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ILIAS PAYNE

Every other day or so for the past week, Camaro had been bringing me to the library and teaching me things I wanted to learn.

Since Jaime and I were the same age, he thought that maybe she would develop an interest in learning with me. But the moment she finished the quota of reading one chapter a day, she was out of the library running around the village. Most of the time, she was back by dusk, her body drenched in sweat and her clothes caked with mud. On rare occasions, she didn't come back at all.

Jaime had no interest in sitting down and learning, but I had that same problem as well. Any kid would. It was supposed to be the teacher's job to teach so this was entirely the colonel's fault.

When Camaro first asked what topics I was interested in, I had to think about it for a while. From my own readings, I found out that Armestis was no longer governed by the feudal system I was familiar with because it died when the Nelbrandt's decided to militarize the entire nation. As much as I read about it, I just couldn't figure out how this new government worked. Without hesitation, I asked Camaro to teach me how the military worked.

The colonel was patient with me, slowly explaining everything from the beginning to make sure I understood how things came to be. All in all, I'd say it took me about four lessons to comprehend everything.

"Now, do you understand the militarization of Armestis?" he asked.

I nodded. "I was confused at first, but everything makes sense now. Thank you for being patient with me."

"You're that confident, huh? Do you mind if I quiz you?"

"Nope, not at all."

"Okay, then." He flipped the board that was filled with notes to its clean side and took away the open book in front of me. "Who initiated the militarization of Armestis and what was their reasoning?"

"It was the Nelbrandts. Specifically King Aethas. After overthrowing King Diablo, King Aethas decided he didn't want to risk his family being overthrown. He then instigated a program that anyone, as long as they were sixteen, could join no matter their race or gender. Anyone who entered was given a handsome pay of twenty-five silver coins a month. This program was for a singular army that would serve the king and him only."

"What happened after this program was introduced?"

"Since most of the noble houses paid less than what the program was offering, many foot soldiers abandoned their lords to serve the king. Because of this, many of the noble houses became obsolete throughout the years."

"What effects did this have on Armestis?"

"The military was met with fierce backlash at first, but Armestis became more peaceful. Since the entire land was under one rule and army, there weren't as many wars being fought amongst its nobles. By the time King Axel came to rule, most of the major houses had fallen and attacks on villages became common because there was no one to protect them. This was when jurisdiction was introduced. King Axel assigned higher-ups of the military with platoons to stay in villages, towns, and cities. This was to make sure that the citizens were protected from monsters and bandits, but also to make sure their jobs were being done and trade was flowing smoothly."

"Very good. What do you think of this, Ilias? Would you rather have the country go back to its original feudal system or stay as it is?"

While having there be one giant army sworn to only follow the king's orders is a bit of a taboo for me, if it keeps the peace then I don't see why we should go back.

"I'd rather it stay like this. It's more peaceful."

"Back to the questions. I will go through the ranks of the military from lowest to highest. I want you to tell me what they do. We'll start off with the lower ranks. Sellswords."

"Sellswords aren't an official part of the military because they are untrained. However, they are usually hired during a state of emergency when more men are needed. Sellswords work together with the military, but will not be permitted to wear uniforms."

"Excellent. Tell me what a private is."

"Privates are the lowest official rank in the military and where everyone starts off as. They are the weakest and least trained."

"Captains?"

"Captains are rare because when privates advance ranks, they skip ahead. Captains are reserved for leaders of mercenary groups as they are promoted to keep their companies in check. But even though they have a higher rank than privates, they can't order them around unless given permission by a higher-up."

"Very good. What about corporal?"

"Corporals are privates that have been promoted because they have a special skill or if they have a background in a relevant occupation. This is why they are regarded as a higher rank."

"What type of special skills and occupations?"

"Doctors, scientists, mechanics, kennel masters, beast tamers, Stand users, healers, architects. Do you want me to keep going?."

"That's quite plenty. What about sergeants?"

"To make everything go smoother, privates and corporals are put into squads. Sergeants are the leaders of these squads and the second-in-command of a platoon if they are a part of one. But not all sergeants are leaders of a squad."

"If they are second-in-command in these platoons, who is first?"

"Platoons are when multiple squads join together. The person in charge of these platoons are officers. However, not all officers are leaders of platoons. And this is where the lower ranks end."

"What's the first of the higher ranks and what do they do?"

"The lowest of the higher ranks is the lieutenant. Lieutenants are sort of like messengers between the higher and lower ranks. This is so that everyone is on the same page. If platoons are being moved from one location to another, the person in charge is most likely a lieutenant."

"Correct. Next--"

"Are all lieutenants knights? The lieutenant told me that she's one."

"No, they are not. Lieutenant Doria got knighted because she put an end to a band of outlaws all on her own. She's just impressive like that. So, if you want, you can call her Ser Andrea, but she doesn't like that."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Next, majors."

"Majors are mostly comprised of State Jynxists, but not all because regular military personnel is still able to climb up to the rank of major regardless of their jynx talent. But when one does become a State Jynxist, they are automatically granted the title of major. That's only if they choose to join the military."

"Great. Yours truly?"

"You're a colonel, and colonels are the lowest rank that can hold jurisdiction of a village or town. Colonels report either to a Warden or the Capital directly. However, you are not allowed to hold jurisdiction of towns with a population of ten thousand."

"And what rank is able to hold jurisdiction of towns with populations exceeding ten thousand?"

"That would be brigadiers. Like you and mother's friend."

"Yeah, his name is Czeslaw and he's the Warden's grandson." Camaro shot me a surprised look. "Please do tell me what a brigadier is though."

"Brigadiers are like colonels. However, in addition to being able to have jurisdiction over larger towns and cities, they also guard and keep watch of important locations such as ports and passes."

"What about generals?"

"Generals control military bases all over the nation and brigadiers near those military bases report under the general. Generals are the highest-ranking officials in the military and the highest a military personnel is able to climb up to."

"What about Wardens?"

"Wardens aren't a rank."

"Very good, Ilias. Still, tell me about them."

"The nation of Armestis is split up into four regions. One for each cardinal direction. The highest-ranking general of that area takes control of the most central military base and is in charge of the entire region. Over time, this role was given the title Warden. It's not an official rank, but it did become a title."

"How many Wardens are there?"

"There are five."

"Really, but aren't there only four cardinal directions?"

"That's true, however, there is an island at the Southernmost point of Armestis that serves as a prison for our most notorious criminals. This island is so separate from the mainland, so the general in charge of the island was given the title Warden. If I remember, the Warden's name is Samwell Norton."

Camaro closed the book he used as a reference. "Good job, Ilias. You got everything correct. Just give me thirty or so more minutes to wrap up my work and I'll drop you off home."

"Yeah, I'll just stay here."

"Thanks. Hopefully, Jaime comes back by then."

Once Camaro left, I grabbed two copies of the same book with one being in the common tongue while the other being in the beast. Difficult as it was, I still hadn't given up on trying to learn different languages. I was far from being decent in the beast tongue, but I knew most of the basic words by memory. If a beast child my age were to come up to me, I was confident that I'd be able to hold a conversation with them.

"I didn't know you could understand the beast tongue," Jaime said as she materialized behind me.

How is she so quiet? This is the fifth time I wasn't able to sense her.

Every day I was at the library, Jaime, without fail, always managed to sneak up on me. She wasn't trying to scare me and would simply say hi, but I was getting irritated at myself for letting her spook me.

Back in my previous life, Salazar and Minerva were the ones that kept getting mad because I always kept appearing behind them without them sensing me. I wonder if that was somehow connected to this.

"I don't know the beast tongue. I saw that they were the same book, so I'm just comparing the words."

"Hmm?" She shoved a finger at my face, the wooden sword resting on her waist bounced up. "Liar! I saw your eyes. You were clearly reading."

"How long were you watching me for?"

"Ten minutes."

Ten whole minutes?

I sighed. "I'll tell you, but don't tell anyone."

She smiled excitingly. "Uh-huh."

"I don't trust that face."

"Please? I promise I won't tell anyone."

I put my mouth near her ear. "I'm teaching myself how to talk in the beast tongue to surprise my mother and the colonel."

"That's so cool! I'm still impressed that you could sit here all day and read. That can never be me."

"What do you do all day, by the way?"

"Nothing much. I just run around the village and do whatever."

You can't be letting her do this, Camaro. I admit that I was like her before, but I was taught discipline and discipline is clearly something she lacks.

If she runs around now, she'll regret it later. It's better to make her hate you than have her be mad at you later on.

Just as I was ridiculing him, the colonel showed up. "Jaime, you're here. Good. Let's go drop off Ilias and head home."

After the librarian left, the colonel locked the building before leading Jaime and I out the back door.

"What are we going to eat for dinner?" the half-elf questioned.

"What do you want?"

"Rabbit stew. I was trying to kill a rabbit with my sword earlier, but I couldn't. I still want rabbit stew though."

Camaro's brows pulled together. "Why were you trying to kill a rabbit with your sword?"

"So you could cook rabbit stew?"

The colonel sighed. "Jaime, I told you that you can't be reckless with your swordsmanship."

"But it was only a rabbit." She patted the pommel of her sword. "And this is only made out of wood."

"Cheap spears and clubs are made out of wood, but they can take a person's life all the same. When I told you not to attack someone, the same applied to animals. I teach you for two hours in the morning. That's plenty of time to wack stuff around."

"Then why do you have me carry this if I'm not allowed to use it?"

"So that you could get used to carrying one. I only permit you to take it out for self-defence. If you can't do that, then I will take it away from you and halt my teachings."

"I'm sorry," Jaime said, her long pointed ears drooping. "I won't do it again."

The colonel brought us to the stable beside the library. There were no horses or ground dragons in it, but there was a creature even I dreamed of seeing in my old life.

My face gleamed in excitement. "Is that an armoured lizard?"

"Yes. This is Tank."

Tank was resting in the middle of the enclosure but got up and made his way to us. Armoured lizards were almost like giant turtles as they had a giant armour-like shell on their back and underside. Their feet were short, stubby, and flat. Extending out of each were five short claws. Their heads were exactly like that of a turtle's but the top of its skull was bone-like material that acted as a helmet. At the end of Tank's tail was a club about the size of a small boulder. This was the offensive weapon of an armoured lizard because anything that gets smacked with its blow will suffer a magnitude of broken bones.

For a creature known for its heavy defences, Tank came to us wagging his tail and nudging his head into the Colonel's hand.

Camaro scratched Tank's chin. "Hey, buddy. Was it boring with the Corporal?"

Curiosity got the better of me. "Can I ride him?"

"Of course, you can. We're dropping you off, remember? Do you want to pet him?"

I nodded my head.

"Tank is gentle. Just let him feel your touch first. Rest your palm on his snout and let him remember your smell."

Tank was wary when I extended my hand but he jumped on me just as quick, knocking my light body to the ground and rubbing his snout into my chest.

I couldn't help but scream. "Aaaaaaaahahaha!"

Camaro shooed him away. "Go easy on him, will you?"

Jaime pulled on his tail. "Tank! Stop it!"

The armoured lizard backed off, opting to chase Jaime instead. She ran off into the open with Tank in pursuit.

Camaro laughed. "I think he smells your mother on you. I'm sure he knows that you're Trisha's kid."

"I don't understand."

"Have you ever noticed that there's an empty stable on your property?"

"Yeah, we use it as an extra storage shed."

"That stable wasn't meant for horses. It was meant for Tank."

Tank was ours?

"How come we don't own him anymore?"

"Your grandfather was a brigadier that was forced to retire because his leg was injured during a labyrinth raid. During his retirement party, his unit (who didn't want to spend a lot) pooled their money and gifted him a mystery egg, which ended up hatching into Tank. After I became a State Jynxist at fifteen, I told your grandfather that I wanted to join the pre-military program at the Capital and he respected my decisions. We were allowed to bring mounts and since Tank was trained to be ridden on, your grandfather gifted him to me. Your mother used to play a lot with him, so he must've known you were related based purely on your scent."

Once the armoured lizard calmed down, Camaro placed Jaime and I on the middle of Tank's back while he climbed onto the saddle just below the nape of his neck. Tank was trained just like a horse and responded to taps from Camaro's foot.

"How come this is the first time I've seen you bring him?"

"There's a beaten road that leads to a steep drop into a nearby ravine and people might fall in. This happened to your mother when she was younger. I didn't want that happening again so I stationed Tank to guard where that road begins."

"Why don't you have someone in your platoon guard that instead?"

"Since that area is near a ravine, sometimes monsters that are too strong for a regular soldier would snoop around. Those monsters are weak and Tank usually scared them off. But if they do decide to attack..." Camaro patted the armoured lizard's shell. "He'll easily be able to handle it."

"What makes today different?"

"There were reports of a labyrinth forming in the forest. As much as we could use or sell cursed artifacts, we didn't want to risk monster attacks. We formed a hunting party to kill the labyrinth's heart before it got any worse and I brought Tank to help fight off fiends."

So the official name for places where mana gathers is now labyrinths. They didn't have a name before and different people called them different things.

"I'll teach you and Jaime about what labyrinths are the next time I get the chance to bring you to the library."

Jaime shook her head. "I don't want to learn."

"It took you three months to understand the ranks in the military while it only took Ilias three lessons. So perhaps if you two were to learn together, you might pick up on his habits."

"When will this lesson be?" I asked, relieving the tension.

"In a couple of days. I'll be busy with paperwork on the labyrinth so I figure we can do a lesson once I'm done with all of that."

We arrived at my house to find it empty.

"It looks like your mother is out, is it okay if we leave you here by yourself?"

"I'll be fine. Thanks for dropping me off and letting me ride Tank."

"Good work today, Ilias. I'll see you again soon."

"Goodbye, Colonel. Bye, Jaime."

Jaime spun her head away from me, making a big fuss. "Hmph!"

Is she really going to act all pouty because she doesn't want to learn?

When they were gone, I went inside and helped myself to a wrapped apple pie sitting on the table.

The apple tree in the yard recently began bearing fruit so Trisha must've had the knack to use them on something. This morning, I awoke to find the whole house smelling like apples and when I went down to the kitchen, I found the entire kitchen filled with pies.

This is clearly too many!

"Mother, how many pies did you bake?" I asked, worried.

"What's with that look? Don't be silly, we're not going to live off pie for the next month. I didn't want the apples to rot so I decided to bake them into pies. I'm going to give everybody one or two."

Gilead always lived off of hospitality. There were many times in a week when different families would drop by to give us something (mostly food or ingredients).

I took a plate and went to the stable, observing the once home of Tank that was now nothing but a storage shed.

Damn it, Grandfather! I've always wanted to own an armoured lizard. We had one and you gave it away! Curse you!