With the Day of Piling now gone and winter at full force, Ghorise has turned into a ghost town. The streets are empty, almost apocalyptically so. Signs of life can still be seen here and there, such as the hastily pitched tents hiding inside alleyways or the winter plants coming into bloom.

  The thin layer of ice forming on the street looks dangerous, I can feel myself slipping on them with each step. An idea popped into my head then and I made a mental note to enchant my boots so that they don't slip as easily. You know what, why don't I enchant the rest of my leather gear as well?

  "Have you been to Ghorise during harsh winters before?" Ifira doesn't sound like she's disturbed by the cold at all, and she's wearing a silken gown. Her steps aren't even slowing down and she moves like it isn't winter, "usually people here are fairly negative, with a good portion of the homeless often begging to come inside houses."

  "Yeah, I can see that happening." Usually? Not that it matters, the poor will always suffer during harsh weather, and winter is pretty much the worst of these. "They have no choice after all, if they don't do that then they die."

  "Yes, dead bodies often pile up around here, during and after winter, come spring it attracts diseases so my father often tasks our guards to burn them outside the walls." I've seen that happen once or twice, even had a dedicated week praying to the dead back when I was an acolyte. So many dead bodies piled up then that it looked like a small hill, it's no wonder I had to come here.

  "Flotol is the same, the less fortunate people on the outskirts of the village and even the ones in the pier die during winter, a good portion of them survive but most lose their lives." Winter really isn't as fun when you don't have heating or a home to stay in.

  "Mhmm, yes, I believe this is the case for most settlements across the world." Ifira nodded, she didn't look hurt by the state of humanity though, it feels like she doesn't find it strange too. Maybe it is normal for her. For everyone. It should be for me too, right?

  Am I too spoiled? Huh, it's funny how I realize that now when I've been living in a two story home in a floating village, something that would otherwise be impossible if my family isn't well off.

  "Lately, the church has been receiving generous donations, it started as a trickle at first, then several pounds of food kept getting delivered to their door step every single day." Where is she going with this? Not noticing my stare, Ifira kept going. "Someone out there spurred the other shops to keep donating, at first I was curious why they would do such a thing, then I learned that it's because they wanted to help."

  Yeah, that's me, miss altruistic. I still don't understand why Ifira is talking about this yet I kept listening anyway, there has to be a reason why she's telling me about my donations right?

  I can wait for her to finish... Will I do that though? Nah, I'm too impatient.

  "Okay, I know you're talking about me, so what's your point?" Nothing happened, Ifira didn't react aggressively, it's too bad I can't see her expression though. "There's gotta be something you want to tell me right? And I doubt you want to thank me."

  "You're not wrong, I do partially wish to thank you, your family coming over to Ghorise and selling food is the best thing that's happened for a while now." Or so she says. Who would believe that though? A single family can't influence a town no matter how hard they try, unless you're a noble or something. "Without you, the casualties would have piled up again, if you didn't constantly donate food to the church and spurred the other shops to do the same, they wouldn't have an excess of supply and feeding the homeless population would have been impossible."

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  "You care about the homeless?"

  "And you sound surprised." She gave me a sour look and rolled her eyes, "yes, Rontress, I care about the homeless. I am still a noble and they are my people, do you think I want Ghorise to lose manpower at the end of each winter?"

  "No?" How did I think that she's doing this because she cared? Of course Ifira didn't like the disadvantages the death rate was putting on her family, no shit. "And speaking of that, how are the outskirts of the territory? I hear that bandits roam there and the occasional Etter too,"

  "That's exactly the problem, too many people die out there or worse, defect." She scowled, "without men, we are often forced to hire adventurers and that money is taken from our treasury."

  "Sounds harsh." I don't believe what I'm saying, nor do I sound like it. If she noticed, Ifira didn't mention it, "have you tried putting walls in the surrounding area?"

  "And what? Wait for them to get destroyed? Maintaining those walls will be more costly than just hiring adventurers to depopulate the monsters." Would a bandit be considered a monster? Is Ifira also referring to them when she says depopulate?

  Should I ask her about it?

  "Hope you solve that issue soon." I say instead, asking her for specifics when I know she's cruel is pointless, of course she also added bandits for the count. "Ghorise falling means that Flotol will follow soon after."

  "Correct, which is why I believe we should work together." Ifira stopped walking and faced me. Out gazes met and it took a lot for me not to flinch, "with your excess food being constantly donated to our family instead of the church, we will be able to feed our foot soldiers much more easily, and not to mention, that girl your brother marries cooking for our knights will do wonders for their health."

  The conversation paused, Ifira is now staring at me, waiting for my reply, and me? I'm just confused. Is this her goal from the start? Did she disturb our store because she wanted us to give her family food? And then there's also the part where she wanted to hire Laself.

  Ifira knows that she's a [Nourisher] now? She did her research...

  "That's a given." I had no choice but to agree, if Ifira wants something, she'll get it. "Of course we're willing to help, and spring will come around soon so I don't think the church needs our donation more than you do."

  "Don't say it like my family is asking for scraps." She says, defensive.

  I stare at her. That's exactly what you're all doing though...

  "Sure, whatever." I ignored her complaint and kept going, "I only have one condition, first, I don't want some knight who worked hard to earn the right to marry Laself, and two, you're not getting my expertise in the runic language."

  "The first one, I understand, I'll tell my family that whoever does that will die, and they will go with them." Okay, wow, how can a child say that so easily? And how can she be so intimidating while doing so? "But the second one is where I draw the line, Rontress, I don't care if Ghorise falls to some monster horde, what I do care about is fulfilling my duty as the chosen one."

  Andddd she's back to being narcissistic. Perfect. So I was her goal the entire time? This is so confusing! What does she want?! Does she only follow her whims or something?

  Come to think of it, yeah, that does sound like something Ifira would do right? Just follow her whimsy and do whatever interests her at a given moment.

  "Okay, the chosen one." God what a stupid name. "Let's go with that, I'm willing to lend you my help, only with interpreting Pricorian artifacts or other similar things, otherwise I'm not gonna help you."

  Making items for her is strictly off limits, not only would that consume too much of my time, it would also make her stronger faster. And I don't wanna aid the rise of the world's deadliest villainess.

  "Naturally, if I want enchanted items, I would ask professionals with resources, not some peasant in the middle of nowhere." Ifira looked so smug that I would have punched her if she wasn't stronger than me.

  "First off, that middle of nowhere that you're talking about involves Ghorise, Flotol is walking distance from here." I argue, partially wondering why I'm even bothering to defend myself here. "And second, I'm much better than a professional! I can do things that they can't!"

  "Of course, I believe you." She turned away and started walking, I naturally chased after her. Once I got close enough, she started talking, "and yes, I am also aware of your plans to leave your little village during winter, your bodyguards talk about it often."

  Should I scold Upinte and Jasiin for being careless? Is it even their fault that Ifira is nosy and rich enough to hire professional gossipers?

  "Yeah..." I murmur. "Look, I'm not gonna—"

  "I don't know what you do in that forest and I don't care, do whatever you want, just come back when winter ends." She cut me off and I wasn't even mad, just glad that she's letting me do whatever.