"Young master," Elaine finally let go; she scanned him with her eyes.

"It's only been about two weeks, Elaine," he said.

"Two weeks is a long time," she replied, and then finally looked at Ella. "Hey, Ella," she called out, walked to her, and hugged her. Ella was hesitant to hug back, but she finally did.

After the greetings were out of the way, Elaine finally asked, "Young master, how did you just show up?"

"Uhm, I used space magic," he said without much thought. If there was anyone he could tell something to, it was definitely her.

Elaine's eyes widened slightly when she heard Raze mention space magic, but her surprise faded as quickly as it came. "Only two weeks away, and you've already learned something new? How typical of you, young master," she said, her tone calm, as if she hadn't just heard him speak of something that took most mages decades to comprehend.

Raze nodded casually. "What about my family?" he asked.

"Both your brothers are inside," she replied. "Your father's away on business, and your mother and sister went to the town's bath."

"Huh, then there's no need for me to head in," Raze said, waving the thought off. "I'll see my brothers later. How about Fey?"

Elaine sighed, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "That brat's been eating everything in sight," she said, shaking her head. "But he does work when it's time."

"Where is he now?" Raze asked.

"With the workers," she replied. "They're putting the finishing touches on the road."

"They're still not done?" Raze asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, they're done," she said. "But they decided to add a few things at certain points around town."

"Things I approved?" he asked, already suspicious.

"Not exactly," she admitted. "It was an idea from the townsmen, to make something at the end of the last road."

Raze folded his arms, curious now. "Hmm. Maybe we should go check it out."

Elaine nodded and led the way, with Ella and Raze following behind as they exited the compound and walked into town.

The roads were perfectly paved now, smooth, even, and pleasing to the eye. The drainage systems were neatly installed, and the entire place looked well-maintained. Raze had been skeptical about leaving the project unsupervised, afraid the workers would cut corners, but it seemed Elaine had handled everything flawlessly while he was away.

When they reached the far end of the new road, the workers were gathered around, laughing, chatting, and drinking after a long week of labor. Raze's gaze drifted past them to something further ahead—a stone structure, carved by hand, standing at the edge of town where the road ended. He couldn't see the details yet, but he made a mental note to check it later.

The road itself stretched toward the forest, connecting to the main path outside the town. It was clear the workers had gone the extra mile here; the craftsmanship of this section far surpassed the rest.

Then the workers noticed him.

In an instant, every man there leapt to his feet, voices rising all at once.

"Young master!"

"Welcome back, young master!"

"It's so good to have you back!"

A few even ran up to him, dropping to one knee in excitement. One man, bolder than the rest, added, "You can take the ring from Lady Elaine now!"

Elaine turned her head slowly toward him, and the man froze mid-breath. The glare she gave could have cut through steel.

Raze turned to her, curious. "Uh, Elaine… what did you do?"

"What you asked me to do," she said simply. "Be strict with them. Make sure the work got done."

"She's a monster!" one of the workers shouted suddenly, earning a collective flinch from his comrades. "She drove us like demons, young master! Day and night! It was—it was horrible!"

Raze raised an eyebrow. "Did she at least compensate you properly?"

The man hesitated. "Uh… yeah. She actually did. With extra bonuses and meals and—"

"Then why are you complaining?" Raze's tone sharpened, his eyes narrowing coldly.

The man froze, paling. "N-no, young master, that's not what I—"

"Nope," Raze interrupted, his voice firm. "That's exactly what you're saying. And starting now, all of you will continue working under her schedule as we move into the next phase of development."

A wave of silent horror passed through the crowd. Elaine folded her arms, the faintest smirk forming on her lips.

The workers knew they couldn't protest, not against both of them. They were being paid well, given bonuses, and treated fairly. But the sheer intensity of Elaine's "strictness" was something they'd hoped never to face again.

Still, with bittersweet acceptance, they raised their voices together in half-hearted cheer.

"Y-yes, young master!"

Their voices echoed through the air, tired, defeated, but loyal.

Raze looked around and spotted Fey sitting down as well, with a large steak in his hands, munching away with reckless abandon. He looked up slowly, and his eyes met with Raze's.

"Hehe, you're back," he said, getting up on his feet and heading their way, still holding the steak and munching away. He stood right in front of Raze.

"Elaine does cook wonderful food, but yours has a better—"

Kick!

Elaine kicked him right in the shin. It didn't hurt, but it made him stop talking. She gave him a cold glare.

"Well, get used to her. I'll be too busy to cook," Raze stated.

"Oh, come on."

Kick!

Elaine kicked him again.

"So, has there been anything that has happened?" Raze asked.

"Yes indeed, abominations running wild in small towns and also entering the forest. I've had to deal with a ton of them over the past few days. Something is definitely wrong," Fey said.

"Abominations?" Raze muttered. He looked down. "I guess it has started already," he said before looking up. "We'll have to ensure that no one enters the town again from todao, r leaves. A pandemic is coming." Raze said with a slightly grim expression.

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