Chapter 134: The Reluctant Lumberjack [1]

"Please come in.""Damn, this is a dormitory… ." Trevor Warren furrowed his brow.

The room Butler Xavier led him to was just a single, modest space. Of course, the environment wasn't that bad—a bed, a desk, a bookshelf, a large wardrobe, and a sliding wooden window. It was a bit inconvenient that the bathroom and shower were shared, but it still had most of the basics.

"Haa!"

Trevor scoffed, the room's simplicity feeling more and more absurd the longer he looked. He couldn't help but keep laughing at how basic it seemed. It felt worse than the Imperial Army barracks.

That feeling was understandable, considering Trevor was the deputy commander of the 1st Western Corps.

Though he was now doing community service, he had once held a high position, like that of a count.

Knock knock!

Trevor sat on the bed, sighing deeply when suddenly someone knocked on the door.

"What's going on?" he asked sharply, his voice filled with irritation. The response, however, came in a tone that seemed equally irritated.

"Isn't this the room where Trevor lives? Room 307, I think."

"Yes."

"What? Really? No, you can't give me that answer now? Come out now."

"What are you saying?"

Trevor threw himself onto the bed, ignoring the voice outside. He had planned to spend his ten years of community service just practicing on his own. But the visitor seemed determined not to leave him alone.

Knock knock!! Knock knock!

The knocking persisted, growing more forceful. Trevor worried the door might break.

He had no choice but to get up. Even the most highly trained knights couldn't withstand noise pollution.

Bam!

"Oh, really!"

Trevor grumbled as he threw open the door. Just then, something suddenly flew towards his face. Reflexively, he caught it—a piece of clothing that looked quite thick.

"Change your clothes quickly and come out. If you don't listen, I'll knock again."

"... ."

The man who threw the overalls looked about Trevor's age. He was a big guy with a dark complexion, appearing quite healthy.

"Haa!"

Trevor's sense of absurdity grew even more as the man walked away without waiting for an answer.

But Trevor couldn't ignore him. If he didn't come down quickly, the man would likely start knocking again. Trevor grumbled to himself as he slowly changed into the work clothes.

"It's not that bad," he muttered. It was just a plain, thick garment, but it felt nice, as if the lining was made of good material.

As Trevor stepped outside the dorm, he saw the man from earlier waiting for him. Continue your story on M V L

"Let's go."

" where?"

"I don't have much time, so come quickly. Oh, you can call me Bernard."

Soon, Trevor found himself holding a large axe, with a helmet-like hat placed on his head. Bernard handed each item to him with quick movements.

"Tighten your chin strap."

"What?"

"It's got a buckle attached. Hey, that's why it's hard for newbies."

Bernard's rough hand brushed under Trevor's chin, securing the helmet with a perfect fit. Oddly enough, it felt better than a regular helmet.

"Today, we are going to cut down a Walt tree. The other colored ones are Moldex trees. We will only work on this one."

"Are you telling me to be a lumberjack now?"

"If you don't work, you won't be given food. And of course, you won't be paid either."

"I told you I don't need that?"

"I heard that Mr. Trevor came here with nothing. How are you going to live without money?"

"Well, I… ."

Trevor thought of saying that, as the successor to a count's family, he didn't need to worry about such things. But the words remained stuck in his throat.

What was his current self like? Here he was in the Duchy of Carriers, with nothing and no connections. In reality, his situation wasn't much different from Bernard's, the man standing before him.

They both had to work together today to cut down the Walt tree.

"Are you using any force?"

"In my own way."

"Then let's start from that side. It's better to cut down the big trees first."

"Isn't smaller easier?"

"The quality of the material is different. It takes at least 10 years to grow soft and white inside."

"I don't think they notice even if you mixed in smaller ones."

"Of course, the people working in the factory over there would be like that. But you know what I mean."

"... ."

Trevor looked at Bernard strangely.

How could a mere woodcutter speak like some kind of craftsman? But Bernard shrugged as if his attitude was perfectly natural.

"This is a precious opportunity given to me by His Majesty the Duke, so I must do my best. Come on, let's get to work."

"What opportunity… ."

Bernard started chopping down a tree, keeping a reasonable distance from it. Trevor Warren stood there uncomfortably for a moment before he slowly picked up the axe.

One swing would be enough for this kind of weak wood.

Woohoo!

Trevor raised his aura, and a low vibrating sound filled the air. But the result was completely different from what he expected.

Phew! Bam!

"Hmm?"

Rather than cutting it down in one blow, the axe blade merely sank deep into the wood. It should have fallen with one hit, but this result was truly strange.

However, Trevor was close to a grand master level, so he found the problem almost immediately.

"The handle was too long, so the swing wasn't delivered properly."

With a sword, the hand and blade were close, almost like holding a lump of iron directly. Sёarᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The axe's handle, however, was over ten times longer than the blade, which complicated the aura transfer. It didn't take Trevor long to adjust.

Boom! Boom!!

Massive walnut trees, the size of houses, began falling one after another. It was as if the god of lumber had descended.

Workers nearby looked surprised but soon returned to their tasks, focusing intently as if a competitive spirit had suddenly sparked.

"This is pretty good," Trevor muttered.

An axe was not ideal for channeling aura, so he ended up practicing unintentionally. If he didn't handle the power delicately, the aura would cut off.

After a while, enjoying the unexpected training, someone called out to Trevor.

"Just a moment."

"What a pity. Things were going so well."

"Just stop for a moment."

"Why is that?"

"It's break time. In the case of a logging camp, if you work for an hour, you have to rest for 30 minutes."

"... ?"

Trevor looked bewildered. Resting for half of the work time? Today, he had used his aura, so he had cut down many trees, but on a normal day, a dozen might be the limit.

Why spend so much money hiring people for such little work?

"He seem to have lost your mind," Trevor muttered.

The last words were, of course, directed at the Duke of Carriers. But it didn't take long for Trevor to come to a new realization.

Trevor watched the other workers as they leaned against the fallen trees or sat on stumps, sipping water and chatting idly. He couldn't understand their laid-back attitude. To him, it was nothing but wasted time.

Trevor Warren just wanted to get the hell out of here but alas that dream could not come true at least 10 years.