Chapter 55

I lost track of time as Kathlyn and I conversed further. I'd have never thought how interesting her life could be compared to my past life.

The sun began to set and Amelia was sound asleep on her lap. Though our conversations would have to come to an end as the night sky dawned over our heads.

"It's becoming dark, we should head inside," I told her as I turned my head to the left, staring at the sky that had turned orange.

Sunrays barely shine through the trees as it sets lower and lower. I'm impressed by the placement of the estate. It gives amazing views of the sunset and the sunrise.

"Sure," Kathlyn replied as she picked up Amelia from her lap. "It was nice talking to you for so long."

"It was," I replied. "I'm glad we reunited again."

Her cheeks blushed a light shade of red. "T-the feeling is mutual…" She muttered.

I began walking away from the gazebo while she trailed behind me, carrying the sleepy red fox in her arms as we made our way inside.

Though it would seem someone was looking for me. An elf would come out of the estate while frantically looking around him. We made eye contact from yards away and a smile came forth from his lips.

"I've been looking for you!" Alexander exclaimed. "This is where you were all along?"

"Yep," I replied.

Alexander peeked past my shoulder and saw Kathlyn trotting behind me. He looked back at me and raised an eyebrow.

I turned around and glanced at Kathlyn. "I haven't introduced you to Alexander, have I?"

"Not at all," She said. "I thought I'd meet him at lunch.

Alexander had lunch before us because he was starving apparently. I walked up to Alexander and hooked my right arm around his neck.

"Well, let me introduce you two to each other," I said with a smirk. "Alexander, this is Kathlyn. Kathlyn, this is Alexander, future count of Caelfall county."

"Huh!?" Alexander yelped.

Kathlyn does a small bow as a greeting, still holding onto Amelia. "It's an honour to meet you, future count of Caelfall." She said, mocking him in the process.

I couldn't help but chuckle.

"G-greetings," He stuttered. "Don't call me that please…" Alexander said while flustered.

I let go of the poor boy's neck and started to walk away from the two. "Anyways, why were you looking for me?" I asked him.

He collected himself and sped up to walk beside me. "I wanted to talk to you about some news I've heard," He says with a serious expression.

"Do tell," I replied.

"There is a cave near the capital of the empire that is being overrun by monsters. Alaric sent his most prestigious knight but pulled him out soon after," He said as if reading from a script.

It piqued my interest and I wanted to learn more about it now.

"Keep talking," I asked him. "This seems quite serious."

"At least thirty have died in the cave and a dozen lost, possibly dead. The cave has quite a lot of minerals and raw resources."

I scratched my chin, thinking of what kind of resources could be helpful.

"What kind of resources?" I asked.

"From what I can remember, iron coal and maybe some mana crystals," He replied, speaking from the top of his head.

We continued to walk while I thought more about it. Iron and coal are something I can use as they can be helpful to make steel. Mana crystals are a byproduct of this cave that I can sell for monetary gain.

If I could get hold of this cave and clear it out, we can use it to mine for iron and coal. That can bring the production cost a little lower as I wouldn't need to buy the materials.

"What kind of dangers lie within?" I asked him, hoping to squeeze out all the knowledge.

"Enlarged creatures, some dead and some alive. Undead creatures are frequent and some mana creatures lie within. It's dangerous as they live in huge numbers. Some formed colonies which the soldiers run into and get outnumbered in."

This could either be the best or the worst decision I could make.

"Thanks for letting me know," I told him with a pat on his shoulder. "I have an idea."

I dashed off running into the estate, in search of Vincent or Felix. I had an idea and I needed to try it out.

"W-wait!" Alexander shouted. "What are you thinking of!?"

"What do you think!?" I yelled back. "I'm going to clear that cave and suck it dry of its materials!"

Alexander started to run as well now, leaving Kathlyn alone. I didn't want to leave her in such a state but I had to for the sake of the project.

The cave seemed dangerous but nothing I can't handle. It would be easy to clear it in ten minutes, especially with a team of highly trained soldiers.

If the elite group of soldiers I'm making becomes a success, caves like this would be easy money.

I could use these soldiers as mercenaries who would go around the continent, cleaning up dangers that other soldiers can't handle. In return, they would take the money and that money will be split between them and me.

I ran into the living room where I expected the two to be. They were undoubtedly inside the living room, lounging with tea and cake.

"Perfect! I found both of you!" I shouted as I saw them. "I have an idea!"

Felix and Vincent both jumped from their seats and stood up. "W-what!?" They replied in sync.

I motioned for both of them to take their seats as I walked to the armchair beside the two sofas. Alexander took his seat beside Felix and started to eat the cake.

Felix and Vincent were skeptical of what happened as I barged into the room. They both looked at me with curious a gaze as I smiled widely.

"What idea do you have?" Felix asked.

I looked at him with my arms crossed and my chest puffed up.

"Guess," I teased him.

"Can't." He replied

I became disappointed but went past it. "Boring. Well anyways, have you both heard of the cave incident that Alexander told me about?"

They both looked at each other with skepticism. They both also shrugged together and turned to me, all in sync.

"Nope, brief us on it," Vincent said, looking confused and curious.

"I'll let the hungry elf explain," I said, staring at Alexander who couldn't keep his hands off the cake.

He quickly gulped down the cake he chewed and swallowed. "Hey! Rude!" He exclaimed.

"Thanks for the compliment, now explain," I ordered.

He began to briefly explain everything he told me. Felix put two and two together and knew what I was planning. Vincent though was still unsure about what I was planning.

"Ah, I get what you want to do," Felix said as he turned to me.

A sinister smirk breaks through my mouth and I nod. "Exactly. So I need you two to help me with it."

"But how?" Vincent asked. "How are we supposed to help with clearing a cave full of monsters?"

"Help me gain access to it, then clear the area, only keeping a handful of soldiers outside the cave."

"Can't you just… do that?" Vincent questioned. "Seems like you have the authority."

"Yes but I'm lazy. You both deal with talking with Alaric after the party, or during, and try to persuade him to let us handle it."

"How clever!" Felix shouted. "Well, I will see what I can do. Though I don't suggest this approach. It will be easier to send in troops instead, no?"

"It would be, but I'm not the kind of person to leave others in danger like this. I'd rather not get attacked by a mob of angry families, demanding answers when they possibly died in the cave."

Felix sighs and scratches his cheek. "Touche." He replied.

"Well, good meeting. I have something else to work on so I'll just go to my office," I dismissed them before getting up.

"What other thing do you need to work on?" Alexander asked.

"Another vehicle." I winked at him before rushing off.

After being done with the train I still had plans on advancing the world. This would be less costly but equally advanced for this world.

From what I've gathered, naval networking is quite underdeveloped due to the lack of major rivers. Rivers aren't that big; usually, a small sailboat does the job well of carrying people through rivers.

The most advanced boats are what the forest elves call "longboats" which are boats with a single sail and usually fifty feet in length.

Instead of these longboats, I'm thinking of ships like galleons, schooners or Briggs. Lastly, since there is a massive ocean surrounding the entire continent, there must be another continent somewhere that hasn't been discovered.

"And that means?" Amelia's voice chimed in as I monologue to myself.

"Ahh!" I shouted out loud. "You're awake!?"

She giggled back as I looked around. Luckily, I was at the office door with no one else around me.

"Mhm, I woke up when you ran away from Mama," She replied.

I sigh and enter the office. "So what do you think of the plan?" I asked, hoping to get third-party input.

"It's good on paper. The real question is, can you make it?"

It's a valid question.

"Yes," I replied confidently. "I have a picture-perfect memory of each ship's design."

"How boring were you in your last world?" She mocked me.

Ouch.

"H-how do you know!?" I exclaimed in telepathy.

I entered the office and took my seat at the desk. It was no different from the office in the palace, some obvious differences were the windows and view outside.

The desk was also clear, unlike the desk at home. Only a blank page and a pen were left on the desk, ready for me to write down my ideas.

"Let's start!" I exclaimed, motivating myself to start working on this.

FELIX'S POV

Vincent's posture was not as well as I thought. He was only an amateur, something I didn't expect.

"Good, lower your body," I told him, nudging his back slowly to bend down.

He gripped the hilt with both of his hands firmly. Though his swings were swift and could leave clean cuts, it was not enough. His footwork was weak.

"Lift your arms above your hand," I told him, lifting his arms. "You know your guards, right?"

"Yes," He replied.

"Good. Get into your most comfortable guard,"

I walked around him and faced him with a respectable distance between us. His stance changed to a lower guard but still had both of his hands on the handle.

"Right, let's start," I said, unsheathing my sword.

We used real swords for this training. Vincent wanted to get used to the adrenaline of fighting and what better way than to use real weapons?

I took my stance and smirked. "Strike," I said out softly.

He dashed towards me with his blade pointed directly at me. His footwork was easy to read and much easier to dodge.

"Poor footwork," I told him, advising him on his mistake.

Vincent repeatedly stepped around me, trying to stab and slash. He was trying his best to confuse me but he had a pattern he would move in

His pattern was similar to a scalene triangle. He would move in front, go left and then right. The only thing that isn't predictable is how far he jumps back.

Vincent was concentrating on landing a clean blow on me. His eyebrows were furrowed and he tried to look as intimidating as possible, especially with such hard strikes.

I kept parrying and blocking, trying to make him realise his footwork is predictable. Though he didn't take the hint and kept on with his usual footwork, tiring himself out

"Do you think you have more stamina than me?" I taunted him, throwing him off his focus. "Your footwork is still poor."

He lets out a growl and dashes forward suddenly. It threw me off but I managed to parry his strike.

"What happened? Why are you acting so restless?" I asked him.

I waited for Vincent to strike and that was my chance to finish him in one strike.

As he dashed forward I dodged his attack and tackled him off his feet. He falls onto the sand and drops his weapon with him.

"I told you," I pointed my blade towards him. "Your footwork is still weak. Let's start from square one."

Vincent looked at me with a distressed look. I smiled back at him to reassure him and make him feel more comfortable.

"A-alright," He said, picking up his sword and standing back up.

"Follow my movement if you can," I told him as I got into my stance.

He followed me and got into his stance. I started with slow footwork which he could easily copy. Though he kept his focus only on my legs, not my entire body.

I struck forward suddenly and caught him off guard. Vincent tried to parry but it would've been too late by now.

"Don't only focus on my footwork. Watch my full body," I advised him. Vincent looked at me and took a deep breath while nodding.

"Again!" I exclaimed before starting my slow dance.

His breathing was sharp and quick. He was making small mistakes which I overlooked but he had the main point down.

"Good, now let's speed up this dance,"

Vincent kept up with my footwork even though I was significantly faster. He was improving quickly!

"Good! Now strike!" I exclaimed.

It threw off Vincent but he struck swiftly. If I had blinked at the wrong time, I wouldn't be able to parry his attack.

A wide smirk breaks out from my lips as a sense of pride fills me from teaching him. Vincent began panting from exhaustion but smiled back at me.

"See? That was much better!" I told him while sheathing my sword. "That's enough for today, let's go and have dinner."

"Yes, sir!" He exclaimed joyfully.

I took off my gloves and gave them to the servants who were on standby. Vincent followed behind me and handed his sword to the servant.

"Here," I told him while handing him his coat. He takes it and quickly puts it on and so do I.

The lights of the training ground slowly start to dim. It had been quite a while since it was used but the servants kept it in prime condition, ready to be used at any time.

Vincent was still exhausted from the training and was panting while trying to keep up with me. I turned around to look at him and saw him sweating even though it was cold.

"Are you alright?" I asked him, seeing him sweat and become red in the face.

He nodded to reassure me. "I'm fine," He muttered.

He didn't look fine at all. Nevertheless, I continued walking up the stairs and back into the estate.

The training ground was located below the estate. It was a vast sandy arena made for sparring and training. Artorius would love to use this!

I took out a handkerchief from my pocket and threw it at Vincent. Seeing how much he sweats, it would look really bad and smell even worse.

Vincent takes the handkerchief and blankly looks at it. "What's this for?" He asked.

"Use it," I replied. "You don't want to stink now do you."

He looked at me with disgust but reluctantly used the handkerchief to get rid of the sweat that formed on his face.

I checked my pocket watch to see the time. It was already seven and preparations for dinner would have to be made soon.

Artorius was also in his office still, working away at new ideas. I would have to go up and let him know about dinner.

Just then I spotted a familiar face dressed in a long dark blue dress. It made my job easier.

I slowed down my speed and walked up to her to talk to her. She noticed me walking towards her and smiled.

"Good evening, lady Kathlyn," I greeted her with a small bow. "I'm sorry but can I ask for a small favour?"

She nodded in response. "Yes? What may it be?" She asked.

"Could you please notify Artorius that dinner would be ready in an hour?" I told her, hoping she would help me out a little bit.

"Of course!" She exclaimed happily. "I see you were busy training, it's the least I can do."

I sigh a deep breath of relief. "Thank you so much! He's in his office I'm sure."

She leaves at once and I continue to walk over to the kitchen. Though I was curious about what Artorius is doing in his office for so long.

It wasn't uncommon for him to spend hours on end in his office, but What he said before leaving made me curious.

"A new vehicle," I muttered.

He's quite the engineering genius.