Volume 1 Chapter 44 Let's Create a Path V
After Cain and the others transformed the path in front of the mansion into cobblestone, the family, as usual, sat down for tea after dinner.
"Cain, you've really been putting in the work these past couple days. Never thought you'd wrap it up a day after yesterday, huh?"
Luke, the father, praised Cain with a gentle smile.
"Yes, Cain, I was admiring the well by the garden this morning, but today's work was even more impressive. There's no need to rush so much, you know."
Lydia spoke with a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Yeah, why do you have to be so good at everything, Cain? It's not fair,"
Alice pouted, clearly in a funk.
"Well, I was just trying things out and got carried away. Before I knew it, I was having too much fun,"
Cain replied with a scratch of his head, still basking in the glow of his work.
"Having fun is good, but you mustn't overdo it,"
Lydia chided gently, pricking him with her words.
"Yeah, you'll get hurt if you push yourself too hard again,"
Alice added her concerns.
"I'm sorry, I'll be more careful,"
Cain apologized sincerely to the two women.
"Cain, well, there's still time. Let's take it easy next time,"
Luke said, his gaze downturned as he concluded.
"Father, but we can't afford to be too slow either. I'll make sure to plan 'the main road' properly. I'd like to discuss it with Mother Lydia and Sister Alice as well,"
Cain decided to involve the women in his plans moving forward.
* * *
Back in his room, Cain pondered what lay ahead.
"First, I need to confirm 'the main road'. Measurements for the slope, width, and curve size seem necessary. And with drainage in mind, adding 'kerbs' would be good, I guess. Then there's the gutters too. Hmm, lots to do. I've never done road construction before... guess I'll think about it after checking the site. Ahh, good night,"
Cain mumbled to no one in particular before drifting off to sleep.
The next afternoon, Cain strolled through the town streets with Alice, Randolph, and Gardy──4 of them in total.
Originally, it was supposed to be just the 3 of them, but during lunch, Alice suddenly threw a masterful javelin──she told Luke, the father, "It's unfair that only Cain gets special treatment"──and Luke caved, so now she was part of the walk.
"Father," she teased, "if we keep this up, there's no way you can present him as someone wife."
Cain, knowing he's a terrible lost cause, had quietly taken Alice's hand, and she was grinning like she was on cloud nine.
But something was definitely off──something smelled bad.
Not enough to make her cover her nose completely, but it's that kind of stench──like a third-world city in Asia──mixed with the scents of people, animals, rotting food, trash, and the inevitable smell of the toilet that drifted through the air.
Everyone else seemed used to it; they carried on normally, as if it was just part of the scenery.
But Cain's nose was twitching──this town reeked, and he couldn't let it slide. With a strange regional accent, Cain silently made a new resolve: something had to change.
"Randolph? The main street──about 7 meters wide, right?"
Cain asked, peering ahead. He stopped about halfway from the mansion and inquired.
"Mostly correct, but from here on, the road curves toward the castle gates and slowly widens. It'll get up to 8 meters at the end. The width narrows again beyond the gates, making it harder for enemies to charge straight in, and easier to retreat if needed. That's the dual purpose."
""Huh.""
Cain and Gardy's voices overlapped, both eager to understand.
"And the road gently slopes downward toward the castle gates. Overall, it's about a kilometer long."
"That's pretty long... With the width, it's not something you could clear in a day or 2. If they block it off, it'd mess up the townsfolk's lives. And it's not like the street in front of the mansion──this is another story."
Cain gazed out over the street, noticing heaps of trash bins, merchant stalls, and makeshift wooden counters spilling onto the pavement.
"Guess we better draft a plan to clear it up──maybe even make a model. Randolph, do you have an accurate map or some survey results for this road? And could you introduce me to someone who knows the layout of the town or the street configuration?"
Cain figured it was best to ask the experts──make sure the right people had the information first.
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