Reivan slept in Elsa's mansion and woke up before dawn feeling refreshed and reinvigorated.

To anyone who knew him, it would have been surprising to know that nothing lewd happened last night. After all, it would be an absolute catastrophe if her water broke while they were getting freaky. He wanted to avoid the risk as much as humanly possible. With Elsa so close to her due date, Reivan was afraid to do anything beyond touching each other—emphasis on each other, because he wasn't the only one feeling handsy.

Elsamina could have slept in a bit longer since she'd decided to take a break from personally going out to attend to her responsibilities, opting instead to assign proxies. But she rose from bed at the same time as Reivan so she could, apparently, maximize the amount of time the two of them spent together. It was an incredibly sweet reason, and it made him want to skip his early morning routine entirely. His rigid self-discipline when it came to training, however, stopped him from doing so.

After he was done practicing for his eventual ascension, they both had breakfast—which was a strange dish that involved injecting truffles into an egg yolk before it was coated in bread crumbs and grated cheese. Then it was fried in some kind of vegetable oil until it was golden brown. He got ten of the yummy little morsels with prospects of asking for more.

Meanwhile, Elsa only wanted three.

"Do you like it?" she asked while watching him eat with relish, a warm smile on her beautiful face. "My chef told me that the recipe for this is inspired by something from Aizen, so maybe you know about it. She's been adventurous with her creations lately."

Reivan chewed his mouthful first before answering with a nod. "I can only say that it tastes fantastic. It's kind of like a scotch egg—except it doesn't have meat on it and the egg whites are just gone. The truffles inside are a nice addition, though."

Elsa nodded. "Yes, we're trying to think of dishes using eggs. At the moment, Samsara has more eggs than meat, after all."

"And the truffles? Is someone growing them here?"

"No, they're imported from the kingdom. My chef just added them because they knew you were having breakfast here."

"Oh, so they think I'm picky. Is that it?"

She raised a brow and grinned a little. "Will you deny it?"

"No comment." Reivan deliberately turned his face away and chuckled. "Anyway, this is good. I don't know if it can still be called a scotch egg, though. Probably better to just make up a new name for it."

"That can be arranged." Elsa nodded, but then she seemed to realize something. "By the way, why is it called a scotch egg when it's a recipe from Aizen?"

'Because it wasn't invented in Aizen. The first king spread it around and took credit—not that he had a choice on whether or not to. Nobody would believe him if he said the recipe came from another world, so he kind of had to take the credit.'

"It sounds like a word that denotes a country of origin, but I could be wrong," Elsamina clarified. "English is wierd, sometimes."

Reivan shrugged after some thought, giving the most acceptable answer he could. "You're not wrong. A lot of ancient recipes in Aizen are like that. They all come from the kingdom's founder, and historians think that he got the recipes from nations or cultures that no longer exist. In this case, it must have come from a nation with scot in its name somewhere."

Three thousand years was a very long time. In such a long period, countless nations could either rise or fall like the tide. Back then, documenting historic events probably wasn't a thing yet. Most records of any kind were passed down through word of mouth, legends, folk tales, and maybe songs.

Even the Sword Star didn’t know everything about that era—and he was from that era.

“I see…” Elsa hummed in understanding. “So it’s like french fries and a swiss roll…? When I first heard about them, I thought those words meant a certain style of cooking, but they weren't. It's the same as that, yes?”

“Exactly, exactly,” Reivan nodded, though inwardly thinking about the two dishes.

Ironically, french fries were said to have been invented in Belgium, not France. And the swiss roll was said to have come from somewhere in Central Europe, possibly Austria or Slovenia. He knew about them because he remembered Hanzo mentioning them way back when. Sadly, he hadn't been very interested in the information because he was young and struggling through one of the worst bouts of his sickness.

Well, he couldn’t be sure if the information was correct anyway. These sorts of things were always hard to prove, after all.

In any case, Reivan ate all of his not-so-scotch eggs and even had one of Elsa’s because she apparently couldn’t finish hers. That worried him because she only ate two of those, and they weren’t very big or filling. Pregnant women basically had to eat for two people because the baby also required nutrients, so he believed that his concern was not unfounded when Elsamina ate less than she usually did.

'Is she going on a diet?'

It was the worst time for it, though he didn't think she was foolish enough to start one now. Honestly, she was putting on the pounds in places other than her stomach, but that was perfectly fine. That was just one of the things that happened to pregnant women, he was told. And, nevertheless, he didn't mind. Now there was just a little more of her to love, that's all.

Apparently, however, it had nothing to do with diets and worries about being fat. She was going to have a second breakfast later when she met with some of her subordinates, so she was just saving some room for that. Since that was the case, he put the topic to rest and moved on.

“Almost forgot, this just came in.” Reivan placed a spatial storage ring down on the table and pushed it toward her. “Here are the reference books you wanted. They've been translated to Arkhanian and everything.”

“They’re ready?” Elsa stared at him, bemused. “But it hasn't been long since I asked for them... Wasn't it only two days ago?”

“These days, we have a lot of people on hand who know English and Arkhanian. And also, we just so happened to have some available translators who specialized in books.”

“Is that so…” she muttered while looking at him with thinly veiled skepticism. Clearly, she did not completely believe him.

And she was certainly on to something because she was half-right.

Because of the pink pearls he donated to the kingdom, the majority of the knights now knew multiple languages, as long as one ignored their strong accents from a lack of practice. This was also the case for several trusted scholars and ministers as well. If push came to shove and he needed something urgently translated, he could just ask any one of the new polyglots in his service.

These books weren't interpreted by any of those people, however. It was a fortunate coincidence that a few professional translators were available for hire at the time.

The part he was being a little dishonest about was how those translators had other books lined up for proper translations. These professional translators specialize in working with books. They didn’t just translate word-for-word; they also had to find acceptable equivalents for things like metaphors or idioms unique to Arkhan. And to add to all of that, the ones he hired from the lot were retired knights or peacekeepers who quit in their twilight years—essentially, they could work very fast.

With all of that into consideration, their services were highly sought after. So he may have called in some favors to bump Elsa’s request up a few spots. No trouble at all, however, since none of the others were urgently needed.

Changing the subject, Reivan gestured at the ring. “Is this really all you want?”

Elsa took the ring and placed it in a prepared case before nodding. “Yes. I plan to re-establish basic children's education. These should be enough because I want to replicate how Aizen handles compulsory education from here on out.”

'Our system, huh...'

Compulsory education in the kingdom was significantly easier than on Modern Earth, and it wasn’t just because Aizen was less advanced. But because the crown intentionally made it that way.

Take math, for example. The average person was never going to use calculus or trigonometry in everyday life. Maybe algebra, in certain situations, but they weren’t going to get in a situation and start calculating for the value of a, b, and c. It was largely the same for scientific studies. While it was useful to know about basic anatomy, an average person who would eventually work as a laborer, a craftsman, or a businessman of some kind was never going to use what they learned about what one particular bone in the forefinger is called.

As such, compulsory education was kept basic with a focus on ethics, problem solving, a bit about relevant historical events, and a moderate amount of Aizenian classical literature. Naturally, math and science were there too, but nowhere near as advanced as what normal elementary or high schoolers in Modern Earth were taught.

With just their compulsory education, citizens of the kingdom were free to choose their professions. Perhaps to embark on some kind of business or craft.

If they wanted to pursue a career where intellect and knowledge were required, such as being a minister or a government-certified scholar-slash-researcher, only then would they pursue more advanced knowledge through specialized schools like the national university. Further supplementation through private tutors or outright studying in their free time is also completely normal for people aiming to pass the kingdom's civil service exam.

All of that meant that it was actually easy for children to finish compulsory education, as long as they didn't skip half the time and actually listened in class.

“You investigated that too?” Reivan asked, taking a sip of sweetened grape juice. “The kingdom’s education system, I mean.”

“I didn’t look into it that much… But remember, I did live in the kingdom for a bit. In my time there, I heard bits and pieces from various residents. I’ve also consulted with Jiji, who’s been coming over a lot lately when you’re not here.”

Reivan sneered. “She has, has she? Nobody told me that…”

“Really?” Elsa placed a hand on her cheek, seemingly pensive.

“What’s she been doing here, if I'm allowed to ask?”

“Oh, it was nothing. She sometimes checked in on me and the baby, asking me if there’s anything I need… things like that,” Elsa happily recounted. “She’s been really nice. A lot nicer than the few years after we met.”

“Huh…That’s admirable of her.” Reivan outwardly shared her joy, but he internally wondered what that mischievous white cat was thinking.

Just looking at the past, it was very clear that Jiji never liked Elsa. With his recent interactions with his adopted sister, he could now understand that her previous dislike of his lover was most likely because of jealousy. She’d revealed that her feelings for him didn’t just sprout up from out of nowhere, but rather, she fostered them very early—and as such, it wasn't farfetched to assume that her younger self had gotten jealous or felt hostile to the women he was romantically involved with.

Come to think of it, Jiji never got along with Helen either, further supporting this assumption.

With all that said, something smelled fishy. If she was sidling up to Elsa and acting nice, then chances were, she was up to something.

'I don't think she'll do anything to harm them or something, but...'

“Anyway,” Elsa tapped the box with the ring, a smile on her face. “Thank you for this. I’ll have them printed out in bulk so we can start accepting kids to schools again. I've finished overseeing the renovation of a few abandoned manors into educational institutes, and enough factories with the correct equipment have been restored. It’s the perfect time to kick things off.”

Reivan grunted agreeably. “Yes, yes. But surely you’re not planning to go to these factories yourself, hm?”

Elsamina rolled her eyes at him. “Of course not. One of my trusted subordinates will come over in an hour or two. I’ll hand this over to her then, so she can handle all the work for this.”

"That is acceptable. Carry on.”

“Don’t worry, Mother,” she said with a slightly mocking tone, pretending to be tired of his incessant nagging. “I’ll stay inside the house and be a good little girl.”

Reivan’s eyes widened before he playfully gasped, feigning offense. “Is that how you’re going to play it? Then if I’m your mother, it seems I’ll have to spank you for making me worry all the time.”

He stood up, creeping up to her slowly as she squealed for help with a giggle. Funnily enough, a few maids did hurriedly burst into the room, only to walk out with exasperated sighs.

Their antics weren’t anything new in the Emerald Manse, and it was clear to see. Not even the guards outside reacted, since they've probably familiarized themselves with Elsamina enough to know when she didn’t actually need help.

After playfully pretending to spank her but actually going in for a hug, Reivan said his farewells.

 

---

 

Riding on his favorite winged serpent, which was coincidentally the only winged serpent he knew, Reivan picked Hector up before flying as fast as they could to what was going to be Samsara’s borders.

Not everything within the budding nation's borders was populated, nor would it ever be entirely populated any time soon. But Reivan’s staff chose to build a perimeter of fortresses and walls around it anyway. They made sure to factor in the nation’s eventual growth from the slave liberation deal with Axion. Plus, the borders were so far from anywhere inhabited that Samsara would have a reasonable amount of time to prepare for any assault that made it through the walls.

Zouros was very fast when it didn’t need to stop for anything or be on lookout for something particular on the ground, so a flight that normally took multiple days only took twelve or so hours.

Reivan and Hector would, unfortunately, get back home a lot later than they would like, but if they hurried, they’d be back for dinner with their families.

“Damn, they work fast,” Hector remarked with abject awe as he looked below, to the long wall snaking its way through the lands irregularly. “I don’t think it’s been that long, but they finished this much already? Did the Terracatta Clan help or something?”

“No, it’s all knights. The [Earth] attribute ones, in particular,” Reivan answered. “Surprisingly, it’s not hard to make walls like this. According to them, at least.”

“How come?”

“Because the design is predetermined and they don’t need any intricate work done.”

Hector squinted as he examined the thick ramparts below, whistling to himself after a few moments of thought. “Oh, when I really think about it, a wall is just one block of stone, but it’s next to an identical block. Over and over and over again.”

“Yeah, that’s why.” Reivan chuckled. “Making a wall around the entirety of Aizen is apparently simpler and easier than making a palace.”

“But it takes more mana or essence, no?”

“Yeah, that’s the only problem. It would have helped conserve energy if they were using the earth and stone already here, but that's the thing. They're not. They're using the whitestone we brought over from Aizen, so it's taking them a lot longer.”

Simple work could be completed fast while intricate work was slow, but both used the elementalist’s energy at the same rate. Costs were never dependent on complexity, after all, but on how long they manipulated earthen elements or how much of it they affected. With the length of the wall, however, it still took a lot of time, even though it was simple work.

“They made the walls first because they’re easy to repair if the Argonians attack,” Reivan casually gestured below. “Meanwhile, the engineering knights would throw a bloody fit if a half-finished fortress got wrecked. They'd be the first to request a subjugation.”

As he spoke, Reivan observed the surrounding area.

The blizzards that Dom summoned no longer reached this far away from the populated areas of Samsara, so the lands were barren, and it was fairly hot. No greenery could be found anywhere and the soil looked dry, with cracks and fissures as far as the eye could see. It was mostly flat lands as well, as it turned out, because any protrusions nearby were flattened by the elementalists who raised the ramparts in the first place.

It was perfect from a defensive standpoint.

No mountains or hills to hide the enemy's approach. No forests for a besieging army to forage food or harvest lumber from. No animals to hunt nearby. And no bodies of potable water—or any kind of water, really. Even the most hardened mortal army would have trouble trying to attack this great wall. And if they tried, they would have to do so on a timer—they had to win before the food and water they brought with them ran out.

‘Hm… Unfortunately, the terrain also makes it hard for us to set up ambushes or raid a besieging army. Or to attack their supply convoys just before they complete a delivery.’

If Reivan's side wanted to starve the siegers out, then Samsara’s forces would have to venture deeper into enemy territory to intercept supply convoys instead of stalking the surroundings of the enemy camp. But that was fine, when he thought about it, because Samsara had a number of aerial options for offense, such as the darkin, battlemages with avian spirit beasts, and sky arks loaded with explosives that they could drop on enemies.

“One, two, three, four, five…” Hector counted under his breath before he eventually gave up. “It just keeps going. Just how many fortresses are being built?”

“A lot.”

“Wow. You're so informative.”

Reivan shrugged. “Y'see, we’re making decoy fortresses as well. It doesn’t cost us anything but time on the elementalist's part, but their presence confuses the enemies. Also, forces patrolling the walls can make them rest areas in between real fortresses.”

Hector scratched his head. “Weren’t we making teleportation gates in every fortress? It’d be expensive to build gates for the decoys, too, right?

“Good point. That’s why we’re only doing it for select fortresses. These ones are going to be properly enchanted as best as possible and are meant to be defended. The others are spares or decoys, and they’ll only have ghost crews manning them. If Argonia does contest the wall before it's done, then we will go through with making a gate in all of them, though. Makes it easier to defend every part of the wall, y'know.”

“I see... But won’t espers reveal which ones are real and which ones aren’t?”

Reivan shook his head. “The walls are going to have enchantments that automatically kill any espers nearby. This goes for even the legitimate fortresses and the decoys as well.

“Killing espers…” Hector echoed, seemingly pondering something. ”If I remember correctly, the formation around Aizen only detects them, no? Why not use the killing one back home, too?”

“Because the esper-killing one only kills espers that aren’t in human bodies,” Reivan explained patiently. “Since Aizen’s borders are closer to populated areas than the ones Samsara has, detecting espers in whatever form they possess is much more important than outright killing them—because killing them is easy with all the knights running around. Detecting them is not.”

“Ah… I get it.” Hector nodded to himself as he pointed below. “In our case, we only need to watch out for the ghostly ones, yeah?”

“Yeah, you got it.”

The Kingdom of Aizen may have been pretty strict with letting foreigners in, but it wasn’t like they completely forbade it. Arkhanians could get in for a limited time if they applied for visas. And even Pentagorians could do the same thing.

Argonians made use of this fact by sneaking in an esper posing as an Arkhanian or Pentagorian. They were always quickly detected and marked by knights for disposal, however, so they never really accomplished anything of note.

In Samsara, however, the only way inside for someone who wasn’t from Aizen was through the deal with Axion. Any other random bloke walking up to the walls and asking to be accepted was going to be highly suspicious, maybe outright slain on sight.

Essentially, Samsara would never have to worry about being infiltrated by an esper hiding in human flesh.

That meant that as far as espers were concerned, Samsara was only worried about the ones in phantom form. Though not much of a threat to highly trained knights or decently prepared mages, espers were very pesky scouts who did not need food, water, or rest to exist—they could spy on the activities within Samsara for prolonged periods of time. Taking all of that into consideration, the killing formation was a lot more useful for Samsara than the detection one.

Sadly, a formation that detected espers in whatever state they were and killed them was impossible with the current formation masters. Even Ascendants hadn’t done it yet. It was not a question of capability or competence, however. They simply haven’t come up with a way to combine the two effects.

‘I have no idea how it works, so I’m just going to have to take their word for it.’

If Reivan was truly determined to do so, he could probably learn artificing and formation creation very fast using [Glimpse of Eternity]. But the thing is, that wouldn’t be all that helpful.

Unlike with combat power, artificing and formation mastery weren’t dependent on talent of any kind. It was an accumulation of national knowledge and research. Experience would improve an artificer or formation user’s results, but what they could do, did not depend only on them.

As such, even if Reivan busted his brain to become an artificer or a formation, one more master wasn’t going to affect the nation that much. He was better off just sticking to combat, with governance as a subskill.

Suddenly, Hector presented him with a very good question. “I understand that the walls will have formations and stuff, but what if the espers go by sea south of Samsara? Or if the espers dove super deep into the ground while passing the border?”

Reivan grinned. He really liked bringing Hector along because they both felt comfortable enough around each other to keep asking questions. And answering those questions helped clarify the thoughts in Reivan's head.

“Honestly, we don’t really care if the ghost-type espers somehow get deeper into the territory,” Reivan answered with a shrug. “The populated areas have already been set up with the killing formations as well. So when all is said and done, everything between the populated areas and the fortresses will be no man’s land.”

There was nothing in those lands to protect or spy on, so if the espers wanted to linger there, then so be it. Let them waste their time and energy scouring a whole lot of nothing. As long as they didn’t bother the common populace or get inside the fortresses, then they could go wherever the hell they wanted to in that no man's land.

“Neat…” Hector rubbed his chin with a hint of admiration in his voice before turning to Reivan. “So, I heard some very disturbing things from reliable sources."

"What kind of things?"

"Is it true that these fortresses can self-destruct? Which ones?”

Reivan chuckled.

“All of them, Hector. All of them.”