The crowd was astonished as they saw the large stone golem emerge and save the girl. Rock golems were very often trained to defend nobility, so the general population was used to them. This town was quite a distance from the giant cities and kingdoms in the ascended continent, so to see a rock golem here was a new sight for many.
Meanwhile, Cecilus was slowly walking towards Marina, thinking about what to do. I don't think asking them nicely is going to do much for the girl's image. Heh, maybe giving them a bit of hope would loosen the strain on her for days to come. Suppose I send one or two of my rock golems out to help with the reconstruction. I'll gain some respect from these villagers and explain who I am in one go, exactly what I should've had the moment I entered, but alas, my ability to go unnoticed in society strikes again. Father might also hop off my back if I gain some fame outside of just between his military comrades, which is always a plus for me.
As he arrived beside the golem, who was still on alert for any more stray tomatoes, he gave him a command.
"Back off, I'm going to address the situation."
The large golem moved away and then crumbled into a pile of dust. Marina was a bit scared because of the disappearance of her shield from the projectiles and shuddered slightly in response.
"Everyone, I am Cecilus Crow, son of Reymund Ascension." Murmurs began erupting in the crowd as Cecilus continued.
"You are all working hard to get through your current struggles and rebuild these homes. Thankfully, the orphanage, owned by my sweet mother Yeldove, has decided to aid in the rebuilding of the village, and I was sent promptly to assess the situation while also expediting the process. Alongside the many young girls and boys who will be sent from the orphanage, I have two other servants who will aid you all."
Directly after stating this, two rock golems appeared behind the large crowd, the noise from their summoning alerting a giant majority of the townsfolk.
"These golems of mine are to help with the labor-intensive work around the village in support of you all. I hope everyone will be able to find warmth at night within their own shelter soon." It was at this point that a large portion of the audience began to clap and cheer. The murmurs and talking between the civilians became more concentrated as well.
"Father! Father!" A young boy in the crowd was tugging his father's shirt.
"What is it, child?" His father responded.
"At the school by the orphanage, we learned that Ascension is the last name of the kings! So is that little boy also related to a king?" The boy looked up at Cecilus in awe, and his father answered.
"Reymund is a far branch of the main king's bloodline; he's grasping at straws to make his family relevant. When he married Yeldove, who was of an elvish nobility, apparently, he put a lot of effort into his firstborn son. So maybe who knows, right over there might be a future king!"
The young boy's father pointed to Cecilus and continued his dialogue further internally. The boy looks quite young, though. Isn't he supposed to be 13? Why does he appear to be no more than the age of 10? Is it because he's a half-elf? He also looks nothing like Miss Yeldove's children, who play around here often and he has the exact same face as his father. It doesn't help that his father took all his facial features from the previous king himself, King Afner! If this boy's white hair weren't so long and actually kept nicely, anyone from this town would've thought he was an incarnation of the late king himself! So this is what Reymund is plotting; not only is the boy a spitting image of royalty itself, but his ears are protruding out and pointy, representing his connection to the elves!
Cecilus tore his gaze from the audience and looked at Marina. Bruises all over her face, it'll take more than a week for it to heal, but at least tomatoes aren't tough enough for lasting damage. He leaned in slightly and whispered to the girl.
"Scram, before they get angry again! Try not to show your face around here for a while as well. I doubt a few weeks is enough for the bitterness to die down."
Marina quickly nodded and left the area, confused why the boy was helping her but happy nonetheless. Why the hell was he standing there smiling and clapping? If he was going to help me, he had ample time to do so; it's not like he just showed up! Whatever, I was too in shock to move, so he stopped me from getting more bruises than I already have. Damn, my face hurts! Marina rubbed her face and took the long route back to her home in order to avoid any unwanted attention.
Cecilus walked down the main street as the mass clumps of people started to go their own ways. He took out a silver coin and started to fidget with it between his fingers as he kept a steady pace, thinking about what to do next. Well, I got that problem sorted. Mother would've needed the extra help with the reconstruction, and I don't have any plans to leave anytime soon. The golems should be able to stay here and lend a hand for a while.
While walking to the east side of the town, Cecilus saw a little boy helping his sister hammer down some planks to a pretty burnt shop. Almost the entire roof looked like it was about to collapse. I didn't see them at the gathering. Did they skip it for a bunch of manual labor? I know when I was younger, I would've bolted to get out of these chores. Why did my mother even make me do chores? We have over thirty servants!
Cecilus turned his head downwards as he saw a medium-sized, grey ascension wolf materialize from thin air. You appeared right when I wanted you to; it seems you've gotten quicker at knowing when I want you here.
The wolf looked up at his owner, quietly gathering Cecilus' thoughts, and began to express his own. I scouted the entire village. I have nothing to report; however, regarding these two children, they were here working the entire time.
Cecilus then flicked his wrist and tossed the silver coin towards the young boy. The coin landed right on the boy's head and bounced off into his hand.
"Ow... Who did that?"
Without realizing what had landed in his hands, the boy angrily turned around. The realization then kicked in that the boy across from him, Cecilus, had thrown him a silver coin! A silver coin alone could feed a large family for a whole week!
"Keep working hard." Cecilus raised his hand while walking away, signaling his departure. The boy showed his coin to his sister and smiled.
"Thank you!" The boy bowed his head as Cecilus left.
While approaching the exit to the town, he began to ask the wolf questions.
"How many do you estimate were lost in the fire? Were any major merchants or suppliers injured or unable to keep trading indefinitely? Who were the direct witnesses of the incident? How many days do you think it will take to rebuild after I give more manpower?"
The wolf barked a bit while his thoughts began to explain everything in order. The village seems to be around 7-8% less populated since I last came here, so around 14 people died. I know that five children died, and seven young adults. The elderly seem to have fewer people talking about them, though, and I'm not accounting for the people who could've died between the fire and my last visit. So 14 seems to be a good range based on what I find missing. The witnesses of the woman who started the fire only add up to three, but one of them is the village doctor. I don't know how you expect me to understand the construction of weird buildings and the time it would take for them to be built.
Cecilus smiled and gave a conclusion to the wolf.
"Well, the doctor is a trustworthy witness. I know him personally, as, years ago, I would sometimes ask him about the healing magic type. Seems like the woman really did take her own life after failing to escape. I heard her mental state was waning as well, but to willingly die in such a painful manner feels wrong to me. "
Cecilus' smile widened as he continued.
"Don't worry about knowing the time it will take to rebuild. I was just messing with you. How could a mere puppy be able to calculate these things? It has been almost two years since you started working for me; you would think you would pick up on this."
The wolf looked up at his master and glared. I get let out just to scout for you, and then I'm stuffed back into your miserable soul world. I'm not constantly standing around analyzing your horrid personality. A contract that lets me live in exchange for infinite labor is just slavery! Weren't you feeling bad for that slave girl? Where's your care for me?
"The slave girl wasn't the one scouting me out in order to prey on my flesh. Where's my thanks for letting you have a second chance, even after you were the attacker? I still haven't given you a name, by the way. I think I'm feeling better about sticking to just puppy."
The wolf didn't even respond as he slowly faded away into nothingness.
Cecilus stared at the now-empty space that the wolf had taken up, flabbergasted. Come on, take a joke. Running away from your master is insolence, you know! Despite being annoyed, he turned around and began to return home.