{Emperor’s Diary}
After a month passed since I escaped, I came to a village all ragged. I peddled cheap potions for materials, but I wasn’t the only one I noticed who was like me. Unlike most of the others who used clay to store their potions, I used nut shells. Not normal nut shells, but ones the size of a large clenched fist. Since all living things in this world, save myself, had magic5magicstory mechanic, the principle was to use an organic container. It was hard selling my first one, but after a while, I was quickly sold out, so I then moved on to buy what I desired. I was chased once again, and I evaded my pursuers once again too. It went like this for some time. I would wander aimlessly making potions, then sell them and get chased out for some reason. That is, until one fateful day….
I walked down the trail, looking for the yellow flowers that I normally use for detox potions, when I noticed something in the distance. I hurried down the trail to see a wagon with its wheel knocked off. The load of individuals on it had been attacked. The horse leading it was dead, as the driver was slouched over. There was an arrow in his chest, likely in his heart. There were three others around, and two wore rags like I did. One male and one female. They both had animal ears and a similar tattoo on their chest as mine. The third wasn’t a simple beast man, but a full-on reptilian woman who wore leather plate armor. She was probably a guard. There was a cut over her eye and several arrows in her, including two in her side and one in the arm. I doubt I would find anything of use around there, as this was clearly a bandit raid. No more than two or three enemies probably attacked.
If I had to guess, the man was most likely a slave trader, and he had four slaves to sell with the dragon1dragonspecies girl as his personal guard. I sighed, thinking that she was actually my type, but I wasn’t going to do nasty things to a dead girl of course. I set the two beast people to the side, then I took my shovel to bury them first. It didn’t take long to make a four foot deep hole for them all. I put the lifeless beast people in first because they were lighter, then I moved over to the dragon girl. I took her feet and felt them slightly grip my wrists. I jumped back in surprise, as she moved in pain and groaned lightly. That’s when I started considering my options. If she’s alive, should I heal her? Maybe she’ll reward me? I sighed, before starting to think with my male thing first. I wasn’t the rape type either, as I took her in my arms and dragged her into the woods.
There was a cave close by, so I took us there to take shelter. I then managed to make me a bed and some comforts, then I set up my potion making area. After taking her to the cave, I went back to scavenge from the wagon and finish the burial. The dead driver was heavier than the girl, so I barely got back before dark. Obviously, before I left, I treated her injuries. I put the best medicine I had on her, then I cleaned and bandaged her wounds. Even if I had to see her naked, I didn’t relish in it.
While I was gone, I set some herb and nut stew to boil, and by the time I returned, she was standing upright, looking at my potion station. She wearily turned to me with my only knife in her hand when she saw me. I put down the shovel, then I took off the muddy and bloody hay sack I was wearing, then I moved over to the small pot I use to wash up. I washed myself before putting on my clothing. As my stomach growled, I moved to a box beside the cooking fire to find it empty with the pot. I sighed, disappointed, before going beside the bed and taking the top sheet and laying it on my side. It became obvious to her at this point that I have the slave mark as well, so she started to try to talk to me. I sadly looked away when she did that while thinking. ‘I wish I could talk. I wish I can understand her. Her voice is so pretty.’ I didn’t notice it, but she seemed to blush. However, I did gesture to the bed. She unsurely looked at me, before she sat down to rest. Her injuries are severe, and she needs the bed more than me.
{Narrator}
Jobs remain one of the most important things in history of the empire. As the phrase goes, ‘ye who does not work, does not eat’ applies very well regarding jobs. While the empire rarely has trouble with feeding it’s populace, there have been many cases of starvation throughout its history. To a degree, the empire has been tolerant to the less inclined to work, but everyone still had to do something. From gardening to road maintenance. The empire kept an eye out for people to do as much work as possible. Often times, they fell behind technology in order to keep its people working. The phrase, ‘work smarter, not harder’ is replaced with, ‘I have a job, so I’m happy’.
Many people joined the military reserves because of its benefits; short service times, proper training, and the promise of being well fed. This forced the military to maintain a certain standard, as well as actively do drills and training for such a large number of reserves. This allowed the empire to be one of the least affected nations when the Mad God’s invasion began.
