Having successfully escaped, Joram looked around and decided that he’d build the “school” mid-way between the residential area and the dungeon… dungeons. Whatever.

Thinking about it more, he decided that it’d be more of an “academy” than a school, as it would have a lot of hands-on areas for the students. He planned to have a workshop for every craft that he could think of, as well as gym space and a stadium-like building…. OK, he was totally going to make a Coliseum. There was no actual choice when swords and sorcery were involved, after all.

Thus decided, he got to work.

By the time evening came, he felt that he was about half done with what he wanted to do. But he stopped there because he was actually getting mentally fatigued from the constant concentration and visualizations the work required.

He could just use something like [Cleanse Body] or [Cure: Panacea], but decided that working too much might not be a good precedent to set for himself. Especially when he had time to spare.

“Good call,” Asami said from behind him, making him almost jump in surprise.

He turned and regarded her, more annoyed that he hadn’t been paying attention to [Touchsight] than anything, and saw that another group had gathered to watch him. Looking closer, he saw that the “demons” were all there, the new ones looking poleaxed, while the three gals still looked impressed.

He also saw that a good deal of the animal-kin had also decided to watch, though there were under two dozen humans present.

He then remembered the cultural attraction to people with large mana pools amongst the “demons” and nearly [Teleport]ed away right then. He once again forced himself to wave, making Asami giggle at his mechanical movements.

As the new group of “demons” started coming to their senses, he started feeling… stuff. Perturbed, he examined what was going on and found that…

“Shit…” he muttered as Asami burst-out in laughter, making him feel even more embarrassed and awkward.

‘What’s up?’ Avi asked, causing his attention to shift to her before he panicked and [Teleport]ed away, using the [Anchor] in his study to pull him in the right direction.

* * *

“So, he’s… shy?” Fyrellia asked as she looked at the others questioningly.

“He’s shy,” Avi confirmed with a nod. “He’s also… dealing with something that may be a bit inconvenient for him…” she said, seemingly deep in thought.

“You can say that again,” Asami chortled, apparently finding the whole thing hilarious.

Kasumi looked at the women who seemed to know Joram the best and wondered what, exactly, had happened to make him [Teleport] away like that.

“So, what now?” Myra asked, looking around at everyone present. “Just…” she trailed off, seemingly at a loss for what to say.

“Well, I for one will go and find mrrandii,” Erys said as she stepped away from the other dragon-kin and started walking back towards the house.

That got everyone out of whatever thoughts they’d been in and moving. She, too, followed along, wondering again at her luck in being picked up by Joram. She continued thinking as she was more or less led into the mess hall by Therra, the white dragon-kin who didn’t mind being close to her.

“Thanks,” she said quietly, getting a nod from her… friend?

Supper was a nice stew with fresh bread and butter, wonderfully savoury. She still couldn’t believe that food could taste so good, and not because she’d only ever eaten cold-prepped food until being taken as a slave. She was also going by how the others reacted to the food they ate.

Still, she cooled her stew with a bit of [Cryokinesis] before she was able to eat the hot dish. She still found it uncomfortably warm, but bore with it for the sake of being around people, for the company. It was still… hard, being alone.

She kept an eye out over the rest of the time she was in the mess hall, but didn’t manage to spot Joram at all, making her wonder if he took his meals elsewhere. Then thinking about it more, it would make more sense for someone as rich as him to eat in a more… comfortable setting than a mess hall.

*Bonk*

Kasumi blinked and rubbed her head as she looked over at Asami Miki, wondering why she’d hit her.

“He’s not like that,” Asami Miki said, frowning slightly before sitting on her left, opposite Therra.

“Pardon?” she asked, not understanding what she was talking about.

“He just doesn’t eat, that’s why he’s not in here with us,” she said before taking a big bite of liberally butter-lathered bread.

She blinked again, this time wondering if Asami Miki was lying to her.

“Rude,” Asami Miki said around her mouthful of bread. “Also, just ‘Asami’,” she said, then started eating her stew.

Oh, she thought, finally realizing that the legends surrounding Spirit Foxes were probably true.

“Yup.”

Kasumi didn’t know what to say. She looked over at Therra and saw that she didn’t seem bothered. She turned back to Asami Mi-, Asami, and wondered what else she knew about Joram and saw her give her the side-eye.

“Lots,” Asami said before stuffing another spoonful of stew into her mouth.

Nodding, Kasumi decided that Asami would be the perfect source from which she would learn more about Joram.

“Wrong, but good enough,” Asami said with a grin before taking another big bite of buttery bread.

“What? Why?” she asked, not really understanding what Asami was talking about.

“Because I’m not the one who knows Joram best,” Asami replied with a shrug. “Though, I’d say I’m a close second.”

“Well, then, who knows him best…?” she asked, trailing off to a whisper at the end, too embarrassed to speak any louder.

“That would be Avi,” Asami said, shaking her head. “Anyways. Just take your time settling in first. There’s lots to do, and lots more to learn, and not just about Joram,” she said with another grin that did her origins as a fox justice.

Now a bit nervous, Kasumi smiled at the next whitest person besides herself. Too nervous to say anything else, and more than a little afraid that she’d get teased due to her interest, she kept quiet for the rest of supper. After a dessert that consisted of a wonderful tea, also cooled, and amazingly sweet tea biscuits, she excused herself from the table and went straight home.

As she walked, she thought about what she’d like to study. She’d only gained access to the Great Protector’s aegis last year, but still hadn’t had the courage to decide on a Path. Her family…. Her family, and everyone else in the village, had specialized in [Cryomancy], a natural Path for the People of the Snow.

Yes, she also had the affinity for that, and even had [Cryokinesis], an exceedingly rare talent amongst her people. But… was that what she wanted? She… wanted to explore. She’d long heard tales of adventure from those who’d ventured out of her village, and had even read any books that managed to make their way there.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

She also knew that most other races of Iria found the cold to be… uncomfortable. And as one of the People of the Snow, or Yuki-Onna in her case, she had an innate [Aura of Cold] that was difficult to suppress. Which then got her thinking about her encounter with Joram last night.

“… I don’t mind the cold,”, he’d said, making her wonder at the time if he had [Resistance: Cold]. But then he’d also used [Aura of Cold], shocking her.

Humming in thought, she pressed the odd button that represented her floor, and watched as the doors of the little room closed. She then felt the odd sensation of her stomach being pulled to her feet, but oddly found that she somewhat enjoyed the sensation.

Then the doors opened to her floor and she stepped out, still deep in thought. Once inside, she closed and locked the door again, wondering at the marvelous construction of a “simple” lock. Shaking her head, she went to her room and got changed, then had a look at herself in the mirror.

She wondered if Joram preferred… bustier women given just how well-endowed they all were. Shaking her head, she picked up her hairbrush and got to work in front of the mirror, not stopping until her hair once more flowed down like a white waterfall, free of tangles.

Kasumi got up and made her way to the living room and looked outside, then paused.

“Frost…?” she murmured as she approached the impossibly clear glass and touched the frost at the edges of the glass, next to the frame.

Sure enough, it truly was frost. It was then that she realized that she was comfortable, the temperature just right for her. She took a deep breath and smiled, then wondered how. She turned and looked around and saw a paper on her table that hadn’t been there when she’d left that morning.

Kasumi,

Sorry to have intruded while you were away. I thought that I would make the necessary adjustments to your apartment to ensure your comfort.

Please let me know if there are any other issues that I can help with.

Cheers,

Joram

She stopped, then re-read the short note a few times, wondering again at the wiles of fate. First tragedy, then sorrow and hopelessness, then fear, and finally… hope. Security. Peace.

Kasumi held the note gently in her hands, wondering. Wondering how she could best help Joram and the others. She knew that she had a strong affinity for [Cold], [Ice], and [Frost], especially with having been born with [Cryokinesis]. She could already create and manipulate [Ice], which had taken a great deal of work. Having to pass into the [Advanced] Tier, it had taken… years.

But. If she could apply what she could do to being useful to everyone, to Joram, then she wouldn’t mind staying… cold. Especially if Joram didn’t mind the cold.

Smiling, Kasumi stepped over to the comfortable chair by the window and began seriously thinking about her future for the first time in years.

The next day, while eating breakfast, Joram made an announcement that not only stunned her, but also blew the minds of everyone else present.

* * *

*Day 35*

“Are you sure that you want to make the same offer to this group? They haven’t been here all that long, after all,” Myra asked as she brushed her hair, astonished that Joram had been there when they’d started waking up that morning.

“Well, I don’t want to be unfair to anyone,” he said, shrugging uncomfortably. “I also don’t want to keep anyone here who doesn’t want to be here. That said, it will lead into what I’m wanting to… implement,” he said, trailing off at the end, obviously thinking about the future.

“Well, it’s up to you,” Arise said, crossing her arms as she looked slightly to the side. “I’m sure that there’ll eventually be people who’ll take you up on your offer,” she said gruffly.

“Well, it’s not like it’s a one-time offer,” he said, shaking his head. “If anyone isn’t happy here, or just wants to return home, then they’re more than welcome to pursue their happiness.”

Myra watched as Arise harumphed, knowing full-well that the dark elf was there to stay.

There was more idle chatter after that as they were all obviously happy to have woken up to Joram being there for the first time in… what felt like forever. Or ever, really.

They followed him to the mess hall, though they didn’t get anything more than a cup of tea as they waited for Joram to make his announcement. She was happy to see that the new girls were… adjusting well. For what they’d recently been through, it was a surprisingly normal gathering.

She did notice, however, that the “demons” kept stealing glances at Joram as he chatted with her group. Not just them, but also the other animal-kin and even the humans. Well, she wasn’t surprised that the humans would be interested in another human. It was natural, in fact.

Then Joram got up and made his offer. As expected, his words brought incredible turmoil to the room. She could hear several conversations break out, most focussing on whether-or-not he was telling the truth. She could well understand that, as the cost of sending someone home- especially after buying them- wasn’t an insignificant one.

“Again, take your time thinking about it,” Joram said after a few minutes of letting them gab. “Also, I won’t hold it against anyone who wants to return home, return to their families. But that also leads to another topic I wanted to broach,” he said, then turned to the doors as they opened to allow for more girls and young women to enter.

Myra realized that he’d arranged for everyone to gather, even the adults amongst the first group. When everyone had taken their seat in the newly expanded mess hall, Joram continued.

“I’ve been thinking about this a lot over the past month. I realized long ago that just buying and freeing slaves isn’t the answer to solving the slavery issue here,” he said, then paused as the crowd began murmuring their agreement.

“So, I’d like to make another offer to all of you. This in no way means that you’re not welcome here, or anything of the sort. On the contrary, I would like to offer any of you who’d like to, to head back home and extend an offer to your family and loved ones.

“The offer is this. They can all come and live here,” he said, then paused as though he expected an explosive response from everyone present.

If that was the case, then he was dead wrong.

The room went deathly silent as the girls and young women tried to process what he’d said. Even her.

Myra couldn’t believe her ears. She turned and looked at Asami and found that she was grinning, as was Avi. The three gals looked just as stunned as the other “demon” gals. She looked over and saw that the animal-kin were almost as stunned, though most of the humans looked… reluctant.

She wondered at that until she remembered the stories she’d heard of impoverished settlements making the decision to sell their young to both help reduce the number of mouths to feed as well as to get the funds to make it through those hard times.

“Well, I’ll leave it up to you to decide,” Joram said, then cleared his throat. “Anyone who’s interested can speak with Avi. From there, we’ll get things arranged.

“In the meantime, I should be finishing the… academy today. That said, it’ll still be a little while before it’s fully supplied with what we’ll need to get started teaching classes. So while you wait, feel free to ask your future teachers any questions you need to help you decide on what you’d like to do.

“That said, if you’re still unsure about what Path you want to pursue, don’t feel pressured to choose now. Take your time learning, getting to know yourselves better. There’s no time limit for learning. In fact, learning should be a lifelong pursuit with the goal of bettering yourselves.

“Okay, so, that’s it for now. I’ll leave you to it as I’ve still got a lot to do before I need to take a short trip. So, rest up. Relax. Enjoy yourselves,” he said, then quickly slipped away, astonishing her once again at just how fast he could move.

It only took a few heartbeats’ worth of time for the room to explode in talk, everyone excitedly going over what Joram had said. Even the first group joined in. Though, again, she noticed that not a few of the humans amongst the first group were also subdued compared to the rest, making her think that the quiet ones might not have a home to return to.

Thusly somber’d, she joined Avi and the rest of the soon-to-be teachers, instructors, or whatever they were going to be, as they went to the meeting hall inside their house. It was really a large dining room, but using it as a meeting hall worked too, especially since no one had ever used it as a dining hall yet.

Avi quickly handed out stacks of paper and those strange pens of Joram’s to each of the instructors, along with a list of questions to ask each person who approached them.

From there, she spent the rest of the morning speaking with whoever wanted to learn more from her. The last person in line wound up being that quiet white-haired girl, Kasumi.

“Umm… I heard that you know how to… fight,” Kasumi practically whispered as she looked down at her hands.

“Yes…?” she said, hoping to prompt the young woman to share more.

“Umm… like, *pow*,” she said, demonstrating an incredibly clumsy punch before blushing and looking down again.

“So... you’d like to learn [Martial Arts]?” she asked, suppressing a smile due to just how devastatingly cute that had been.

“… yes.”

“All right,” she said, trying very hard to keep from showing her extreme delight. “If you’d like, we can start after lunch. I still need to practice for the day, so I thought that I could have a sort of demonstration class for everyone who’s asked to be taught [Martial Arts],” she said, nodding.

Kasumi’s smile, although tiny, was amazingly warm as she nodded.

Once all the soon-to-be students were gone, she looked around at her roommates and saw that they, too, looked a bit excited. Even Arise looked less grumpy than usual.

“Well, we’ve now got a good idea of what we’ll need,” Avi said as she flipped through the large stack of papers she’d collected from them all. “I’d say that it’ll take another week or so before the academy is ready. In the meantime, it would be good for everyone to get to know one another better. Take your time talking to everyone, as I’m sure that everyone forgot at least one or two things as they asked their questions,” she said, nodding to them.

“I’m sure that you were also asked, but what should we tell them when they ask again to be taught personally by the young master?” Qyress asked, looking a bit uncomfortable.

“Tell them that the Headmaster isn’t able to teach everyone personally, and that’s why he enlisted us as instructors,” Avi said with a grin and a glint in her eyes. “I’ll see about… arranging for a Special Grade class that Joram can be in charge of,” she said as the glint in her eyes transformed into actual sparkles of mischief.

Crap, she thought, thinking of how ridiculous the competition would be to get into an exclusive class taught by Joram.