Chapter 58: A plan that never fails
Cass and Sam made their way towards the trio. As they got closer, Cass could hear the sound of them laughing, and Cass was surprised. People laughing with Sir Forsythe? That felt almost unheard of.
When Sir Forsythe noticed that Cass and Sam were approaching, his slightly relaxed stance stiffened, and his expression changed. Cass almost hated to see the man tighten up. Cass wasn’t going to punish him for having friends. Hell, he probably would encourage it.
It meant he had people to rant to when he was an ass. You always needed people to rant to when your boss was an asshole.
Cass would bet, as a hidden villain, Lord Blackburn wasn’t the best boss to have.
"Sir Forsythe!" Cass called, not letting his friends escape. "Are these your friends?" He asked, his expression bright. Sir Forsythe froze, appearing confused as he took in Cass.
"Uh, yes, my Lord. These are some knights I went to the academy with before I joined on at the Blackburn manor." He said carefully and Cass grinned. They were now close enough that Cass could get a full look at the people near him, and Cass felt a tingle in his head as he met the gaze of the taller woman with pointy ears. Her eyes widened slightly before a warm grin split her face.
"Ah, so it wasn’t a lie when they said that Lord Blackburn had fairy blood in him. Nice to meet you Lord Blackburn. I hope Forsythe hasn’t been too hard on you." Sir Forsythe’s cheeks warmed at the teasing, and Cass smiled. He took in both of them.
She was a taller woman, lithe, thin, her dark skin standing out next to Cass who was as pale as a ghost. She had pretty silver eyes, and black as midnight hair. She wore a complex leather outfit, but it looked comfortable. A bow was slung over one shoulder as well as a quiver, but she also had a short sword at her other hip. She was carrying quite a bit considering this was the middle of town.
Her companion was a slightly shorter, but stockier man of a lighter shade. He didn’t have pointed ears, and instead had no human-like ears at all. A pair of slightly floppy brown dog ears were on his head, a strange companion to how fluffy his tail was. His hair matched his ears, curling around his face where he would have normal human ears. He had piercing amber eyes set in a face that wasn’t quite human, but wasn’t quite other. He too had a short sword at his hip, and wore the same kind of leathers that the fairy was wearing.
He seemed a bit hesitant around Cass, and Cass couldn’t blame him. No doubt the rumours around him were downright awful.
"Well, not everything about me can be a lie, now can it?" Cass replied with a grin. "Sir Forsythe, are you not going to introduce your friends to me?" Sir Forsythe seemed greatly uncomfortable with the situation, and Cass kind of liked it. Seeing someone who was so serious flushed really made Cass want to tease him more.
"The taller one is Ser Ailia Hune. As you might have guessed, she’s a fairy. Next to her is her husband, Sir Dustin Sanders." That surprised him. He would have thought that they weren’t married from how they behaved, but who the hell was Cass to say?
He had a wife he was never going to touch. He’d also...kissed a man today.
Clear mind. Clear thoughts. None of that.
"It’s nice to meet you." Cass told them and Ser Hune seemed tickled that Cass had spoken to her.
"Awe. He’s so cute, Sir Forsythe. You should have warned me that I’d want to protect him. I never would have thought one of the most powerful mages of our time provoked this kind of feeling in me." Cass flinched before he laughed.
"Well, I blame my genetics." Cass told her and she nearly choked. As did everyone around him. Cass wondered what he’d said that was so funny.
"Yes, uh, well, s-shouldn’t you two be getting back to your patrol?" Sir Forsythe suggested and that piqued Cass’ interest.
"Patrol? Are you two guards for the town?" Cass asked and Ser Hune nodded.
"We are. Are you interested in our work?" She asked, her eyes sparkling and Cass froze. Uh oh. He had a feeling he knew where this was going if he didn’t nip it in the bud.
"Unfortunately, I only came into town for a short visit, so I can’t go on a tour, official or unofficial." Cass told her and watched as her expression shifted into a pout.
"Oh phooey. We were supposed to go to the orphanage after this, so I wanted to ask you to come visit. The kids rarely get visitors, so I’m sure that they’d love it." Orphanage? Why would they be going to check on the orphanage?
Sam came back to Cass’ side after dropping off the goods and Cass glanced at him. Sam, ever the smart little henchman, caught on quick.
"Orphanage? A town this size has one?" He asked and it was her husband, Sir Sanders, who answered.
"Of course there is an orphanage here. Every village has one. The demon King has been taking kids’ parents for a long ass time." He replied, his tone to be desired. Sir Forsythe’s expression tightened, clearly not happy with how his friend had spoken, but Cass felt that this was suddenly a wonderful, and great opportunity.
What was the fastest, and easiest way to gain good will with others?
Help the orphans.
Politicians did it all the time. In books, stories, real life. It was a goodwill winner every. Fucking. Time.
Cass could do that, and actually mean it too! He could throw money at whatever problem they were having, do a photo op or something similar, and that would have to help rehabilitate his image.
Cass gasped, clapping his hands.
"We would love to come with you to visit the orphans!" Both Sir Forsythe and Sam turned to Cass, shocked, while the two other knights had two very different reactions.
Sir Sanders looked incredibly suspicious, while his wife Ser Hune, clapped her hands, covering her mouth in excitement.
"Oh, you mean that? The kids would be so excited! I’ll go let them know you’re coming right now! Dustin, show them the way!" Ser Hune pulled the shorter man towards her, pressing a kiss against his cheek before she raced off. Her touch seemed to soothe him slightly, but he was still eyeing up Cass skeptically.
"This isn’t...normal behaviour for rich guys like you." He said quietly, and Cass felt Sir Forsythe tense next to him. Friend or not, he was technically speaking ill for a man who practically ran this countries’ finances. Cass grinned.
"I’ve decided that it’s time to change my image. I need to see the world up close and personal, and see what damage the Demon King is causing with my own eyes. After all, I’m in the hero party. I don’t really need the motivation, but I’m sure it would comfort others to see me." Dustin narrowed his gaze.
"You aren’t going to just show up once or twice, get the kid’s hopes up, and then leave them alone, are you?" Cass knew that look. Hell, he’d perfected it.
That was the look of a kid who’d never been adopted. Who had chased everyone away for safety. For protection. He’d bet everything he owned on the fact that this knight had to be an orphan. He was the protector of these kids now that he’d grown up, and from the way his tail was fluffed up, he didn’t like Cass’ attitude.
Cass chuckled, shaking his head.
"Don’t worry. I have no intentions to do so. Once I invest in something, I mean it." Cass told him, and the two had a stare off for a long moment. Cass turned to Sam. "Sam, go buy out a toy store and a candy store please. Then, have them delivered to the orphanage." Cass froze, turning to Sir Sanders. "Is there more than one orphanage?" He asked and caught the man by surprise.
"Uh, no, Lord Blackburn." Cass nodded.
"Makes sense. That’d be a tragedy if that was the case." Cass muttered, turning back to Cass. "Then, meet us at the orphanage as soon as you are done, Sam." Sam nodded, coin purse in hand.
"Of course, my Lord! You’re in charge, Sir Forsythe!" Sam warned, glancing at Sir Forsythe who still seemed to be reeling. Cass chuckled. The man was experiencing several shocks over the last few weeks, just like Sam and the others. Cass hoped that he didn’t have to make reports back to the Duke as well.
Cass wondered if they were all swear words. It would be funny if that was the case. He knew the man didn’t like the new Duke. Cass moved towards the new carriage, the horses already hooked up.
"Well, gentlemen, shall we get going? Sir Forsythe, do you two have enough space in front?" Cass asked carefully and Sir Forsythe shook himself. He nodded, rushing to help Cass into the carriage quickly.
"Of course, my Lord. No need to worry about us. Sir Sanders and I have handled worse together." Cass smiled to himself at the casual way Sir Forsythe spoke of them. Since Sir Forsythe had been so...solid, and relatively on his side, he was glad to see that the man had friends.
Not only that, friends built through a bond hard to break.
"Good. Let me know when we get there." Cass told him, and Sir Forsythe nodded.
"It shouldn’t take long, my Lord. The orphanage is just on the edge of town, not too far from the road we take to get back to the mansion." Sir Forsythe let him know and Cass found that...strange.
Why on earth was an orphanage on the outskirts of the town? Was it a shameful thing to have? Were the orphans alright? How many orphans were there? Was it because they then had a lot of space to grow food?
Cass felt a suspicion grow in his chest as he heard those words, but he kept his feelings to himself. He wouldn’t bother anyone with his thoughts just yet, but if he got there and the person running it appeared to be anything but the sweetest, kindest soul he’d ever met, Cass might end up burying a body.
The carriage door closed and Cass sat down for the first time since he’d been alone with Vespertine. Cass felt his face heat as he realised that, and then groaned. He was going to an orphanage. It was not the time to be thinking any of the thoughts he could feel nagging at the back of his mind.