I get up from a very sad night. Who would have believed that I would end up in a world of magic and monsters after my suicide? Either way, I’m happy to be here. Muriel was a lovely saint, and I do really want to repay her for all she did for me, and if I can take care of her ewes, then I can at least do something right.

I step outside, Sheperad’s crook in hand and my handbell holstered to my belt. I make my way over to the Ewe house, and I’m met by Remnos. He’s one of the Warrior Ewes; he’s a Ewe Twin Blade. He mainly wears white vests with a pink rose bolo tie around his neck.

Remnos: Greetings, boss. I have some interesting news.

Remnos then told me that a majority of the Ewes had run away because they didn’t have faith in me.

This saddened me, but Remnos then said

Remnos: Boss, can I know your name? I don’t think Lady Muriel mentioned it, at least around us.

Jason: My name is Jason.

Remnos: Okay, so I imagine Lady Muriel taught you the basics: how to care for us, how to teach us, and so on?

Jason: Yeah, basic stuff.

Remnos: Did she teach you how to make money and how the Birds and the Bees work for us?

I blushed at that last part and gulped. Remnos chuckled and said,

Remnos: Don’t worry; it’s not as bad as you may think. Ewes are born from eggs, and as for the financial aspect, you can basically send Warrior Ewes to the nearby town to find work at the dispatch center, or if someone has a specific request, you can loan us to them.

Remnos then explained that two normal ewes can make eggs within the Aphrodite Yurt; luckily, there were two normal ewes left.

They were incredibly shy around me, but I knelt down to their level and outstretched my hand towards them.

Jason: Hey there, little ones. I’m Jason.

The two Ewes looked at each other before slowly coming over to me. They looked at me curiously and then smiled. I never noticed it before, but Ewes, when they're tiny, have beautiful green eyes.

When they transform into warriors, their eyes change to a deep red.

Ewe #1: You smell nice.

Ewe #2: Yeah, really nice.

Jason: Well, I use a lot of soap and take long baths. Do you two have names?

The two Ewes looked to each other, then back to me, and shook their heads no. I let out a chuckle.

And from this moment onward, I gave them the names Adam and Eve.

Remnos thought those names were weird; obviously, there was no Christianity in this world. The two Ewes soon started happily hopping up and down, loving their new names. I then took Adam and Eve over to the Aphrodite Yurt.

The two ewes quickly realized that what was going on inside the yurt was a small field of neon pink orchids that gave off soft light with pink particles flying around.

There were even some floofy pillows scattered around.

Adam and Eve soon scampered into the yurt and then looked to me, their expressions saying, Please go away. I blushed; apparently, they're smarter than I gave them credit for. I soon closed the shade to the yurt and came back to Remnos, who was accompanied by the other warrior ewe. His name is Mayble; he was an ewe cleric, and he dressed in a cyan and pink, sage-like coat that kind of worked like a cloak, but you could still see his legs.

Mayble had a feminine build, but as far as I know, all Ewes are male. He also wore a pair of silver spectacles.

Mayble: So, Jason, I’ve been thinking of a way to get more ewes because, besides breeding, there is another method, and this method is called scouting. You can send one of us out into the forest to gather resources as well as the possibility to find wild ewes.

Jason: That would actually be really helpful.

Remnos: Yeah, I recommend you send Mayble; he honestly has a better eye for finding resources.

Mayble: that's because I have high intelligence.

Jason: Um, could I possibly get a refresher?

Remnos: Ok, well, Ewes have four major traits. Ewes with high aptitude like me are good physical fighters and are more suited for physical labor like plowing fields or chopping lumber and other such things.

Mayble: meanwhile Ewes with high intelligence are better suited for magical roles, scouting missions, and missionary work. We are also talented with handling civil dispute jobs.

Remnos: The next trait is speed. Ewes proficient in speed are best suited for messenger and delivery jobs. Combat-wise, Ewes with high speed are generally good at glass cannon-type roles like dancers and monks. Lastly, ewes with speed traits are best suited for shopping errands.

Mayble: the last trait is fortitude. Ewes with this talent are strong and have a high pain threshold. These ewes are best suited to construction or defending the pasture. Work-wise, these Ewes are best suited for escorting jobs or being a bodyguard or bouncer. Combat-wise, these particular Ewes are dedicated brawlers or shield bearers. They are protectors through and through.

Jason: I see I can’t help but take note of the last part about protection. Should I be worried?

Mayble and Remnos looked to each other and each let out a sigh.

Remnos: In truth, our world isn’t as peaceful as it might seem. There is evil here that comes in the form of Preditores, dark, shadowy creatures that would easily try to make a meal out of us.

Mayble: Your job is to train us so we can defend ourselves and others, but as you grow as an Ewe Guardian, you will gain more abilities to combat predators and how to keep Ewes safe.

Jason: Well then, what should we do for the moment?

Remnos: Well, for the moment, no Preditores will be showing up, so long as we keep our herd small. They prefer to strike when we are at our most bountiful, so I volunteer to go do some mercenary work at the village dispatch center.

Mayble: and with your permission, Jason, I would like to scout around in the forest to search for any useful resources and any untamed ewes.

Jason: Ok, I’m going to work on the orchard and gather some golden pears.

Remnos and Mayble would smile confidently as the three of us went our separate ways. The orchard was in the middle of the field on a hill, and it was really small. It was made up of four pear trees that grew golden pears all year round. These were no ordinary pears, however. Mayble explained that these pears came from Xanadue, the Kingdom of Light and the birthplace of the First Ewe Guardian.

I smile and grab a nearby basket and begin to pick the pears from the four trees. The moment I pick one, the trees quickly replace it with a small budding pear to replace it. Muriel told me that Golden Pears take four days to grow in general.

Soon my basket is full of pears, and I make my way to the storehouse to drop them off, and after hearing how a majority of the Ewes left, I’m not surprised to see most of the storehouse is empty save for a few wooden bowls of salve. The seed cabinet is still fully stocked with seeds and a single almost empty basket of Golden Pears. Frankly, I’m just happy to have the few bowls of salve, and with some pears, I can still feed myself and my flock.

I grab some of the fresh pears and I put them on a plate, and I make my way to the Aphrodite Yurt. I then slide the curtain open and push in the plate with the two pears on it, and I make my way back to the storehouse and grab some seeds. I mainly grab white star peony seeds and pastel pink poppy seeds. I then take them over to the healing garden, and I begin the process of planting them.

Murial made sure that I knew that there were three gardens: one for healing plants, one for plants that could be sold, and one for plants that can be used as treats.

The one garden for treats is specifically designed to grow flowers that ewes enjoy because they are in fact herbivores, and certain flowers were their favorites, one of them being golden rose flowers.

After I’m done planting the seeds, I grab the watering can and take it to the center of the three gardens where the well resides, and I fill it with water, and I start watering the seeds in the Healing Garden.

I then plant seeds in the treat garden, and then I do the same in the market garden. To my recollection, plants in the market garden are made up of vegetables and flowers that can be made into potions and perfumes. After watering all the seeds, I look up at the twin suns; it’s about midday. I then make my way back to the cottage, and I begin to bake a pie with the ingredients I have on hand. As the pie bakes, I give the cottage a good cleaning, and just when I’m about to finish, I hear the doorbell.

I walk over and see Mayble. He smiles and says

Mayble: Hello Jason, I just got back, and I’m proud to report that I found several things while scouting.

Mayble soon he led me outside, where he showed me all the seeds he found. They were as follows:

2x moon carrot seeds

3x milk carnations

1x nayno fern

Moon carrots are azure blue carrots that can only grow during the night; by day, they lose all color. These vegetables actually don’t need water to grow; all they need is moonlight.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Milk carnations are unique flowers that leak milk from their petals and can be used as a milk substitute.

Lastly, the nayno ferns can be made into nayno spice, and from what Mayble told me, nayno spice makes everything taste like banana cream pudding.

The next thing Mayble showed me was that he found two sunstones. Now, sunstones are a raw material that can be made into sun tokens, the main currency of this world, so they are very valuable—a really good find.

Next, Mayble presented me with a Golden Pear Tree Sapling. I was impressed because Muriel told me that Golden Pears can only be purchased in Xanadue, so finding a wild sapling is a mighty boon.

And soon Mayble took me by the hand and led me to the front gate, where he presented me with a small wild ewe. The poor thing looked like he was starving; he was so frail and timid. I then picked him up and took him inside the cottage.

My pie had finished baking. Mayble, oddly enough, waited by the door. I was confused.

Jason: Mayble you can come inside.

Mayble: Are you sure Lady Muriel forbade us from entering her home unless it was important?

Jason: Well, so long as you have my permission, Mayble, you're all welcome in my home. Now come inside so we can have some pie together.

Mayble then cautiously entered the cottage. He was like a small frightened child. It was actually pretty cute the way he scampered inside. He soon sat at the table next to the weak little ewe, and I brought out the pie. I soon cut a piece for myself, a piece for Maybel, and a small piece for the little ewe.

Jason: It’s a simple fruit pie. I learned to make it a while back.

The small little ewe was too weak to even lift the spoon, so I helped him.

After a few bites, it seemed the Little Ewe quickly began to recover; he was soon grabbing the spoon and devouring the pie entirely.

Mayble snickering, saying that ewes are magical and when they haven’t eaten in a while they get really weak, but as soon as they eat something, they start to recover.

I smiled.

Once this new ewe got better, I decided to make him my own by taking him outside and pulling out the hand bell, and I began to perform the rite.

I rang the bell once, twice, and by the third ring, the Ewe’s horns changed from onyx to a vibrant gold. He then ran into my arms and said,

Newly adopted Ewe: Thank you, thank you, kind Guardian. Thank you for giving me a home.

I honestly shed a tear as this little one nuzzled against me lovingly.

This new Ewe explained that he was really quick and would get into races with other creatures in the forest.

It was right there that I decided that he would begin speed training. I led the little ewe to the speed playground, and this little ewe let out a happy squeal, soon running into the speed playground and having a ball.

There were four playgrounds for each of the Ewe Traites; the speed playground was made with, honestly, a lot of treadmill-like creations as well as a small ice skating platform.

Mayble soon came over and said

Mayble: he was a good find, and that pie thing was really good.

Jason: I’m glad you enjoyed it. Now why don’t you help me with planting that new Golden Pear Tree sapling?

Mayble: if I must

Soon the two of us set to work digging a hole and planting our newest sapling. I then watered it, and soon Mayble and I sat on the porch of the cottage looking at the sky.

Jason: It’s so quiet here.

Mayble: That’s what the Fleece Isles are known for: peace and quiet.

Jason: The Fleece Isles?

Mayble: Yeah, we are in the southernmost region of Skyland, home to many Ewe Guardians. There are about four sky islands altogether that make up the Fleece Isles.

Jason: I see.

Soon Remnos came home; he looked tired, soon taking a seat next to me and pulling a sack of Sun tokens from his satchel.

Remnos: I’m back, and I managed to finish the job. It’s rare that I actually finish a job in one day, so please don’t expect it every time.

Remnos soon fell on his back and let out a loud sigh.

Mayble: You're not fooling me, Remnos; you were worried about Jason, right?

Remnos would then begin to blush heavily and soon move to his side.

Remnos: I don’t know what you're talking about.

Mayble and I would soon start laughing. I was about to walk over to the Aphrodite Yurt, but Mayble stopped me, saying that I wouldn’t want to go in there for a while.

I nodded my head. Remnos and Mayble then got up and told me that they were going to bring the new ewe back over to the ewe house and hit the sack.

I then told the two that I wanted to give the new Ewe a name tomorrow, and the two smiled before walking off. I then got ready for bed. I took a long bath. I thought today was great. I soon fell asleep in my bed and woke up happy the next morning. I soon came outside and stretched, taking in the morning sun, but I soon found Adame and Eve standing before the cottage. They had a golden ball with a cloud design in their hands. It took a moment, but I realized that the ball was actually an egg. The two held it close and said

Adam & Eve: Jason Look what we made for you!!!

I couldn’t help but snicker. I soon took the egg, and it was a little heavy, about the same weight as a hand lift weight.

Eve: Mister Jason, we can make another for you if you want.

Jason: Are you two sure you both were in there all day yesterday? Aren’t you tired?

The two then replied with a unified

Adam & Eve: nuh-uh

So with my blessing, the two skipped all the way back to the Aphrodite Yurt. I then took the egg over to the incubator beside the cottage and placed the egg in there. I then made my way over to the gardens. Now the Aphrodite Yurt and cottage are side by side, only separated by a white fence. The pasture we all live in is around 500 acres. In the center is the orchard, and to the south of the orchard are the various Ewe houses, and to the west of the orchard along the fence are the four playgrounds for the four traits.

There are other locations, but they aren’t relevant, but the gardens are located on the northeastern corner of the pasture.

I soon enter the garden and begin to water all the plants.

After that I went over to fulfill my promise in giving the new ewe a name. I knocked on the ewe house, and soon Mayble opened the door, and I saw that Remnos and the new ewe were playing together.

I walked inside and smiled, saying

Jason: Hello everyone, sorry if I’m interrupting, but I came to fulfill my promise.

Remnos soon stopped the game, and the new Ewe quickly scampered over to me and hopped up and down almost cheering.

Jason: Ok, you eager creature, I have thought about it, but I’m going to name you Javin.

Javin: Oh my, I love it! I love it! I love it! Can I go to the playground, kind guardian?

Jason: Yes, you may train hard, Javin.

Javin soon ran off faster than Jack Sprat, and Remnos then packed up his game and put it away.

Remnos: So with that out of the way, can I please try that pie thing you made yesterday? Javin and Mayble wouldn’t stop talking about it.

Mayble: I can go get some pears from the storehouse; we ate our last one yesterday.

Jason: Yes and yes.

I soon led Remnos back to the cottage and brought him inside so he could have some pie, and when he bit into it, Remnos shed so many tears praising how good it was and asking for another. I smiled and handed him the last piece, and he cried even harder.

He was curious how I was able to make such a heavenly treat, and I told him that it was something I picked up.

Remnos then said

Remnos: That pie was so good. I feel so full of energy. I’m going to go to the lumber yard and start working.

Jason: Wow, thank you, Remnos. That means a lot.

Remnos soon ran out of the cottage and over to the lumberyard. I then cleaned up the pie tin and did the dishes. I then made my way out to the garden and did some weeding and mainly checked on the progress of the plants. They were doing really well. I then noticed there was some room to plant more seeds in the market garden. I think I’ll plant those moon carrot seeds Mayble gathered the other day.

Quickly returning to the storehouse, I gathered the Moon Carrot seeds and Ghost Melon seeds. Ghost Melons are unique melons that can be made into Phantom Liquor, a powerful drink best known for causing hallucinations. Doctors and alchemists pay top dollar for it.

The hard part about growing ghost melons is that they are a nocturnal crop, and unlike moon carrots that can be planted during the day and can grow at night, ghost melons need to be planted during the night. It takes about five hours for them to grow to maturity, but they need to be secured the moment they become ripe; otherwise they will wilt twenty minutes after.

I grab another seed I can plant during the day. This next seed is called the water berry.

Water berry bushes are small shrubs that produce small, translucent berries filled with water, as the name implies, but water berries contain enough water to fill a large pot. The water inside them is also filled with many nutrients and vitamins. Some Water Berry subspecies contain juice.

It’s actually advised that a traveler should take a jar of water berries with them for fresh drinking water.

In order for water berries to grow, the ground around them must be drenched almost to the point that there is a small puddle surrounding where you plant them. With my seeds in tow, I begin to plant the moon carrots and water berries, and like I said, I drench the soil where I planted the water berry bush seeds. I end up watering them five times before taking a break. I then walk to the orchard and water the golden pear tree sapling.

I also check on the progress of the other pear trees.

And they are perfect, free from any parasites and any other form of harm. Mayble soon he came over to me; he smiled and said

Mayble: Hello, Jason. I just wanted your permission to go scouting.

Jason: Sure, take as much time as you need.

Mayble: Thank you, Jason. I’m going to do a two-day trip to gather as much as I can.

Mayble soon I ran off; I soon went back to the cottage and sat on the porch, but I was soon greeted by a new face. He was a human with long gray hair dressed like a businessman. He smiled at me and said,

Mr. Omaru: Greetings, is Miss Murial in? I need to speak with her.

Jason: Murial is no longer here; I have taken her role as Ewe Guardian.

Mr. Omaru was shocked; he soon regained his composure and said,

Mr. Omaru: I see. Well, I am Omaru, the head of the shipping dock at Generoc Town. I wanted to come to collect any valuables you might have. I promise to pay upfront for anything you have.

Jason: Really, I don’t have much. I was honestly hoping to stockpile goods and then sell them at the market.

Mr. Omaru: I see, well, I certainly won’t stop you, young Guardian, but you’ll never get a better price than what I can offer you. I’ll be on my way.

Mr. Omarue would then walk off, and the rest of the day was peaceful. When night came around, I stuck close to the garden and watched as the Moon Carrots began to instantly grow within the soil and the Ghost Melon was covered in a mystical aura as it was growing.

Remnos soon came over to me and smiled.

Remnos: Hi there, boss. I just wanted to let you know I delivered a large stack of lumber to the storehouse.

Jason: Great, did Javin make it back to the Ewe house?

Remnos: Yep, I made sure of it; he was sleeping soundly last I saw him.

I would then begin to yawn. I was tired, and I couldn’t sleep because I needed to watch these damn Ghost Melons.

Remnos: Boss, would it be okay if I took over for you? I’m familiar with Ghost Melons and their particular nature.

Jason: Are you sure?

Remnos: Yeah, I’m fine with it, and it’s my job to help you out until I’m ready to leave.

Jason: About that, when you transform into a warrior, how long do you all stay before you can leave?

Remnos: Honestly, it depends on the Ewe. Some Ewes leave immediately; some stay for an extra two weeks. When an Ewe becomes a warrior, they need to stay for 3 months in order to work for their Guardian and to gain more experience, and my 3 months were over a long time ago, but I stayed along with Mayble to make sure you're going to be okay, Jason; we honestly care about you.

Jason: Thank you for that. I’m going to turn in.

Remnos: Good night.

I would wave at Remnos, and soon I went to bed. The next morning I would bake another pie; this would be the last pie I would be able to make before I had to get by on a diet of pears. I did have money thanks to Remnos, so I could buy some groceries.

As I opened the door, I found a picnic basket waiting for me, and inside it was another Ewe Egg. I soon saw Javin; he looked really insecure. I grabbed the picnic basket and knelt down to Javin’s level, and he looked up to me and asked,

Javin: Mister Guardian, can I start doing chores?

I then remembered that a part of a ewe’s training is chores, and chores are tasks that ewes can do to keep the pasture afloat.

Jason: Sure thing. Javin What did you have in mind?

Javin: Well, I want to try working in the garden, but I also want to try cutting the tall grass and removing weeds.

Jason: Hehe, okay, Javin. Why don’t we try cutting the tall grass and weeding first? Then we can move from there.

Javin: ok!!!

I placed the picnic basket inside, and I soon led Javin out into the pasture, where I taught him how to cut tall grass with a sickle. I also taught him how to locate weeds and how to uproot them.

Javin was impressed; I could tell he found a lot of enjoyment in removing rubbish from the pasture, and soon I gave the sickle to Javin, who went to town and happily began working. I soon began to smile, and I then went over to the Aphrodite Yurt and found Adam and Eve sleeping soundly with two more eggs in between them. I then took the eggs and Adam and Eve back to the cottage, and I woke them up and fed the two ewes slices of my pie, and they quickly recovered. I then told the two to take a break from making eggs and go to their respective playgrounds.

It was at that moment that I learned Adam was hyperintelligent and Eve had a lot of fortitude.

I soon got all four eggs together, placed them on the grass, and I was about to hatch them when Remnos came over and said

Remnos: Hi there, I saw you from the Ewe house, and I really wanted to see this happen. I love hatch days.

I would chuckle and soon prepare my handbell that was giving off a soft light. I then began to ring the bell, and soon all four eggs began to glow.

And within a beam of light, we had four new ewes.

The four were sitting on their rumps, rubbing the sleepies from their eyes and looking around. Upon seeing me, they all got up and then proceeded to jump and tackle me to the ground, causing me to laugh hysterically.

The four newly hatched Ewes then began to ask me several questions, and I could barely keep up with them. It was Remnos who took charge and said

Remnos: Boss, I can take it from here newly. Hatched Ewes, as you saw, are a handful, but with me as their mentor, I can get them right as rain by tomorrow. I will be indisposed for a bit, though.

Jason: That’s fine. So long as you can get them ready so they can start training, that’s fine. I will be giving them names when they are ready.

Remnos: Are you going to give them more of those weird names again?

Jason: What's weird about them?

Remnos: They just are. I’ve never heard names like the ones you’ve given before. Anyway, come on, you tots; let’s start with learning stranger danger.

Four newly hatched ewes: K!!!!

I watched as the five of them walked off. Seeing those four Ewes hatch and then smile, happy to see me, reminded me of the birth of my daughter. It was a blessed event that meant so much to me. Too bad it was all downhill from there.

All in all, I think I’m doing well, and I’m happy to be here.

End of Episode