A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

They spoke of abstractions about managing the morale of an army, and how that might apply to the management of a populace's morale. For once, Oliver had been more than interested in the studies that had been carried out, testing the various theories.

In the end, none of them had seemed to be a fix-all solution, but all of them had some sort of positive effect in different ways, providing solutions to different problems.

They discussed too problems of logistics, something that Oliver had thought he would find excessively tiresome, but somehow, he found he rather liked it. It was like his mathematics class, only with a reason for carrying out the sums.

They spoke of the importance of supply routes in battle, how the positioning of their own supplies and the enemies might affect their strategies, and so too how it affected the morale of the troops.

It seemed to Oliver, that the more he learned, the more interrelated those seemingly disconnected bits of knowledge became. He felt almost at a point where he was ready to try what he'd learned in the classroom in actual situations that he'd found himself in. The problems of supply hit home even harder than the others, given the trouble they'd had to go to at Fort Dollem to keep their horses safe.

It wasn't only Oliver who was pleased, Volguard seemed pleased also. He was less stern than usual. Oliver almost got the feeling that he was enjoying their discussions, now that he was allowing room for them, making the lessons more into a game of problem-solving, rather than a game of information retention.

And now, Oliver found the rest of the day was his – another gift he had to thank the High King for. There ought to have been more downsides than this to the High King's interference, he thought to himself. At first, the lack of lessons had seemed to be that inconvenience, but now, it proved to be the very opposite.

Not only did he have more free time – time which he desperately needed, given the innumerable problems he had to solve – but he was also learning faster in those one-on-one lessons than he was learning in the classroom.

Of course, there was little chance that Oliver could spend that free time idling. He'd missed the main hour for lunch, given the length of his morning lesson, but even though he'd arrived late, Verdant was still there, waiting for him, as though he'd calculated it all in advance. And, knowing him, he probably had.

The Idris man placed his tray opposite Oliver's just seconds after Oliver had sat down, and he spared him a cautious look, seeming to be inviting disapproval, or at the very least, looking for it.

"It's fine, Verdant," Oliver assured him. "I've need to report to you anyway."

With a small nod of relief, Verdant sat down with him. "Your mood seems good, my Lord. Was Solgrim as good a trip as you imagined it to be?"

"Better," Oliver said firmly. "In many, many ways, better. The people that I've left there have achieved much in my absence."

"Oh?" Verdant said. "Are these people that you would consider working with? I do recall you mentioning a merchant by the name of Greeves."

"Indeed," Oliver said. "Greeves is good at what he does. He's likely one of the slimiest people you'll ever meet, but his knowledge of mechanisms and the petty politics that go along with it is second to none. He crawled his way up from slavehood to his position, and now he has multiple stores in Ernest's better districts."

"Truly?" Verdant said, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "He does sound to be an admirable man… And a dangerous one."

"Dangerous is right," Oliver agreed. "You might not like him. He's definitely an acquired taste, but I believe him to be… useful. I hesitate to say good, but I do think when motivated properly, he can at least be inclined to do some very effective things."

"Undoubtedly," Verdant said. "I will make a note of this man in my mind, and I look forward to meeting him. Is there anyone else I should be aware of?"

"Nila Felder is another. A girl my age. She's frightening with a bow. Even after training it for months, with two blessings on my side, I can't even get close to her level of skill with it. It's unfathomable – and she's a good hunter to go along with it," Oliver said.

"Very admirable," Verdant said. "I'm sure our Lady Blackthorn would be inspired to hear that there was another woman her age so accomplished in the combat realm."

"Whilst she is accomplished in that realm, I doubt she wants anything to do with it anymore, not when she doesn't have to. She's as gifted a hunter as she is with a bow, and she's built a business off it. She has thirty men under her employ," Oliver said.

"Remarkable…" Verdant said. "When on earth did a girl of fifteen manage to do all that? The business side, I mean – that intrigues me even more than her martial skill. I've heard these peasant villagers to be crueller places for women in the marketplace. I find it wonderous that she manages to command enough respect to have so many on her payroll."

"She began it in the few weeks before I left, and now she's grown it into something monstrous since," Oliver said.

"Ahh…" Verdant said, nodding, as though something clicked. "I hope you will not think me to be degrading the worth of the girl when I put it to you like this, but I do believe that the source of at least part of this strangeness might be the inclusion of you yourself, my Lord. Else, it seems hard to believe that so much greatness could be arising out of such a small place, and so suddenly."

"I would dispute that, but you've got that mad look in your eye again, so I doubt you're going to listen to a word I say… Regardless, I think you'll understand when you meet them," Oliver said, before realizing he'd forgotten to have even a mouthful of food. He quickly shovelled in a few, as his hunger egged him on.

It wasn't his most graceful work, but he had another thought on his mind he was in a hurry to get out. Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire