South Gate,

Aygorzi, Merriheim.

7:04 a.m. 19th Banem 1092.

Wooong!

A pillar of light appeared, and disappeared shortly thereafter, revealing Kashi and Lunette atop Drixlia. Dwarven sentries stationed at the gate approached the hooded daeben with suspicious gazes, but soon let him pass with a cheery nod after he dropped the hood and revealed his identity.

Kashi greeted the dwarfs, thanking them for their hard work, and then made his way past the gates. The sentries, after getting over their shock, immediately sent a message to their superiors, informing them of the daeben's presence. Those superiors then sent a message to the Palace, informing the King and the ministers. Such was the prestige of the daeben, that the Royal Palace had to be aware of his entry and exit from the city.

No one could blame the dwarfs for their emphasis on Kashi's comings and goings. In all of Merriheim and Rosendun, there was probably no bigger catalyst for change than Kashi. The daeben rarely left a province or location the same way he met it. It would be stupid to not keep tabs of what a natural disaster like that was up to in your city.

Kashi was aware of the eyes on him, but he did not mind as he understood the dwarfs' point-of-view.

"I can't believe they have come this far in such a short time," Lunette exclaimed in shock as she admired the fast-growing city.

Kashi looked around at the numerous construction sites, where dwarves, prisoners and daebens were working around the clock to quickly erect residential and commercial buildings. The first thing he noticed, however, were the completed road networks. To ensure ease of transportation for the building materials, the dwarfs prioritized completing all the roads before beginning the construction of the buildings.

Kashi was not sure how, but to prevent the roads from being too dusty and feeble, the dwarves hardened the sandy ground into hard, caked earth, allowing carriages to easily travel unimpeded, and also drastically reducing the dust on the streets.

Kashi turned his attention from the roads to the construction sites, and could not help by sigh in praise. Although the dwarfs were terrible with conventional magic, their skill at earth manipulation could not be contended by any other race. Most of the dwarfs currently in Aygorzi were of mixed descent, half-giant, half-dwarfs, which gave them the best of both worlds. Not only did they have the earth manipulation of regular dwarfs, but they also possessed the terrifying strength of giants.

Of course, neither of the traits were as strong as their original owners, but for construction, what the dwarfs' current traits were more than enough. Kashi watched as a group of dwarfs placed their hands on the ground. Moments later, a massive hole appeared in the air as the soil was forcefully dug up and transported to carts nearby. The prisoners lugged these soil to other locations were they would be required.

Meanwhile, Kashi watched as several daeben, under the supervision of dwarfs, inscribed hardening runes on stones, to strengthen them. The dwarfs then picked up these stones and set up a complete foundation in less than five minutes. Their efficiency put the real world's construction companies to shame.

Kashi noticed that the hostility between the prisoners and the dwarfs had drastically reduced since the battle. There was nothing like sweating under the same sun to close the distance between former enemies. Of course, it also helped that they were all from Merriheim, and thus the prisoners were just as proud of Aygorzi as the dwarfs themselves.

The daeben, unfortunately, were not extended that forgiveness. The dwarfs, prisoners and other workers watched their every move with suspicion and distrust. Kashi shrugged, knowing this was not something that could be fixed in the short term. First, there was the terror wrought by the daebens' world conquest, and then they had all but disappeared from the continent when they lost.

As such, most people had never had a chance to meet a 'good' or 'normal' daeben for over ten years, solidifying their bias that all daeben were evil. Unlike most other races, the daebens never really spread among the continent, even before the wars, preferring to stay within their own country, and rarely allowing visitors. As such, unlike with, say, a human, who could possibly come from any number of countries, all daeben were automatically associated with their former country Markoth.

Getting the world to accept that their were both good and bad daeben would be a momentous task, which Kashi was not entirely confident of accomplishing. It certainly did not help that there was a whole nation of them hidden somewhere, planning god-knows-what.

Kashi eventually shook his head. The only way to break the cycle of hatred was to find a way to pull more daeben from the nation of survivors. The only reason the daeben followed their queen so much was because extreme isolationism had bred a perverted sense of patriotism. Kashi was confident that if the daeben were exposed to and got to interact with other races outside the battlefield, then their conscience would prevent them from committing more atrocities.

It was a long road certainly, but the construction of Aygorzi was a small step toward that goal. Kashi hoped that some of the daebens would make a few friends, if only a handful during this period. Of course, Kashi knew that it would not be easy for the daebens to make friends with people who hated their guts, but he hoped that the daebens' usefulness during the construction would help break down some of the barriers.

With these thoughts in mind, Kashi led Drixlia to the city's newly constructed barracks which was currently occupied by Absalon's forces. The daeben looked up at the buildings peaking out from behind the high walls and once again sighed in praise. Impressive!

Kashi approached the open gates, this time keeping his hood down. The guards recognized their guildmaster and cheered the daeben. Kashi asked for Absalon's location, and then dismounted with Lunette after acquiring it. A soldier took Drixlia to the stables while Kashi opened his portal, releasing Leila and the rest.

"Is this Aygorzi?" Leila asked as she gazed at the impossibly tall city wall in the distance. "It's bigger than the reports suggested."

"Nothing beats seeing it for yourself," Kashi replied, understanding the reason for her shock. No one could look upon those city walls and remain unaffected.

"Indeed," Leila confirmed with a terse nod as she turned to look at Kashi with newfound respect in her eyes. "As expected, reports do not do the real deal justice."

Kashi, oblivious to Leila's true meaning, nodded as he said, "Yeah, your work is important, but you should explore a little bit more. There's so much cool stuff out here that you're missing out on."

"I will do so as soon as my guildmaster reduces my workload," Leila replied with a hidden glint in her eyes, leaving Kashi speechless.

"As expected, Leila is the best at shutting you up," Shadow observed, causing Lunette to let out a light chuckle at the embarrassed daeben.

"Kashi!"

Kashi wanted to retort, but was interrupted by a familiar voice. The daeben looked over to see Absalon approaching with Asha and a mertian he did not recognize. "Oh! You're back, Asha," Kashi greeted with a wave as the trio stopped in front of his group. "When did you get back?" The daeben cast a curious glance at the mertian who was walking side-by-side with Absalon without a hint of inferiority. "...And this is?"

"We arrived soon after the battle," Asha reported with an apologetic expression, "but Uncle wanted to observe the city for a while before announcing himself."

"Uncle?" Kashi cast a curious glance at the mertian. "Are you by chance, Brock-san, who Asha went looking for?"

"The very one," Brock confirmed as he reached out his hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Kashi-kun."

"Haha, in that case, this is perfect," Kashi laughed as he grasped Brock's hand in a firm handshake. "I have been meaning to come look for you eventually. This is perfect." The daeben looked around at the barracks and shook his head. "This is no place for a conversation. If you do not mind, would you follow me?" The daeben looked at Absalon and Asha and added, "Absalon, Asha, you too, if you please."

"Of course," Asha, Brock and Absalon voiced their consent.

Kashi nodded, and then led the group out of the barracks, toward Aygorzi's Emporium.

While the group walked to the Emporium, Absalon slowed down his footsteps so he matched Leila's pace. He glanced at Hogosha, then at the vice-guildmaster. His lips rose in a tight smile as he greeted, "Leila."

"...Absalon," Leila's cold eyes looked ahead as she returned the greeting, and then added, "I am not so proud as to not admit my faults. I was wrong about you. Your abilities have been irreplaceable for the Hopeful Maggots. I apologize for suspecting your conviction."

"Apologies are not necessary," Absalon refuted as his smile loosened. "We both know you decision was the correct one from a military, personnel and management viewpoint. You would have been incredibly naïve to trust me coming off my defeat for a position as great as king. To be honest with you, I did still harbor a few thoughts of rebellion in my heart."

Leila's gaze remained even, revealing she was not surprised by the information. "What changed your mind?"

"The same reason someone as capable as you is content being a vice-guildmaster." Absalon chuckled as he looked at the daeben walking at the head of the group. "That kid, Kashi."

"Oh?"

"Yes, it is surprising, isn't it," Absalon said with a self-depreciating chuckle. "I thought I wanted to be king, but in the end, I am a soldier at heart. I am more comfortable in the battlefield than a throne, but do you know what's the scariest thing for any soldier?"

For the first time, Leila looked at Absalon, curiosity peeking through the glaciers of her gaze. "What is it?"

"A shitty government, corrupt superiors, and pointless wars," Absalon stated with a hard expression. "As a soldier, you cannot question the order given by your government. You must prepare to go to war immediately those in power give the order, regardless of how baseless the reason is. The greatest tragedy for a soldier isn't dying in battle, but finding out that they are the 'evil' ones on the battlefield, and yet being unable to go against orders or else risk a court-martial or worse, death."

"I had to carry out some orders I was not proud of in my days as a soldier," Absalon revealed with a hard gaze. "So, I swore to myself that at least, in this world, I would live as a soldier I can be proud of."

"If that's the case, then why did you operate your guild that way?" Leila asked with a steely gaze.

"Because I'm a soldier," Absalon responded with a shrug. "It's the only way I know to operate a guild."

Leila's brow rose. Come to think of it, she never tried to understand the man behind the general. Maybe this was why she could never truly trust him, even now. In that moment, Leila decided to lay down her prejudices and earnestly listen to Absalon. Taking a breath, her gaze thawed a little as she asked, "What do you mean?"

"In an army, most of the merits are collected and escalated upwards," Absalon stated. "A lieutenant receives the praise for a platoon's achievements and a colonel receives the praise for the achievement of several brigades, all the way up to the Field Marshals. Rank-and-file soldiers rarely get recognition unless they perform outstanding feats. Usually, they have to go on several tours before they even get a promotion, let alone recognition." Absalon sighed as he said, "I applied the same logic to the guild out of habit, without considering that those under me were not soldiers, but children and civilians who were only playing to have fun."

"I see," Leila muttered, as she began to gain an understanding of the general's mindset. Come to think of it, aside from the way he handled his guild, Absalon did not do anything evil. His armies were happy to fight for him, and he fought on the frontline with everyone else, proving he was not a coward. Absalon's claim for the throne was legitimate, especially since his force took the brunt of the drakul's forces, making Kashi's squads, infiltration a thousand times easier.

Leila thought about it and realized that if she were in Absalon's shoes, and found another party sneak-attacking the drakul king after she had invested so many resources into taking the city, she would also have attacked them. It was a case of two parties with the same goals clashing, which was way too common in online games. If she held a grudge against every gamer she clashed with, the Hopeful Maggots would have nothing but enemies in every direction.

Leila realized that the only reason she had held onto the throne room incident as a negative against Absalon was because of her earlier prejudice. For the first time, Leila truly understood Absalon, and as a result, she could now clearly see the brave, fair general that he was. Her gaze warmed up and the corner of her lips lifted ever-so-lightly as she asked, "So, at what point exactly did you get rid of your rebellious thoughts?"

"I think it first started when I figured out the purpose of the islands you asked me to scout," Absalon replied and then after a pause, added, "but for sure, after the battle of Aygorzi. I saw Kashi's strength for the first time during the battle for Aygorzi, but I was more impressed by his willingness to listen to my advice on how to proceed with the defense. I have met many bull-headed leaders who think they know best, and refuse to listen to their subordinates. Kashi is definitely not one of those. For better or worse, he does not see anyone as inferior to him."

"On the flip-side, he does not see anyone as superior to him either," Leila said. "You've seen how he interacts with the gods. He respects them, but does not view them as superiors."

"Haha, that's true too," Absalon agreed with a chuckle. "But anyway, what eliminated all thoughts of rebellion were his actions and decisions after the battle. You can usually find a person's true character at the cusp of a victory. Contrary to my expectations, Kashi's victory did not get to his head. Rather than immediately push out to claim more lands for himself, he immediately focused on infrastructure and projects to improve the lives of the country's citizens. Furthermore, he's been looking at the big picture, aiming to unite the continent, rather than conquer it, even if it takes a lot longer."

Absalon nodded as he said, "When I saw this, I thought to myself, 'Ah, I won't regret serving under a leader like this.' That's when I decided to fully commit to seeing the kind of world he would mold."

Leila's eyes sparked as she looked at Kashi. "I too, can't wait to see it..."

The duo's discussion came to a close as the group reached the Emporium, where unbeknownst to the world, an important conversation with the fate of Merriheim at stake was about to take place.

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