*fuuuuuuu* “Who would have thought we were so close by auntie…?” A man with dog ears sighs as he stands with his hands behind his back, facing a small hill full of zinnia flowers in bloom. A small breeze rustles through the nightscape, carrying the sound of festivity from somewhere nearby. “When we arrived and exited the cavern, it was a sea of fire as far as the eyes can see. We lost a few men and a large portion of our supplies trying to force our way out. We should’ve been more patient, who would’ve thought that there’s such a thing as a Dry Season and that it’s a common occurrence for that area to be set aflame? I fail as a commander...” The caninoid laments his failures as he pour some wine onto the ground, in front of a gravestone a few paces away. He drinks from the bottle afterward before resuming. “We rushed back into the cavern after our failure to get out, hoping to find another way out. We ended up stumbling into the heart of the cave where a Guardian Familiar resides. It spoke in old Nessik, so old that I had a hard time understanding it. It was fortunate that you and mother made me study those dead languages, otherwise I think it would’ve killed us all. It seems its master wanted it to guard the lake of lava for some reason and just simply disappeared one day. It kept asking about some empire and the outside world. It seems it has been many years since it last had any visitors. It ended up offering to protect us as well as long as we stay in the cavern. With our dwindling supplies, we really had no choice. So we set up a hibernation chamber and took turns staying awake to make sure no one died in their sleep.” The man opens another bottle of wine with a *pon*, pouring more wine onto the ground. “Supplies dropped to zero, there was nothing we can do, we simply let some of the men die in their sleep. It was at least better than having them suffer a slow, painful death from starvation.” The caninoid pulls his face into a mocking smile. “Then the immortals showed up. Cerebus and its minions managed to kill the intruders after the immortals attacked the lesser minions. They dragged back the much needed supplies of food and water to us, they came infrequently, but if they can get in, that means we can get out. We tried to send some scouts out, but they were attacked by the immortals, shouting some nonsense about ‘Rare mob’.” The caninoid’s snout wrinkles a bit before sitting down, grabbing some meat on a plate resting on the floor and starts eating it. “We waited as more supplies came trickling in, that’s when we knew the immortals as immortals, they kept coming back even after dying. Our supplies went from zero to barely sustainable after we woke everyone up to feed themselves. Since all of us were weakened, we started training in cycles as the others go back into hibernation. We wanted to be in top condition when we break out. So we ate more, trained more, while stocking up supplies all the while. We should’ve gotten out sooner, we could’ve reunited! We were so close!” The man grabs another piece of meat before forcefully tearing it in half with his mouth. “This place is amazing, Aunt Defaye. You managed to turn a forest into a sanctuary for orphans with the help of two immortals. The respect that little girl has for you is like from that of a granddaughter… And the rest of the kids, they are maintaining this place well.” Sekn reaches for the amulet hanging from his neck, lightly squeezing it. “You held onto our secret and treasures to the very end… I guess you didn’t want to cause another tragedy like with our kingdom. We will keep looking for our citizens, but I don’t think we will try to revive our kingdom. This is a new land, with new people and immortals to boot. We will seal most of the treasures until we absolutely need it. But I think I should at least return this...” *za za za* “Commander.” A shadow approaches from the direction of the main building, where numerous fires are lit on the open fields before it. The figure carries a large tray of food in one hand and several bottles in the other. “Ah, Echo. Something the matter?” “Nay, just trying to get some air. The men are getting a bit too rowdy for my ears. Figured you could use some company.” “I guess I could… pretty much done reporting everything to her.” The man sitting on the gra.s.s pours a little more wine onto the ground before drinking it straight from the bottle. “So what do you think of this place?” “It’s great, we’ve got some real food for once.” The still standing man sets the tray down onto the floor next to the sitting figure and sits down as well before setting the bottles nearby. He grabs one of the fist-size, leaf-wrapped chunks of meat from the tray and starts eating. “Strange way of eating the food, but way better than the those travel rations we’ve been living on.” “... Is food always the first thing on your mind?” “You tell me.” Echo points to the men singing, dancing and sparring in the distance. “Food and shelter are needed for survival, with this kind of weather, we can sleep under the stars.” “‘Clothing, Food, Shelter, Transport’. Clothing we can make our own, and we’ve our Familiars.” *fuuu* “Why must you always be right?” [T/N: 衣食住行 again, but he emphasizes each of the kanji separately, so I don’t feel right just calling it “basic necessity”] “I wouldn’t be your advisor otherwise.” Echo tosses a chunk of meat that looks like a roasted rabbit into his commander’s hands before grabbing another one of the leaf-wrapped meat and stuffing it into his mouth. “So Mr. Advisor, what should we do?” “Honestly? I don’t mind settling down here, no war, it’s peaceful, there’s even a future here. I’ve no idea what possessed Ma’am Defaye to set up an academy, but I’m d.a.m.ned impressed. Did you know there’s some kids that are keeping track of the food and drink that we are eating right now? Your dad would’ve kidnapped them and made them work for him.” *ahahahaha* Sekn laughs heartily before taking a bite out of the rabbit and washing it down with a swig of the bottle. “You are d.a.m.n right he would.” “I think we should at least contribute here. We can make this our base of operations, that way we have a place for them if we do find any survivors. If we get too big, we will at least have some goodwill that can help us should we have to move.” “I’m of a similar thought actually.” “Good, so I was thinking, use a plain camp blueprint, subst.i.tute the Command Headquarters with the main Academy building. We will expand the farmlands first since we have a 3 month period, that’s enough for a growing season, we will ask some of the kids what they grow here and copy them. With the remaining forces, we will build some longhouses near it for the time being since they’ve lumber just laying around. More permanent housing can be built later, considering how packed we were in the cavern, this should be fine for the time being. We should start a training regime…” The two of them talk through the night as the rest of their men celebrate their first night at the Academy, * * * * * “Sir! The first longhouse is ready for inspection!” “Good, I’ll get to it right away.” Echo does a quick bow to his commander before leaving the messenger and Sekn behind. “How are the fields coming along?” “A lack of tools have made progress slow, we’ve already dispatched a squadron with Lieutenant Elms to procure supplies with some of the immortals, Sir!” *ta ta ta* The slow sound of footsteps approaches the two, causing the commander to turn, the messenger following suit soon after. “Greetings, Commander.” “Good morning, Sir.” A young man with black hair and a fair coloured youth with small deer horns protruding from his head make their way before the dog-eared commander. “Ah, Master Kun. And…?” “Mak’ra, Sir.” “Eh… just call me Kun.” The young man scratches his cheek at the unexpected t.i.tle. “Hmm… how about Kun-sensei then? Just call me Sekn then.” Giving up on trying to get another compromise, “Alright then, Sekn-cho. How is everything so far?” “Quite well, we’ve finished the planning process and completed a prototype for our lodging. The fields would need some more work since we didn’t have the right tools. Hm… is there anything else, Private?” “Sir! We would likely be lacking lumber halfway through the construction. We are also in need of a source of fresh water if we are to reduce the amount of manpower to acquire water.” “Hm… water…?” “Why?” Mak’ra and Kun look at each other before looking back at the messenger. Who in turn looks at the two in confusion by shifting her eyes back and forth between them. She finally says something to break the awkward silence. “We need water to sustain ourselves.” “Can’t you… just create your own water?” “With no disrespect, Mas- ahem, Kun-sensei. Conjured water immediately weakens individuals who drink it since it draws upon the person’s internal mana to completely manifest the complete physical form of water.” “Huh…?” It’s now Kun’s turn to look confused. “Is that true, Mak’ra?” “I’ve no idea sensei, we’ve been using conjured water as long as I remember. The former headmistress did say it’s okay as long as we use it within the [Forest of Illusions].” “Alright, can you please get a mug for me, Mak’ra?” “Certainly, sensei.” The deer-horned youth dashes off towards the main building, leaving the three others behind. “We can run a little experiment, if it works, we can provide all the water you need.” Kun squints his eyes as a group of caninoids gathers around a pillar of wood, standing it up next to the completed longhouse. “Hmm… are they expanding that house?” “Hmm…? Private?” “Sir! It seems like Echo is satisfied with the prototype, so I would guess they got the go ahead to start ma.s.s production.” *fuuuu* Kun gives a sigh, “I don’t mean to be meddlesome, but you might want to stop that and reconsider the planning.” “Not at all Kun-sensei, please, speak your mind. Private, halt the constructions and get Echo here as soon as possible.” “Sir!” The private gives a salute to Sekn and Kun before running off toward the completed longhouse. “What seems to be your concern, Kun-sensei?” “Hmm… you see, I’m also having constructions done at my home. We have something known as a Fire Code that I recently learned.” “Fire Code?” “Yes, there is an established law in my country that prevents and mitigate the potentials of a fire disaster. In this case, if, say, that house there is to catch fire for any reason, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that the house next to it will catch fire soon after as well.” Sekn nods in agreement. “Yes, that’s certainly the case. We modeled it after an encampment we’d use on a plain, we didn’t take that into account since we usually just destroy the tents that caught on fire since they are temporary… but these are dwellings… We are very thankful for your wisdom, Kun-sensei.” The man in question scratches his cheeks again, “I just learnt all this recently, I’m glad to be of help.” “If you don’t mind, please take a look at our plans when Echo gets here. We should’ve asked you and your companions for advice in the first place. Sorry for causing problems.” “It’s no trouble at all, we are all learning here...” Kun tilts his head to the side, a look of concentration appears on his face mid-sentence. *tatata* “Here you go, Kun-sensei!” Mak’ra appears suddenly with a mug in hand, presenting it to Kun. “Oh, um, thank you.” The young man snaps out of it and receives the mug. Turning back toward the blind commander, “how much conjured water would be necessary to feel the draining effect you mentioned?” “A mug would certainly be enough.” “Okay, please excuse me then. <>.” *pichan pichan pichan* Pearls of water materialize over the mug and drop straight into the cup, causing a continuous string of splashes. As soon as the last pearl disappears into the mug of water, Kun drinks it down in one go and finish with a *haaaaaa*. “Hmm… I don’t feel anything, if you don’t mind Mak’ra. <>.” *pichan pichan pichan* The mug is once again filled with water, Kun hands it to his student, who starts drinking it with audible gulps. Mak’ra hands the cup back to his sensei after finishing. “Feel anything?” “Not at all, it was refreshing though.” “If you don’t mind, Sekn-cho. <>.” The now familiar sound of the mug being filled can be heard again. Kun place the mug near the blind commander’s hand, who turns his wrist to hold it properly. He starts drinking it right away. “WHAT THE h.e.l.l ARE YOU DOING?!” An angry looking Echo knocks the mug out of Sekn’s grip with one hand while reaching for Kun with the other. A sudden ma.s.s of colour slams itself into his abdomen before Echo manages to reach his target. *batann* A surprised and angry looking Mak’ra is on top of an equally surprised and angry Echo. “STAND DOWN, ADVISOR!” “BUT-” “STAND DOWN, THAT’S AN ORDER! I apologize for his behaviour.” Sekn walks over to Mak’ra and offers a hand in a relatively obvious fashion. The deer-horned youth takes the hand and gets up with the commander’s help. “Good work, that’s some amazing reaction.” Mak’ra can only stammer a “thank you” before retreating to where his sensei is still standing. Kun also gives the youth a pat in appreciation and whispers “guess the training paid off hmm?” The commotion draws attention from the various workers that had stopped working as ordered. “What’s the meaning of this, Advisor?” The frost-laced edge is audible within the tone of Sekn’s voice. Using Echo’s t.i.tle instead of his name isn’t lost on the subordinates that are silently watching, Echo isn’t stupid enough not to notice it as well. “He was going to give you conjured water! I saw him create it before giving it to you!” “You idiot! I knew that!” Echo’s face change from anger into a face of confusion. “What...?” *fuuuu* “Someone get the mug, Kun-sensei, please make another cup for me please.” One of the caninoids s.n.a.t.c.hes the mug that’s resting on the floor, gives it a quick polish, before handing it to the young man. Kun fills the mug again before walking over and handing it over to the angry Sekn. “Wai-” Echo tries to get up and stop his commander from drinking the water, but he manages to drink it all in one go. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Sekn stares down at Echo before knocking him on his back with a swift kick to his chest. “They drank it in front of me to prove it’s safe. I just drank it, it didn’t drain me, it is freaking delicious! Do you understand now?” Echo looks up in disbelief with a stupefied expression. *fuuu* “Sorry to bother you again, Kun-sensei. If you don’t mind.” Kun replies with a nod and fills the mug again. Sekn walks to where his advisor had fallen and thrusts the mug forward in his general direction. “Drink.” Echo tries to protest, but the icy-cold tone stops him. He timidly takes the cup and drinks the water, expecting to be weakened afterward. Everyone look at him intently, but there’s no change. Realizing his error, Echo gets up quickly, dashes toward Kun and Mak’ra before sliding into a dogeza. “I humbly apologize for my mistake.” The kneeling man’s voice is shakey, his ears droop down, showing his shame. “Don’t worry about it, it’s-” *dota dota* Sekn stomps over, obviously still very angry. “You think that’s enough of an apology?! They offered their hospitality! They continued Defaye’s legacy! They showed sincerity by using it on themselves first! Get on your back!” Echo timidly follows the order, knowing what is being asked of him. He gets on his back, exposing his stomach, all the meanwhile holding an expression full of regret. “I sincerely apologize for my misconduct.” “Please accept his apology and step on his stomach.” The commander makes a bow toward the two. “Umm… are you sure?” “Unless you don’t want to accept his apology then?” Sekn nods slowly. “Private, get me my sword.” “Wait, wait, we just have to step on him right?” Kun walks up to the man on his back and lightly puts his boot on him before backing off, allowing Mak’ra to do the same. Echo quickly gets up and immediately returns to his dogeza position, visibly repenting. *fuuu* “Wow, sorry about that.” The commander sighs heavily before apologizing. “All of you, gather around, Kun-sensei is going to be making some changes to our plans, pay attention.” The Private from before appears out of nowhere and produces a vellum sheet. Sekn turns his palm skyward before directing it at Kun “If you will.” “Umm… yes, first, we need to increase the distance between the houses. This is to prevent fire from spreading should there be one. We can afford to just let it burn if we can’t put it out in time. Secondly, the main road should be paved to-” “You sure?” A dark-skinned caninoid interrupts Kun mid-sentence. “We don’t have the material for it.” “What do you mean?” Kun looks confused. “We have storage of stone if you need it.” The caninoid looks toward his commander who gives a nod. “Stone will get crushed quickly when placed on living lands. Sure, paved roads make it easy to travel, but it’s hard to maintain since it can’t withstand the pressure from the ground. You’d need special minerals that’s capable of holding mana to resist the pressure.” “I see, thank you for letting me know. Then we will just widen the main roads to be 3 wagons wide for now, please refer to Mak’ra for the actual size when you are measuring. Please make a list for the necessary material for a paved road as well.” The caninoid raises one of his brows for the humility and lack of hurt pride in the response and simply nods. “Since conjured water is proven to be safe here, I’d recommend having ponds here, here, here and here. They will double as our training ground for water magic. A central reservoir will be placed here, between the houses and fields, so time won’t be wasted travelling back and forth. Our students can dig holes at these locations, just let us know once you guys marked off the spots. Also, please order our students around for things like moving material, harvesting, construction, and so forth. They need practical experience more than anything at the moment, if there’s anything you need, you can let Mak’ra or De’muel know and they will a.s.sist you accordingly.” Mak’ra makes a small wave with his hand when everyone’s attention turns to him. “There are also some construction techniques I’ve learned from my family archives recently, so you can…” The gathering becomes larger and larger as more people come over to see what the commotion is about, the group revised the plan continuously until Kun had to log out. * * * * * “Morning.” “Morning. What are you doing with that basket?” “Didn’t you know? We’ve a [Namakemono Chicken] coop now.” “Oh?! I can’t wait to have some bread with one of their soft-boiled egg.” “Geez, all you men are gluttons.” “Pffft, as if you won’t gorge yourself given the chance.” *beeda* The woman with the basket pulls down one of her eyelids and sticks her tongue out at her friend before walking toward the rope-covered area of the woods with the sun sneaking its way up the horizon. She swings the large basket over her head and slides the basket toward her back, until the handle is in a position where she can bite it with her mouth. She ignores the reinforced wooden door at the ground level and instead climbs up a ladder on the side. The builders obviously know what they were doing as they trimmed the large branches from the trees within the roped area, forcing the female [Namakemono Chicken]s to nest at the elevated balcony made at the top of the wooden boards. The worker undoes the latches on the wooden panel and makes her way onto the balcony area within the ropes. She looks at the roosts, dropping her jaws in disbelief. The basket drops further down, threatening to choke her. She quickly untangles the basket before letting out an “EEHHHHHHHHHH?!” Causing a chorus of *kokko* and a ma.s.s of feathers to drift down onto the forest floor below. Clutches of eggs threaten to overflow from each roost, with each egg being the size of an adult’s fist. She quickly inspects an egg by picking it up and holds it toward the rising sun. She closes her right eye and focuses with her left as she looks for the telltale sign of a fertilized egg. She repeats it for each egg, and for each egg that turns a positive, the entire roost follows. She makes a mental note before placing them back into their respective roost. The unfertilized eggs are placed inside the basket until it’s full. Unfortunately, the basket only holds about 20 eggs, so it quickly ran out of s.p.a.ce. By the time she finished her work, 3 out of the 13 roosts were fertilized. Out of nearly 100 eggs, 22 of them have the telltale sign of fertilization. *Mnnnnn* She lets out a groan as she stands up, stretching her back as she does so. “This is insane, we are going to need more people and more coops at this rate…” * * * * * *patan patan patan* “A little deeper for this set of trenches please!” “Yes, Sir!” “Please, I’m younger than you all…” The bull-horned youth brings a hand up, waving it as to dismiss the t.i.tle, before whispering “by a lot.” quietly. “You are our senior in farming though!” “Yeah, even the Maned group said you taught them some stuff, and they were farmers before joining the army!” “I’ve never seen this type of farming as well, and I’ve seen a lot!” *pon* A hand pats the youth on the shoulder, causing him to turn around. “Loosen up De’muel, you are doing a great job.” “Rick-sensei! Um… I’m still not used to ordering these people around...” De’muel pushes his thick index fingers together, making them bounce as he stares at them. “Now you know how I feel teaching you all! Don’t worry, you will get used to it, these guys respect knowledge, right guys?!” “d.a.m.n right!” “Why don’t you learn some farming too, Headmaster?!” Rick takes a step back from the unexpected invite. “No thanks! I eh… have other things to do!” “Like headb.u.t.ting those chickens?” *ahahahahahahaha* The blonde youth hangs his head before snapping it back up. “Maybe I shall tell them to just trade them all for travel rations.” “Nooooooooooo! We are sorry!” “We were just kidding!” “Have mercy!” Rick makes a pose with his nose pointed upward as the caninoids play along while De’muel becomes even more fl.u.s.tered by the scene. “All jokes aside, I’m just letting you know that the trade to Sardon has been confirmed last night, we will ship out in a few days. So delegate your tasks and come join us later when you are done. You and Mak’ra are going to be be in charge of the caravan.” “Ehhhh?” De’muel’s eyes go wide in surprise, with a sparkle mixed in. “The proposals you two made are going to be put into action.” “Really?! Shouldn’t you senseis do the trading?” “Nope, we are teaching you guys to be self-sustainable, so you all have to do it and experience it yourself. See you in a bit.” Rick turns to the workers digging in the fields, “we will be having some experimental courses for dinner! Those interested, please register at the cafeteria before dinner prep gets started!” The blonde youth walks off toward the group that’s training on evasion. Smoothly, he shoots something invisible from a small, stringless bow and send several students flying from a sudden gust of wind. De’muel can’t help but smile at the given opportunity while looking onto the chaos his sensei is causing for the evasion cla.s.s. “Okay guys, finish up! I’m going to talk to the Maned group later and have them lead you guys afterward!” “Aye, Sir!” De’muel hangs his head with his eyes closed, giving up on correcting them. * * * * * *sha sha sha sha sha* A stream of dry leaves tumbles into itself like Ouroboros while it suspends itself in mid air over a roaring fire, I carefully control the air current to keep it stable. [T/N: Ouroboros is a snake that’s eating its own tail] “Okay, next batch. How many do we have left?” “About 6 more Till-neechan.” “Okay, get the next basket ready.” I direct the stream of leaves into a large, mounted, wooden funnel laid on its side at the other side of the room. At the end of the funnel, a large cloth bag is tied to the opening with a piece of rope. Two young demihumans with stout bodies and ringed tails busy themselves by using a shovel to move the leaves into the end of the tunnel, occasionally reaching in to remove an odd burnt leaf every now and then. “Ready, Till-neechan.” Another party of demihumans with ringed tails carries a straw basket between the two of them. Unlike their two brothers, these girls have slender, elongated bodies, with the only similarity being their tails. “Alright, let’s go.” I focus my eyes on the s.p.a.ce underneath the basket, the girls slowly tilt the basket forward as soon as they felt the breeze I just summoned. They shake and tilt the basket forward slowly to let the leaves catch the draft without overburdening it, until the basket is empty. The stream of leaves gathers into a ball over the fire, resuming the Ouroboros dance that’s necessary to cure the leaves. The boys finish their task and are busy tying up the bag that’s as big as they are. They quickly get another empty bag and refasten the rope for the next batch. *kara* I can hear the door opening and shutting. Whoever it is has the courtesy not to interrupt us. The faint smell of lemon zest and burning fills the air again. A deep red colour paints the wall opposite from the open window, I finally notice the time and decide to stop after this batch. “Alright, we will finish the rest tomorrow.” I break the circular stream of air and direct it at the funnel again. Obediently, the leaves follow suit. The boys start their routine while the girls are setting the remaining basket of sun-dried leaves onto the the proper racks and generally tidying up the place. I turn toward the still silent visitor, recognizing the loveable idiot with blonde hair. “Hey Rick-ni~.” “Hey yourself kiddo, is that how you guys make those tea leaves? Wish they’d have them where I am, all they have are those bitter beans, ark.” He makes an expression as though he can taste it. I can’t help but smile at that. “Hmm… I will see if I can send some your way, Rick-ni~” “Heh, I’m just kidding kiddo, don’t worry about that.” He turns toward the siblings before giving them a nod. “Wash your hands and get to the cafeteria, we’ve some new stuff for you guys to try.” “Yayyyy~” The girls were the first out the door while the boys quickly finish their task and tie up the bag. They double-check to make sure the bag is secure before running toward the door. Abruptly, one of the boys stops in front of Rick-ni and asks “will there be more of those ‘tralicks’?”. “It’s trail-mix, t-r-a-i-l, m-i-x see my lips, a-i-l. And m-i-x, Mmmm-ix” “T-r-a-i-r m-i-xx” The boy tries to imitate Rick-ni with a lisp. “Ah, close enough. Yeah, I think both De’muel and Mak’ra said they have a new batch.” Rick-ni gives the boy a rub on his head before sending him on his way. “Rick-ni is starting to look like a proper sensei now~” “Haha, come on, these rascals aren’t even rea-...” Rick-ni stops mid-sentence while scrunching his brows. Not bothering to wait for his train of thought to complete, I tell him, “let’s go to the cafeteria already,” before walking past him and exiting through the door.