'Modified' Meals

Baron's Manor

Unnamed Town

A few hours before the wolf attack.

"...that lying, c*cksucking, devious spawn of an ungrateful wh*re, motherf*cker!"

An endless spiel of horrible curse words was uttered by Atlas. His sunken face and bloodshot eyes held an expression of unquenchable rage.

Holding a quill within his hand, he furiously scratched away at a sheet of parchment before him. His handwriting did not possess the calm, intellectual feel that it usually possessed but was instead ferocious and wrathful.

Atlas was angry… nay, he was livid.

Six days had passed since he had first taken reins of this town. In this period, he had implemented many changes in various aspects of the town. Some were direct and visible, while others were indirect and invisible. All changes, however, were beneficial to the town and its people.

If one were to take a look around the town now, they would find its scene vastly different from the one six days ago. The paths around the town were sturdy and wide. The buildings and residences were proper and weather-proof. There were even new facilities such as the Medical Center, Child Shelter, the Public Canteen, and the new Kiln, which was still under construction, spread around the town.

The mood of the townspeople was also positive, and their attitudes were at an all-time high. Many, if not most, had already professed their gratitude and allegiance to him, and some even went as far as to worship him, calling him the 'Son of the Gods/ Divine Child'.

So, what then was the reason for his anger?

The answer was plain and simple; there were no more food rations.

The initial stock of food after the Baron's careless mistake had shrunk down to a fraction of the total amount. This fraction, after proper rationing, was expected to last the town for a week.

How long was a week? Seven Days.

Today was the sixth. In other words, their stock of food rations was going to run out tomorrow. And if the food were to run out, then scratch out every positive thing mentioned in the paragraphs above.

There was a saying in the world from which Atlas came. It went like this, 'Hunger could drive the most rational of men insane.' Its meaning was quite self-explanatory.

If Atlas was to suddenly stop providing food for the residents of this town, they would immediately turn on him. Sensible, rational humans would turn into murderous, thieving beasts that clawed at each other for the smallest morsels of food. And while it sounded cynical and grim, such was human nature.

Now, fortunately, Atlas has foreseen such a problem the minute he discovered the shortage of food. And being the genius leader he was, immediately took measures to prevent such a grim outcome.

His plan was simple; gather the most capable hunter-gatherers in town and send them on an expedition to procure food. With some luck and effort, he managed to find such a group and sent them on an expedition on the very first day.

Atlas foresaw the problem and immediately took action to combat it. All was good then, right?

Wrong!

It was day six, and there was no Scout Team #1 returning viciously from their expedition in sight. His only hope towards solving the food crisis was missing.

Even now, when Atlas thought back to that day, he still recalled the promise that the leader of that scout team, Scout Captain Reudem, had given him. When the prince had asked him to bring back results in three days, the man had replied, 'You can expect results in half as much time, my lord.'

"What a bunch of bullsh*t!" Atlas cursed out loud, the fires of rage burning fiercely within his heart. "If you aren't capable of doing something, just admit that you aren't capable of doing it! What's the point in making bullsh*t promises!?"

Atlas huffed, releasing all the pent-up anger inside his heart. However, after doing so, he leaned back into his chair and visibly deflated like a spent balloon. His hands massaged his tired eyes, while an intense headache pounded at his mind.

Atlas' face was paler than usual and thick dark circles plagued his eyes. Ever since Scout Team #1 failed to show up in their promised time, and then continued to remain missing in double that period, Atlas had to confront a terrifying possibility.

'We might run out of food.'

This issue weighed heavily on his mind, rendering him unable to sleep properly in these past few days. Of course, the issue that bothered him wasn't the certainty that his people would starve. Atlas wasn't nearly sympathetic or kind enough to consider this issue.

No, the issue that troubled him was something far more important than the lives of two hundred and forty-seven (247) people. It was an issue of pride.

'This is ridiculous. I can't have these people dying from hunger and lose this town while it's under me! It would ruin my perfect record!!' As an accomplished politician and self-acclaimed genius manager, Atlas boasted an excellent record of managing the people and assets under him. Throughout his life, he had always guaranteed profits and never once suffered a true loss.

As such, the possibility that he might lose this town and the people in it was, quite frankly, a frightening proposition for Atlas. It would stain his impeccable record, ruin his perfect streak, and deal a massive blow to his ego.

Atlas would rather suffer bodily injuries than suffer a strike to his ego. Hence, the loss of sleep.

Unwilling to accept such an outcome, Atlas pitted his genius mind against this problem. He thought and pondered, spending hours upon hours in search of a solution. And the result of all this thinking was… there was no solution.

'Well, it's not like there aren't any solutions whatsoever,' Atlas thought of a certain answer that could help him out of this mess.

However, as immoral and vile as he was, there were certain ethical boundaries that not even Atlas would carelessly cross. After all, these boundaries were the lines dividing humans from mindless beasts.

Helpless and without an ultimate solution, Atlas could only act to implement minor solutions. These implements, while not solving the root issue, would buy him precious time to wade out of this crisis.

These implements were; decreasing the amount of food being served, diluting the meals with extra water, and finally… adding sawdust into the meals.

"Milord…" A haggard and spiritless Baron wandered into Atlas' office. His eyes looked grim and his head hung with shame. Clenching his fists tightly and biting his lips sharply, he quietly reported, "...I've finished adding 'it' to all the stored ration bags. I've also mixed the contents of the bags well, making it near-impossible to identify the change."

"You did well, Baron," Atlas tiredly replied. By 'it', he knew that the Baron referred to the sawdust that he had instructed the man to add into the remaining bags of rations.

"Is this necessary, milord?" Baron Helm asked. The guilt from performing such a vile action was continuously gnawing at his heart.

"Ah…" Atlas loudly sighed and leaned forward. Staring into the Baron's similarly tired eyes, he softly spoke, "Our situation forces us to choose between two choices, Baron Helm. We can either continue with the current state of things and watch as our people starve tomorrow, or we can do something to delay their suffering. I only chose the lesser of the two evils."

"But still, milord. Adding…sawdust to the rations?" Baron Helm had to forcibly spit out the word when he spoke. It was evident in his speech and on his face, how much it pained him to do such a vile action.

"The addition of sawdust into the meals makes it more filling," Atlas explained. 'Although it's not exactly tasty… or healthy' He inwardly added in his mind. The Baron was no idiot, however, for he too knew this fact.

But alas, the situation had forced them to make such a choice. He agreed with the prince in saying that this choice was indeed the lesser of the two evils. That was why he had followed through with the prince's orders without mounting much resistance.

"Anyway," Atlas looked at the piece of parchment before him and asked, "They've begun eating the 'modified' meals since yesterday afternoon, correct?"

"That is true, milord," he answered.

"Did you hear any news or complaints regarding this?"

"No one seems to have noticed the changes, milord. I took care to handle the matter with the utmost discretion. No one, other than you and I, knows of this matter."

"Good. And it will stay that way," Atlas replied. He then faced the Baron and continued, "I understand it pains you, Baron Helm. Truth be told, it pains me too. However, this is something that we MUST do! I hope that you can appease the guilt in your heart."

"I…will try, milord," Baron Helm hesitantly replied. However, the conflict in his face had seemed to have lessened when he had heard the prince's words.

'That's right. With the kindness that the prince possesses, how could such an act not hurt him? Compared to the guilt that I'm feeling, his young heart must be suffering ten times more!' Thinking such, the Baron loosened the grip of his hands.

Atlas scratched away at the parchment before him. The quill in his hand moved rhythmically and with great practice. At this point, Atlas could be called a master in the local language and its writing.

The act of mastering a language that would usually take other years or even dozens of years to accomplish was accomplished by Atlas to the same effect in a mere five days. He was a monstrous talent whose intellect was grossly inhuman.

"Alright then. With the new calculations, the modified meals will last us for an additional three days. After that, we will completely and utterly run out of food rations," Atlas calmly stated.

"Hopefully, Scout Team #1 returns victoriously from their hunt before then," Baron Helm prayed. Atlas, however, inwardly shook his head at this remark. He was not one to let things remain in the hands of chance and was the type to do everything that he could to personally grasp a solution.

'I need to come up with a solution and I need to do it fast!' Atas urged himself.

"That'll be it for now, Baron Helm. Please take some rest. While your heart may not feel like it, your mind and body desperately need it," the prince advised to which the Baron nodded his head.

It was then…

Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound of something knocking against the window was heard. Curious about the sudden noise, Atlas turned around and looked at the closed window.

He saw droplets of rain.

"Is it raining?" No sooner than his voice left his mouth, the falling droplets increased. Before long, Atlas could visibly see the curtain of rain falling over the town.

"This is rather sudden," Baron Helm absentmindedly spoke out. Just as Atlas was about to question him why this was so, he heard a faint scream from a distance.

"My lords! My lo~oords!" The voice screamed.

Feeling an ominous feeling settle within their hearts, the Baron and Atlas immediately faced each other with grim expressions and dashed out of the office room in unison. Before long, they arrived at the manor's front entrance where a haggard-looking man ran towards them frantically through the pouring rain.

"Terrible news! I bring terrible news, my lords!" The man screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran towards them.

"Stop screaming and come in here quickly!" Atlas urgently yelled. He recognized the man to be a member of Scout Team #2, the group in charge of scouting and mapping the town's surroundings. Seeing him like this, the feeling of ominousness intensified within his heart.

Ordering the Baron to close the door, Atlas neared the man and hurriedly asked, "Tell us. What's gotten you so shaken?"

With heaving breath and fear-apparent in his eyes, the man suddenly grabbed Atlas by his vest, pulled the young prince closer, and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"WOLVES! We've found wolf tracks, my lord! And they are heading towards the town!"

And as if enjoying this new predicament the heavens responded with a flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder.