The next three days were painful ones. I thought I had been getting stronger, but then my evil captain started making me wave a sword around all morning. The sword was actually lighter than I thought it would be. It was probably around two kilograms, but when you swing it around for an hour nonstop, it starts to seem like you are lifting fifty pounds. By hour two, keeping the tip up became impossible. I couldn't even hold a pen by the time we were done.

Fortunately, having done Tai Chi For the last few months, the stances he had me perform were not a problem. I was able to flow naturally from one form to the next. I figured the years of Tai Chi in my past life also helped. Draves said that the truly talented swordsmen were able to flow across the battlefields like dancers. That's not to say my footwork was perfect, but he was able to skip me from the basic katas to the more advanced ones without ruining my foundation.

"Yes, I agree. I have never seen such a fat man move so gracefully." Chris laughed.

"And I have never seen a soldier that has such an enormous desire to clean the pig toilets."

"Neither have I, but if I find one, I will certainly let you know you are looking for one. You did give me a bunch of peasants and serfs to work with."

"Speaking of soldiers, How is the BDF coming along?"

Before Chris could say anything, Edward spoke up, "The Bicman Defense Force currently stands at one-hundred and twenty-three individuals, excluding the initial guards. Ninety-three are considered to still be in what you call level one proficiency. The rest have shown some natural talent and have been deemed worthy to move to level two. These numbers are not expected to change much in the near future as these men and women are peasants and have only a few hours a week in which to train. We have found twenty-two that the hunters have been training with the bow."

"Thanks for stealing my thunder, Eddie," Chris grumbled.

"That is only because you never use precise numbers, Lieutenant Chris. The amount of times you use the word about in your reports is staggering."

"He is the Baron. He doesn't need precise numbers."

"But I do. We have to feed and supply all of our men and women."

Before this could escalate into a full-blown argument, I said, "Speaking of supplies, do we have enough weapons and armor for the men?"

"The spearheads are simple to make, so we currently have one hundred and sixty-seven. However, because bows and arrows take so long to make, we are short on them."

Hmm, What is that device that spins wood? I think it is called a lathe or something like that. Could we make a water-powered one? I don't even have a picture of how it would work. If we got one up and running, we would probably put it next to the lumber mill. I wonder if Sam would be willing to move to Kerisi?

"My Lord, did you hear me?" Edward said.

"I'm sorry. I was thinking of something we might be able to use to speed up production in woodworking. It is a tool that spins wood and-"

"Excuse me, My Lord, Are you talking about a lathe? One man spins the wheel while the other cuts the wood as it spins."

Huh, I guess they do have a word for it. Amos didn't know about it.

"Well, dang, it's already been invented. Why don't we have one?"

"I don't know, My Lord, a woodworker would not be able to keep up with demand or the competition in the city without one."

"Well, if they have one, then we need to get one here. Do you think I could buy one in Vaspar?"

"Or you could go look at one and draw it out for our guys here."

"Industrial espionage, great idea. Now, where were we."

"Reporting on the men."

"Ah, yes, how are the newcomers doing."

"Everyone is currently working on lodging right now. The women are attempting to cultivate gardens even though the planting season is over. After looking over your stores, I fear that you may have overestimated the amount of supplies you have. I would suggest we tighten the rations. But even then, you may have problems."

"That won't do. I don't have a problem cutting the rations slightly, but these people need energy to work. What if we used the winter wheat we purchased?"

"That would alleviate the problem a little, but I still think we would have to run tight rations."

"Ok, what if I sent wagons south to purchase some?"

"We need at least four more wagons full of grain."

"Dang, well, it can't be helped. We had better do it sooner rather than later. Organize a team to go get more food. If we have extra, we can always use it for planting."

"Very good, My Lord," Edward said with a nod.

I sighed, "I think I may have been too ambitious. I should have waited until next year to hire people."

"Perhaps, but other than the food issue, which we should be able to make up for after the harvest, the extra laborers are needed for all the projects around here." Draves said encouragingly.

"Gotta spend money to make money, I suppose." I quipped.

"A nice way to put it, My Lord."

Nothing like stealing phases from another world to make you seem smart, I thought.

"Are the engineers still in Kerisi?"

"Yes, they want to get that one done first while the men in Melnon are still cutting a road to the sight of the mill you want there. Sean sent a report that arrived last night. He has been sticking close to the engineers and converting all their measurements into meters. He also has said how fascinating the work is and how much he is learning. Sanders is, in return, asking a lot about the modified number system and measurements. He has also asked if he might be able to acquire one of our abacuses. Harry, however, seems to find Sean's presence annoying and is tough to get information from."

"Might just be annoyed that one of my serfs can do calculations faster than him. Of course, that boy is freak'n scary when it comes to math calculations," I said. "When Jacklyn recommended him, I was surprised. He has only been at the school for a month, and I think he would be able to do most of the simple math faster than me. I may have to start him on algebra. I don't remember a lot of trig or geometry, but I could get him started. Sorry, I am rambling again. That does remind me, though, how circles are divided up?"

"Do you mean the degrees of a circle?" Edward asked, "There are 360 of that, which is what you are asking."

'Interesting, that is the same as earth's.'

"How did they come by that number?"

"It is for the three-hundred and sixty days of the year."

I was about to put my foot in my mouth and mention the coincidence between how close the days were in this world and mine when, thankfully, Draves interrupted.

"They removed the four Holy Days of Equinox and Solstice."

"Captain Draves, Lord Amos may not know where we got three sixty from, but I am sure he knows that the holy days are not considered days of the year." Edward chuckled.

Thanks for the save, Draves, I thought. That would have been a dead giveaway that something was off about me.

"You would be surprised about what our lord neglected in his studies," Chris said offhandedly.

"Are you calling me stupid, Chris?"

"My Lord, I would never call you stupid. You were just very selective in what you decided to retain in your studies. You saved room in your mind for only the most insightful things." Chris said with an innocent smile.

"Pig toilets, Chris," I said with a steely voice.

Chris slightly paled. "I believe I must get back to training your men, My Lord," he said as he quickly walked away.

"My Lord, why is it that you allow your lieutenant to speak to you that way?" Edward asked in confusion.

"I need someone I don't have to be completely serious with. If I didn't, I would explode. Maybe some nobles like it when everyone treats them completely formally, but I hate it. Chris is my best friend. I wouldn't be able to handle life if I couldn't joke around with someone. Don't worry, I don't have many I do that with. And nobody to the same extent as Chris."

"Well, you are the first noble I have conversed with. If you will forgive me for saying so, you are not what I imagined a noble to be like."

"Yes, I have misplaced the stick that used to be up my butt, and I haven't been able to find a suitable replacement."

"I do not believe I am familiar with that phrase, My Lord."

"Don't worry about it. How are the new citizens doing?"

"Houses are going up faster than expected. Those who moved to Barim approached me with a request to build a large communal home to get everyone inside and then work on individual homes afterward. I hope you don't mind, but I approve the idea."

"Excellent work. I don't mind as long as it doesn't interfere with the layout of the village I planned."

"I explained that to Joshua, and he confirmed that it would not be a problem."

"Great. How about overall morale."

"There are few complaints on that front. Most are just happy that you are prioritizing their houses over getting them to work on your projects first. The complaints are really more or less worries about the future. One thing I have noticed is that the headman of Cofi has not sent a weekly report since you left to go to Vaspar. I think we need to check up on what is going on there."

"Is there any reason that we could not do that first thing tomorrow morning? I would love to do a surprise inspection. Jeffery has always kind of rubbed me the wrong way."

"My Lord, I don't know if it is worth mentioning, but Cofi also has the lowest number of participants among the recruits for the Bicman Defence Force," Draves interjected.

"Wow, there is so much to keep up with."

"Well, that is why we are here," Edward said.

"True, well, my friends, if you don't mind, I would like to get cleaned up and go spend some time with Aaron. He is much more fun than you two." And with that, I went to go find my nephew.

At least, I thought that was what I was going to do. As I rounded the side of the manor, I found an exhausted looking Mikel standing near the entrance to the manor speaking with Chuck.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked as I approached.

Mikel's exhaustion looked worse up close. He had bags under his eyes, and his shoulders were slumped.

"Mikel, you look awful, and you need to get more sleep."

He gave me a grim smile. "I would love to have slept, but I had to let you know that your blasted spinning wheel is done."

"What? How is it done already."

"Please, My Lord, never again tell the women you are having them see which village can build a better of anything. Those women have been driving me to finish it for the last two days. Fortunately, I had a lot of people volunteering to help, or there is no way I would have gotten it all done."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"So it works?"

"Of course, it works; otherwise, I wouldn't be here."

"And?"

"Oh, yes, well, it is quite an impressive machine. All the women have been taking turns, and they have concluded that they can probably spin thread a lot faster with the wheel."

"Probably?"

"Well, it takes more skill, and they are all just learning. I also want to apologize, but it is not my finest work. We were rushing to get it done."

"Well, they weren't listening to me when I said I wanted the best they could do, not the fastest. Don't worry, Mikel. I won't blame you if the Melnon one is better."

"You may not, but all the women in Bicman will want Sam's and my heads on a platter."

"Well, good luck, and thanks for all your hard work." With that, I once again tried to get cleaned up and go play with Aaron.

"Hey, Emily and Nora, how is my favorite nephew?" I said with a smile as I entered the room.

"Your only nephew is over here on the other side of the bed," Emily said with a grin.

"Shh, don't let him know that. The future baron needs to know that he is beloved by all his subjects."

Nora, who was slightly older than me, giggled. "How are you and Alex doing Nora?"

"Alex is doing well, My Lord. He is in the south field today, helping with the watering and weeding. I'm doing well, thank you."

"How is your baby boy?"

"My Lord, I am only five months pregnant. You cannot know it is a boy?"

"I am at least fifty percent sure it is a boy."

"Fifty percent."

"It means he is only half sure," Emily said offhandedly.

"I should have never told you what that meant. You can be such a party pooper."

"Party Pooper? That sounds gross, Lord Amos." Emily said while wrinkling her nose.

"It means you ruin fun."

"Teasing Nora and making her feel ignorant is not very noble of you."

"Hmm, I suppose that is true."

"Also, you shouldn't be flirting with married women."

That caught me off guard, "I was not flirting."

"Uh, Emily, I don't think he was flirting," the older girl said.

"Ah, I see what's happening here. Emily, you are jealous that I wasn't teasing you. Well, I will strive to tease you more in the future."

Emily blushed bright red. The embarrassment caused Nora to look confused at first, and then, after a moment, she gave Emily a pitying frown. And now I was confused.

"Don't worry, Nora. Em will be okay as soon as I tease her enough."

Looking between Emily and me, Nora stuttered, "My Lord, I-I don't think you…" She suddenly blushed, "Forgive me, Lord Amos, I shouldn't interfere with your relationship with… Never mind, I'm just babbling."

Was she going to tell me to stop teasing Emily?

I don't think that was even possible. I loved teasing my friends.

"Okay, then, now that I have embarrassed you both, I shall steal Aaron away," I said while scooping up the baby boy who was crawling towards me. "Hey buddy, what did I tell you about crawling? Crawling is for babies. You're like practically two. Let's go play in the great hall."

After closing the door behind me, I heard Nora say in a raised voice, "Emily, you can't be serious! He would—"

By that time, I had walked far enough away that I couldn't hear their conversation. I did not want to eavesdrop on whatever they were talking about. She was probably chiding Emily about trying to take off her sling again. That girl was stubborn.

Aaron and I went to the great hall and stole some pots from the kitchen. We proceed to bang on them with wooden and metal utensils. We may have gotten carried away because, before we knew it, servants were in the hall cleaning and getting ready for the noon meal.

Aaron was not happy to have been interrupted, but he needed to learn that his people came first, and he couldn't deny them a scrumptious meal of porridge. Since Amy's passing, Aaron has moved to a complete soft foods diet and mar milk. Mar Milk actually wasn't that bad. It was quite sweet. It was especially good when chilled in jugs that were set in the river water. Aaron was not a huge fan of porridge. It was an acquired taste that I was still working to develop.

I was in my study, working on next week's course material. Things had slowed down for most of the students when it came to adding and subtracting large numbers. I thought that because most were adults or in their teens, they would pick it all up quickly. Unfortunately, just like on Earth, people had to master the basics before they could progress. Some were really smart and were already doing long division. But I could count those on less than one hand. We also switched to clay instead of paper for writing since we had told the engineers that paper was expensive.

We had moved the paper production all the way out to Alfer. At first, I thought of Barim because the engineers wouldn't be there, but I decided that most of the new people didn't need to know about it either. Since the engineers would be building the waterwheel closer to Kerisi rather than Alfer, Edward persuaded me that Alfer was the most secluded. Families in Kerisi were helping house my papermakers. On the plus side, all our paper production was going towards reselling it to Vaspar.

There was a knock at the door, and I told whoever it was to enter. Edward entered into the office with a man who looked to be in his early twenties. The dirt and dust from traveling did not hide the fact that his clothes were of a very fine material. Both men bowed before Edward introduced him. "My Lord, may I present Benjamin of Kimton, son of the Steward of Kimton."

Yeah, I definitely wasn't expecting that. What the heck was this guy doing here? Probably not to apologize for the assassination attempts coming from Kimton. Most likely a spy like Mathew. Glad I have everything pretty much hidden away. I decided it was best to be polite all the same.

"I welcome you, Benjamin Steward. It is quite a rarity to have anyone from Kimton visit us, let alone a man so close to the noble house. What brings you so far from Kimton? It must be no small matter, or his lordship would have sent a letter."

"My Lord, I am here at the request of the duke himself. He received your letter concerning the death of your family and the steward. He has sent me to fill the role of steward."

My mouth hung open for a moment, trying to wrap my head around what the angle was. Why put a steward in as a spy? That is kind of a long term position. I wonder if I could refuse?

"I am sorry for the trouble it must have caused you to come all the way out here, but as you can see, I already have a steward, and the barony is quite small. I would not be able to afford the services of two stewards. I would be happy to pay for any trouble this has caused you, as well as any expenses you have accrued on your travels here. I could also loan you my carriage as far as Decmoore. Well, I guess it isn't Decmoore anymore, is it?"

I saw the young man's shoulders tense at this, and after a pause, he said, "My Lord, forgive me for my rudeness or if this seems like a threat, but neither you nor I can refuse this order by the duke. It would bring shame both on me and the Bicman House. Most likely, you would receive a censure from the duke, and I would not dare return to Kimton. I have a letter from the duke, dictated by the hand of the steward, explaining the situation."

Benjamin handed me the letter, and I read through it. It was not a nice letter. It almost read as if I was to blame for my family's death. Also, I was chastised for writing to him and the king. He called me incompetent many times and said that he was sending me a steward that would fit well with my pathetic barony. He also demanded that I keep my feeble attempts to curry favor with myself and never again send him a letter. If he hears that I have sent another letter to the king, he will have my head.

I looked up from reading the letter and saw that Benjamin was trying to keep a calm demeanor.

"Well, dang. Edward, I have come to the conclusion that our most benevolent duke does not care for my personage."

Benjamin Steward

I had been excited to finally leave Kimton and gain my independence. I practically demanded it of my father. But, with each passing day on my travels Northward, my resolve weakened. The city of Kimton had poverty, but the further north I traveled, the more pathetic the people looked. By the time I reached the Nore, I was almost ready to turn back and consent to my father's plan of fleeing to my uncle.

I could not back down and admit I was wrong, though. Also, there was the courier I had caught up with on my way. He was heading to Bicman as well. He confided in me that he had a letter with the seal of Asput on it. I wanted to know why someone in the royal house was sending letters to Bicman. It had to be something official, or it would have been sent by pigeon. I knew the Baron had written to the king. Was this a response to that letter? Was it a positive or negative response?

When the courier and I reached the first town in Bicman, I was shocked. The people were still underfed and wore clothing that only beggars would wear in the city of Kimton. However, the air of despair that was so common in other villages along the way was not present in Kerisi. The people smiled, and the children played without even a hint of warriness towards us. I thought that this might be due to the fact that the lord didn't often leave his manor, and they had a good headman who took care of them. That was until I entered the village square in Bicman. Two groups of women stood arguing with each other. The courier left, seemingly wanting to complete his errand and get back on the road. I, however, stayed. I was fascinated by two contraptions sitting next to each other. Each contraption had a large wheel on it that they were making spin somehow with their feet. They called it a spinning wheel, and apparently, they were arguing over which was better. Some men were standing to the side, chuckling.

"Excuse me," I said to one of them. "Might I enquire what this is all about?"

Most of the men immediately clammed up, but a young boy answered me before the men could silence him. "It's the lord's latest invention. They created two spinning wheels and are trying to impress Lord Amos. Ma's is going to win, though. Bicman is way better than Melnon."

A man suddenly grabbed the boy and took him away. The women saw what was going on and, after looking at me worriedly for a moment, they gathered up the spinning wheels and went inside one of the buildings.

When I tried to ask a question, they politely told me I should seek out the baron. Were they worried that the baron would be displeased that I found out about this thing? Was this something new, or did I just not know about them? I still wasn't quite sure what they were even doing.

Upon reaching the manor, I found that the courier was just finishing up his conversation with a man wearing the sash of a steward. Well, this would make things awkward. I guess I should have assumed he would find someone to fill the role after all this time.

I approached and declared who I was and my intent to speak with Lord Bicman. The man seemed surprised but bade me follow him. I entered the study to be surprised yet again. The reports had said the regent was an obese man who was rarely ever sober. He supposedly shied away from people and didn't leave his room unless it was to eat.

This man was not fat at all by noble standards. Well fed certainly, but the man looked as if he was a very active person. He had numerous papers layed out in front of him with writing and well-drawn pictures on them. One sheet seemed to contain mathematical computations. Was he studying?

I also did not expect him to have a pleasant demeanor. I could tell he was unhappy about my presence, but he still treated me cordially. The most astonishing thing, though, was when he read the letter I handed to him. My father had told me of its contents. I was sure I would see outrage at the harsh words. Instead, he laughed it off.

"Well, dang. Edward, I have come to the conclusion that our most benevolent duke does not care for my personage."

"I don't believe you told me of any of your interactions with the duke, My Lord."

"I only wrote him one letter and sent him a small gift. Apparently, he didn't like my gift and considered me an idiot. One thing I do have to say for the guy, he writes very well. My only critique is that he used the word incompetent five times. He should have changed it up a bit. Uncultured swine or back-water bumpkin would have fit perfectly in there. I would recommend it to him, but he demanded that I never write to him again." Lord Amos said almost gleefully.

"Really?" Edward said.

"Oh, here, just read it. It is a work of art, in my opinion," he said while handing Edward the letter. This man was bizarre. Why would nobles share the fact that they had been insulted with their servant? He treated it as if it were one big joke.

"Have you read the letter, Benjamin?" He asked.

I shouldn't have known what was in the letter, but my father briefed me on it before I left. I think he was again trying to persuade me not to go. It was probably not a good idea to admit the fact that I knew the contents of his private letter, but I wanted to see his reaction. "I have been briefed on its contents, My Lord."

"Perfect, perhaps you can explain a few points to me."

I gave an internal sigh of relief, but at the same time, I was confused. Did he really not care that I knew the contents of a private letter?

"Okay, first, do you know what he is talking about with the whole feeble attempt to curry favor? I don't remember writing anything that might be interpreted as an attempt to curry favor."

"If I remember correctly, it was the pen you sent him," I said hesitantly.

"What? Why didn't he like the pen? Count Vaspar thought it was great. He liked it so much that he stole the idea."

This was the first time I saw disappointment on Lord Amos's face.

"I don't believe he knew what it was. He called it a backwater trinket and told my father to throw it away. If it makes you feel better, my father loves it. I found it quite ingenious."

"Are you serious? He didn't even read the note. That's hilarious. His loss, I guess. Glad your dad is getting use out of it. Anyways, now, what is this about a steward to match my pathetic barony? Apparently this is supposed to be a punishment for you, no?

I gritted my teeth and tried to calm myself. "My Lord, I assure you I am quite competent. I have studied at my father's side my entire life. I am well versed in law and etiquette. I can read and write and do higher math. I do not know how familiar you are with mathematics, but that means I can not only add and subtract but multiply and divide large numbers."

For some reason, this caused Edward to stifle a laugh. I frowned, but then Edward apologized.

"I am sorry it is no disrespect to you, Benjamin Steward. I am laughing because I have never met anyone as competent at math as Lord Amos. You do not have to worry about him understanding you."

"Let's get back to the matter at hand. It goes without saying that the son of a steward would be competent in his trade. What I want to know is what you are being punished for. Why were you truly sent?"

We locked eyes, and it felt as if he was trying to bore into my soul. I knew that if I stayed here, he would find out anyways, but speaking about my weakness always created ridicule or pity.

"My Lord, I have what they call old men's eyes. I have to hold papers far away from me in order to see them."

"Wait, so you're nearsighted? Or is it farsighted? I think it is farsighted, that's the one where you can see far but not near. Is that really why he sent you here? I thought you had, like, slept with his daughter or something. Why would he send you here just for that?"

I was shocked by this casual accusation. "My Lord, if I had slept with his daughter, I would be dead."

"I was exaggerating."

"He does that a lot," Edward interjected.

"Regardless, I am not buying it. That cannot be the only reason."

I steeled myself, "My Lord, I assure you a weakness such as that would be ample enough reason for the Count to punish me. It is his nature, but you are correct. I also must read slowly because, for some reason, words and letters jumble on the page at times."

The look on Lord Amos's face was not the one I expected. It was a surprise. "So, if I understand you correctly, you are a fully trained steward—trained by the steward of a duke even—and he gets rid of you because you are farsighted and have dyslexia?"

I had not heard those terms used before, but he seemed to understand my situation, so I nodded.

"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of. That's like throwing away a pair of shoes because one of them has a scuff on it. No, that's kind of demeaning. You're not a pair of shoes. It's like, like… Oh, I've got it. It is like throwing out a gem-encrusted gold goblet just because one of the gems is out of place or missing. Why not just get you an assistant when you need to read through a lot of stuff? I swear the more I hear about the duke-" Lord Amos shook his head. "Never mind, we'll figure this out. "Thank you for being honest."

I was shocked. Did this man truly not see me as defective or broken? My father was the only other man who had ever treated me with respect after learning about my problems. Serving this man was supposed to be a punishment for me. But maybe-

My thoughts were interrupted by the lord speaking again, "Hey, Edward. What is that packet?"

"The courier who brought it said it is from the King of Falmoren."

"Wow, let's take a look. I'm sorry, Benjamin. I am postponing your interview. Let's see if the King liked my letter better than the duke."