Kady's Journey -Freesia-

Chapter 4: The Emperor

"I am positive that the best reference for regional and continental maps are Atlases. It is based on hard facts and cannot be manipulated so easily, unlike the Global Positioning System that can easily be tampered with," the Riksentian girl who is always hanging out with Hrist and Lenneth, "Personally, I prefer what my eyes can see than rely on gadgets that have a high chance to be tampered with and malfunction."

Our Geography professor, Mrs Velez nodded in agreement as she looked at the rest of us in class expectantly, "Any counter-arguments in regards to Silmeria's answer? None? Something to add? Yes, Mariya?"

"It is a very good answer and I agree with it completely. I just want to say that like her, I prefer to experience the place and environment first-hand to acclimate myself with the surrounding especially if it's not in my territory," the bubbly and energetic half of the Scania twins in my class said happily, "I'm more of a get down and dirty kind of girl."

Anastasia, Mariya's countrymate laughed in agreement, "Right you are, girl! Better see for yourself and judge right there and then. In my opinion, as someone from a geographically challenged place, I and my people tend to study the lay of the land ourselves than rely on any technology. It may sound weird but geography is not as static as everyone thinks it is. Changes are constant even in the land as weird as that sound."

"Well as much as I am one of the major proponents of the global positioning system and technological advances in geodesy, I must agree that experience is still the best mentor and guide when it comes to geography," our professor conceded as she looks at the direction of me and Rodrigo, "How about you two? You're all awfully quiet since the start of the class."

I smiled lopsidedly and glanced at Marga's boyfriend that have nothing to add to the discussion since our classmates got it all covered perfectly.

"I don't think I can speak of something to add in our discussion, Mrs. Velez," I answered respectfully as the only boy in my class nodded in agreement, "They really know what they are talking about so I will just sit here quietly and bask at their experience that can't be learned by engrossing myself in books or applications."

However, Anastasia and Mariya looked at me kindly and shook their head, "I think Anastasia here will agree that you can share an experience all of us here in this class never experienced. The geography of Maharlika as a whole and I doubt we can ask Rodrigo here since he stayed most of his life in Kalalit. But he is next after you."

"She's right, you know?" Anastasia said in agreement as she winked at Rodrigo, "Marga said that we can ask you all about the elusive and secretive kingdom all we want so don't even think for a second that you will go unscathed before our class ended."

Rodrigo laughed wryly and shook his head, "Oh dear, I'm in trouble."

"I must say that I am personally curious about the geographic challenges that Maharlikans face. It looks so, chaotic if I do say so myself," Silmeria chipped in as she looks at me intently, "Like my sisters, we are commoners just like you Kady but I think you got the shorter end of the stick. Your capital city for starters is like a never-ending maze and the roads are always changing constantly. How did you ever survive that?"

I just chuckled at her innocent question and fixed the glasses that are perched in my nose, "Well, I can't tell you exactly how Tayabas ended being the worst city in terms of geography but I can definitely talk about my hometown and how it is quite similar to Tayabas in more ways than one. You see, it is easy and overly-simplistic to just blame bad governance as the cause of our geographic problems. But as the word geography suggests, it is the land itself that is the root cause of the headaches and only made worse by the lackluster discipline of Maharlikans as a whole. I think Rod here can explain it better from here since he experiences life outside our home country and can compare it to Kalalit to prove my point."

"Well, as Kady said, it's the geography of this country as the main problem. It's archipelagic and hard to make roads. Compared to Nunat, the Kingdom's capital which is built at flatlands is easier there to create roadmaps and routes. It also rarely rain or flood there so there's no problem with the changing soil composition and roadblocks. In Tayabas and Maharlika as a whole, typhoons, and earthquakes together with rockslides puts so much strain in the route network. Anastasia is correct when she said that the land is constantly changing and in my country's situation, calamities only hasten that change so when compared to Riksent and Kalalit, Maharlika is fighting an uphill battle trying to tame the land and we all know that our past governments didn't help much. Maybe President Lizzo will do something but hey, I digress. That's my answer, thank you," Rod said after a long speech that made not just me but the other three girls marvel at his smooth way of talking.

Truly a son of one of the most celebrated diplomats of Maharlika.

"An excellent answer from you two. I couldn't say it any better than what you two already expounded," our professor said as she closed her class record as the school bell rang to signal our first break for the day, "That's it for our class. Don't forget to submit your homework for our next meeting. Please enjoy your break. See you, class."

"Goodbye Mrs. Velez. Thank you."

And the teacher finally went out of our classroom leaving the four of us alone and packing our things.

"Ok fess up, Kady. How the hell did you manage to land a spot in the Club of Sins?!"

I looked up and saw Mariya together with Anastasia and surprisingly, even Selmeria. It is apparent that they will not let me out until they milked all the information they could possibly get from me.

I decided to play ignorant and try to weasel my way out of them, "Club of Sins? What in Gearth are you talking about?"

"Spare us the theatrics, Kady. Acting clueless doesn't suit you and it's very obvious that you are trying to avoid the question!" Mariya angrily told me as Anastasia nodded quickly.

"True. You seemed to forget that she is the sister of Tatyana. Mariya knows the look of a true ignorant like her and the know-it-all types like her sister."

Selmeria nodded in agreement, "That, and I and my sisters saw you heading further down the hallway yesterday looking like a lost child in a toy store who can't decide which doll she will pick. You stopped abruptly near the Brawl Club's place. What gives?"

"Ok fine. I'll talk. I ran out of clubs to choose from. I was about to pick the Language Club when a flying metal chair was suddenly hurtling towards my direction. I deflected it and it smashed the windows. I was so shocked by the events and the Brawl Club sheltered me. That's what happened."

The three nodded as they looked at each other and judging my statement as the truth.

"Oh well. I was expecting something more romantic than that but hey! I'll take anything over nothing. I'm not picky. Anyways, Lexei was also sighted in that club. He is the last person I will expect to join the Brawl Club. Do you have an idea as to why and how did he manage to get in there much less got accepted? I mean compared to you, as I already said, he is the last person I can imagine who can put in an effort to join any physical activity club at all much less that particular organization," Mariya asked curiously as Anastasia looked confused as well.

I just smiled and shook my head, "I'm absolutely clueless as to why but he and Galion helped me a lot when that brouhaha happened yesterday. I was about to faint from the way the event turned out."

"Ok girls, is the interrogation over?" the four of us looked at Rodrigo who is calling from the open door, "The next students will use this room for their class after the break. We are already overstaying folks."

All of us girls prepared to leave and when we got out, we said our apologies to the other first-years who were patiently waiting for us to vacate the classroom we just used.

"Get some juicy pictures, Kady! Goodness knows we need some eye-candies to get us through this horrible first week. That is your assignment!" Mariya whispered in a hushed voice as Anastasia, Rodrigo and Silmeria laughed at the wacky field reporter who is now running as fast as she can on her way to the academy's broadcasting station.

-0-

"I think it is safe to assume that no self-respecting army will win any war, much fewer engagements or battles if they have poor and inefficient logistics support," Tatyana said confidently as Olea and Moly nodded in agreement, "They are also the part of any armies that are doing a thankless job and often ridiculed when the outcome of a battle and war depends on how well-fed and armed their army is."

I was so engrossed with staring at Tatyana that Margarita nudged me just to get my attention, "Hey, Kady. Gearth to Kady, are you still with us?"

"Is there a problem Ms. Groves? I am well aware that you were involved in an altercation yesterday. Are you sure you are fine to attend classes?" our Logistics professor, Mr. Briar asked worriedly.

I quickly shook my head and give him a lopsided smile, "No. I'm fine. Really. Thanks for the concern, Mr. Briar. I am just amazed at Tatyana so much that I was unconsciously losing myself when she was speaking. She's just so..."

"Unbelievable?"

I looked at Olea who despite her rather cold exterior is now smiling at my direction as if she understands what I'm feeling right now.

What she said was spot-on that I was dumbfounded for a few seconds before I collected myself and managed to answer her, "Yes. How did you..."

"Oh, it's rather easy to guess, Kady. You were in a class earlier with Mariya so I guess your brain can't still process how can the same face have so different personalities," Tatyana let out a small sigh and smiled despite herself.

"Once in a while, I get someone like you Kady who pays a lot of attention to details. I'm flattered though. Thank you."

Aerith raised her hands however and got the attention of Tatyana who smiled at the Riksentian scion cordially, "A question. How to be you?"

The room erupted in a burst of laughter all of a sudden and the tense air that was lingering earlier was gone in a flash.

Aerith was one of the few in my classes that can act as a regular commoner without obviously trying hard.

Actually scratch that...

Looking at her innocent smiling face, I guess she is just too pure for this world. I rarely meet someone like her who is very charming and clueless at how gullible she is to a fault.

"Ok, that's enough of that. Let's get back to our discussion," our professor reminded us after coughing a little but even he has a smile on his lips as he focused his attention to our mood maker, "It is no secret that the House Tross handles the accounting of the vast mercantile fleet of the dukedom. I'm sure you can share with us all here the hardships of those who have to deal with the paperwork behind the scenes?"

The future Baroness beamed at Mr. Briar as she stood up and composed herself before answering, "It demands absolute concentration and focus. I know for a fact that some of my classmates here are from a similar family background so I'm sure they can relate to the fact that dealing with the documentation and recording is a whole beast of a battlefield on its own."

"Right you are, Aerith. Nationalities aside, but I think all of us here from the families who gargles spreadsheets for breakfast can all agree to that fact," Tatyana said as Moly sighed out loud.

"Too true. A big fat thankless job for making sure that the whole army and in times of peace, country, is well fed and the food and supplies arrive on time without shortages," said the kind heiress to the Tiena Dynasty that rules over the breadbasket of the Kingdom, "And it just pains me that people act as if it's just a very easy and simple job to do. I mean looking at the stacks of paper in front of my mother makes me feel nauseous."

Olea blinked and sigh as she seemed to feel relieved that she found likeminded individuals from other countries, "And here I thought it's just the Empire having big problems with a little appreciation my Tsardom is asking in exchange for my father's generous leadership. All the people did was ask and ask for something and they don't understand that it's not as easy as snapping your fingers and the supply will magically appear out of thin air. The filing of the request form alone is a nightmare."

"I feel you, Olea. Dad said that your father was the most generous man he ever met in his life and yet, it doesn't seem to be enough to satiate the appetite of the Imperials. I once saw him at the consulate looking rather tired and dejected. He said he just wanted a quiet place to rest before facing the people again who are clamoring for even more supplies. The poor dear," Margarita said kindly at Olea who surprisingly looked annoyed but not at my fellow Maharlikan.

"Hmph, he is too kind to a fault. People are taking advantage of him at every turn. He just has a problem saying no. I swear once I replaced him, I will enforce an iron fist policy. The Scanian Logistics and Cargo Department is a mess with his soft approach that has been taken advantage of for too long," Olea said with finality but it looks like Moly has something else to say.

Mr. Briar pointed at her, "Yes, Ms. Tiena? You have something to say?"

"Yes, sir," she then faced Olea then to our surprise she bowed deeply before meeting her gaze, "No offense but I think your father was not wrong in his way of management, Olea. Respectfully speaking, I think he is a very admirable man and kindhearted judging by your descriptions of him. I don't think that it's his fault that people take advantage of him. As a leader of the main-producing territory, it's his job to give until he has nothing to give away. Lastly, he seems to be a very honest man. I'm sure he can say no whenever he wants but it has to be against his personality to do so."

All of us are quiet while waiting for Olea's response who surprisingly sneered and raised her eyebrow at Moly, "Hmph. You remind me of him a lot..."

"I will take that as a compliment, thank you," Moly bowed again deeply before sitting down.

"Take it as you will, my opinion still stands. For a more sophisticated and streamlined logistics, you need to be firm and decisive. There's no room for feelings when it comes to supplies."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far but I will agree that if you want the goods to move accordingly, you have to be strict at the very least or the paperwork will multiply until you're buried," Aerith said before waving a peace sign and sitting down.

Our professor looked at my direction and nodded, "How about you, Kady? Care to add some thoughts in our discussion?"

"I actually don't have any managerial experience at the very least when it comes to logistics or supplies management. I can, however, say that when talking about moving goods, we should also remember the people doing the moving in the first place. You can take care of all the necessary paperwork and all but when it comes to bringing the needed products from Point A to Point B it's not the form that will do it. Manpower plays a key role in maximizing the efficiency of well-greased logistics machinery. That's all, Mr. Birar."

The young professor smiled at me showing his deep-set dimples that made Olea, Moly, and Aerith sigh, "A very different perspective. What's your angle, Kady?"

"As I said, I have zero managerial experience but I worked for delivery service as a delivery girl and I just experienced the hardships of those who work in that line of job. The big bosses can just throw around orders and expect them to follow it to the letter without thinking of the situation in the field first-hand. They can perfect their plan for increased efficiency all they want but if they treat the workers substandardly then the plan will be useless in the first place."

Moly smiled at me and nodded, "Indeed, Kady. That's why it's important to have a heart and understand where the people are coming from when they come with a request or complaint. They are not a machine that you can just replace if it's not working well."

"True. No matter how many people you put in there if you don't change how you treat them then nothing will work out in the end," Tatyana said in agreement as Olea inclined her head to me and Marga clapping her hands while Aerith gave me a thumbs-up.

"A man is a man and a machine is a machine. I guess that's our takeaway from today's class. That's it for today. Don't forget to do a bit of light reading, alright? See you in the next class."

And with that, our handsome Logistics professor left us as we prepare to leave for our break before our last class.

-0-

"What you are saying is a m******e. You are willing to sacrifice your men in order to make a retreat when you can do it without casualties in the first place if you just..."

"Shut up! I will not resort to such a coward and underhanded tactic that you concocted. Where is the honor in flanking the enemy just so you can slither away unscathed?!"

"A fat load of good your honor will do when your soldiers are dead. That's not honor, that's idiocy."

"Say that again!"

Belle and I looked at each other as Lexei and Galion are arguing loudly in front of us. It has been going on like this for several minutes now as our professor, Ms. Alcazar, our stern Strategy professor just let the two of our hotheaded classmates duke it out in front of her class while she sat beside Silva, Belle and I and watch them while sipping her milktea.

"My my. I've never seen Galion this angry before," Silva mused at my right as he smiled eerily at the two boys arguing in front of us, "Why act so surprised Kady? Surely you already felt something is off with dear Galion here. What's amusing is how did he manage to get under Galion's skin that easily. I wonder..."

I heard Belle sighed as she watched the two the same way as the Royal Retainer, "They are such a perfect fit but why the hell are they not connected at all?"

"Oh, you're onto something Belle," Silva quietly exclaimed as if something clicked in his head, "Now that you mentioned it, they do seem to exude the same aggressive aura. They are also both hotheaded and have an affinity to strategy."

Belle nodded as she fixed the collar of my uniform, "I know right? If they can just sit down and talk amicably, I'm sure they will be the cutest pair there is."

"A wonderful thought but no offense, what you are asking is impossible, to say the least," Silva said as he shook his head sadly.

I furrowed my brow and looked at the sleek boy sitting at my left, "Why?"

"Lexei here sadly represents everything Galion can never be or have," the retainer said in an almost whisper-like voice as the boys in front of us are still shouting each other down, "Lexei, the scion of the reigning Tsarina of Yekaterin, one of the Empire's pillar tsardom. It is known even in the Kingdom that he is the prized prodigy of the Empire. He is intelligent despite being a slob and good looking even more so than the Imperial Crown Prince himself."

Belle nodded sadly and glimpsed at Galion who is very infuriated as of this moment because his opponent will not back down, "While poor Galion here is the youngest of the Alric Dynasty. All he has is his noble last name but he has no inheritance waiting for him being at the bottom end of the succession line. He has to make a name for himself through sheer hard work and training. Mom met his mother through charity events and she mentioned that he has to beg his father, Chief Alric just to allow him to attend Gearth Military Academy. His pleas were only heard just because Kyrus intervened on his behalf as Galion is his childhood friend. He is here to make a name for himself through his own merit but Lexei here is a big obstacle for him, isn't that right, Silva?."

"Sad, but true all the same, Belle. What is odd for me is that Yekaterin's scion is a very lazy person. Intelligence suggests that even his own mother is worried about her son's slovenly behavior. I didn't expect him to go toe to toe with my countrymate here so intensely like this. I have to call my father and tell him to recalibrate our Intelligence Network. Surely it is not what it is used to be..."

I just listened quietly to what the two have said and looked at Galion and Lexei who are still not losing steam in their seemingly neverending argument that just goes in circles. In my head, I can just imagine the two hit it off, walking side by side with arms on one another's shoulder, smiling at each other with trust and maybe love in their eyes.

Oh, what a wonderful sight it must be to behold!

"Kady?"

I blinked as Belle's voice brought me back from my fantasy, "Yes, yes I'm listening..."

"What a perfect pair of specimens these two are. Oh, and here I thought this school year will be a boring one but I'm so glad I am wrong."

The three of us looked at our professor who is in her mid-twenties and seemed to be enjoying the heated argument between our classmates.

"Ms. Alcazar?" Silva asked tentatively to our grinning professor who is looking at Galion and Lexei as if they are her cute bickering children.

She just chuckled and shook her head, "I'm sorry for that random outburst. It's just that these two are the epitome of the Kingdom and Empire's strategic dogmas, won't you agree, Silva?"

"When you put it that way, I am inclined to agree, Professor. Galion's Alric Dynasty is the most ardent follower of the Kingdom's Military Dogma while the Yekaterin Tsardom is known for being the backbone of the Empire's Battle Stratagem. You can't ask for a better pair of representatives from each nation than they are."

"Exactly. Now then, let's finish this petty squabble," Ms. Alcazar said as she sipped the remaining milktea from her cup and walked towards the two who are both rolling up their sleeves and is preparing to fight it out physically, "Enough of this nonsense. While I applaud your passion and willingness to stand for what you two believe in respectively, it however blinded you two to the glaring fact that both of your strategies are effective. Not just against each other. That's it for today's show. I heard Kady that you three joined the Brawl Club. Kindly bring these two there and have them sort it out. Moving forward, I will not allow any violence to happen while inside the classroom, understand?"

The professor said it in a very threatening tone that both backed down immediately and apologized to our beautiful Strategy teacher who then smiled quickly at her favorite students, "Aww, don't act as if I'm a terror teacher. After all, didn't I let you spend almost all of my class time arguing to your heart's content? Are you angry at me?"

The two quickly shook their heads and our teacher just patted their heads before waving in our direction, "I hope you three enjoyed and learned from that one heck of a show. I expect a two-paragraph report of your findings in regard to their explosive argument next meeting. Dismissed!"

"I will leave the two boys in your care, Kady. I will escort Belle here back to the dorm. Our respective clubs don't have a meeting today so it's free time for us thankfully."

"Thank you very much, Silva," I said cordially as I waved the two goodbyes, "I will be expecting the cake you promised later for dinner, Belle. Talk to you later!"

"I already have it in the fridge, my Kady. Don't be late!" Belle reminded me as she followed Silva who is now walking towards the door after exchanging few words with Galion.

I walked up to Lexei who just finished packing up his things and throwing it inside his sling bag, "Let's go there together? How about you Galion?"

"You go on ahead. I have to drop by the library to return some books," the Kalalitan answered when he picked up his backpack and left the classroom in a huff."

I looked at Lexei who clearly looks worse for the wear and smiling at me, "Let's go, Kady. I don't wanna test Kiel and be late on our first day at his club."

"Indeed..."

We walked side by side as several students like us are traveling in the same direction and they generally avoided us and talked in hushed voices.

"By the way, I saw you talking with Silva and Belle earlier."

I shook my head quickly and gave him a reassuring smile, "Don't worry. I didn't mention anything."

"I know you won't. What I'm worried about is what you heard from Silva. His Trent Dynasty handles the espionage sector of the Kingdom. I bet he dished some dirt regarding me?" Lexei asked carefully which made me smile.

"Indeed he did. He said that you are a lazy and slovenly person..."

He let out a hollow laugh as if that didn't surprise or affected him at all, "He got that right. Can't argue with the facts."

"He also said that you are the Empire's prized prodigy more good looking than Kyrus."

"He said that?"

"He did. He is also confused about why you are so driven and motivated when his information suggests otherwise," I continued that made my companion smile nonchalantly.

"I wonder myself too."

I just laughed a bit and shook myself a bit, "I have to agree though that you took me by surprise earlier in class. I didn't expect you to stand your ground to the bitter end."

"Well, I can't be seen as a pushover. I have to show him I'm not going to back down or else he will think I'm just another Imperial swine who is all talk and no action," he said honestly as we arrived in front of the Brawl Club where we saw the twins from yesterday standing guard as usual.

When they saw me, they suddenly smiled brightly and greeted us energetically together, "Greetings, Lady Kady and Lexei! How is your day?"

"It's a fine one. Definitely better than yesterday, that's for sure," I answered as I let them escort us where Kiel is waiting, still shirtless and looking rather dejected, "Good Afternoon. Galion just dropped by the library. He said he will be here shortly."

The Club Leader nodded and ordered Lexei to do some warmups and spar with the other members, "You stay here, Kady. I'm gonna tell you more about this club and you will be surprised to know that it is not just a place where thugs and meatheads hangout."

I shrugged and look at the messy room full of broken chairs, tables and even the wall themselves have their paint chipping off. Loud grunts and shouting seemed to be a norm here and to be honest, it looks like a downright nasty place to be with.

"Well then, forgive me for thinking otherwise. This room leaves little to the imagination. Though looking at the gym equipment at the corner, I guess you can also be considered to be a fitness club?"

Kiel nodded as he wraps his fists with a white bandage, "Well, I won't go that far. There is a dedicated fitness club but we work closely with them and they let us borrow some equipment for exercise purposes. If I'm gonna ask you, what do you think we do other than punch each other?"

"You all seemed to be in your tip-top physical shape," I answered as I looked around and saw the boys except Lexei, of course, are muscled and lean, "Are you going to compete or something? You won't be practicing hitting each other daily if you don't have an endgame, right?"

"Well, there is a competition that we are hoping to win but that's just a small part of what we really want to achieve. You see, many high-ranking military officials were members of this club during their time at the Academy..."