Chapter 18 — Serious Debate and Killing Time

Section: Part 1 — Exile, Then Saving the Nation

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The feast roared on. Once everyone had eaten their fill, Chloe clapped for attention.

“Good work today, my liege—though it hardly required effort. Anyway, since that little nuisance is resolved, let’s decide on… that,” she said.

That?

Meg nodded solemnly. “Yes. Critical business.”

“The agenda is ‘new house layout and room assignments,’” Chloe announced.

The air shifted. Seriously?

I threw out the obvious. “Put a hallway down the north side, line up rooms on the south, draw lots. Or split by gender. Right, Bill?”

“Uh—yeah!” he squeaked.

“Nope,” “Absolutely not,” “Read the room, Dan,” came the replies.

“Dan belongs to all of us,” Meg said. “His room must be equidistant.”

…I’m a totem now?

“What if his room’s in the center and ours circle it?” Mimi offered.

“Door placement would break fairness,” Meg countered.

Are we building a carousel?

“What if we remove the walls?” Mimi added.

“Defeats the point.” I pinched the bridge of my nose.

Ellie smiled sweetly. “We could put two beds per room and have Dan rotate nightly.”

What privacy?

“Then we only see him once a week,” Meg objected.

“You can see me all day,” I said. “And why share rooms?”

“Enough,” Chloe huffed. “Dan will share my chamber.”

Liza stepped between them. “The sisters will challenge even you for that, my lord.”

“You’d fight me?” Chloe grinned.

“If necessary.”

“What are you talking about?” I shouted.

“Room assignments,” they answered in chorus.

“I’m deciding. End of discussion.”

Booing erupted. Tough.

“Bill, help me—”

“Actually, you handle it,” he said hastily, bolting.

Teenage angst.

In the end we chose the practical option: two-story rectangle, hallway on the north, rooms to the south. First floor holds the bath, dining hall, and living room, with a deck out back. The bath, luxury anywhere but the capital, was non-negotiable. We’d pipe water from the well and river and heat stones with magic for eco-friendly hot water.

Once I declared it, the protests faded. Turns out they just wanted someone neutral to decide. I didn’t ask what “neutral” meant. Safer that way.

“Materials are ready thanks to Chloe,” I said. “The foxkin will handle construction. Which means we’re free. I have a proposal.”

All eyes turned to me.

“Let’s explore the dungeon.”

“Dungeon?” the chorus replied again.

“A new cave showed up in the northern forest. Goblin-like creatures keep sneaking out, so the guild thinks it’s a dungeon. They want it surveyed and cleared if needed.”

Chloe chuckled. “So we’ll kill time by breaking in a new dungeon while the house is rebuilt. You’re an odd one.”

“Wait,” Mimi said. “If we clean it out, maybe it’ll stop the attacks on my village?”

“Possibly,” I said.

The twins huddled. Bill raised a hand. “Are… are we really going in there? Is that smart?”

“We’ll turn back if we must,” I said.

“But—” he began, paling.

Chloe smirked. “Afraid? I said I’d be there. If it comes to it, I’ll level the cave.”

“How do we escape if you blow it up?” Meg asked.

“We won’t die. Probably,” Chloe said.

Bill groaned. “Too many reckless people.”

I laughed. “Relax. This is about your training. The goal isn’t conquering, it’s experience. If things go south, we run. Besides, look around—this crew’s strong. We’ll keep you safe.”

Ellie nodded. “Exactly. I’m not letting my disciple die.”

“Nor I,” Elza added. “We’ll raise them together.”

“Trust your healer,” Meg chimed in.

Chloe puffed up. “And I’m here.”

“That’s what worries him,” I said. Laughter broke out. Even Bill smiled weakly.

Tomorrow, our first dungeon. I could hardly wait. Hopefully I’d manage to sleep.

----- End of chapter -----