The barren land stretched far beyond the walls to the west. This time of year, was loved by soldiers, as the yellow-grey ground turned at least partly green. Young grass and bushes drank every single drop of the May's rainy days and put it to good use. The desolate landscape turned into a much less dreary sight with flowers blooming here and there. And even though the men serving on the border didn't speak their minds out loud, their smiles and constant jokes were proof enough that nobody enjoyed constantly staring at the two-colored desert.

Even when the dry wind brought a handful of dust, which covered everything in the fort with a thick layer, no one complained. Soldiers and servants, with gestures that had become a habit, shook off the sand from their bed sheets and clothes or blew it away from letters and books. Only the gardener frowned, looking at his beloved plants, covered in dust.

"Mr. Popescu has been in a bad mood recently. I heard he works hard, getting up before sunrise, all for the sake of the crops," said a young soldier with chestnut-colored hair working right next to Sieg. They were digging trenches and rebuilding a collapsed line. Last night, there was an attempt to breach the wall north of the gates. Fortunately, it was not a large-scale attack, with only a few bark golems involved. The nymph behind them retreated as soon as their weapons were destroyed.

For the time Sieg spent at the border, he had already seen a few golems. These massive machines, infused with magic and made from rocky tree bark, were a common enemy for soldiers. Unlike living creatures, they were difficult to destroy. Bullets were of little use against them, nor were electric fences. Created soon after the Retaliation War, nymphs used golems to break through the line of defense. What was effective against these ruthless and unstoppable machines was land mines. The remains of the attackers from last night were scattered around. The soldiers gathered bark and burned it with a generous amount of ethyl alcohol. The shattered pieces of the stone ball, which golems use instead of legs to move around, were buried separately outside the wall. There were no confirmed reports of bark golems being able to recollect and rebuild themselves from broken parts. But even with just baseless rumors, people didn't want to take the risk.

"I would rather shake off all the dust and sand from plants than do this kind of work," complained another soldier, carrying a piece of rocky tree bark. He tried to get rid of it as soon as possible by throwing the golems' part into the campfire. The flames didn't touch the bark until the soldier poured alcohol from a bottle over it. Even then, the flames reluctantly tried to embrace the bark, hissing and spitting.

"I'm sure you would," the graveling voice made the soldiers flinch and straighten up. The margrave approached them from the direction of the gates. He slowly looked around, estimating the progress of the rebuilding works. "How many land mines have we lost?"

"Seventeen," the nearby officer replied right away.

Wenzel frowned, "For six golems?"

"They used rocks to clear the way."

"Ha. All so clever, aren't we?" the margrave swore and lit a cigarette. Then he looked at Sieg, who was holding a shovel. "And why did you make the Magic Snatcher dig?"

He didn't go into detail, but everyone could hear the reproach for wasting precious resources in such a way. Before the soldiers could justify themselves, Sieg replied, "I offered my help first, Lord Nolden."

The margrave took a puff before saying, "Fine, but leave the rest to others. Follow me."

"Sorry, Will," Sieg handed his shovel to a soldier with chestnut-colored hair. His service term had started not long ago, and, unlike those who had been on the wall for several years, he was filled with cheerfulness.

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"No problem," replied Will and smiled. "You better hurry, the margrave walks pretty fast."

Nodding, Sieg got out of the trench and hurried to Nolden.

"You know, nymphs also attack in broad daylight. I don't like the fact that you put yourself in danger for some ditch." The margrave didn't hold back.

It was understandable, but Sieg still said: "I just wanted to help. When I don't do anything while others are working, it makes me feel bad."

"I may sound heartless, but your worth is much higher than a simple private from the rural site," Wenzel stopped in front of the electric fence. "It already pisses me off that we lost another windmill. And the new blades are so heavy that they are hardly usable. If things continue this way, we will soon be without power."

Nolden put out the cigarette and placed the butt in a small metal box. "Well, how's the soil?"

"It's loose above, but it becomes hard when you dig about half a meter down. There are almost no underground waters left close to the wall."

The young man's reply did not improve Wenzel's gloomy mood. He turned and walked towards the gates. Using this opportunity with nobody around, he asked: "What about yesterday's attack? Was it really just a single nymph, as the soldiers claim?"

"No, there was another one who was just observing in hiding. I think the second one was an ifrit."

The margrave let out a long sigh and started smoking again. "Oreads and ifrits together... Let's hope it's a one-off. But if they join forces, we'll be in trouble. Anyway, I'll contact the Anatolians. I'm sure Torodov will be thrilled."

Mentioning with such ease the stern man in charge of the North-West wall, Wenzel, didn't even blink an eye when switching to another matter.

"I was told that you don't accompany other guys to brothel parties. If you are concerned about your personal file, then don't. I won't mention such things. You can get some rest like any other person here."

"Thank you for your consideration, Lord Nolden. But our breeding matters are under strict oversight."

The man raised his eyebrows, then shook off the ash from his cigarette. "You know, this and reproduction are separate matters."

"Incidents might happen. The best solution is to avoid the situation altogether," said Sieg in a monotone voice. These words were something everyone in Lazaretto had heard countless times. "That's one of the rules we must follow."

"Bizarre rules, I must say."

"That's not something I can comment on or object to. But don't worry, there's no discomfort for us," Sieg said, taking a small bottle of pills from his inner pocket. "These suppress the urges that could lead to unwanted situations."

The margrave gaped at a young man for a moment, then burst out laughing. Confused by his reaction, Sieg hid the bottle back.

"This is the craziest description of sex I've ever heard. 'Unwanted situation', ha!" Nolden said, sneering and taking a deep breath. "So that's what these pills are. Ilse also took them," Wenzel's face turned dark after saying out loud the name of the Magic Snatcher who served at the wall before Sieg's arrival. "Ilse was a great friend. She was talkative, but every time the conversation was about her past or Lazaretto's issues, she would laugh it off."

"She liked coffee, though," changed the topic Sieg. "And she passed? What is not passed then?"

"Not gonna tell you." Still grinning, the margrave put another cigarette butt into a small metal box. "Well, suit yourself. Either way is fine with me, whether you take the pills or join others. Just don't risk your life outside the wall."