neither here or there. It is good to see you. Could you please introduce the ladies that are with you?" Aureus was paying close attention to Crystal who seemed to be looking pretty closely at her as well. Erica was not paying any attention.

Novum pointed towards the small red headed Erica. "This is the pyromancer Erica who has recently joined my manor as an offensive capable mage. Crystal is a priestess from the local temple that will be opening up an apothecary shop on the manor. She will serve as a healer when the situation calls for it."

"Erica, Crystal" there was a little extra emphasis on the Crystal's name and Novum did not fail to notice it. "Please come on in and dine with our family. And feel free to come here if you have any issues." The trio followed Aureus into the dining room. The earl and his wife were already sitting at the table.

The Earl jumped up. "Novum it is good to see you. I heard that you were only here for a day last time as you needed some help with something. You should have come and seen us. I am sure that we could have helped."

"Sir, I should not come to you with every little problem or you would never get anything done. But I will be asking for your guidance after we have dinner."

"Then let's eat."

The group sat and talked over a lot of things and Novum gave them a rundown of everything that happened in the tower and gave them the truth of the tower and the mage's soul that still lived in it. They were all speechless as he told the story with Crystal and Erica pitching in on occasion. It was a good evening.

After they finished desert the Earl turned towards him. "So what is it that you need advice about?"

"I need a steward. I have this huge manor and I need someone to help me keep track of everything especially things around the manor that I have no idea about."

"That is a very good question. A lot of nobility have a family that seems to grow with them as stewards and they will work for that family. Often times when the family more than one child they will be trained at one house and then hired by a house outside the family when they are old enough. A few Barons in this region are previous stewards who were awarded their title by the family. When they lost their children to war or disease."

"This means that finding a steward is both hard and at the same time easy. You have to know a family that has a child that is about to reach the age of being a steward for a household."

"Do you happen to know a family that is in such a situation?"

"I do actually. But you have to be open minded about it since the only one in the family is a young woman. She is very capable but a few families would not hire her since well she is a woman. We do not have any space for her or we would have hired her in an instant."

"Sir, if you could arrange the meeting with them I would be needs most appreciative. I have to go and see the Duke tomorrow but I would be available after that."

"Swing by here after your meeting with the Duke and one of us will take you over and introduce you to the family. Although Earl Benson might not be to happy about it. He practically gets an extra steward for practically nothing. Since she has not left there."

"Well dear, Earl Benson will have to get over it. This is a great opportunity for the young lady and a huge asset to Novum. Old miser needs to realize what kind of talent he is wasting. But anyways, when can we come and visit Novum?"

"Lady you may come and visit any time that you like. Although from what I have heard you should probably wait until spring or send a mage to visit and then use a portal. But you are always welcome at my home. Although you would not be able to recognize the area if you rode through there before."

"So spring it is."

"Oh and before I forget I brought you a couple of things." He pulled out a few jars of honey and dropped them on the table and then pulled out a bottle of the really old wine that he found. "This is some of the honey that my hives have started producing and a bottle of wine for a really special occasion. Like birth of a grandchild special."

The lady looked at Aureus. "Mom, I told you that I do not plan on having kids any time soon if at all." She glared at Novum.

"I apologize. I only meant that this wine if for a huge occasion and not for casual drinking and had no intention of bring up a sensitive subject. Also isn't your brother already married?"

"Not quite yet. The are planning it and will get married in the spring. "If they would like a lake view with heavy forests in the background they are more than welcome at my manor."

The lady smiled at him. "Thank you Novum that is very considerate."

Crystal spoke up. "Actually that is one of the most beautiful places that I have seen in this area and when it is time for me to get married it will be on the top of my list."

Aureus made up her mind that she was going to go and visit the manor soon. She might even tag along with they go this time. She wanted out of the city and the safest place outside of the capitol was with Novum.

The evening slowly wound down and after a long series of goodbyes. Novum finally managed to get them out of the manor and escorted them to the their destinations. The capitol was safe but it was never perfectly safe and he would not let something like that happen.

Novum was getting close to his hotel when he sense something and a small form darted out of the alley and tried to snatch the pouch on his waste. He was not sure if the hand belonged to a child of a halfling but either way he grabbed the wrist. He did not squeeze hard as he was not trying to injure the person.

He pulled up on the wrist and lifted what appeared to be a boy, that looked to be six or seven, up off the ground. He saw that the boy was barefoot so he was sure that it was a human child. "Young man, why are you stealing? Where is the one responsible for you?"

"My parents are dead and the lady at the orphanage was rough with my sister and hurt her. I was trying to steal your purse to get coins to treat her."

"Go get your sister and we will take her to the temple." He put the young man down.

"Sir, I am not big enough to carry my sister and it is her leg that is hurt." Okay then lead the way." He followed the boy through a few alleys and found a group of men surrounding a form.

"Looks like the gods left us a present tonight boys." Novum could hear the man's drunken words as soon as he entered the alley.

"Guys, this is your one and only warning. Leave the girl alone and go home."

"Or what?"

"I will kill you. It should not be hard. You are all weak and drunk so thirty seconds tops."

Several of the men quickly went out the other end of the alley. The mouth piece of the group stayed and turned towards Novum with a dagger in his hand. "Don't care how big you are or even who you think you are. I haven't had any fun in a while and you are not stopping me."

The man lunched towards Novum with his dagger leading the way. Novum grabbed him by the wrist and by the throat and without any hesitation he crushed the man's throat. The young boy beside him threw up. "Sorry about that young man. Wait here I will be right back."

Novum walked out to the main street dragging the man and waited for a guard to walk by. His luck was holding tonight and a man that he had worked with before was on patrol in the area. "Baron Novum is he dead?"

"Yes captain. He was about to attack a girl in the alley and when I stopped him he attacked me with the dagger. I crushed his throat with a lot less pressure than I thought it should have taken."

"Are there any witnesses?"

"Well he was not alone but the rest ran off when they saw me. But the brother of the girl saw everything poor kid."

"Well you go take care of what you needed to take care of. I will write up the report like you told me and turn it in. If the higher up want more information I will come find you."

"Thank you captain." Novum gave the man a bow of his head and went back to check on the girl. She looked like she was twelve or thirteen and her leg was broken and it was not looking very good. An infection might have set in. He scooped her up can carried her to the temple. He left her and her brother with Crystal with a handful of gold. "Please take care of them. I will talk with the Duke tomorrow and then with the orphanage."

"I will take good care of them Baron."