"Mister!" Polo shouted after seeing Pion's figure appear, strolling through the empty street, coming from the castle after an hour or so of entering through its gate.
"Didn't I tell you to go back?" He asked after stopping before the boy, looking down at him questioningly.
"I would have if it was getting dark, but... You may have lost your way trying to go alone, right? So I was waiting to guide you back!"
"Heh~ Cheeky." He couldn't help but chuckle, hearing his quick answer, patting his back as they began walking again.
"What was it like?" Polo asked after a brief hesitation.
"The castle? Bland. The meeting? It was nothing serious. I just had a simple conversation about some issues; that's all. Let's head back and have a proper breakfast before I leave."
"Are... are you leaving? So soon?"
"Yes, I have a task to complete."
"But... I... I need to show you more in the city!"
"I have an important mission to do, Polo. I can't stay, and let's be honest... there is not much to see here."
"There... there are... are..."
He tried to utter something, but nothing came to his mind, no matter how hard he tried to think. What should he show him? The mines? The ones where people work without daylight or those that are abandoned, closed off, or collapsed? Maybe the slums? A whorehouse? Or the ghostly part of the city that is empty and lifeless? There was nothing in Greybank, and he knew it. He just... He didn't want to get separated from the first man who reminded him of his parents. The way he talked and acted made Polo feel right again. It came out of nowhere, and at first, he thought it was because of witnessing the Red Scorpions' fall. But then Pion appeared, and the happy and uplifting feeling remained and even strengthened. Losing it so soon was not something he wanted to experience.
"Mister Pion..." He mumbled, stopping, waiting until he turned towards him. "Can... Can..." With a deep breath, he managed to gather all his strength, continuing without stuttering. "Can I come with you, Mister Pion? I want to be a mercenary, too!"
"Hmmm..."
"I can pay for your teachings!" Polo added, pulling out the same silver he gave him yesterday.
"Keep it, for now. My work is difficult, Polo. But as Lady Mikan once said to me, when someone asks for genuine help, we should never say no..."
"Thank you!"
"Don't thank me yet, kid. You need to prove that you are serious about it. I can assist you, but if there is nothing behind your words, no drive to see it through, then my aid will mean nothing."
"I am not afraid! I can do it! Whatever you ask!"
"Ahaha, don't be too afraid. I am not going to make you crawl through hell! I am just telling you that there will be rules, and you will not be accepted without hard work."
"All the mercenaries... compete?" He asked, getting excited and curious, wanting to know of his future life.
"Mercenaries... let's eat first, and while we are on the way back home, I will tell you more about myself.
...
....
......
I was sitting in my office, holding a cup of fresh coffee and slowly sipping it while my other hand held a seven-page-long letter written by my newest favorite duke. Well... I don't know other dukes, but that is just a minor, unimportant detail.
"The spell worked wondrously." I spoke up, lamenting with a half-smile, giving the first page over to Sasha so she could also read it while my eyes moved to the second page.
"Now we just have to make sure his daughter and any other family member of his doesn't find it out. Huh... this is really detailed!"
"Yes, it is more than I wished for! Our dear Kustov is doing more than I expected. Ah, maybe he is trying to do a bit more than he should."
"What is it?" She asked, looking up from it, watching my mouth twitch.
"He wrote down what his daughter likes and hates, including her preferences. He even outlines that she is in her prime, a virgin, and most of all, beautiful."
"Tsk! So what?!"
"Ahahaha! Don't flare up so quickly, my dear! I am not thinking about it. Picking up girls is an art and not about receiving them from their parents. That's weird."
"Hmph! You already picked enough flowers! You have more wives than hands!"
"And I can still water you three, am I not?" I countered with a sly grin, standing up and holding her hand, walking her to the couch, pulling my dear Sasha into my lap, rubbing her gently bulging tummy. "Don't be jealous; you will always be my first. You were my first girl, and nobody can take it from you~!"
"I wouldn't let them do it either way, hmph!"
"Plus, as I said, I am not interested in sales. I can decide if I am curious about somebody or not. What I did think about, though, is that Merlin may finally meet someone who can catch his attention.
"Hm?" This time, her pouting quickly deflated, and as she began pondering, her orange eyes flared up with mischief. "You think? Now that you mention it, that could be interesting... He is too picky!"
"Well, Kustov here details that his daughter is smart and resourceful. We can test that through Merlin to see if it's true. Maybe he will finally start seeing a girl as a girl in the process."
"I support the idea! We could gain a good ally through that, and if this Elena gets together with Merlin, it would be like obtaining that city without effort!"
"Heh, Pion said the same thing."
"Oh? He did? I missed the meeting when he returned, but I heard he brought back a kid?"
"Yep. He picked up an orphan, too. Right now, I have made him his guardian so that he will be responsible for the kid until he settles in. First, he has to go to school and catch up to our standards, and then we will see what we can make of him. I just hope this does not set a precedent."
"Of what?"
"Vagrants aiming to come to Avalon. I am willing to welcome people who can integrate into our little realm, but not over a certain limit. Furthermore, I am only open to those who bring a skill with them, like Dorian."
"I know not many who would want to move to the Frontier... Just look at how Luna reacted when she heard she had to follow you back here."
"True enough, but that won't stay the same forever. Ahhh... no matter, it is not important right now! Let's get back to reading~!" From the third page onward, Kustov's report became truly captivating. It gave me all the information I needed about the two fronts that opened up when war broke out.
The southern part of the Empire successfully pushed the invasion forces of the allied kingdoms back but not beyond the original borders. The more they retreated, the more concentrated their forces became, and finally, all of that fighting halted, evolving into both sides facing off, turning it into a meatgrinder. While this was happening, reports arrived that there were military movements within multiple of Ishillia's western neighbors. Did this mean they were going to join and try to take a bite out of the Empire? Possibly... but it wasn't for sure. To keep the peace on those borders, the army's presence had been strengthened there, making it so that Ishillia couldn't simply steamroll the current enemy, resulting in a battle of attrition. Looking at it, Ishillia will win... the question is more about: When?
This differed on the eastern border, where the Kingdom of Scorc had not moved an inch, still occupying and fortifying the same city. Worse, they began building extra forts and walls, and by the visit of another flying ship named Retribution, we now know that their weapon grew in strength. The moment Retribution appeared on the horizon, the same formation that brought down the Justice fired at it, hitting it with such force that it had to retreat immediately.
When the first armies arrived, the same weapon remained silent, showing that they were keeping it for the flying ships' arrival, unwilling to fall for the bait and start using it against ground forces. According to Kustov's report, the first three waves against the city failed, and more than 7,000 were massacred and another 4,000 injured. After that, when mages were used, Scorc replied in kind, using their own spells to erect a magical shield, blocking off their attacks.
It was not just a stalemate; the more time passed, the more it seemed the enemy could 'retake' their old territories and even hold them. The southern conflict had to end to have a chance at breaking through the eastern one. The Empire could only then reorganize and unite the troops to throw them against the Kingdom of Scorc's forces until they drowned them in their blood.
There were suggestions to send multiple ships to overwhelm them. Still, the Empress shut down those ideas, as they needed to patrol the western side of the Empire, blocking the chance of anybody else launching a surprise attack. Nowadays, most discussions in the capital city are about the war and the movements inside our neighbors. According to Kustov's report, nobody asked how the Frontier was at the moment.
In the last few pages, he also detailed how he is going to gradually take over positions related to managing the Frontier. With how many nobles were replaced at once, many of the previously established structures within the Empire's political life had to be reorganized. With us being a place that garners little to no value in the eyes of others, he should be able to volunteer to take over and make sure we pay our taxes. Which in turn means that I would have even greater freedom.
"We will have to establish a constant, proper line between us and his daughter." I spoke up after Sasha read through it all, making her think and nod in agreement.
"He does point out that although the CC output within the city is abysmal, it is only so if we look at it from the Empire's perspective. The output can't stop completely..." She murmured, returning to the letter's second page, "But we can shave off a good amount every year that comes to us instead. The dwindling resources could also be chalked up to the mines running dry, so nobody would get suspicious if we are not greedy."
"Which we won't be!" I chuckled, feeling greatly satisfied and really happy about our sudden boon. "I am going to send Pion there, this time with Paxon and Merlin, accompanied by a few soldiers for security's sake. I want them to inspect the mines and, more importantly-"
"Let Merlin and Elena meet?" She chimed in with a giggle, but I shook my head and kissed her lips.
"Well, that too, but more so for Merlin to try and think about a method of detecting CC underground. They had to find it some way. I will also write up multiple questions of mine and send them to the duke to see if he can answer me. If things go well enough, we can invite Elena to our city after a few meetings and have her as the first official guest from outside."
"What about Elliot?" she asked with a giggle, lying back and snuggling up to me happily.
"Family doesn't count; that's cheating!"
"Speaking of cheating... Your mother is meeting with the freshly returned caravan, so... we have time to..." She whispered to me, holding my hand and gently putting my finger between her lips, licking and sucking it while looking up at me. I was about to answer and agree with everything she was suggesting with her gaze when my door opened, and the devil, I mean my mom, walked in.
"It's a nice and warm day!" She exclaimed with a smile, knowing full well what was happening. Damn... is she a mage in secret? Can she read her mind or have a sixth sense or something? The timing couldn't be worse than this. "Both of you would do well to take a walk. It is healthy!"
"Yes, yes, you don't need to be so covert about it!" I grunted, standing up and lifting Sasha out of my lap, holding her hand to soften her sulking expression a little. "I don't know how you can be this strict when you and Dad did it every day while I was a baby!"
Oops. I let that slip without thinking, and I saw the surprise rising in her eyes. She was blinking them so rapidly as if trying to see me in slow motion.
"Never mind-" I tried to continue, but she stopped me by raising a hand.
"I won't ask anything. I'm just going to say that, just like you, Sasha," she explained in a calm, kind voice, turning from me to her with a smile. "Just like you are fasting right now, enduring the distance from my son, I do the same with my husband while I'm here. I am a woman like you, and I love my lion! I miss him every night... but sometimes, our needs must take a backseat for our children's sake."
"That was... really nice." I whistled, surprised, while Sasha blushed, no longer angry or sulky, her free hand holding her tummy.
"Of course it was!" my mom answered, giving me a stern look before rolling her eyes. "I am your mother, for the Gods' sake! Where do you think your brain comes from? Your Dad? Hah! Be happy about your luck, kiddo! Also, both of you are better off praying my grandkid will inherit one of your minds because if the kid turns out to be like your dad, I will start thinking about marrying little Merlin into the family instead."
"Come on, Dad is not that bad!" I scoffed at the notion, but my mother only flashed a sly smile at me.
"He is the best when it comes to fighting, defending the wall, and raising soldiers. Developing the territory? Have you forgotten why you started your little Avalon, my dear?"
"Oh..."
"Exactly~! Now, enough talking! Let's go. We can take a walk, visit a bakery, or do something else! You have been cooped up in your office long enough, son; you are turning paler than Luna's buttcheeks!"
Am I? Huh, maybe. But mentioning her... now I could not help but imagine it. Oh well, I only had to wait until night to make a comparison for myself and see if she was right or not.
"Mister!" Polo shouted after seeing Pion's figure appear, strolling through the empty street, coming from the castle after an hour or so of entering through its gate.
"Didn't I tell you to go back?" He asked after stopping before the boy, looking down at him questioningly.
"I would have if it was getting dark, but... You may have lost your way trying to go alone, right? So I was waiting to guide you back!"
"Heh~ Cheeky." He couldn't help but chuckle, hearing his quick answer, patting his back as they began walking again.
"What was it like?" Polo asked after a brief hesitation.
"The castle? Bland. The meeting? It was nothing serious. I just had a simple conversation about some issues; that's all. Let's head back and have a proper breakfast before I leave."
"Are... are you leaving? So soon?"
"Yes, I have a task to complete."
"But... I... I need to show you more in the city!"
"I have an important mission to do, Polo. I can't stay, and let's be honest... there is not much to see here."
"There... there are... are..."
He tried to utter something, but nothing came to his mind, no matter how hard he tried to think. What should he show him? The mines? The ones where people work without daylight or those that are abandoned, closed off, or collapsed? Maybe the slums? A whorehouse? Or the ghostly part of the city that is empty and lifeless? There was nothing in Greybank, and he knew it. He just... He didn't want to get separated from the first man who reminded him of his parents. The way he talked and acted made Polo feel right again. It came out of nowhere, and at first, he thought it was because of witnessing the Red Scorpions' fall. But then Pion appeared, and the happy and uplifting feeling remained and even strengthened. Losing it so soon was not something he wanted to experience.
"Mister Pion..." He mumbled, stopping, waiting until he turned towards him. "Can... Can..." With a deep breath, he managed to gather all his strength, continuing without stuttering. "Can I come with you, Mister Pion? I want to be a mercenary, too!"
"Hmmm..."
"I can pay for your teachings!" Polo added, pulling out the same silver he gave him yesterday.
"Keep it, for now. My work is difficult, Polo. But as Lady Mikan once said to me, when someone asks for genuine help, we should never say no..."
"Thank you!"
"Don't thank me yet, kid. You need to prove that you are serious about it. I can assist you, but if there is nothing behind your words, no drive to see it through, then my aid will mean nothing."
"I am not afraid! I can do it! Whatever you ask!"
"Ahaha, don't be too afraid. I am not going to make you crawl through hell! I am just telling you that there will be rules, and you will not be accepted without hard work."
"All the mercenaries... compete?" He asked, getting excited and curious, wanting to know of his future life.
"Mercenaries... let's eat first, and while we are on the way back home, I will tell you more about myself.
...
....
......
I was sitting in my office, holding a cup of fresh coffee and slowly sipping it while my other hand held a seven-page-long letter written by my newest favorite duke. Well... I don't know other dukes, but that is just a minor, unimportant detail.
"The spell worked wondrously." I spoke up, lamenting with a half-smile, giving the first page over to Sasha so she could also read it while my eyes moved to the second page.
"Now we just have to make sure his daughter and any other family member of his doesn't find it out. Huh... this is really detailed!"
"Yes, it is more than I wished for! Our dear Kustov is doing more than I expected. Ah, maybe he is trying to do a bit more than he should."
"What is it?" She asked, looking up from it, watching my mouth twitch.
"He wrote down what his daughter likes and hates, including her preferences. He even outlines that she is in her prime, a virgin, and most of all, beautiful."
"Tsk! So what?!"
"Ahahaha! Don't flare up so quickly, my dear! I am not thinking about it. Picking up girls is an art and not about receiving them from their parents. That's weird."
"Hmph! You already picked enough flowers! You have more wives than hands!"
"And I can still water you three, am I not?" I countered with a sly grin, standing up and holding her hand, walking her to the couch, pulling my dear Sasha into my lap, rubbing her gently bulging tummy. "Don't be jealous; you will always be my first. You were my first girl, and nobody can take it from you~!"
"I wouldn't let them do it either way, hmph!"
"Plus, as I said, I am not interested in sales. I can decide if I am curious about somebody or not. What I did think about, though, is that Merlin may finally meet someone who can catch his attention.
"Hm?" This time, her pouting quickly deflated, and as she began pondering, her orange eyes flared up with mischief. "You think? Now that you mention it, that could be interesting... He is too picky!"
"Well, Kustov here details that his daughter is smart and resourceful. We can test that through Merlin to see if it's true. Maybe he will finally start seeing a girl as a girl in the process."
"I support the idea! We could gain a good ally through that, and if this Elena gets together with Merlin, it would be like obtaining that city without effort!"
"Heh, Pion said the same thing."
"Oh? He did? I missed the meeting when he returned, but I heard he brought back a kid?"
"Yep. He picked up an orphan, too. Right now, I have made him his guardian so that he will be responsible for the kid until he settles in. First, he has to go to school and catch up to our standards, and then we will see what we can make of him. I just hope this does not set a precedent."
"Of what?"
"Vagrants aiming to come to Avalon. I am willing to welcome people who can integrate into our little realm, but not over a certain limit. Furthermore, I am only open to those who bring a skill with them, like Dorian."
"I know not many who would want to move to the Frontier... Just look at how Luna reacted when she heard she had to follow you back here."
"True enough, but that won't stay the same forever. Ahhh... no matter, it is not important right now! Let's get back to reading~!" From the third page onward, Kustov's report became truly captivating. It gave me all the information I needed about the two fronts that opened up when war broke out.
The southern part of the Empire successfully pushed the invasion forces of the allied kingdoms back but not beyond the original borders. The more they retreated, the more concentrated their forces became, and finally, all of that fighting halted, evolving into both sides facing off, turning it into a meatgrinder. While this was happening, reports arrived that there were military movements within multiple of Ishillia's western neighbors. Did this mean they were going to join and try to take a bite out of the Empire? Possibly... but it wasn't for sure. To keep the peace on those borders, the army's presence had been strengthened there, making it so that Ishillia couldn't simply steamroll the current enemy, resulting in a battle of attrition. Looking at it, Ishillia will win... the question is more about: When?
This differed on the eastern border, where the Kingdom of Scorc had not moved an inch, still occupying and fortifying the same city. Worse, they began building extra forts and walls, and by the visit of another flying ship named Retribution, we now know that their weapon grew in strength. The moment Retribution appeared on the horizon, the same formation that brought down the Justice fired at it, hitting it with such force that it had to retreat immediately.
When the first armies arrived, the same weapon remained silent, showing that they were keeping it for the flying ships' arrival, unwilling to fall for the bait and start using it against ground forces. According to Kustov's report, the first three waves against the city failed, and more than 7,000 were massacred and another 4,000 injured. After that, when mages were used, Scorc replied in kind, using their own spells to erect a magical shield, blocking off their attacks.
It was not just a stalemate; the more time passed, the more it seemed the enemy could 'retake' their old territories and even hold them. The southern conflict had to end to have a chance at breaking through the eastern one. The Empire could only then reorganize and unite the troops to throw them against the Kingdom of Scorc's forces until they drowned them in their blood.
There were suggestions to send multiple ships to overwhelm them. Still, the Empress shut down those ideas, as they needed to patrol the western side of the Empire, blocking the chance of anybody else launching a surprise attack. Nowadays, most discussions in the capital city are about the war and the movements inside our neighbors. According to Kustov's report, nobody asked how the Frontier was at the moment.
In the last few pages, he also detailed how he is going to gradually take over positions related to managing the Frontier. With how many nobles were replaced at once, many of the previously established structures within the Empire's political life had to be reorganized. With us being a place that garners little to no value in the eyes of others, he should be able to volunteer to take over and make sure we pay our taxes. Which in turn means that I would have even greater freedom.
"We will have to establish a constant, proper line between us and his daughter." I spoke up after Sasha read through it all, making her think and nod in agreement.
"He does point out that although the CC output within the city is abysmal, it is only so if we look at it from the Empire's perspective. The output can't stop completely..." She murmured, returning to the letter's second page, "But we can shave off a good amount every year that comes to us instead. The dwindling resources could also be chalked up to the mines running dry, so nobody would get suspicious if we are not greedy."
"Which we won't be!" I chuckled, feeling greatly satisfied and really happy about our sudden boon. "I am going to send Pion there, this time with Paxon and Merlin, accompanied by a few soldiers for security's sake. I want them to inspect the mines and, more importantly-"
"Let Merlin and Elena meet?" She chimed in with a giggle, but I shook my head and kissed her lips.
"Well, that too, but more so for Merlin to try and think about a method of detecting CC underground. They had to find it some way. I will also write up multiple questions of mine and send them to the duke to see if he can answer me. If things go well enough, we can invite Elena to our city after a few meetings and have her as the first official guest from outside."
"What about Elliot?" she asked with a giggle, lying back and snuggling up to me happily.
"Family doesn't count; that's cheating!"
"Speaking of cheating... Your mother is meeting with the freshly returned caravan, so... we have time to..." She whispered to me, holding my hand and gently putting my finger between her lips, licking and sucking it while looking up at me. I was about to answer and agree with everything she was suggesting with her gaze when my door opened, and the devil, I mean my mom, walked in.
"It's a nice and warm day!" She exclaimed with a smile, knowing full well what was happening. Damn... is she a mage in secret? Can she read her mind or have a sixth sense or something? The timing couldn't be worse than this. "Both of you would do well to take a walk. It is healthy!"
"Yes, yes, you don't need to be so covert about it!" I grunted, standing up and lifting Sasha out of my lap, holding her hand to soften her sulking expression a little. "I don't know how you can be this strict when you and Dad did it every day while I was a baby!"
Oops. I let that slip without thinking, and I saw the surprise rising in her eyes. She was blinking them so rapidly as if trying to see me in slow motion.
"Never mind-" I tried to continue, but she stopped me by raising a hand.
"I won't ask anything. I'm just going to say that, just like you, Sasha," she explained in a calm, kind voice, turning from me to her with a smile. "Just like you are fasting right now, enduring the distance from my son, I do the same with my husband while I'm here. I am a woman like you, and I love my lion! I miss him every night... but sometimes, our needs must take a backseat for our children's sake."
"That was... really nice." I whistled, surprised, while Sasha blushed, no longer angry or sulky, her free hand holding her tummy.
"Of course it was!" my mom answered, giving me a stern look before rolling her eyes. "I am your mother, for the Gods' sake! Where do you think your brain comes from? Your Dad? Hah! Be happy about your luck, kiddo! Also, both of you are better off praying my grandkid will inherit one of your minds because if the kid turns out to be like your dad, I will start thinking about marrying little Merlin into the family instead."
"Come on, Dad is not that bad!" I scoffed at the notion, but my mother only flashed a sly smile at me.
"He is the best when it comes to fighting, defending the wall, and raising soldiers. Developing the territory? Have you forgotten why you started your little Avalon, my dear?"
"Oh..."
"Exactly~! Now, enough talking! Let's go. We can take a walk, visit a bakery, or do something else! You have been cooped up in your office long enough, son; you are turning paler than Luna's buttcheeks!"
Am I? Huh, maybe. But mentioning her... now I could not help but imagine it. Oh well, I only had to wait until night to make a comparison for myself and see if she was right or not.
