*

　Arthur Wiseman was an assistant teacher at a military school.
　His main job was to take care of failing students, which was a reasonably busy job, but not so busy that he didn't have time to take a break.
　It was in the past that he was an assistant teacher and wasn't busy.
　Now Arthur was the only person in Crono's territory who made a living as a teacher, and he spent his days teaching studies from morning to night and preparing for classes until midnight.
　His employer, Crono, wants to train people, but he is clueless as to what kind of people are needed to run the estate and how to train them.
　After much deliberation, Arthur decided on a policy of training officers through tactical education, and he intended to give officer training to his second-in-command, Layla, Deneb, Alideed, White, Hiilo, cavalry captain Kane, and cavalryman Faye, and teach reading, writing, and arithmetic to Taiga and Nasr, who were promoted later than them.
　Incidentally, Goldie, a dwarven centurion, had acquired minimal academic skills during his apprenticeship and was in the process of training his workshop work and his men as artisans, so he excluded them from officer training.
　His officer training for the eight men is progressing well, but if he doesn't, he will have to give up his days off to work.
　The reason is that they are busy.
　The result is as expected.
　Even an idiot could understand that this would happen if he tried to teach five hundred and twenty soldiers to study by himself.
　Of course, even Arthur knew this, but even if he knew, there were things he had to do.
　To begin with, it all started when one beastman asked me to teach him how to study.
　That beastman was an old soldier who had become Crono's subordinate last May ... around the time the Holy Argo Kingdom had invaded beyond the Coma Forest.
　Arthur was more surprised than impressed by his willingness to learn.
　No, it would be more accurate to say he was puzzled than surprised.
　When Arthur puzzled and asked for instructions, Crono easily allowed him to teach him to study.
　Can my friends come with me?　He asked, and Arthur nodded without thinking too much about it.
　That was a bad idea.
　Friends called friends, and before he knew it, their numbers had swelled to five hundred and ten.
　They had been looking for an opportunity to get an education for a long time, apparently, but it was difficult for them to ask Crono to teach them to study, and they didn't feel comfortable asking the priest of the Yellow Earth Temple to do so.
　He could have refused, but his guilt was stimulated by the sight of the beastly man hanging his tail without power with Kyu~n.
　Then he saw them happily calling Arthur, sir, sir, and made the decision to go with the flow and die.
　Afterwards, Arthur bowed to the people and got ready for class.
　Since they were working as soldiers and could only study on their off-duty days, he decided to hold the classes in the morning and afternoon so that even those who had been in charge of the night shift the day before could attend the classes.
　From their point of view, it was only a half-day class once a week.
　Next, with the help of an apprentice clerk, Wester, I printed the textbooks.
　Since it was difficult to print enough textbooks for all the students, we decided to print forty-five textbooks at a time, including the number of students in the class and a few extra ones.
　The textbooks were easy to make because we had a version of them.
　Momotaro, Old Man Hanasaka, Mt. Kachi Kachi, Monkey Crab Battle... According to Goldie, who kept the editions, Crono created them, but I wondered why the characters were so strangely miserable.
　He had prepared a sand box to practice his letters and a stone to memorize numbers... and finally, he had gotten his appearance in order.
　Looking back on those turbulent two weeks, Arthur entered the classroom.......one of the rooms in the Marquis' mansion.
　It was a room that Crono had opened up as a classroom, with two rows of long desks lined up in the center, two horizontal and three vertical rows of chairs and bookshelves.
　The eight cadets are provided with free quills and ink and are allowed to take books out of the room.

''........Sensei, it's too late~''
I've gotten tired of waiting.
It took me a little while to prepare.

　Arthur replied to the boo-booing and complaining twin elves, scratching his head.
　The girls were seated in the second row on the corridor side beside him.

If you don't have enough help, I can help.
Yes, sir.

　It was Leila and Faye sitting in the front row on the corridor side of the room who made the honors statement.

''No, I'm sure you guys are tired, too.

　It is a fact.
　They are soldiers, they train and exercise from morning to evening, even instructing recruits, and at night they receive officer training.

'Where were we yesterday?'
"Thirty years ago, the upheaval was at an end." (Gawgaw!)
"Get rid of the barbarians." (GAW!)

　White and Hiilo, sitting in the front row by the window, bark at the desk.
　A book is placed open on the desk.
　This book is also a supply. The book, named a notebook, has no writing in it, and the candidates write in the material Arthur has prepared and the content of the class.
　At the military school, they had to memorize the contents of the lessons, but this is an idea unique to the territory of Crono, where paper is a speciality.

''Ah, barbarians, barbarians. The barbarians who invaded the empire during the upheaval are a matriarchal society and have a different culture than the empire.
"Do you not believe in the Six Pillar God?
They believe in the six-colored spirits.

　The answer to Faye's question came from Kane, who was sitting in the last row by the window.

'They seem to think ... that every stone lying around out there has a genie in it.
You know your stuff. They also use a special kind of magic called engraving.
What kind of magic is the Mark of the Transfiguration? Bumpy?

　At the end of the corridor side, the second-in-command ... Mino said.

'Is it close to a tattoo?　Normally you can't see it, but when I use the imprinting technique, a glowing pattern emerges.

　
　It was as if space itself had been torn apart, as if they were carving life into the world.
　I thought it was beautiful.
　Knowing that it was the light that gave him death, Arthur was still struck by the sight.

'Depending on the color of the imprinting technique, different attributes can be manipulated. For example, red would be fire, green would be wind, and black would be a significant enhancement to your physical abilities.
The barbarians, the ones that Master Crono's father chased off to the Areos Mountains, right?
I'm amazed you can get rid of these people.
'Sure, they used different magic than the Empire, but they weren't as numerous. Of course, it wasn't just the difference in military strength, but also the fact that they could only get their sustenance from hunting and looting.

　The Cepheus army required 1,000 grams of wheat, 150 grams of meat and 12 grams of salt per day for each soldier. 5,000 grams of barley, 4,000 grams of hay and 4,000 grams of straw per day for a horse.
　Cepheus' empire hadn't fought in any wars for decades and therefore tended to take provisions lightly, but Arthur's own experience had taught him the importance of provisions.

''You don't need to fight to eat a meal.'' (Bumo~)
Oh, and I thought I was going to die hungry all the way back to the Empire.
Being hungry makes you feel drained... I mean, Master Crono is a weak man, but he was cheering everyone up right up to the end.

　Mino, Deneb, and Alideed said sincerely.

'It was bad enough when the heavy cavalry came around us in the hills, wasn't it?
I'm not to be underestimated, horse.
Well it's not only horses that are to be reckoned with, sir.

　Faye's lips twitched in frustration.

In fact, you can't underestimate the mobility of a horse.
'Oh!　That is, if we archers are on horseback!
'You're super invincible at long range with your horse's maneuverability and long range attacks!

　It's a childlike idea, Arthur said, looking at Deneb and Alideed.
　But the idea of an archer with the mobility of a cavalryman was interesting.

'But is it okay for a sub-human to ride a horse?
I'm sure Crono-sama will take it easy.
We have an extra horse.

　The number of horses in the stables of the Marquis' mansion is thirty, twenty-one of them belong to the cavalry, but the remaining nine horses are in the air.

''That's good. To tell the truth, it's been tougher to make the rounds since we gained territory. The more men who can ride horses, the better.

　Kane agreed with Deneb and Alideed's suggestion.

'Dr. Arthur, please give Master Crono my best wishes!
"Dr. Arthur, I'd like to try my hand at making something alcoholic.

　As an added bonus, Mino also said to Arthur.

"Alcohol?
"With the flaming water that Master Crono made.

　They went off on a tangent, wanting to do this or that, but Arthur didn't interrupt them.
　If they were indulging in chit-chat, but they were serious about it.
　Rather, isn't it my role to make use of their ideas?



　The next day, when Arthur left lunch early to visit his office, Crono was staring at a paper that looked like a report with a difficult look on his face.

'What are you reading, Mr Crono?'
Silva's report. Apparently, we didn't get a good response from the territorial residents to set up the Silva-type multi-storey salt field.

　That may be the case, Arthur nodded.
　The Silva-style three-dimensional salt field is a wonderful invention, but the idea is too new to be accepted by the lords of Count Caddo's territory, I guess.

''If it fails, I think I'll be compensated for it.......but it seems that the Caddo Count territory had never made salt before, so it's difficult to draw a line between where it's a success and where it's a failure.
Yeah, that's a tough one.

　From Arthur's point of view, Crono has a sweet disposition, but he doesn't seem to be naive enough to promise compensation when he doesn't have the numbers to judge success or failure.

''Then why don't you leave it to the lizardmen and minotaurs who are engaged in port building first? I don't like to say it this way, but if they know it's going to be profitable, I'm sure the territorial residents will be willing to help themselves.
I knew it would take some time to catch on.

　Crono let out a sigh and shifted his gaze from the report to Arthur.

'By the way what can I do for you?'
Actually, I'm thinking of creating a new kind of army to maintain the security of the territory.
Is this a new breed of weapon?

　Crono's eyes widened in surprise.
　He had made some minor suggestions in the past, but a new type of soldier seemed to be out of the realm of his imagination.

''It was Deneb-kun and Aridide-kun's idea. An archer with the mobility of a horse I'm going to call it an archer-cavalryman....................

　Arthur said, and Crono crossed his arms thoughtfully.

'Where's Kane?'
Kane, you know I'd have your blessing.
If he agrees, I don't see why I should object.

　Can it be such an easy decision?　And Arthur couldn't hide his confusion at Crono's quick decision.

''Well then, Mino, you want to make alcohol.
Alcohol?　Well, it's relatively easy to make if you boil down wine or beer in a distiller... but are you going to use it as a weapon?

　Crono punctuated his words as if he was thinking on the way out, as if he had an idea.

'Yes, that's not a problem either.'

　To be honest, Arthur was disappointed when the creation of the new breed of soldiers and the refining of alcohol was approved so easily.

''The distillers are in Goldie's workshop, so please use them with caution.
I'll be careful.

　After retiring from his office, Arthur went to the workshop in the garden of the Marquis' mansion.
　Khan, Khan, the sound of hammering.

'Lord Wiseman. What can I do for you?
He asked to borrow my stills to make some alcohol.
'Ooh, a distiller!　I'll bring it to you in a minute!

　As soon as Goldie entered the workshop, he returned with a metal vessel in his arms.

'This is a distiller?'
That's right.

　Arthur held up the distiller he had received from Goldie.
　The teardrop-shaped distiller had a box-like component attached to the tip, with a tube extending downward from it.

'How do I use this?'
If you put the liquor in here and heat it up, the alcohol will come out the end of the tube.

　It heats up ........In other words, you can't use it indoors?
　That said, I'd prefer not to build a fire inside the Marquis' residence.

It's a portable oven.
Oh, hello there.

　The next thing that was handed to me was a cylindrical metal vessel.
　However, it was not a complete tube, as part of the sides had been cut off.

'Here's the frame.
This is all over the place.

　The last thing they gave me was a metal frame to support the distillery.

It was originally used to extract the essential oil used to perfume the soap.
Yeah.

　You make weapons and armor, farming tools, paper, printmaking machines and everything else, Arthur said as he left the workshop.



　After his afternoon class, Arthur was building a fire in the garden of the Marquis' mansion using a portable furnace.
　He poured the liquor he had been given to share from the kitchen into the distillery and sent the wind towards the portable furnace.

'This portable hearth will make it a lot easier for us to build our encampment.
"'Ugh!　Doctor, it's too early today!

　The first to arrive were the sisters Deneb and Alideed.
　They were both covered in dust and smelled somewhat sweaty.

'If you don't mind, I can take your place?'
Yes, please.

　Instead of Leila, who was covered in dust, Arthur stood up and twisted his hips lightly.

'What are you doing, sir?'
"Moonshine?
I was making alcohol.

　Seeing the drips almost dripping from the end of the tube, Arthur hurriedly caught it in his cup.

'Oh!'　That's alcohol!
It burns!　Fire, I'll bring the fire!

　Deneb and Aridid took the cup from him and brought the thin, lit tree branch closer.
　A bobbing blue light came on and quickly disappeared.

'Whoa!　Super neat!
I mean, it's amazing how much water burns!

　With a sideways glance at Deneb and Alideed, Arthur catches the alcohol dripping from the tube with his replacement cup.

''I'm sorry for the delay.'' (Bumo~)

　He was followed by his second in command, Mino, Shiro, Hiilo, Faye and Kane.

"Mmm, we're late.
You can't blame them. It's important to have an officer's education, but it's the end of the world if you neglect your day job. You graduated from a military school and received a knighthood, but you don't have much to learn?
I've never enjoyed military school so much, sir.

　Faye's lips quirked up in a sulk as Kane scratched his head in rebuttal.

'You had an officer's education at the military school, didn't you?'
The lessons are different from here. It was more like a review of the swordsmanship and horsemanship that they had learned. I think they also learned about the consumption of military provisions and military horse fodder, but mainly they learned about the manner of nobility.

　Faye puffed out her chest proudly.

''What do you mean by 'aristocratic savvy'?
'On the battlefield, the nobleman must fight valiantly and stay on the field of battle to the end of his honor!
"'It's a lie!　And it's super false!

　Faye said, and Deneb and Alideed leaned forward and shouted.

'Ugh, it's not a lie!
We got sidelined in a fight last year!
''I mean, he pushed me around on the last battlefield, too!

　Mmmm, Faye was silenced by the two swordsmen.

''Ku, Crono-sama remains,''
No, Master Crono... right?
Yeah, I'll make an exception.

　Deneb and Alideed gesture to move something to the side.

The alcohol is ready.
"Fire, fire, fire, I'm lighting a fire!

　He divides the alcohol in half, places one half on the ground, and passes the other to one of the twin elves.......he can't tell if he's Deneb or Ariddead.......
　When I bring the fire closer, a bobbing blue flame lights up.
　Oh~!　All of them shouted in admiration, "How can you convert it into a weapon?

'How will you convert it into a weapon, sir?
"That's because we'll set it loose and then set it on fire with magic.
'Then why don't you just use witchcraft without making alcohol?'

　'Mmmm,' the three earnest men groaned as they looked down at the pale flame.

''You could use it to replace the oil in the lamp, couldn't you?''
'Why not just throw a lamp wick into a jar filled with alcohol?
How easy is it to break a jar? Bumpy?
But glass bottles are expensive.
'All three of us only think of using it as a weapon.' (Gawgaw)

　White rushed into the three of them as they ignored Kane's suggestion and proceeded with the discussion.

''........Guh!

　It wasn't long after that that I heard a cry of anguish.
　When I turned around, I saw that one half of the twin elves had nearly fallen to the ground.

".......My throat is burning!
What are you doing?

　Leila runs up to one half of the twin elves, who are holding their throats and thrashing about.

'Oh, I drank alcohol and then suddenly I started suffering!
Have you been drinking?
Faye, the art of divine might!
God, we ask for a miracle of detoxification!

　Kane shouted, and Faye held out her hand to the elf holding her throat down.
　Gopo, gopo, and black bubbles spilled and popped from the palm of Faye's hand.

'Nah, it's kind of poisonous that way, too!
That's not very polite!
...something about my stomach and my cheeks are hot.

　Limping, one half of the twin elves lay on the ground.

'Hey, it's not working!
Is this a new kind of poison?
I'm going to die. I'm alive.
For God's sake, we're all alone!

　The twin elves held each other's hands tightly.

''Well I had a rogue life, but meeting Crono-sama saved me a bit?''

　He smiled a transparent smile.

'I guess my regret is that I didn't get to be godfather to Lady Crono and Leila's child. Since they're both children, how about Chlorella?
How's that?　If you ask me... I'd like you to name it something a little more appropriate.
Why, you look so healthy!　Like this greenish!

　The other elf, the one who was safe, stared at Leila with tears in his eyes.

''When I die, you will complete the observation diary of Crono-sama that I am writing...........................proof that I lived.
"Hey, that's a typo in the cover title!　And future generations will remember my name as an idiot!
Hey, switch the cover!

　O~n, O~n, White and Hiilo howled to the heavens.

''Well what are you guys doing?　Even though it's spring, it's still cold at night. Ahhh, it's warm.
What a pacey way to go!

　As soon as Crono left the Marquis' mansion, he warmed himself up with a portable fireplace.

''Master Crono!　This is no time for warmth!
"Deneb wants to meet Aride.　Anyway, I've been drinking a lot of alcohol! (BUMO!)
"He is in pain!　Since it doesn't seem to be dying easily, I'll ask Master Crono to intervene!
Master Crono's arms will only prolong your suffering.

　Crono rolled his eyes in surprise as he received an all-out attack from the four of them.

''What?　Did you drink that much?
Half a cup, Mr. Crono.
That's not going to kill you.
It's not too late to be a relief.

　'It's not comforting,' said Crono, waving his hands from side to side as if in denial.

'Alcohol, in short ... is the intoxicating component of alcohol, you know?　That's right, if you drink too much, you'll die, but half a cup won't kill you.
General, you're not going to die? (Bum?)
It won't kill you. I'll have a drink if you want.

　The air was reassured by Crono's words, and the air relaxed at once.

'Well, seriously, are you sure you're not going to die?　And I don't want to be pocked off tomorrow morning!
So you're not going to die.

　However, the person who drank it seemed to be anxious and stuffed Crono.

'Alideed is a worrier, isn't he?'
I could tell the difference!
Master Crono, you are not to be underestimated!

　The twin elves backed away as if they had been touched by something hot.

'Where's the point of telling them apart? (Bum?)
'Arideed is the one who gets carried away quickly and Deneb is the one who is a little more thoughtful. Is it Arideed who drinks alcohol?　I'm just trying to trick you.

　Mino asked, and Crono cowered his shoulders and said.



　The next day, the training of the bow horsemen began.
　Leila, Deneb, Aridid, Nasr.............................and four other elves and half-elves were chosen as the arch cavalry.
　Kane will be in charge of training the bow cavalry, and in his absence, the Fae will lead the cavalry.
　This was to give Faye some experience from now on, and to prepare for the increase in cavalry.
　After the first day's training, Leila, Deneb, and Alideed looked dirtier than yesterday.

''Seh, my back hurts.''
Huh, my thighs.
....

　Deneb and Alideed were propped up on their desks and complained of pain, and Leila looked somewhat emaciated as well.

''How's the alcohol?''
...We made the weapon with Leila's input, but...
"The jar is unbreakable.
"We are the Fireworkers.

　Mino, White, and Hiilo, whose body hair was scorched, hung their heads helplessly.

'It's going to be years before I'm able to ride and fight on a horse.
'But Leila was able to ride, wasn't she?　Did Master Crono teach you horsemanship privately?
'I understand that Master Crono is not very good at horsemanship.

　He wasn't good at swordplay or sorcery as well as horsemanship, but Arthur kept silent, considering Crono's face.

'We'll just have to sit back and take our time, won't we?
In the meantime, you will think up your archer's tactics.
I'm thinking about it.

　Deneb and Alideed stood up, pulling and shaking, as if in pain.

''The secret technique I opened my eyes to after repeated idle battles with Crono-sama!
You know, Master Crono has a plan.

　Maybe it was Aridid who was high on tension and Deneb who plunged in.

''Secret technique!　Pretend you ran away!
".............................

　Despite being indoors, an icy wind passed by.
　What a very Crono-like strategy.

''First, we will attack the enemy!　And then the enemy will come after us!
Just fight and run!
Run, run and lead them to the ambush point!
We're all going to attack!
What happens if the enemy turns back on the road?
Of course we're going to turn around and put an arrow in his unprotected back!

　When Kane plunged in, Deneb and Alideed said it was obvious.
　It's hell to go forward and hell to go back.
　It's a typical Crono strategy, after all.

"Do this on horseback.
Like we could damage the enemy's army and disrupt the formation at the same time!
...It's not a fair fight, is it?

　Faye muttered, and Deneb and Alideed looked at each other.

'And I can't say cowardice or anything else to survive!
The Cronos aren't going to be happy to see us dead.

　Bash!　And Deneb and Alideed slammed the desk.

'Be prepared to die for Master Crono!
'That's how I'm going to survive!　This is our loyalty!

　Oh!　And all of them, except Deneb and Alideed, clapped their hands in admiration.

'No, if you say you'd die for Lady Crono,'
It's like a shocked Master Crono ran away from me.

　It's a typical response to say that it's typical of Chrono.

*

　When I left class that day, I walked out of the classroom to find Eryl standing there.

'What can I do for you?'
The Marquis of Erakis has asked me to give him a message. Teacher Arthur Wiseman is to report to his office after class.

　When he finished, Eryll turned his back on Arthur as if he was done with his business.
　Arthur hurried to the office, sticking his wand in the air, thinking that since he was calling him to the office at this hour, he must have something urgent to do.
　As he knocked and entered the office, Crono exhaled heavily and looked at Arthur.

'I'm sorry you're so tired,'
I don't mind.

　A silence suddenly descends.
　As I was thinking about that, if it's hard to say, I should cut it out of my end, Crono took out a letter from his desk drawer.

''Actually I have an order, or rather a request, for you to participate in the defeat of the barbarian tribes on the southern frontier.
It's a funny story.

　It is orders that are used to summon soldiers like Crono, not recommendations for voluntary action.

''I also received a letter from Count Ernat......This is something like recommending me for the defeat of the barbarians.

　I see, Arthur agreed.
　
　Well, it may be that the psychology of not wanting to cause a backlash from the new nobles by giving orders to Crono, who suffered heavy losses in the January war, is at work.

''If you don't like it, you can just say no, right?''
'I've thought about that, but I have my father's estate on the southern frontier, and I owe Count Ernat two large debts.

　Apparently, Crono is going to follow his admonition.

How many soldiers are you going to take with you?
''Umm, it doesn't say how many people should come.

　Late April of the imperial calendar four hundred and thirty-one.......Crono went to the battlefield again.