Epic Of The Demonic Sage

This time, Lucius headed to the re education center to check on the ongoing work being done. While he had spent his time on the laboratory when he first returned, it was also important to see if more work needed to be done.

Old Man Johan and the rest of the people working in the center were thrilled at his return and were happy to inform him of the changes that occurred over time.

"How are the people responding to the counseling sessions?" Lucius asked. He walked through the corridors and checked on the prisoners first.

Initially, there were a lot of people who filled the prisoner's barracks, at that time, crime was high, as it was normal for being a densely populated city.

And it had been the first time that the Inanis Family strictly used their own personal servants to take care of every crime and not just the major ones…

But now, while it was not eradicated completely, there were fewer people than Lucius saw in prison cells before.

Some were even empty.

Lucius and the group soon moved through the classrooms next, and one could see the teachers currently providing their lessons.

"Young Lord Asher, in the past we have informed you that those who committed petty crimes were stubborn and refused to respond to counsel, but over the course of time, a number of them became more willing to listen."

"And not only that, those who have finished the counseling had moved on to their re-education and are learning well thanks to the materials you've provided us."

"Finally those who received their education have started to reform as well."

"A great number had a change of heart that they also willingly chose to help out here. We have been adding them to our ranks and everything is running smoothly."

"That's good to hear. Everyone here has done a great job." Lucius smiled for the people that accompanied him, and it filled them with respect and admiration.

A lot of them instantly shook their heads, insisted that it was not of their doing but through Young Lord Asher's involvement and direction.

"And yet all of this could not have been done without the efforts that all of you have done throughout the time that I was not here." Lucius insisted.

The people bowed their heads, vowed to continue their work more and even do better. Once again, they were inspired and motivated because of the heartfelt and touching words of their master.

"Will you be staying here and observe the center for a while more, Lord Asher?" Old Man Johan asked. "There is also some private space if you wish to rest. It's nearly lunch time now, my lord."

"And while we might not have the most expensive of ingredients, we will do our best to serve you to the best of our ability! If I remember, one of us here has a Gift related to cooking, my lord."

Lucius considered the situation and decided to stay a bit more to increase the morale. Since Kiana was yet to return, it was actually fine for him to stay here or at the laboratory.

"I need to write a letter and have it sent, but I will be joining all of you shortly." Lucius promised and the people quickly set out to work to prepare him a meal and give him the space to do his work.

Lucius privately sent a letter to Leif, the owner of the Blind Crow tavern. After that, he was served by the re-education center workers.

A lot of them were nervous about how their Young Lord Asher would respond to their meal preparation, but Lucius complimented the cooking and gratified everyone who heard of it.

Lucius knew that he didn't need to exert this much effort, already the vast majority of the people already had the Mark of Obedience but with new members being added to their ranks, he set out to meet and mark them as well.

It was not enough that the vast majority of them were under the spell, Lucius wouldn't allow for any unexpected events.

Once he was done meeting with the new members of the re-education center, Lucius went to the laboratory and did a couple more tasks on his own.

At this time, Kiana returned after her errands from Countess Lita and greeted Asher with an envelope in her hands.

"Asher, you've received a letter from Leif." Kiana informed him.

"Ah yes, I wanted to set a meeting with him." Lucius accepted the letter and checked its contents. "He's agreed to meet with us. Shall we get going?"

"Of course." Kiana nodded.

Once Lucius and Kiana boarded their carriage, again with a nondescript one to avoid attention, the two talked as Lucius listened to what errands Kiana had done and took note of useful information.

It didn't take them too long to reach their destination nor for them to go to the underground room located at the tavern.

Leif was already waiting for them.

"Good afternoon, what can we do for you, my lord?" Leif addressed Kiana and Lucius with a straightforward expression.

At this point, Leif was still wary about them heading here since their association was questionable but after Asher's transaction with Arius and his two other companions, the man was willing to listen to Lucius and recognized him as a valuable client.

"I need some people to look into the vulnerable territories of the former Viscount Drew's land." Lucius said.

Leif's expression shifted for a moment only showing a hint of surprise, it showed that the man remained guarded and reserved.

It made sense that the owner of the Blind Crow tavern would have an unreadable expression to some extent. But Lucius could see that Leif already had guesses on what he wanted to do and it made him hesitant.

"It's quite risky at this point. The war has only finished recently, my lord." Leif said. "Exchanging information between the territories is still difficult."