The people in that house care about their house very much. They don't want it to be destroyed and also want to sleep. But they can't sleep because of all the noise that the deers were causing.
The inhabitants of the decoy house woke up in anger and came out to chase away whatever was causing the noise. This made them clash with the herd of deer, who were also irritable. Thus, a great fight ensued.
He and Ruff watched all of these happen from a distance with amusement. Arthur, in particular, laughed when he heard someone shout in anger, "Where did these abominable creatures come from?"
Then he went to the backyard to skin and butcher the deer. After a year of experience killing and butchering sheep, he has become very skilled in the art.
By morning, he was done cutting up the deer. He even had time to salt and roast it. Only then was he ready to leave his mother's house.
Lady Vena and Brooks came to see him off. Geltra won't be able to follow him because she has a family and kids to take care of in the Dyson compound.
Her son and his quiet friend, Thompson, are helping him to move to town. He is not the only one who came to help. Most of the able-bodied servants also helped him.
He is not carrying a lot of personal belongings. Most of what he is carrying are the tools and equipment for winemaking.
There will still be more things to move, such as the vats and barrels he has stored. Those can be moved without his supervision, so the servants can bring them to his house later.
For now, he only moved his clothes and the fragile glassware he uses for the distillation of the alcohol. This alone took up three carriages.
He and Thompson sat together in the first carriage as it left the compound. Ruff ran alongside them on the road. He was too big for the carriage, so he had to run on foot.
Arthur looked out the window, sighed, and said to Thompson, "This reminds me of the first time we went to the academy."
Thompson nodded. Then he did something he doesn't usually do; he spoke at length.
"Your mother and my mother told me to protect you. Then you got into a fight with Grey, and we broke his nose. Your mother changed her instructions and told me to stay away from you because you're a bad influence. That was fun."
Arthur laughed. "That was fun. I miss the good old days when I was small and had few worries."
Thompson was silent for a while. Then he said, "I'll miss you."
Arthur patted his shoulder and said, "I'll miss you too, buddy."
Thompson spoke again, "You're very talented, but you're not proud. You are rich but kind. You associate with everyone and don't look down on anyone. That was why I wanted to protect you on the first day of school. I didn't join that fight because your mother said I should."
Arthur was moved because this is the longest series of sentences he had heard Thompson say at once.
He said to him, "I count you as a good friend, Thompson. If you're ever in need, feel free to come to me."
He wasn't just saying that because of the karma he will earn from it. He genuinely considers Thompson his friend. If he didn't, his mother wouldn't use Thompson and his mother to threaten him.
Thompson shook his head. "I already know that you would help me if you could. You have already been good to me and my mother all of these years. But I haven't been able to repay you."
"No one has repaid you for what you have done for them these past few years. You might not know it, but the breads you distribute have saved people from more than hunger. They have saved lives."
"I know that your mother doesn't look kindly on what you do, and I have heard that she has been punishing you for doing so for three years now. Yet you didn't stop up. You never stopped unless you were sick and incapable of going out."
"I have never said this before, but you're a hero. I and a lot of people owe you a lot. If you need help with something, feel free to ask me. I'll do my utmost to assist you. You are worthy of being protected."
By the time he was done speaking, he was already in tears. He hugged Kelvin and sniffled.
Kelvin was taken aback by this burst of sincerity. He has heard several versions of it from the people that came to his send-off party yesterday, but he didn't expect to hear the same solemn and sincere promise from the quiet Thompson.
This got him thinking. "This can be exploited in the future. I think I can earn more than Karma from my acts of generosity. I should be able to earn helpers."
Thompson is now 16 years old. He has joined the third class with Instructor Canes and is already at the fifth transformation.
In two years at most, he will reach the sixth transformation. This shows just how talented he is. Yet, this talented boy is willing to do his utmost to assist him.
This gave him an idea to use his kindness to exploit the sincerity of others. He has even figured out how best to go about it.
He was thinking about exploiting others while consoling his friend, who is sad that he will be leaving, and just promised to help him.
It made him chuckle and say to himself, "If only he knew what truly lay beneath."
He truly considers Thompson a friend. But the meaning of friend has changed for him ever since his mother threatened him with the death of Thompson and Geltra.
He doesn't want to be threatened with others anymore, and he has promised himself not to let the lives of other people be used to force him to do things. So even though he cares about Thompson, it is only surface deep.