Excerpt From The Mad Scholar's Wall—

Thanks to all of our efforts, we quickly solidified our defensive position.

The walls of Olimpia became higher and higher. Once we thought the wall was high enough, we built a few more rings around us just in case.

Then we expanded.

For the first time in over three decades, the new 1st legion marched across this land.

We didn't go far.

We couldn't go far.

But we were a city, and our connection to the elves was growing more and more tenuous as more of the beasts poured into the area.

No, we barely marched a mile from Olimpia. Then we set about building walls around our fields of wheat and apple orchards. We felt we needed to protect our food supply.

It was a mistake.

The beastmen were drawn to us like moths to a flame. Too tempted by the smell of our flesh to avoid a prepared force.

Over and over, the 1st legion beat the beasts back, getting better at fighting, but the fields and orchards would become more and more damaged every time we fought.

Within a week, there was nothing more to protect.

So it was decided to play into the beast's instincts.

The legion marched a few miles northwest of Olimpia, camping on the banks of the Lolouk river.

We rushed to set up a fort with a constant smoking fire at its heart as we prepared to act as bait.

**********

I looked at the gathered mass of scout trainees and was not surprised.

Few of those gathered here had the signs of a strong elven heritage.

Most had nearly rounded ears with a slight tip at the back and the more square rugged, tanned features of humans rather than the sharp, pale features of the elves.

I would be surprised if any of them had a pure-blooded elf within the last three or four generations of their heritage.

"I am Green," I said, eyes slowly shifting from one trainee to another. "I will be your Instructor."

My ears twitched as I heard someone snickering at the back of the group. "Aha~! What do you think his full name is?"

"Who cares? I just wish we had a real instructor, not this reject." Said a second male voice.

The voices were low, and a human standing in my spot would probably only be able to tell someone was talking, but I heard the comments just fine. There was something to be said for having long oversized ears.

But whether a human standing in my spot would barely be able to tell what the sound was, most if not all the trainees heard.

Even as an uneasy silence settled on us, my gaze shifted from person to person.

It was immediately apparent that most of the thirty-six other trainees harbored similar thoughts. Hard to miss when from one second to the next, most couldn't meet my eyes.

The few who would still meet my eyes had theirs filled with scorn and disgust. It was already in the depths of their eyes, but now they no longer even tried to hide it.

This came faster than normal, I thought to myself.

"Ahh~. Fuck it." I whispered before I took a few steps to the side, looking the man who first spoke in the eyes, "What did you say?" I asked him.

None of the other legionaries moved more than their eyes. They had too much experience of not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to make such a basic mistake as moving.

If they could, I was sure the legionaries would extend their eyeballs out of their heads and turn them around to look at the man I was talking to. Watching the drama unfold made for good entertainment.

As it was, I could slight pulses of what I was sure they thought were subtle uses of mental energy, and their full attention riveted on me.

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This would be entertaining for the watching trainees, no matter what happened.

The man was tan, and he had a full-trimmed black beard and hair with hazel eyes. Must come from quite the family with those looks, I thought.

The bearing the man gave off had the feeling of nobility. I might have even gone so far as to call him distinguished if he wasn't collapsing in on himself from my question.

At first, as I looked him in the eye, his face drained of color, and his eyes shifted to the people around him. He was looking to them for help and approval of his comment. No spine at all, I thought in scorn.

I saw the thought cross his face. And without even trying, I could feel humiliation and anger start radiating off him.

His pale face quickly flushed a deep red, and I saw his finger start twitching against his thighs.

Mouth opening, I could see the words that would allow me to kick him out of the scout trainee program forming on his lips. At the last moment, he clacked his mouth shut, his teeth holding in his words.

Through his gritted teeth, he said, "Sorry, sir. I didn't say anything."

I looked at him without blinking for long moments, and I could hear the uncomfortable shifting of the rest of the trainees as I let the silence continue.

"No, seriously, what did you say?"

His red face started bleeding down his neck at my words, and veins and tendons were sticking out of his neck as he clenched his jaw.

Mouth barely opening, the man hissed out, "What is… your full name… instructor?"

“Ahh… Yes." I said, immediately turning my back on the man and walking down the line. I heard some impacts, grunts, and some shuffling of feet. Someone must be trying to get him back in line. Pitty, the prick would have definitely come at me for the insult of turning my back on him if not for his friends. I shouldn't punish loyalty… It's a good name for him, though…

I slowed my steps, letting the scuffle die down and Prick regain control of himself so he and his compatriots could regain their positions.

Forcing down the smile twitching at my lips, I decided not to push him any further… for now.

"Hmm. …As many of you have no doubt heard," I began as I walked around the gathered group, "the elvan naming traditions are considered… weird. Our parents named us after something they saw in nature on the day of our births. Not that you will ever use it, but my full name is Greenish-red Leaf Floating Past On A Gentle Breeze. For simplicity and time, everyone calls me Green. But to you all, I am Instructor or Instructor Green."

I stopped my walk and turned my head, locking eyes with the man next to Prick. "And you said something about wishing for a real scout Instructor… right?"

His back stiffened, and I could see his adam's apple frantically bob before his mouth opened, “Ahh—" He croaked out before licking his lips and swallowing again, "Yes~, sir."

I nodded when he answered, then turned my head forward and continued walking, letting the silence build.

"Do all of you really think that?" I let the question hang in the air, but not so long that someone would build up the courage to answer. I did not want anyone to answer.

"Do you really think that the scouts would allow anyone into their ranks that did not meet the requirements? That they would allow me into their ranks?" The rows of recruits shifted their feet, scooting back, but I stepped forward, closing the distance. "I assure you, any and all scouts have met and exceeded the requirements. And that will be the same for all of you!"

Taking a step back, I took a breath, calming myself. I had gotten a little heated at the end, so I took a moment to center myself again before talking.

"Do not delude yourselves. Your heritage — your nobility and families — mean nothing to me. It means nothing to my superiors. If I say you fail, you fail. There will be no discussion or appeals. For most of your lives, you have skated through your mental training. If you hadn't, you would be joining the knights, not the scouts. But you're not good enough for them, are you?"

At my words, there was more than one person who flinched. I held back a smirk when I noticed that Prick was one of them. Well, I tried to, but his reddening face said I didn't entirely succeed.

"So most of you decided to come to the scouts as your… backup plan. Except that you are coming here with the same misconception that most trainees have. A misconception that will get you kicked out of the program for being inadequate."

I stopped walking in the center of the group of trainees and began looking each of them in the eyes as I spoke. Although they were hesitant, they were meeting my eyes again. And I could tell the doubt in my authority and right to teach them had lessened.

"Usually, I wouldn't tell you, but now isn't the time to watch you all flounder until the few capable and dedicated ones rise to the surface. As it turns out, you all are lucky."

The smile I gave them was not kind. It had too many teeth to be taken as anything near kind. "As you have no doubt heard rumors of, there is a beastkin warband nearby. It is why we moved the fish camp here." I could see them shifting in excitement as they looked at each other from the corner of their eyes. Fighting a warband was a great chance to gain recognition and promotions.

If I had any chance to whip them into shape, they had to understand what we were dealing with. "What you have not heard is that half of the scout cohort is dead or missing, killed or captured by the beastkin scouts. The only reason I am here is that I stumbled into camp half-dead a couple days ago after escaping their ambush, and I'm still recovering. I am the only survivor of my squad because the beastkin were able to shroud their minds from us."

I took a moment to breathe and let the information sink in, giving the perfect moment for everyone to hear a woman mutter, "Kawrashit!"

Some were so shocked by my words that they nodded in agreement and even turned their head to look at the woman in surprise.

Ignoring the interruption, I continued talking, "Right now, every other scout is out on patrol. And if half of them come back, I would be surprised. Even if they all come back, we already have plenty of spots that need filling sooner rather than later. So you lot are practically guaranteed a spot, so long as you can muster up the will to dedicate yourself."

The recruits did not look reassured.

In fact, their appearances looked paler and more washed out than I have ever seen a collective group take on.

"I am not wrong. I am not mistaken. This is not a joke. You will be scouts because the legion needs scouts. So I will tell you this now, to save time and applicants. This will be some of the hardest training of your life and will take more effort than you have probably ever used to achieve a single goal. But if you last through it, you will gain more than you could imagine."

I let the words and my resolve sink in, then a vindictive smile spread over my face, causing some to flinch in fear. "Now, let's begin."