4th Day (1) | Well Then... Let's Build A Well! (1)

"Attention, ladies!"

"Sir! Yes, sir!"

"Y-Yes, sir...!"

"Y-Yes...?"

Sebas and the three ladies now stood in the open field near their house and, conveniently... there was a chalkboard stand prepared, perfectly suited for the occasion.

"When and where did you even get this chalkboard, Sir Sebas...?" The redheaded Anastasia inquired, clearly baffled by its existence.

"I got it as an extra during our supply trip before~," he explained with a knowing smirk, "but that's beside the point, my lady!!!"

"Y-Yes?"

"Right now... we have more important matters at hand!" Sebas declared loudly, startling the three with his sudden outburst.

The butler then tapped the chalkboard loudly, emphasizing its presence to the three.

And there, on that chalkboard, was another one of those crudely drawn maps of Anastasia's region—just like the one he had made before for their house planning.

Of course, now, it had been updated to include the latest addition to the startup noble's domain—their newly built house.

"As you three ladies can see here: we have established a proper region and even a great shelter for Lady Ana... which I would say is quite the feat by itself," he stated with a smile of approval, "congratulations, ladies, you all have made great contributions to the prosperity of this land."

"Thank you, sir!" The knight, Martha, declared with pride, feeling accomplished for her role in constructing that 'great shelter.'

The maid, Bella, clapped her hands happily, sharing in the sense of accomplishment with a bright smile.

Their mistress, on the other hand, simply stared blankly at their antics, unsure how to feel about this, considering she had mostly just given orders without lifting much of the heavy weight herself.

"But returning back to the matter!!!" Sebas suddenly interjected again, startling them once more and regaining their utmost attention. "We will now proceed to the next objective for our survival!"

"Yes, sir!" Both Martha and Bella responded in unison, leaving Anastasia slightly bewildered.

"Miss Maid!" Sebas pointed a finger at the blonde maid, startling her greatly. "What do you think our next course of action should be?"

"E-Eh? W-Well... Ugh..."

Bella was clearly flustered and visibly distressed. She hadn't expected their head butler, Sebas, to suddenly throw out a question like some sort of pop quiz.

Seeing the maid racking her brain for an answer brought a small chuckle of amusement from the butler. "Let me give you a hint... it's something essential to our survival that we discussed before."

"Ah! Yes! The Rules of Threes!" She lit up, finally realizing what he was getting at. "Uhm... what was it again...? Three minutes without air... three hours without shelter... that's it! Three days without water!"

She stepped forward in excitement, answering the butler's quiz with pride.

"Indeed, Miss Maid," he said with a thumbs-up of approval. "And now, with that in mind, what would our course of action be?"

"We need to find a proper water source!"

"Correct! And that is why we have two options: digging a well or creating a water channel from a river source."

He turned his attention back to the chalkboard.

"Let me reiterate quickly," Sebas began, his tone shifting to a more instructional one. "There are two options that we could do to get our proper source of water."

He then began to draw a crude drawing on the chalkboard... that seemed to resemble a well.

"Our first option is to dig a well. A stable and reliable source of water, provided we locate an underground reservoir. Of course, this requires manual labor and time... but once completed, it will serve us indefinitely."

He then turned his gaze toward the knight. "And as I recall... Miss Knight, you mentioned before that you have experience in well construction, did you not?"

Martha straightened her posture, placing a fist over her chest in determination.

"Yes, sir! I may not be an expert, but I have assisted in well-digging before in the Army. If we have the means, I am ready to help however I can."

"Excellent!"

Then, he turned back to the chalkboard and again began to draw on it: a crudely drawn line from Anastasia's region box to what appeared to be the river they had discovered before.

"Now, as for our second option... we could create a water channel leading from the river to our settlement."

Anastasia narrowed her eyes slightly at the suggestion. "Is that even possible, Sir Sebas...?"

Before Sebas could respond, Martha spoke up first.

"Pardon the interruption, but I would like to answer that question, my lady."

"Permission given."

"Thank you, my lady! Well, in that matter alone: it is possible... in theory."

"In theory?" Anastasia tilted her head slightly, curious about her implication.

"Yes... because it would require significant construction. We'd need to dig out a channel or, better yet, build an aqueduct to guide the water flow toward your region, my lady. Not to mention... we'd also have to construct a reservoir to store the water properly."

"...And how much effort would that take, Martha?"

"...A massive labor force and also materials. A lot of them."

"Then it's out of the question. We barely have any resources as it is," the mistress decided, her tone firm with finality. "There are only four of us here to begin with, so building a channel would be quite excessive. Instead, we will focus on digging a well for now—one that we can actually make use of right away!"

"Yes, my lady!" the three servants responded in unison, their voices ringing with obedience. Even Sebas casually followed along, as if he were simply playing along with the mood.

However, before they could take any action, the maid suddenly raised a hand hesitantly. "Uhm... but where would we even find a water source for the well?"

Her question brought an immediate halt to both Anastasia and Martha's determined spirits.

Anastasia folded her arms, scanning the vast meadow before them.

"Water sources... should be locatable through geological indicators. The composition of the earth, moisture levels, vegetation..." She trailed off, her brows furrowing slightly. The sheer size of the open land made the task feel daunting.

Sebas, however, let out a knowing hum. "Hmm... there may be a way for us to track the water source."

His words immediately caught their attention. Three pairs of eyes turned toward him in unison.

"How, Sir Sebas?" Anastasia asked, arching an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued.

Sebas simply smiled.

"With magic~."