The First Mage

“A... new captain...? You don’t mean...” Bren stammered.

“I mean your father.”

“But he’s against you, Lilly! You just promised you would do everything to prevent something like this from happening again, and now you want to make him a captain!?”

“Exactly,” I said with a grin. His reaction was perhaps understandable. Giving someone who had been against you more power might seem counterintuitive, but unlike Eissen, who had schemed to assassinate us in our sleep, after he had lied to my face while checking out the building, Grym had openly opposed me. He was a straightforward guy, and not someone who would try to stab us in the back.

“Don’t think that I’m being careless right now. Tell me, who is the strongest guard in town right now?”

“The strongest? Hm... I’m not sure.”

“Do you think your father is up there?”

“Yes, probably.”

“Alright, I figured as much. I’ll let you in on a little secret. At this point, the four of us had to deal with three captains in one way or another, and I believe your father was at the very least comparable to them. He’s really good, and I would guess that he’s well respected among the guards, am I right?”

“He is. That’s exactly why—”

“No, you have it the wrong way around. This is one of the reasons why he’s perfect. One more question. Why isn’t he a captain yet?”

“What? Why... He always said it was politics. And then he would go on about how he didn’t actually want that job anyway,” Bren said, rolling his eyes. “Also how it’s the common guards who are doing the actual work.”

“Sounds about right. Here’s what I think. Your father is strong, he’s well respected, and he’s outspoken. He’s the kind of guy who goes up to someone they don’t like and punches them straight in the face, and that’s not the type the previous administration wanted in a leader position.”

“But... you do...?” Brie said.

“We need someone who can actually lead the Fighters. Someone they know and respect. Eissen was already captain, and keeping him in that position would’ve worked, but now the question is what direction we want to go in. Say there was someone else who would fit the requirements, but they were squarely on our side. Our opposition would not look kindly on suddenly being bossed around by some ‘yes-sayer.’ Grym on the other hand is part of the opposition.”

“You think people will follow him if you can get him on your side...” Bren said.

“That’s right. And the key part is his character. We’ll talk to him, we’ll see how it goes, and if he agrees to the promotion, he’s most likely not going to backstab us. If he has a problem, he’s going to come to us. Even if we chose someone who wasn’t openly opposing us, we couldn’t be sure what they would do, or what others might convince them of. Your father does not seem like someone who would listen to whatever someone else has to say though.”

“No, he’s certainly not,” Bren said with a sneer.

“You know your father better though, what do you think?”

We really only had three options. We could choose a random guard we didn’t know anything about, someone who was in favor of us, or someone who was opposed. On the surface, Grym wasn’t a fan, but I felt like I had already gained some points with him during our match. And really, making him captain wouldn’t increase our risk all that much. If he wanted to come after us, he could do that anytime, and if he wanted help, he could certainly convince a few guards to come with him, assuming they did respect him and his opinion. I waited patiently as Bren thought it over.

“Honestly... I’m not sure,” he said. “But if we were going by what I think, we would’ve never given you a chance either... I decided I would trust you, and I’ll stick with that.”

Brie nodded in agreement.

In all honesty, after last night, my confidence had taken a hit, and I wasn’t as certain this would work as I might’ve made it sound. However, so far, we had done well trusting people I thought I had figured out. Not to mention that half of our group are technically former enemies.

“Do you know where he is right now?” I asked Bren.

“He should be on guard duty at the Wildland farms,” he said.

“Alright, let’s see if we can get ourselves a guard captain.”

We left the temple and headed up a street from the north-east of the main square, towards the northern gate, a part of town I had never been to. After just a few minutes, the buildings around us grew not only smaller, but also fewer, as farm fields took their place. I mostly saw vegetables being grown, and some fruits that grew on small bushes. True to what Tomar had told me in the past, there were no trees inside the town walls, out of fear that they would somehow attract or even create beasts. When I had “blessed” the fields outside the wall though, I did see a large patch with apple and pear trees. Even outside, they were being careful, however, and the trees were spaced apart so far that the field wasn’t used very efficiently.

On our way to the gate, we were once more greeted happily by several passersby and Workers, some waving at us from afar and some even stopping what they were doing, to approach and thank us. Apparently just working so close to the wall had always been scary for them, not to mention those who had to go out to the fields in the Wildlands.

All humans really want is peace, a roof over their head, and full bellies.

I didn’t remember where I had heard that, but looking at these people, I realized once more that there was some truth to it. The city of Alarna was at a great starting point, and if we could just keep up the peace part, our reign would presumably be secured for the foreseeable future. For Reurig and Berla it was their first time experiencing the people’s gratitude, as they hadn’t been with us yesterday, but it was important that the people saw all of us. Especially if we were going to split up to different leader positions.

“Hey,” I whispered to Tomar as we walked on. “Hypothetically, do you think you could take Grym?”

“You mean... beat him?” he asked. “Hm... Yes, I think so.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes,” he said with a nod. “Why?”

“Just curious,” I said, but Tomar could probably guess what I was thinking about at this point, as he grinned at me knowingly.

It’s way more fun if you can surprise people.

After about fifteen minutes, we rounded another corner and the northern gate finally came into full view. It looked exactly like the eastern gate, including a watchtower directly above it on the wall. As we got closer, Bren let out a shrill whistle, eliciting a response from someone up there.

“What?” came a yell from the guard who was presumably watching the fields outside. Leaning out a window, a young woman glanced down at us. “Oh, Bren. And... Lilly! Good Morning!” she said, happily waving, and I waved back at her.

“Morning, Emeryn,” Bren said. “Is my father out there? Could you ask him to come in?”

“Certainly!” she said, and went to the other side of the wall to call for Grym. I could vaguely make out the words “The boss girl wants to talk to you!” and after just a few seconds, she was back on our side of the wall. “He’s coming! Hey, Lilly! When will I be able to quit this boring job?” she yelled down at us with a bright smile.

“Emeryn! Show some respect!” Bren yelled back.

“Oh, come on! It’s just a question!”

I had told the people, and the guards in particular, that under our rule, they would be able to choose their own destiny. Some Fighters didn’t want to risk their lives, while others might simply have been bored with their jobs, and we did want to improve that situation. In a way, it was a lofty promise that did come with a bit of a risk. If everybody could do as they pleased, how many of them would choose to become a Fighter? What if the town were to suddenly lose all their guards?

Even if one were to assume that our group would be able to handle any beast, it would be completely impossible to watch and patrol the entire town and the surrounding area without help. And even with the mana wall, patrols would still be necessary, just in case.

For this problem I didn’t have a concrete plan. I was simply hoping for the best. Just like some kids in Cerus had decided that they wanted to become Fighters, to protect their fellow citizens, and how people in my world might decide to become soldiers out of their own free will, I trusted that the same would happen here. Especially if it became a less risky job that still paid well.

“I must ask you to be patient for a little while longer,” I said to her, “but it won’t be too long. I promise.”

“Gotcha! Thank you, Lilly!” she yelled and pulled her head back into the watchtower.

“That girl...” Bren said in exasperation.

‘Did she call us “boss girl”...?’ Lilana asked in my mind

“Hm, I kinda like it,” I whispered.

A few minutes later, Emeryn instructed the guards down by the gate to open it and Grym entered the town, coming our way with a grim expression.

“The whole party is here, I see,” he said, looking at our group, before focusing on me in the center. “What do you want?”

“Good morning, Grym. Have you slept well?” I asked.

“Girly,” he said as he raised an eyebrow, “you better get to the point. I’ve got a job to do.”

“Well, our night has been a little turbulent, and I was wondering what you are thinking about that.”

Grym furrowed his brows. “Eissen...” he muttered.

“That’s correct.”

Once again, he looked between the members of our group. “Yet you are all still here.”

“Marly is not...” Bren said.

“Zale’s girl, huh? That’s unfortunate,” Grym said, and lowered his head for a moment. After he raised it again, I continued.

“Eissen has accomplished nothing, and now he and his three men are sitting in cells. We have essentially lost five guards last night. What do you make of that?”

“What do I... Lilly, what do you want from me?” Grym asked, growing more irritated by the minute.

“I’d like to hear your opinion on this unfortunate incident, that’s all.”

He stared at me with a scrutinizing look. “Eissen is an idiot who should’ve never become captain, and if I had thought that he actually wanted to go through with this plan, I would’ve stopped him. Is that about what you want to hear?”

“That depends on whether it’s the truth. I’m asking you for your honest opinion.”

“Is that so,” Grym said. “In that case, it was a careless move, and that they killed one of their own is contemptible, but they did it for our town.”

Sounds like he knew about the plan but was against it. And he wouldn’t endanger fellow guards if it could be avoided... Sounds good.

“I see. Thank you,” I said. “My concern right now is that we lost the captain of the guard. But then I thought to myself... yesterday I met someone who I believe would make a great captain.”

Grym’s eyes widened slightly as the realization of what I was getting at dawned on him, but he quickly furrowed his brows again.

Is this guy at all able to hold a facial expression that doesn’t look like he was named after it...?

“... Me?” he asked, and briefly glanced at Bren. “Boy, what is this about?”

“I was as surprised as you, but Lilly wants you as the next captain of the guard,” Bren said.

“You want me to work directly under you? Under the usurper? Ridiculous.”

“Actually... I want you to work under him,” I said, pointing at Tomar, and Grym’s expression changed once more. From surprise, to confusion, and finally, to amusement.

“Hahaha! Girly, you believe he would be able to give orders to me? Has he even had his ritual yet? Just get out of here.”

“Big words from someone who lost to a ‘girly’ yesterday.”

“What!?” he snapped at me.

“Granted, he is young... and the gods didn’t give him any instructions when they chose him, unlike they did with me. He would really have to prove himself first...” I said with a contemplating look. “Would you do me a favor, Grym? How about you test him?”

“You...” he started, before an evil smile formed on his face. “What’s the stakes?”