By the Grace of the Gods (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 1

Chapter 7 Episode 1: The Changes in Gimul

“It feels different here, somehow...”

After carriage-hopping from Fatoma, I had safely arrived in Gimul. Given I hadn’t set foot in this town for a whole month, my feelings of nostalgia were dwarfed by a sense of unease; even with a greater pedestrian presence on the streets, the town seemed quite dilapidated.

“Stop right there!” I heard a shout as I was making my way to the shop. Turning towards the voice, I saw three guards chasing after a man. Must be a purse-snatcher or something.

One of the guards, being quicker on his legs, soon caught up to the man. “I’ve got you now!”

“Let go of me, you fu—!”

“Look out!”

“Whoa!”

“Suck on this, asshole!”

The guards failed to completely restrain the perp, allowing him to draw a knife and flail it around, injuring the first guard’s face and making him loosen his grip.

“He’s getting away!”

“Get him!”

The third guard soon caught up with the criminal and managed to restrain and apprehend him.

“Are you all right?!”

The injured guard groaned in response. While his injury didn’t seem life-threatening, he was bleeding quite a bit. I wondered if they would let me heal it with my magic.

“Excuse me,” I called to the injured guard.

“What do you want?! This is a serious situation!”

“I happen to know healing magic. Maybe I could help with that wound, if you don’t mind?”

“Healing... Pardon me, that would be much appreciated!”

With his permission, I took a closer look at the wound and cast an intermediate High Heal. The wound wasn’t as deep as the bleeding suggested, so just one cast did the trick.

“How do you feel? Any discomfort?”

“I’m fine now. No pain at all.”

“Terrific.”

Seeing the guard healed, one of the other guards said to me, “I appreciate your help, young man. I must apologize for my behavior just now.”

“Hey, it’s fine. Your colleague got hurt and all, I get it.”

“No, injuries are part of the job, and something we must be prepared to accept. It’s inexcusable that I’ve raised my voice against one of the citizens we are meant to protect, let alone a kind young man who volunteered to heal us. I’ve had a long day, but I must still apologize for that shameful display,” he reiterated. He definitely took his job very seriously.

“I said it’s fine... Anyway, would you mind if I ask a few questions?” I explained how I had been away from the city for a bit, and asked about the changes I’ve noticed.

“Did you see the new town being built south of here?”

“Yes. While I’ve only seen the exterior walls, they’ve made a lot of progress.”

“That’s all well and good, but people looking for a job in the construction have filled our streets... Look over there.” He pointed towards the alleys, where there were people sitting or laying down on the ground. There was one man who had been digging in the trash behind a restaurant, now being chased away by the owner.

“I’m surprised there are so many of them so close to the main road.”

“The population was already on the rise a month ago, but it wasn’t this bad. The number of workers coming in has far exceeded our expectations. Now street crimes and fights are a lot more common. We’ve tried to deal with it by hiring more staff, but even with all our under-trained rookies on the job, we’re still having to pull overtime.”

With renewed respect and gratitude for the guards, I said, “Well, thanks for taking the time to talk with me. I know you’re busy and all, keeping everybody safe and stuff. Thanks a lot for your service.”

“I appreciate it. Be careful out there, and try to get home before night falls.”

I bid the guards farewell and went back on my way to the shop.

■ ■ ■

When I arrived, I tried to enter through the back door when a man I didn’t recognize stopped me. “Identify yourself. Nobody gets past this door unless they’re an employee.”

While I was curious about who he was, I explained my identity to him and asked to see Carme. He must have been told about me beforehand, because he quickly changed his tone.

“Welcome back, Chief!” he said, as he let me in without further argument. “Sorry about that. I’d heard our boss was a kid, but I thought they were having a laugh. Figured you’d be in your late teens or something.”

“Yeah, I guess that’d be easier to believe.”

With that misunderstanding settled, the now-friendly man introduced himself as Hudom. He was a blonde human in his twenties, with a bit of a surfer vibe to him. He had introduced himself as a martial artist, and he was well-built, but more in a toned boxer way than a bodybuilder way. He had been traveling the country to test his mettle, when he stopped by Gimul and happened to come across Chelma, the chef, being accosted by some ruffians, and helped Chelma get back to the shop safely. Once that story was shared in the shop, Carme decided to increase the shop’s security. After discussing it with Ox and Fay, he offered Hudom a temp job as a security guard.

“Thank you for keeping the shop safe, Carme. And thank you for helping us out, Hudom.”

“I endeavor to earn my pay,” Carme answered.

“I was running out of funds, so it was good timing for me too. I get good perks. The shop is nice. And I get endless opportunities to test my strength. It’s a great gig for me.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“I heard you’re quite the fighter yourself, Chief... Yeah, you look legit to me. Want to spar?”

Wait, what?

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“I’ve been told I don’t look like a fighter. I’m just rather surprised you’d make me such an offer.”

“Right. I guess you couldn’t tell at a glance, but I was paying close attention out there before I figured out who you were. I’ve challenged a good number of dojos too. Your stride definitely betrays your hidden strength.”

He certainly sounded like he knew his stuff, so he made me feel safer about the shop with his obsession.

“I’ve been a bit concerned. The city’s changed since I was last here... How is everyone else doing, Carme?”

“Well, with Hudom’s addition, I do feel safe about the shop, and everyone is able to do their jobs without worrying about their safety. That being said, we do need to shop for supplies and the like, so we’re concerned about the rise in crime.”

“Just the other day, there was an arson at the Morgan Trading Company.”

“What? At Serge’s place?”

Carme nodded. He and his sister Carla came to me from the Morgan Trading Company, bringing word from Serge. It could not have been easy for them to hear that someone had tried to burn down their old stomping grounds.

“The fire was quickly extinguished, thanks to the company having hired evening security. It was a brazen attempt by several perpetrators, who threw pots of oil into the building and ignited them with fire magic. They escaped in the commotion and are still at large. Security was hardly lax, so they assumed the arsonists knew what they were doing and that the attack was premeditated... It was a very big deal.”

“Sure sounds like it.”

The Morgan Trading Company was one of those famous brands that everyone knew. They had earned reputation and trust among consumers over the years. Furthermore, their Gimul location was their headquarters, where many people patronized them, even those who didn’t know for sure where it was in the city. Had a crime of comparable scale occurred on Earth, it would be blasted at everyone within earshot of a news media network for weeks.

“How is Serge?”

“Unharmed, for a start. Security was directed to protect the employees first and foremost, so there were no injuries or casualties.”

“Glad to hear it.” Still, this topic, along with the changing city, was something I was eager to discuss. “Carme. Is there anything here that needs urgent attention?”

“A few documents that need your approval, but those can wait until tomorrow. You must be tired after such a long journey.”

“Thank you. I’ll take my leave for the day, then. I acquired a few things in Fatoma, so I’d like to stop by Serge’s.”

“Understood. Please give him my regards.”

“Speaking of, I also brought something for everyone, so I’ll bring those by tomorrow. See you then!”

With barely any time to settle in, I hurried out of the shop and headed towards the Morgan Trading Company.