Taboo Journal
Chapter of Past Recollection: The Path Forward

“We’ve learnt of some troubling news in regards to Aldreigh. We’ll discuss this as well as our next course of action.”

Korwen’s announcement sent a murmur through the people present.

“Troubling news, eh?”

Seated next to us, Fenna was frowning. On her other side, the Elder was similarly doing so.

”We’ve been having too many of those troubling news recently.”

“Agreed.”

While Fenna was complaining, Korwen continued the announcement.

“As you know, the situation in Melfin didn’t allow us to gather the necessary supplies and equipment. In response to that, we were inquiring about the current situation in Aldreigh and received some unsettling news. A trustworthy acquaintance of Greyward sent us a letter with a warning to stay away from Aldreigh for the time being.”

“Do we know the reason?” asked Taddick.

“They kept it vague, but it seems to be related to recent changes in their laws and the temple losing influence.”

“The temple? Losing influence? You taking me for a ride, aren’t you, Cap?”

“Unfortunately not, I’m serious.”

Taddick groaned as he held his head. In turn, Fenna spoke up next to me.

“I can’t imagine the temple losing influence so quickly, Captain. The common demonkin folk and most of the influential families are members of the temple, are they not?”

“They are. I am just as surprised as any of you, but Greyward’s acquaintance is a member of the temple clergy. They should know best.”

“This is becoming troublesome…”

That it was.

“It’s even worse because of the timing. The Federation and the Empire are fighting right next to Aldreigh’s border right now. Fortunately, that’s not our problem right now.”

“So, Cap, our problem is that we can’t get stuff from Aldreigh?”

“For the most part.”

Korwen nodded in response to Taddick’s question. However, I was a little confused…

“Nn, Captain?”

“What is it, Yumi?”

“Can’t we get things in Lafria for now? Or is there a problem with that?”

While I understood that the Aldreighan tools were incredible, people were able to survive without them.

“We can get some things in Lafria for now, you are right about that. But the issue is that we’re already halfway into summer. Remember, we need to restore the fort to a degree that we can live there before winter comes. Or we’ll need to camp outside over the entire winter and that’s something we all want to avoid.”

The other people in the room nodded or murmured the agreement quietly.

“I’m sure you have seen the magic tools in Melfin’s street, the ones for waste disposal.”

“Nn.”

“We need one of those. If we can’t, we would need to repair the old sewer system beneath the fort. However, that’s going to be difficult. Or rather, it’s going to be expensive. We would have to hire an Earth magician. Not only that, we can’t just hire any Earth magician either, but we need someone educated about construction, or we risk the fort collapsing on our heads.”

That wouldn’t be healthy.

“The cost for such a magician would be outrageous. But if that was the worst of it, we could still deal with it. Unfortunately, between finding such a magician and the time it would take him to repair the sewers, there’s no way he can handle that before winter comes.”

“...”

So, the issue was time, huh?

“Would the magic tool save so much time?” asked Karen.”

“Yes. Rather than repairing the whole sewer, we can just install the tool. It still takes time to install it because of the pipes and stuff like that, but significantly less.”

Yeah, now I could slowly understand why Korwen was deeming this situation a problem. Camping outside was dangerous if temperatures went below freezing. People might freeze to death.

“There are similar problems with other magic tools we planned on acquiring. While we can get some of them in Lafria, the expenses would be several times what we would have to pay if we bought them directly in Aldreigh. And if the turmoil in Aldreigh gets worse, the merchants are sure to hike up the price.”

How absolutely wonderful…

“Did that clear things up?”

“Nn, it did. Sorry for interrupting.”

“No problem, you’re probably not the only one who wanted to know that.”

That’d be nice if it helped the others as well.

“Now, back to the topic. We have to solve the issue of equipment. There’s still a group on the way to Aldreigh. If they can get us what we need, then everything is fine, but otherwise, we will have to find an alternative. Any suggestions for that?”

Korwen looked around, waiting for someone to speak up. After a few seconds, an unexpected voice responded to him.

“Mr Korwen. I have a question.”

“... I didn’t expect you to speak up, Miss Elder. Go ahead.”

“What type of equipment is needed in the first place? I think it would be better if we know that.”

“... You’re right. I missed that.”

That was a good point. Korwen looked a little embarrassed, having forgotten about that.

“The most pressing concerns we have are the waste disposal tool and tools for heating. After that, something to clean the water. There are other things but those are the most important ones.”

Yeah, all three of those sounded quite important.

“Heating tools shouldn’t be hard to come by even outside Aldreigh, Cap. Same for a tool to clean the water.”

“Yes, but the ones from Aldreigh are far better. In the long-term, it would save us costs.”

“Well, if you don’t wanna get those, we can always dry the wood we’re cutting.”

“Would we even have enough wood for that?”

“Just throwing a wild guess here, but I think it should last us the winter. Unless it’s gonna be a real bad one, that is.”

I wasn’t quite sure if using firewood was going to save us that much compared to just getting heating tools made in Lafria, though…

“We’ll have to look into what is better then… Though, I’d like to avoid either of those if we can help it.“

“Cap… Are our finances bad?”

“We can shoulder the expenses, no problem. Even if we had to purchase the hiked-up prices in Lafria. But looking at the future, I’d like to have some more leeway. While we got the fort for an affordable sum, it still put a noticeable dent into our coffers.”

So, the issue was money, huh?

“Money, eh? No good jobs around?”

“The area around Auria is relatively quiet. Few monster issues, either. There are some, but not only are they not paid well, they’re also a source of income for the local mercenaries.”

“Ahhh… We might clash with them if we clean those jobs out.”

“Exactly.”

Taddick scratched the back of his head, visibly at a loss on what to do.

“Man, I was a little annoyed you called another meeting just for this, but I slowly get it. This is quite a problem, isn’t it?”

“Glad you see that as well.”

Korwen smiled wryly at Taddick’s confession.

“In that case… Cap, if the trouble in Aldreigh is real… We going to butt in?”

“... The chances are pretty high, yes.”

Wait, we were going to involve ourselves with the problems in Aldreigh?

“Of course, that depends on who offers a job and how well-paid it is.”

“I for one wouldn’t mind a chance to kick the ass of those stuck up nobles, ha! Guess that’s not gonna happen, though.”

“If we assume the conflict is between the government—in other words, the nobles—and the temple, then it is more likely for the nobles to approach us. Especially small-time nobles.”

“Those we won’t be taking jobs from anyway?”

“Pretty much.”

We weren’t going to take jobs from small nobles?

“Though, there is a chance the temple might hire us.”

Korwen glanced towards Greyward. He didn’t respond to him, though.

“Either way, we shouldn’t count on that job opportunity just yet. Not to mention, we still have the border clean-up that Ruben left us with.”

“Ah, that… But, Cap, we were gonna leave that to the recruits and young’uns, no?”

“That’s right.”

“Shouldn’t be an issue then, if we take another job, eh?”

Doing those jobs would probably help get the financial leeway that Korwen wanted.

“Anyway, taking jobs is something we can always do. For now, does anyone still have suggestions for our equipment issue?”

“I might have something, Mr Korwen.”

“Miss Elder? You do?”

“I do, in fact.”

The Elder, who had drawn attention once again, grinned at Korwen’s surprised reaction.

“If you build a simple latrine, then us elves are most definitely happy to take the waste from you.”

The room fell silent, everyone staring at the Elder with wide eyes.

“... Sorry, but that’s not quite what I expected to hear. Could you elaborate?”

“Hehe, night soil is an efficient fertilizer. Now that they have decided to make this forest their home, they will need to grow many a plant and tree. Our magic can only help so much, that’s why we commonly collect animal waste as fertilizer to nourish the ground, lest we drain the forest of its life force. However, with the lack of animals in this forest, that might prove difficult.”

“Right, there are barely any here… Still, that’s not quite what I expected. Elves collecting waste…”

“Why not? Humanoid farmers do the same, do they not?”

“They do but… Forget it.”

Korwen shook his head at this unexpected revelation. The Elder, in turn, had an amused smile. She definitely knew what was going on in his head, didn’t she?

“So, you would be able to deal with the waste issue?”

“More like, the other elves can. You would need to discuss it with them but I am fairly certain they would be happy to help.”

“...”

Silence followed, as Korwen seemed to think about the Elder’s suggestion.

“There is one thing I’d like to know. I would be more than happy to let the elves deal with this, but there is the issue of potential diseases. Can the elves deal with that?”

“Yes, they can. They know how to properly deal with it. Us elves are not exempt from the diseases, after all.”

“... Got it, I’ll talk with them. However, even if they accept, I’ll assign some people to them to make sure it really is properly dealt with.”

“Of course.”

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. He should be happy but it felt like he was even more troubled now.

“There wouldn’t be any other things the elves can help with, can they?”

“Mmm… There is a plant that can provide clean drinking water. However, the amount necessary to quench the thirst of hundreds of men would be difficult. It relates to the need for fertilizer, as well as to our magic. The plants feed on it. Even if we could grow them, they might help out for one winter at most. It certainly would not be a long-term solution.”

“I see… Would those plants take mana crystals?”

“I do not know. They might. At least, none I know ever tried to do so.”

“Something to try out then. But the fertilizer issue would come first, I guess.”

But, even if they were not the most optimal solutions, that was two of the most pressing problems solved, more or less.

“Now, you wouldn’t happen to also know a plant that can heat things up, do you?”

“Sorry, but I don’t.”

“Well, it was worth a try… But how do you keep warm then? I mean, the elves’ normal dress is…”

“Light?”

“... Yes.”

‘Light’ was a very nice way to phrase it. Even now I could vividly remember the barely covered elves…

“The forest accommodates us a little. Strictly speaking, you could say it’s our own magic that keeps us warm. It’s nothing we can help others with.”

“I see…  Too bad.”

Unfortunately for Korwen, the last issue remained.

“Still, that already helps us a lot. I’ll discuss it with the elves. Now, does anyone else have a suggestion or idea?”

Something to solve our problems, huh? Frankly, I knew next to nothing about waste disposal and the necessary sanitation. As for water, the only thing I could think of was boiling it. And heating… stacking on more blankets?

Yeah, frankly, my ideas weren’t really going to help much, weren’t they?

“Yumi, do you have any ideas?” Karen asked me.

“No, I don’t… Apart from boiling water and dressing warmer, that is. How about you, sis?”

“I can’t think of anything either…”

“Nn…”

Well, neither of us was in any way an expert when it came to this topic. Well, nobody here was…

“Ah… I have an idea.”

“You do?”

“Nn. Captain, Captain.”

I called out to Korwen to draw his attention.

“What is it, Yumi? You got something?”

“Well, not exactly… but how about we ask someone who knows more about this? Aren’t there people more knowledgeable than us when it comes to construction? Especially in the military. They have forts as well, after all.”

“...”

Korwen stared at me, wide-eyed.

“I have to say, you make a good point. The military should have advisers for things like this… Ha, that’s a good idea, Yumi. Good job.”

Yay, I was praised!

“Apart from Yumi, did anyone else think of something?”

Silence followed once more.

“Doesn’t look like it. If you happen to think of something later on, come and find me.”

Still, we already got solutions for two problems and have at least a lead for everything else. We made progress.

“Are there any questions or things you’d like to know about?”

Korwen asked into the round… and after a few seconds, someone I didn’t know by name spoke up.

“Capt’n, are we good on food?”

“We’ll be fine for at least two months if the supply report is correct. Not to mention we’re right next to a giant lake now and the town is close-by. We shouldn’t have a problem getting food.”

“That’s fine then. I’m not too familiar with this place but does the lake freeze over in winter? Could be an issue.”

“No, it doesn’t. Even when it gets exceptionally cold, it never froze over to my knowledge.”

“Got it. That’s all I wanted to say.”

Korwen nodded, then looked around again, waiting for someone else to speak up. Nobody did so, however.

“No questions then. Good. Then, the meeting is over for now. I still have some orders so Merim, Fenna, Taddick and Greyward should stay behind. Oh, and Yumi, Lily, Karen, you three can stay, too. Everyone else is dismissed. Ah, and Miss Elder, please inform the elves I want to speak with them later.”

“Understood, I will convey it to them.

A moment later, everyone apart from the ones he called on got up from their seats and left. Apart from one person, though.

“Hey, hey, Dad, can I stay, too?”

“... Aren’t you satisfied with barging in here? Still not enough?”

“Don’t treat me like some outsider!”

“You effectively are.”

Alma noisily ground her teeth in frustration.

“I’M not an outsider!”

“Well, are you planning on coming back to us then?”

“...”

Upon hearing that, Alma fell silent.

“See? You left the Dragon Knights, so unless you are coming back, you are an outsider.”

“... Hey, Dad, you’re fine with me coming back?”

“Of course, I am. It’d worry me a lot less if you did.”

“But I remember you telling me I shouldn’t bother coming back to the Dragon Knights?”

“...”

Now, Alma grinned, having caught him by surprise.

“True, back then I didn’t know yet that every time you would visit you’d bring back one massive headache after another. If I knew that, I would’ve never let you go.”

“Hey, don’t treat me like a nuisance!”

“Say, who was it that got chased by a Phantom Ship, apprehended by the local guards and nearly got herself on a wanted list trying to escape her cell this very morning?”

“... Can’t have been me.”

“It! Was! You!”

Wait, she tried to escape from the guards? That’s… amazing.

“Hey, Dad, don’t get mad, please? I wasn’t doing it on purpose, I swear!”

“I’d be mad if you had done it on purpose! Haaa… Whatever, I don’t get time for that. Sit down and stay quiet, okay?”

“Yay! Dad, I love you!”

Korwen averted his gaze from the beaming Alma. Since that was in our direction, we could clearly see his conflicted expression, changing between annoyed and happy.

I mean, sure, Alma causing problems is no good but he’s way too easy on her, too…

Not that I could blame him. Nor anyone else did, judging by the warm gazes that were directed at the two.

“Seriously, what am I going to do with you. Sit down now.”

“Yes, yes.”

With a grin, Alma sat back down. Korwen could only sigh in return, before straightening his back and addressing everyone else.

“Let’s get back to the topic at hand. Taddick, how many of the men are available for gathering information?”

“Right now? I could probably get around two dozen together. If you’re fine with the ones that can’t read or write, I could get more.”

“No, that’s enough, gather them together and set up a squad. We need information from Aldreigh.”

“Will be done. But judging how far we are away from the major towns, that’s not going to be easy. Even if they learn something, it’ll take forever to reach us.”

“That won’t be a problem. Yumi.”

He turned around to face me.

“Nn? Yes?”

“How small can you make those tiny portals?”

“Errr… I’m not sure, to be honest. If only the voice needs to get through, I could probably make them pretty small.”

“And they can still be carried around then?”

“That shouldn’t be an issue, I think.”

If anything, it should be easier if they are smaller. At least when it came to the consumption of mana.

“Try to make them as small as you can. We’ll give them to the squad Taddick makes. That should solve our communication problem.”

“Nn, will do.”

“Good. That good with you as well, Taddick?”

“Sure thing. If we can contact each other over long distances, then it should be no issue.”

Well, hopefully, that squad would think so too. The tentacles weren’t for everyone.

“Mm. Get the people together then make sure they’re ready to depart by tomorrow morning.”

“Will do.”

Taddick saluted and left the tent in a hurry.

“Yumi.”

“Yes?”

“I want you to make the tentacles as small and convenient as you can by tomorrow morning. Get Ria and the others to help you. Also, those things there…”

He pointed at the bag in the corner of the room.

“If you can make them usable for this, that’d be convenient.”

“Nn, understood, Captain.”

So much for our break. We got orders again… I wanted to get up already to salute and then leave with Karen, but Korwen motioned us to stay seated. Guess he still needed us.

“Merim, I’ll need you to go to Auria and contact every merchant you can find. Find out what tools are available for purchase and how much they cost. Prioritise the heating tools and the water cleaning tools.”

“Not the waste disposal?”

“If what the elder told us is true, then the elves can help us out with that. Even if we get the waste disposal tool, it might be a good idea to gather the night soil until they established their new home.”

Merim grinned at Korwen’s explanation.

“You were so harsh with her earlier, but you actually want to let them do it if it helps them, don’t you, Captain?”

“They helped us a lot. It’s only fair we return the favour. It’s true that it’s a dangerous undertaking, though, so I’ll make sure that everything goes well. In other words: Shut up and do your work.”

“Yes, yes, will do.”

With a lazy salute, Merim got up and left.

“Fenna, you will take over Merim’s other work while he is away.”

“Eh? Me?”

“Yes, you.”

Fenna stared at Korwen with surprise in her eyes. Unaware of her inner turmoil, a certain someone shouted from the outside.

“Good luck with that, Fenna!”

“Do your work, Merim!”

After shouting at his vice-captain, Korwen returned his attention to Fenna.

“I already told you before. I want you to take up more responsibility. So, are you up for it?”

“Ye— Yes, of course, Captain!”

“Great. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, Captain!”

Fenna saluted, looking all giddy. She must have been happy about the trust and the expectations that Korwen put on her.

“I’ll talk with you about the details after this. Now then, Greyward…”

Korwen looked at the former captain of the Black Guards, not saying anything for several seconds. Then, his gaze shifted over to Lily.

“Did you talk with Lily?”

“... I did.”

“Good. That’s a relief.”

Behind Korwen, Alma was tilting her head, not knowing what they were talking about.

“The letter I got mentioned that they were planning to come here. I’d like to know a little more about that person but that can come later. For now, I know, I’d like to know when they are likely to arrive and what to expect.”

“When, eh? I got no clue. Judging by how fast we got the letter… No doubt soon. Always been one to rush into things. And there’s not much else to say. Not much to expect.”

“Maybe I should phrase myself better. Greyward… Johnson, will you be fine?”

“...”

That was the first time I heard Korwen calling Greyward by his first name.

“No clue.”

“... I understand. We’ll work that out when the time comes. Lily, make sure he doesn’t run away.”

“Never planned to let him escape, Captain!”

“Good. If he makes any trouble, I’ll give you permission to get others to help out.”

“Korwen?! What in the Spirit’s name?!”

Wow, someone was really intent on keeping him from escaping.

“What? If I don’t do this much, I’ll find a letter tomorrow morning that you’re going on a journey or something.”

“Who would actually do something like that?”

“Don’t ask me.”

Korwen shrugged his shoulders, dismissing Greyward’s complaint.

“Tsk, I won’t run away.”

“That’s good then. Need some time off?”

“I don’t.”

Greyward shook his head.

“In that case, I’ll leave the fort clean-up to you. There’s still a lot to do there, so you’ll find plenty to distract yourself with.”

“Got it.”

“Also, do you have any acquaintances in the Lafrian army?”

“Not as many as you do. At least, nobody who is particularly influential. Or knowledgable, for that matter. This about Yumi’s suggestion?”

“Yes. She’s right, if we can get ahold of the military’s advisors, it could save us a lot of trouble. We might miss things we don’t even know about yet, too.”

Apparently, my suggestion had been a welcome one. That made me a little happy, to be honest.

“... It’s not the Lafrian army, but I know a few people in Krohmea. I could try contacting them, but considering the distance, it’s unlikely they’ll respond positively. If at all. Other than that, I know some in the empire and in Aldreigh, of course.”

“Aldreigh would be the closest, but considering the situation, it’ll be hard to count on them. The empire is going to be difficult, our bands are most definitely barred from entry.”

“After that mess we caused, no doubt about it.”

“Well, try to contact who you can. We might get someone if we’re lucky. I’ll do the same on my side.”

“Will do.”

Korwen nodded in approval.

“Then, that’s all. Don’t overdo it.”

“Ha, if I did, what would be the point of hoisting all that troublesome work on you? I’m glad I got rid of it.”

“Yes, yes. Get going and do your work.”

“Sure.”

Greyward got up and left the tent. Korwen watched after him for a short while before turning around to Lily.

“Lily, take care of him.”

“I will, no need to tell me twice!"

“I’m counting on you.”

“Sure thing! And… Captain. Thanks.”

“... No need. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid and that’ll be good enough.”

“Hehe, will do!”

And then, Lily followed after Greyward.

“Really, a troublesome family they are.”

Despite his complaint, he was smiling. Really, he couldn’t be honest with himself, could he?

“Well then, Yumi, Karen.”

“Nn?”

“Yes, Mr Captain?”

“As I told you, I want you to look into making those portals small enough to be portable, in a way that people can use them without your explicit presence. Those spheres you make would be optimal but anything is fine as long as they can carry it. That doable?”

“Nn…”

Doable, huh?

“I think it should be possible. There might be problems if we distance gets too vast or if something else that we can’t know in advance happens but judging from what I know so far, it should be possible.”

“Mmm… Good. Test out as much as you can. You can get Ria and the others to help you, no need to hold back. I’d prefer if you could do this at your own pace, too, but we’re in a bit of a hurry.”

“No problem, Captain. We’ll do what we can.”

“I‘m counting on you.”

He was counting on us, huh? That was pretty nice to hear.

“I’m looking forward to good news then.”

“... We’ll do our best.”

Let’s hope the pressure wasn’t going to get me…