The next day passed in blissful idleness—everyone was waiting for the oh-so-necessary equipment to arrive. I spent the unexpected free time dusting off my calligraphy brush and playing the flute.
Suki—and several other Kyoshi Warriors, including Ju and Dandan—spent the day looking thoughtful, distant, and slightly irritated. Why in the spirits' names I'd even steered the conversation in that direction, I honestly couldn't explain even to myself.
I was completely satisfied with our relationship. The girl meant a great deal to me, and my glances toward the others truly were driven more by aesthetic appreciation than any serious desire for something beyond admiring their lean, athletic figures.
…Well, maybe just a little more.
Had success gone to my head? Was I simply tired? Or, having finally found myself in a society where monogamy wasn't hammered into people from childhood as the one and only correct way to live, was I gradually losing my brakes after inheriting Chan's instincts and desires? The original Chan had already been quite the skirt-chaser by fifteen, after all.
Appetite comes with eating.
When I'd first arrived in this world, women had been the last thing on my mind. I'd been too busy trying to understand my situation and carve out a decent life for myself. Under Master Piandao, there'd hardly been time for girls either. Back then my entertainment options had been wonderfully diverse: eat something, or decide food could wait and spend an extra twenty minutes lying perfectly still instead.
Then came navigation school, my first solo mission and its consequences, being appointed the designated "target dummy," and all the other joys of life.
It wasn't until I met Suki and getting to know her better had I finally found some measure of stability and routine.
And what now?
Barely two months had passed—though considering the intensity of recent adventures, it was probably fair to count one month as a year—and I was already beginning to think about… hmm, expansion.
Was my face not going to crack from sheer audacity?
Maybe it was normal for this world, but was it normal for me?
On the other hand, trying to live by your own rules in someone else's monastery was foolish, especially considering those rules had only ever existed on the level of logic—"this is what's accepted"—rather than genuine feeling—"this is what's right."
Hmmm. My thoughts were drifting somewhere strange again.
Pulling out a sheet of paper, I picked up my brush and began carefully painting the character for Harmony. At this rate, I was going to construct an entire philosophical framework to justify mine and Chan's mutual horny bastard nature.
After half an hour of wrestling with the symbol—which, for some utterly inexplicable reason, kept trying to turn from "Harmony" into "Harem Building"—I finally gave up on the entire endeavor. Both the philosophizing and the calligraphy.
Instead, I decided to trust in the age-old philosophy of "maybe it'll all sort itself out on its own." Even if, deep down, I strongly suspected that "sorting itself out" might end in a way that would be extremely unpleasant for me.
So when the couriers finally returned with the required equipment, I greeted them wearing a dark and thoroughly grim expression. The girls had gone so far as to apply full battle makeup, making it nearly impossible to read anything from their faces.
Only my soldiers and firebenders didn't care in the slightest. Like proper soldiers, they stoically endured all hardships and deprivations. And after two days of rest in a comfortable camp near a small settlement, they were downright pleased with life..
***
The journey itself passed without any major problems, aside from the fact that we had to dismount. The riding lizards probably could have managed the entire route, theoretically speaking, but risking expensive animals without good reason would've been foolish.
So, under the excuse of "watching the beasts," we managed to leave part of Colonel Bohin's detachment behind at the start of the trail.
And so we arrived at the Air Temple, where we found the refugees already packed and ready to leave, while directly in front of them sat the bound "couriers" from the officer.
"W-What?" the commandant started to say, only to fall silent when he felt the steel of my dagger pressing into the base of his neck from behind. His armor covered a lot, but far from everything.
"Colonel Bohin, you are charged with abuse of authority, violation of your oath, and attempting to mislead an official inspector."
"That's a lie! You—"
The end of what promised to be a very emotional tirade was cut off by the blade pressing harder against his neck.
"It's what I witnessed with my own eyes. As the Fire Herald, I hereby declare your actions criminal. Your fate will be decided by a military tribunal. Restrain him."
I nodded to one of my soldiers, who had already produced a pair of handcuffs. Yes, those existed here too—a perfectly modern-looking device.
"As for the rest of you," I continued, turning toward the visibly tense officers under the commandant, "following my investigation, I hereby declare you unfit for your current positions and guilty of exceeding your authority. Your fate will likewise be decided by a tribunal. Surrender your weapons."
The officers obeyed, and swords clattered onto the ground.
Maybe some of them might have tried to "object" using more universal arguments, but the rank-and-file soldiers had no desire whatsoever to throw themselves at an inspector sent directly by the Fire Lord for the sake of their bloated superiors. Besides, the Kyoshi Warriors and my firebenders had already surrounded the group—which only barely outnumbered us—and were very pointedly examining their war fans and swords.
The Mechanist, having witnessed the entire performance, greeted me warmly and announced that everything was ready.
(End of Chapter)
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