Chapter Thirteen: Peaceful days never last

"Lenka." "Yes, Rodger." "I have the report on the construction progress." "Understood, let's hear it." "Plots forty-seven through fifty are almost completed. Water storage tank five will be done by the end of the week. The inspection of the aqueduct has been completed, and no faults were found. Lastly, the sewer extension project is proceeding as planned. That is all." "Understood, good work, Rodger. You are dismissed."

He bowed and left. Rodgers's knack for construction and supervising is why I made him the construction overseer. With his help, I was able to spend more time on other projects. He was the old man who told me that the citizens' gifts were gestures of gratitude. It's hard to think that it has already been four years since then.

I have spent a considerable amount of time on these projects, and time flies by, but it's not without results. New homes have been built, the sewer system is mostly done, and I even built an aqueduct with a filtration system. Needless to say, stage one of the project is nearly finished. A lot can happen in four years, but I've been so busy dealing with building and the many new citizens that most of my time has been taken up dealing with them. I also can't believe that I'm already sixteen again. Knock, Knock.

"Enter." In walked Miss Evergreen. She was the daughter of a wealthy merchant before she left for this city. I don't know her whole story, but from what I could gather, she left her family after her father tried to arrange a marriage. "My lady..." "Lenka is fine. You don't need to address me that way." "My apologies." She said in a nervous tone. She was still nervous around me. Was it because I'm a noble?

"Have the books been finished yet?" she nervelessly asked. "The printing shop should be finished by the end of today. They will deliver the books to the school when they are done, Miss Evergreen." "Miss..?" She looked at me, confused. I guess a noble addressing a commoner in such a way is odd.

"Yes, Miss Evergreen. You must be addressed with a title that respects your role. An educator is the cornerstone of every great civilization. Through your teachings, people will learn to read and write, innovate, and adapt to this world. After all, those who can not think for themselves are nothing more than pawns to their ignorance."

"But.. I.." She started to tear up. "Miss Evergreen. Do not underestimate yourself. Your teachings will eventually bear fruit that is beyond your comprehension. Give it time, you'll see." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you." She then bowed and left.

There was some truth to what I said, but it was mostly a lie. For centuries, mankind's leaders kept their citizens ignorant because it made them easier to control. However, the inverse is also true. Education can be used as an indoctrination tool to shape everyone's thoughts in a certain way. Through education, I can subtly influence my citizens to think whatever I want.

That's why I have been pushing for education, and now that I have Miss Evergreen, it will be a lot easier to implement. I even had a printing shop set up, allowing me to manufacture books more efficiently. With the citizens' newfound ability to read, I could easily spread news and create manuals for various tasks, such as construction. Education will also help in the future when I...

The door opened without anyone knocking. It was, of course, Leon who entered. "Wow, Lenka. You know you have a habit of making girls cry." He's as brazen as ever. "And you, Leon, have a habit of making girls angry." He shrugged his shoulders and put his hands up. "Well, you got me there." He walked over, sat on the sofa, and relaxed.

"I'm assuming you actually have a reason to be here this time, Leon." "Well, of course. These seats in here are the most comfortable and..." He stopped when he looked over and saw me glaring at him. "Fine. You know you are a little too serious sometimes." "So I've been told."

"Another caravan showed up," Leon said. "I see." That would make this the third one this month alone. Although it's not a bad thing that we are getting more people, the rate at which they're coming now is alarming. Initially, there were a few people and merchants, but over the last two years or so, they have been arriving in caravans with large numbers of people. Has something happened in the other territories? Was it my proclamation, or maybe they came to see the aqueduct and other structures? Whatever the reason, it has caused this city to double in size.

"Hey, Lenka. Where's Kate?" "Why?" "Well, I always see you two together, so it feels odd that she's not with you. "Are we always together? I never paid much attention to it. Well, she's my lady in waiting, so it's a given that she will be with me a lot.

"Kate's out doing inventory of our supplies." "I see. Then I guess I'll have to help you with the new caravan." Is he really so bored that he wants to lend a hand? I looked over at him. He, for some reason, looked excited about it. I let out a sigh. "Fine, you can help, but don't make yourself look like a fool."

"No promises." He had a somewhat smug look on his face. "Well then, I promise that when we train later, I won't hold anything back," I said as I glared at him. He looked at me, confused, and then smiled. "Do you ever hold back?" He is as brazen as ever, but he's not exactly wrong. When I train with him, all of my years of battlefield experience just come rushing back to me, and I can't stop myself. I stood up, grabbed my things, and headed for the door. "Well, come on, Leon. We should deal with the caravan while there is still daylight left."

We arrived at the caravan staging area. There were about three carriages of people, most of whom were families. The guards had already searched the carriages and people for anything suspicious. "Is it really okay to search all their things, Lenka?" "Yes, Leon. We don't know where they came from or their intentions here." Perhaps I should consider sending Leon to school so he stops questioning everything I do.

Never mind, that would be a bad idea. He would just end up annoying Miss Evergreen. "Is that why you always give that speech to every caravan?" "Yes, Leon. One of the most important things in a society is to keep order and establish a common culture." "Culture?" I'm not entirely surprised that he doesn't know what I am talking about, and it's not because Leon is sometimes a fool. Culture is a somewhat more modern concept.

It's not that it doesn't exist in this world, but people here tend not to travel, and with that, they don't understand that people from different places might think and do things differently. I want everyone who comes to this city to assimilate into the culture I'm building, so that they think the way I want them to. I can't exactly tell him that, though.

"Culture is what defines us as a people. It's why we do things in certain ways and how we treat the people around us. Look at the many people who arrived in this city. Many believed that their life was already decided for them and that no matter what they did, they could not be changed. They were nothing more than prisoners to their own fate and slaves to the masters who controlled them. That's why they left everything behind, to have a chance at being freed from their cages and to find a place where they could dream of a different path."

"That's why it's up to us to build such a place. A place where they have the opportunity to dream, grow, succeed, and live free of their past fate. A place where everyone can be safe from evil in this world. A place where we all prosper together." Leon looked at me quietly. I don't think he's ever heard my little speech. "What, finally, at a loss for words, Leon." "Yes, but it's mainly because you're drawing a crowd." I looked to where he was pointing, and all of the people from the caravan were staring at me with eyes filled with hope. I guess I may have spoken a little too loudly, but at least this will save me the trouble of giving them a speech.

We spent a few hours dealing with the new arrivals. We had to get everyone's name and family status and find a suitable living space. I've spent a lot of money trying to acquire all the necessary supplies to build the new homes for everyone. I don't like the idea of paying for all of them, but it's not like they have money, and this world's economy is very rudimentary.

"Lenka!" I looked over and saw Kate walking towards me. "There you are, Lenka. I've been trying to find you, but I guess you had your hands full with another caravan." "Yes, and your report, Kate." She opened her notebook and looked at it. "We have enough supplies to last for now, but..." "If these caravans keep coming, then we will be in trouble," I interjected.

"Yes. We didn't account for this many to be arriving. If it continues, then we..." She stopped mid-sentence and looked shocked as her ears and tail shot up. "Why is Leon here?" She said it in an annoyed tone. Why does she care? "I needed help with the caravan, and you were busy." "But you two spend way too much time together." Do we? I guess he does train with me a lot, but why does that annoy her? "And we don't?" She looked annoyed but couldn't argue with that fact.

Why are they both fighting over my attention? Whatever, I reached up to pet her head, which seemed to calm her down. It's been four years, and she is now a head taller than I am. Hell, she's even a little taller than Leon now.

It has been quite a long day, and I was eating dinner with Kate and Leon. He sometimes eats with us, but today, it feels off. Like always, Kate sat on my left, and Leon sat on my right, but they both looked annoyed and stared daggers at each other. Then there was Mary, standing behind me and staring daggers at me. I have years of experience in combat, strategic warfare, manipulating people, and city building, but I couldn't even understand what was going on right now.

Are they both jealous that I have spent too much time with the other? Did they have some sort of fight? And why is Mary mad at me this time? I don't think I did anything wrong. If they had a problem, they should just talk to me about it.

"Leon, don't forget what I promised you today." Kate nearly jumped out of her seat. "Promised!? What did you two promise!?" Leon started to act smug, but then realized what I meant. "Wait, but I didn't make you look like a fool." That fool never listens. "I said make yourself look like a fool, and right now, you look like one." His face became red, and Kate laughed at him. "Kate, I wouldn't be laughing. You will also join us in training today." "But... I..." "You also look like a fool." They looked at each other and realized that they had been acting up. They both hung their heads in silence. "Mary, would you also like to join us?" "Nope, I'm unfortunately very busy." Right...

Those days were always so peaceful and fulfilling, but they rushed by too fast. I will always regret wasting those precious days surrounded by people who cared for me. I was too busy treating everyone like a pawn and not seeing them as people. If only I had taken the time to learn more about them and spend more time with them. Then things wouldn't have ended so wrong, but I can't change the past. I can only live in the present and hope I can change the future.

"LENKA! LENKA! WAKE UP!" I was awakened by Kate bursting into my room in a frantic state. "What is it, Kate?" She had never been like this before, and her eyes had tears in them as she tried to hold them back to speak. "It's your Father. He... he... passed away!"