The st couple months was tedious work, we bought 20 rge carriages. Then 2 Knight carts. This would let the knights have a 2 on and 2 off rotation, making sure we always had rested and charged knights. I had 4 knights now, but we were yet to assign them. To be honest Sven was guaranteed one, so was I. The st 2 adults trained hard, but according to Sven we may need more experienced pilots. The combat training they had proved they weren't calm enough in battle. I kinda agreed with him, which meant going back to the sve merchant. Me and Chiyun had grown closer too. Daily flirting had progressed to caresses here and there, her making sure she always made contact with me in passing. However, I just couldn't shake the knot of guilt in my chest.

  Was she just doing this, because she was my sve? Was she doing this because she felt she owed me for fixing her?

  These thoughts kept me from going any further with her. I had been practicing with a sword, spear, daggers and even hand to hand combat. I didn't train with the others, just with Sven and Chiyun. I couldn't really see any improvement, I wasn't learning any combat or magic skills either. I was starting to believe I couldn't learn any skills other than things that benefit my basic skill. I had noticed the lizard folk woman, whose son I helped had been closer recently. Seems that being nice to her son had helped her rex around me. He was fully healed now, like everyone else. He would sit in Leviathan with me as I practiced and got used to the controls. He was a cute kid and was one of the few children with a parent here. Some sves had already started pairing up, taking in children to care for. Some women and men didn't though, they didn't have chemistry or interest and that was okay.

  Not everyone had to pair up. Well I say pair, one Wolf dude had 3 of the 4 wolf women. The 1 wolf woman he didn't pick was his mother and she felt she was too old, even after I had restored some of her youth, she was functionally 40 years old. If I had been single she was in my strike zone, not going to lie.

  The sves had been training, but still none were ready to pilot and with the sale of Hildas shop being final, and having to leave tomorrow morning. We were loading everything up. I had seen the rge cart Hilda bought for her, Mi and myself. It was retively rge, about 9 foot wide and 12 foot long, it was also fully enclosed. Inside was Hildas a rge bed, cupboards lining the wall. All with locks. She had all her herbs and possessions inside. Everything was secured, but we would likely only use it at night, or when stopping for breaks. Well Hilda would be in there a lot along with Mi, working on inventory. I did notice the carriages had enchanted leaf spring suspension.

  However they didn't have shock absorbers, Knights however had some. One of my sves was a former bcksmith, so Hilda got him to fit them. I also had him make springs, like you get on sofas back home. This let me modify the seats in the carriages, this would make them far more comfortable.

  When I woke up, was when I saw Chiyun leaning against the door frame, she had a serious look on her face.

  "Sver sent goons here st night. Me, Sven and some of the others, beat them and told Hilda. She contacted the guards and they were arrested. I am to stay with you today."

  I absorbed that information, Chiyun shadowing me wasn't new. So it looks like she was just going to be far more protective.

  Looks like we need to pay the sve merchant a visit still, but this time....

  "Call her off! I'M SORRY OKAY! JUST CALL HER OFF!!"

  "How much are pilot sves?"

  "1 small mythril."

  I look at Chiyun.

  "Rip his arm off let's see if he becomes more reasonable."

  "GODS DAMMIT! OKAY OKAY, 50 GOLD!"

  I nodded and gestured for Chiyun to drop him. She growled at him and threatened.

  "You try anything and I will rip your spine out through your throat."

  We head down, and find a couple elves, which from what I learned would be bad for this kingdom as a whole.

  "What's your name."

  I asked the dark elf with caramel skin and blonde hair.

  "Leave my sister alone, you filthy man!"

  I looked at the sver.

  "Elves, are you mad? Suicidal?"

  He smirks.

  "28 rge mythril makes me happy to trade anything."

  I smirk.

  "50 gold."

  His eyes widen.

  "Are you f-"

  I grab his mouth.

  "Language we have dies present."

  "50 gold each and after I leave I won't be back, you won't have to die and we are all happy."

  The older mocha skinned elf with raven hair, growls at me.

  "Fine... but I am telling the noble it was you who took them."

  I shrug.

  "Won't be here much longer, we are leaving after tonight."

  I look at the elves.

  "Can you pilot knights?"

  The two elves eyes meet mine.

  "Who do you think we are MAN, we are elves, there isn't a knight built we cannot command."

  I smirk.

  "Good, 1 to go. So, any other high end sves you are keeping from me?"

  The man groans as he limps to the next room, sat there on a chair is a beautiful girl, about 18. Gorgeous blue hair, slim figure and regal posture.

  "I suppose you are my first master then?"

  I look at the man.

  "How much?"

  "I.. uh... you see..."

  I take 10 small mythril coins from my bag and sp it in his hand. His eyes bulge.

  "Control coins please."

  He nods and hands me the coins, after confirming they are all the correct coins, I look at Chiyun.

  "Do it, make sure he doesn't wake up until tomorrow evening at the earliest, if you can scramble his brains all the better."

  The elder dark elf approaches me.

  "I am a sorceress, I can mess with his memories. He won't remember anything that happened today and you will have around 6 moons to get away, before they realise anything, almost forever if I give him fake memories."

  I smile, then remove all previous orders, Chiyun had already knocked the guy out. Then the mocha skinned beauty touched her hands to her head, then after 10 minutes sighed and stood.

  "It is done."

  I was going to say good job, but the blonde elf quickly grabbed the gold and mythril on the sve trader and stuffed it in my bag. I raise an eyebrow at her.

  "What? It's evidence. Not my fault you benefit from it."

  She had a look in her eyes I couldn't quite pce, shaking my head and we head home, the blonde locks the door on our way out. There was no one around, so we rushed back to the apothecary.

  Settling in, I turned to the two elves.

  "So what is your story?"

  The two elves looked at each other for a moment.

  "We are half elves, we only have first names and if it wasn't for that linked colr, that sver would be ashes. My name is Lei, this is Nura, my sister. We don't have a family name, our father was human, mother was an elf. She hated him since she was his sve, but truly loved us. One day elves came, killed our father and took our mother. We wandered around as mercenaries with our knights. A month ago we were captured, they tricked Nura into wearing her colr, then I was forced to wear it to save Nuras life. We were shoved in carriage after carriage until we arrived here. The man whose memory I scrambled, he said that in 3 days we would be sent to our new master. That was 2 days ago, when you came in I assumed you had come a day early. However, now I know you aren't who was supposed to be buying us."

  I nodded as looked between them, Hildas fists were scrunched tightly.

  "Yeah, that is just horrible. Stick with us, we are leaving this kingdom, there is a mountain castle town out in the sticks, completely abandoned. Apparently raided by bandits, then it was attacked by a rge monster. You know how it goes. No one wants to go somewhere harsh to rebuild what is broken."

  The two elves look at each other, then look at me.

  "We will come with you, something about you. It seems different."

  I smirk, I wouldn't tell them yet and Hilda had forbid me talking about it here. We would have to get at least 3 days away from the city first. Once passed a town called Happy Valley, we should be safe to speak about it way more openly and rex. It would be a month or two from there until we get to our new home.

  I walked the two elves out and went to the gathering of Sven and his team.

  "Will we need another training table?"

  I turn to Sven, rubbing his chin.

  "Could do, these three are commanders. It would help train the next generation."

  Then the two elves approached. They had been free and as such both them and the blue haired girl had been released, it absolutely drained me, I was running on embers. I did discover my mental fatigue couldn't be restored. I had tried on a particurly broken sve, a white bunny teenager with red eyes. On restoring him back to before he was broken, he was mentally only 8 years old. I restored his body to match, taking him in as an adopted son. So I just had to recover normally.

  Lei and her sister approached me and Sven.

  "We need parts for our knights."

  I rub the back of my head, I wasn't sure about what to do, we had to leave by morning.

  "Can you find what you need at the scrapyard?"

  Lei smirks, a confident glint in her eye. Before she answers, Sven interrupts.

  "You can look through the scrapyard with these two, they should know what they are looking for."

  The girls nod.

  "Wait, what happened to your knights?"

  Nura smirked.

  "Hidden, it's 3 days travel from here. A cave in the grove of a forest lord, covered in a rope net covered with leaves."

  That was quite clever, a forest lord den would definitely never be investigated heavily and if they are hidden with leaves, in a dark cave. Unlikely they were found yet, as they only got caught a month ago. I did notice the look of betrayal Lei shot Nura. The girl in question, ignored her and kept that same adoring look as she stared at me. I had seen that look before, Nura had a crush on me. Before drama could start between the two siblings, I moved the conversation forward.

  "We will swing by and get them first, before we head to our destination then. Come on let's get that table and those parts."

  It was te in the evening after returning to the yard, carts lined up. Most were packed, those testing their skills in a knight were practicing their knight commander skills. I had pyed a bit with my skill and I could mix and match parts. Right now those not able to pilot were either painting the knights, or packing for our morning leave. I jumped up into my knight, it was gorgeous, fwed and a bit janky, but that was apparently the standard, even if Leviathan was a step above the others. We would be heading out in about 4 hours, sunrise. I had a nice set up in here. Metal tubs from the bcksmith, filled with jerky from the butcher. A nice keg of mead from the sexy barmaid, the enchanter even spped a cold rune on it for me. It was only now I realised how many people I befriended here, but I couldn't stay the racism in these humans I was leaving behind was deeply ingrained. Heck some of the sves were the same before they were ensved, now though there was a comradeship and kinship due to them all being sves. Most of these sves were crippled or starved. They had massive appreciation for me, they saw me as their saviour. I didn't really do much. As I was checking the power and such, I heard movement. Turning I saw Chiyun.

  "Hey, whats up?"

  Her sapphire eyes had a glow to them in the night, she climbed into the cockpit and straddled my p.

  "Chiyun?"

  She kissed me, a bit forcefully. If I was being honest, I was into it. She ran her sharp eyes over my body. I didn't want to ruin the mood, but I thought it would help to say.

  "I can fix our clothes."

  That was all she needed.

  Sion_Dracul