A leader's greatest skill is, of course, selling the dream.
After sketching the grand vision, Idris moved straight to the grind: timetables, unit mergers, command chains for the newly christened Yulin Guard. It would take time, but with the avatar of the Withering gone, Sumeru finally had breathing room.
The Matra and the Forest Rangers wouldn't be folded in—they had work better suited to them.
By the time he finished at the camp, night had already fallen. Idris had barely walked a block down the lamplit street when a lightly dressed girl stopped him.
"Grand Sage Idris…"
"Nilou? What's up?"
He couldn't help smiling. In Sumeru, almost no one could track his movements precisely—except a certain god. If Nilou found him this quickly, Nahida had probably played matchmaker again.
The "Little Auspicious Princess" did seem born to be a go-between.
Nilou's heart leapt when he answered. Even in the dark, the blush on her cheeks shone. "Nothing big… You've been working so hard. Would you have dinner with me?"
"Sure. I'm hungry anyway."
An invitation was an invitation; Idris wasn't the type to refuse. Delighted, Nilou took his hand and led him to a restaurant, where she'd already reserved a table—and even pre-ordered.
"Last time you scolded me for only ordering my favorite desserts," she said, sitting close. "This time I paid attention to what you like."
"I'm not picky," he chuckled. "As long as it isn't too… experimental."
(Sumeru cuisine tended not to go off the rails—unlike certain chefs abroad.)
Nilou ate while sneaking glances at him, waiting for cues. Unfortunately for romance, Idris's head was full of force structure, billets, and training cycles. He was a villain, not a simp; only protagonists got tongue-tied on dates.
With him so composed, Nilou dared go no further than holding hands (and, after a sip of courage, a quick kiss on the cheek). The bigger problem was his kingly aura—even damped down, it made most girls too timid to press forward.
Nilou edged closer, shoulder to shoulder, eating and hoping.
Somewhere unseen, Nahida watched and fretted. I've handed you so many chances—be bold! He's a block of wood! If you don't move soon, I… I might not be able to hold back!
(Kingly aura affects humans. It does not work on gods.)
Idris, meanwhile, treated the evening as a simple meal with a friend—and finished outlining an entire Yulin Guard boot-camp in his head.
So Nilou's carefully staged "first strike" ended in stalemate. She waved as he waved and turned away, then clenched a quiet resolve. He often came down from the Holy Tree to clear his head. She lived in Sumeru City. She had more chances than anyone.
If days couldn't win him, she'd use weeks.
Besides, aside from her, the only girl who saw Idris regularly was Nahida… and surely the princess of wisdom—who kept giving her tips—wouldn't steal a march herself.
—
Nights found Nahida doing more than warming the bed; she'd added "body-pillow" to the service list. Idris never actually hugged her, but every time she lay there her heart pounded fit to burst.
A quiet, peaceful week slipped by. When he wasn't being "invited" to dinner, Idris cleared memorials.
From Kaveh:Grand Sage, I've finished repairing the small cracks on the Mechanicus God. When can—
Idris sent a student to deliver a Return-Life Pill and moved on.
From the Yulin Guard (formerly Corps of Thirty):Grand Sage, unifying units has led to scuffles at night—
…mostly roommates bickering over habits; we can't always stamp it out. The Eremites only listen to you…
Reply:Increase training intensity. Drill until they drop.
If they still had energy to argue, they weren't tired enough. A few laps around Sumeru City cured most problems. If you can shout loudest in a fight, you can shout loudest on parade. Works every time.
Alchemy was on his shadow clones; by yesterday he'd already made good on the promise of thousands of tempering pills. With the Heart of Arraycraft awarded, he'd also set people to cataloging ancient formation sites and surviving schematics. Study material for later.
Not all news was rosy.
From Alchemy Division student Dinazad:Grand Sage, could you look into saboteurs? Other factions' elders are propping up their own pupils to seize influence here and angle for our elder's seat…
Reply:Ignore it. Students forming blocs to vie for a future elder's chair is healthy competition.
If you fear those fossilized elders will try to siphon the Division's profits, don't. If they dare, I'll send them to meet the previous Grand Sages—today.
Meanwhile, the Great Lord Rukkhadevata's rebirth progressed smoothly. When she appeared to claim the Alchemy Division's elder seat in person, Idris almost looked forward to seeing who'd still jump around in front of her.
The last memorial surprised him: a letter written on a leaf.
An invitation—also surprising.
From the Aranara of Vanarana:Um, this is our first time writing to humans, so please forgive mistakes, Grand Sage Idris.
Thank you for dealing with the Withering and for freeing our Lord Little Auspicious… we heard she's a princess now? Also we heard you freed her because you were the one who—locked her up in the first place(this is rude to our benefactor! please ignore that line)
With help from a blond Nara, we've finished preparations for Festival Utsava. Now that our lord is free, we'd like to invite you and Her Highness to attend together.
Idris rapped the desk. "Nahida, take a look."
"What is it?"
Barefoot, she padded over and read, eyes lighting up. "Festival Utsava? Great!"
"An invitation to you is an acknowledgment of you. An invitation to you both is an acknowledgment of you, too," she said, beaming. "Don't mind the wording—the Aranara almost never write, much less… memorials. This is already very respectful. It's a perfect chance. I should see them as well. Let's go together."
Idris nodded. He'd wondered where the Traveler and Paimon had vanished to—rumor said they hadn't left Sumeru yet.
So they've been buried in the Forest Book… Poor kid; ten-plus days for one festival quest. Looks like that commission really is a long one.
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