Leo was standing in the classroom. The students seemed tired, but they no longer looked expressionless, bored, or disappointed. They were happy, even if they were exhausted. Garen sat alone with his head resting on his desk. Xylo and Lilian were still chatting, both soaking wet with sweat, and Amy’s head had also dropped onto her desk.

  Leo was also worn out after a full day of teaching. The orange light of the dusk filtered through the windows, casting long shadows across the floor.

  "So, everyone, how was class today?" Leo asked.

  Xylo, Lilian, Amy, and even Garen looked toward him. Garen simply said, "Good."

  Lilian and Xylo jumped up, shouting, "It was amazing!"

  Amy added softly, "A-amazing."

  Leo smiled. "Alright then, class is over. I'll see you all tomorrow."

  He headed for the door while the students went back to chatting—except for Garen. Leo took one last look at them over his shoulder, smiled, and stepped out. The hallway was empty because the other classes were still in session. After a few steps, Leo raised his right hand. The space in front of him disrupted, and a portal leaking purple energy pulled open.

  Without wasting time, he stepped through. A moment later, he was back at the construction site where his empire was being built. As he stepped out, the portal vanished behind him.

  Leo’s eyes widened, and a wide smile spread across his face. The ground where he stood had been recreated with clean bricks. The wild trees were gone, replaced by an organized site. His castle was taking shape; stone blocks and massive log pillars were being set into place, and a boundary for the entrance was already visible in the distance.

  Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice. It was Mira. She was rushing toward him from the left. Leo started to smile, but he quickly realized she wasn't running out of happiness—she looked scared. Noah was right behind her, trying to catch her.

  "Lord Leo, help me! Get this guy away from me!" she cried.

  "Huh?" Leo said. As she reached him, he started to ask, "Hey, wha—"

  She ducked behind him, grabbing his shirt. "Lord Leo, tell Noah to stay away from me!"

  Noah reached them and stopped to catch his breath, clearly exhausted. "Ugh... this girl... really runs fast, doesn't she?"

  "Calm down," Leo said. "What happened?"

  "Lord Leo—" Noah started, but Mira interrupted.

  "Don't listen to him!"

  Leo looked back at her for a second. "Now I'm really interested to hear what he has to say."

  Noah took a breath. "Lord Leo, according to my plan, I wanted to bring in miners to gather the Kryoxite crystals. I know we need more money for the construction, so I decided to get a loan. But Mira is against it. She says we should stop the construction for now and focus entirely on the miners so we can earn our own money first."

  Leo looked at Mira. "Who would you trade the crystals with?"

  "The merchants!" she said. "I'm sure they would love to buy those crystals."

  Leo tapped his chin. "I see. Both plans sound good, but which one does Aurelius agree with?" He turned back to Noah. "And why were you chasing her?"

  Noah sighed. "Well, King Aurelius left yesterday. He said he’s stopping his investment here for a while to let his own treasury refill so he doesn't go bankrupt. And about the chasing... he made a rule that we both have to agree before any big command is given. He wants us to work together, but she won't sign off on my plan!"

  Noah tried to grab Mira’s hand again to get her to stay, but she dodged him and ran a few steps away.

  Leo nodded. 'Both plans have merit,' he thought, 'but Mira’s is definitely safer'.

  "Hey, Mira!" Leo called out. She stopped and looked back. "I think I know whose plan is better, but first, you two need to stop fighting. If you keep arguing, you'll never build anything great."

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Mira and Noah looked at each other and realized he was right. They both nodded. Mira walked back to Noah and mumbled a quiet "Sorry."

  Noah scratched his head. "It’s alright. You actually saved me from a bad decision, too."

  Leo smiled. "Alright. Now, Mira, I need your help. Are you ready?"

  Mira blinked in confusion. "Uhh... okay?"

  Then Leo says "Can you bring me something on which I could make a design of something. Which I'm trying to show you."

  "Ahhh Okay," Mira said. She turned to Noah. "Can you bring me a sheet of paper and a marker?"

  Leo sat down and began to draw. Because Leo wasn't a professional designer, the drawing was a bit rough and messy. It was a design for a gun.The weapon featured a long, heavy barrel mounted on a specific frame called a stock. It had a simple trigger mechanism and a "lock" part on the side to create a spark. It was designed to be held against the shoulder to fire a single projectile over a long distance.

  Mira stared at the messy drawing for a few moments. "Your idea is good, Chief, but the design is a bit harsh. I think I can improve it and add a few things."

  "How long will it take to make?" Leo asked.

  "Normally, at least a week or probably more than that not sure because it's something which I never saw once in my life." she replied.

  "I need it sooner," Leo pressed.

  She shook her head. "I could do it in a week, but it would be risky and I would need Kryoxite for that."

  "Kryoxite? Why use the crystals?" Leo asked.

  "I think using that material would make the weapon much more powerful," Mira answered. "Right, Noah?"

  Noah sat down beside them and looked at the drawing. He nodded. "Yeah, she's right."

  "I see. Then I'll go get the crystals right now," Leo said.

  Mira was shocked. "Why the rush? It can wait until tomorrow."

  "I want it as soon as possible," Leo interrupted.

  "But Lord Leo," Mira said, "this is a huge deal. No one has ever made something like this. We could use it to our advantage."

  Leo stood up. "Do you think anyone can make this without our help?"

  "I’m not sure, but..."

  "If you think it’s useful, then we start making them and selling them," Leo said.

  Mira stood up, looking stressed. "But Lord Leo, that takes time! We don't have enough workers, and we don't even have a way to sell them yet. Plus, we don't have the Kryoxite mined."

  Leo wasn't sure what to say to that, but Noah stood up with a spark in his eye. "Wait, I have an idea! Lord Leo, why don't you wait three weeks?"

  "Even that's not enough time!" Mira argued. "If we do this, I want to do it on a massive scale so no one can catch up to us."

  "It's enough time," Noah insisted. "We have people."

  "What people?" Mira asked.

  Noah ran his hand through his hair. "Just trust me. I'll take you to them."

  Mira thought for a second and sighed. "Alright, fine."

  Noah turned to Leo. "Lord Leo, why is it so important to get this made so fast? This could be our way to stand equal with the big kingdoms."

  Leo narrowed his eyes. "Wait, did Aurelius—"

  "Yes," Noah admitted. "King Aurelius told us the High Court could file a case against us for building a kingdom without permission. And Mira was thinking..."

  Mira stepped up beside Leo. "I thought we should ask for permission, but Aurelius said they would just throw us in jail or demand an amount of money we could never pay."

  Noah looked at Leo seriously. "That’s why we need to ask you some questions. Please be honest. First, why do you want this 'thing' so badly, and where did the idea come from? Second, how did you get this land?"

  Leo sighed. He didn't want to call it a "thing." Gun sounded a bit weird here, too. "Let's call it a Charge Buster," Leo decided. "I need it because I joined the academy as a teacher. I have a student whose skills are perfect for it, so I want to give it to her."

  "You’re a teacher now? Nice," Mira said. "But what are her skills?"

  "She can see fifty kilometers away, and she can craft anything as long as she knows how it’s made."

  Mira stared at him. "And you want to give her a weapon? Are you only thinking about fighting? There are so many other ways to use those skills."

  Leo looked at the sky. "I guess I was."

  Mira and Noah sighed, thinking their future king was a bit too focused on combat.

  "Anyway," Mira said, "her crafting ability could be very useful to us. You know that, right?"

  "I agree," Noah said, "but she's just a student."

  "True," Mira said. She smirked and looked at Leo. "You're her teacher, right? Alright then, stay here. I'll go get some things!" She ran off toward the supply area.

  Noah turned back to Leo. "Lord Leo, what about my other questions?"

  "I can't tell you where the idea came from, Noah," Leo said. A thought came in his mind 'I definitely can't tell them I'm from another world. They'd think I was crazy.'

  Noah nodded. "Fair enough. What about the land?"

  Leo laughed a little. "Well... I just made some friends and decided this place was home."

  Noah’s mouth fell open. "How? This is the center of a dangerous forest, but there isn't a single beast around. How is that possible?"

  Leo giggled as he walked toward where Mira had gone. "You'll find out soon enough."

  "What does that mean, Lord Leo? Tell me!" Noah called out, but Leo just kept walking.