CHAPTER 80: PEOPLE AS A MAIN PRIORITY

After finishing that meeting, Gideon said his goodbyes to Mitsuko and Siver. This became his last meeting with them, because from now on Gideon would keep taking the path of a nobleman.

That was because becoming a noble was the fastest way to gain power. He had already learned so much just by being a Baron, so what would happen if his status rose even higher later?

It was not about money, not about women, not even about the power to oppress people. Gideon wanted to become a noble simply to open a wider road for himself to help many people, while also searching for information about magic that could bring him back to Earth.

Riding his horse, he galloped away from the southern region where the mythic races lived and headed back to Rockvalley Village.

It did not take him days to return, because the discussion ended quickly after Lady Siver came to the wolf village.

I have to tell them about this.

Gideon spurred his horse faster, cutting through the forest and passing along the dirt road that connected several villages.

The first crossroad ahead of him was the main path that linked the four human villages with the territory of the mythic races.

He kept riding north until the three-meter-tall southern gate of the village appeared clearly before his eyes.

The villagers were still working and living as usual, without knowing that Gideon had left early that morning.

"Lord Baron," they greeted him.

Gideon gave a brief smile, then kept riding fast down the main street of the village until he stopped right in front of the Baron’s residence.

The first thing he noticed was that the check up line had begun to shorten, different from yesterday.

Most of the villagers had already been checked, with the majority of them suffering from illnesses related to digestion. One of the causes was the lack of hygiene in the community.

From the direction of the clinic, Lena peeked out from the examination room window and saw that Gideon had returned. His arrival earlier than expected surprised her.

Did he succeed? Why did he return so quickly? I thought he would come back tomorrow night.

Even so, Lena could not ignore the patients waiting to be treated. She would finish her duty first before approaching Gideon to ask about the results of his discussion earlier.

Gideon stood in the front yard and saw Viviene busy counting the food supplies they had purchased to be sent to Dergon Village.

She counted carefully to make sure there was no cheating from the shop owners.

She turned, noticing Gideon arriving in his strange uniform and carrying a black metal weapon that looked much larger than before. Viviene grew puzzled and asked spontaneously.

"What happened? Did you just come back from somewhere, Lord Gideon?" she asked.

"Yes, something like that."

"How is it?" Gideon asked, referring to the readiness of the food supplies for Dergon.

"Everything is ready. I just need to finish counting the basic goods."

"Order Lucas to get ready. He will escort the delivery," Gideon said firmly.

"Understood."

"Make sure he distributes all the food fairly and in order. Ask Nath to help him with it."

"I will tell him, My Lord."

Gideon nodded, then glanced and caught sight of Lena speaking with one of her patients. He smiled, seeing how much she truly loved her work saving lives. Lena’s skill was unmatched by the people of this era.

He stepped inside his residence and climbed up to the second floor, entering his room. Gideon set his M4A1 on the table, removed his vest, took off his helmet, then laid down on the bed with a heavy mind that drained his strength.

"In the end, everything ruined."

He remembered Lena’s words, that in this situation Gideon could not have both at once. He had to choose, stand with the mythic races or keep his noble title.

Taking the side of the mythic races was not a bad choice, but the threats were real and dangerous, not to mention the lack of logistics and funding. Becoming a noble could help with that, but it meant letting go of the mythic races, who would then turn against him.

His mind was truly in chaos, not yet able to think of a detailed plan as Mitsuko had suggested.

Better to focus on my village and my territory first before thinking about that.

As their leader, I can’t just ignore my people.

After resting for half an hour, Gideon got up and calmly cleaned himself, letting the cold water cool his head, which felt overheated from thinking too much. He dropped himself into the bathtub to calm down.

He could not afford to appear weak in front of his team, not even to his own people.

Time passed steadily, and the light of dusk on the western horizon signaled that the villagers should end their work. Lena finished an hour earlier than yesterday, since fewer villagers came for checkups.

That was not a bad sign, but a good one. It meant many of the villagers had been treated well, were not relapsing, and were on their way to full recovery.

"Thank you for today," Lena said to the three maids who had helped her.

"Thank you as well, Lady Lena."

She walked away from the clinic while taking off her proud white doctor’s coat. She entered the Baron’s residence and saw Gideon in the lounge, sitting cross-legged on the sofa while holding the village’s financial reports.

"You just finished discussing with them, then went straight back to work?" Lena asked.

"Yes, I don’t like putting off work."

Gideon placed the files on the table, poured wine into an empty glass, and handed it to Lena. "Sit down and relax for a while."

Lena laughed lightly, walked closer, and took the glass filled with red wine. She sat on another sofa beside him, looking at Gideon’s work.

"What are you working on?"

"Calculating the profit if we take over Hector’s textile company."

"I understand. And how about the discussion?" Lena asked.

Gideon paused, flipping through the papers in his hands, then leaned back with a sigh. Lena, who knew a little psychology, could tell his behavior was not a good sign.

"It failed. Am I right?" Lena asked, confirming without scolding.

"Bian is too stubborn."

"He is a wolf. What kind of attitude were you expecting from him?" Lena asked.

"At least you tried. It was their decision. We can’t force our will on them," Lena said, sipping the wine.

"Mitsuko and Siver have made plans. They will still carry on with the unification idea without me."

"I think that’s good."

"Yes. My original purpose in suggesting that idea was to unite the mythic races together, no matter what race they were," Gideon said, staring at his wine.

"If they can do it without me, then it will be far better," Gideon said, drinking down the wine quickly.

Lena also felt relieved. That meant one of Gideon’s burdens was gone. He could now focus more on saving people in his territory without worrying about Bian and the others.

"The people of the four villages are our responsibility. They’re counting on us to bring change to their homes," Lena explained.

"You can do it, Gideon. We can do it together," Lena continued.

Gideon cleared his throat, poured more wine into his glass and Lena’s, and they relaxed that evening, waiting for Lena and Lyra to finish their work.

"So, what’s your next plan?"

"Operation Sabotage!" Gideon said firmly, downing his wine in a single gulp.

"That waterwheel... they cannot be allowed to use advanced technology like that."

"But they still can’t use electricity. It’s just an ordinary waterwheel," Lena explained.

"We can’t ignore even the smallest possibility. It’s still electricity. We never know if any of them understand how it works."

"Operation Sabotage must go on!"