Location: Academy Dorm + Outer Grounds
Date: 785th year, 8th month, 24th day
Weather: Cool air. Light wind. Peaceful.
---
Ward check.
It's standard. Morning routine.
Walk the perimeter. Feel for cracks in the barrier glyphs. Watch for fading resonance lines or new energy signatures.
It's a good excuse to clear my head.
Today, Evelyn followed me.
Not far. Not quiet either — though she thinks she is. Her footsteps are too even.
Too measured.
> "Do you really do this every morning?" she asked.
> "Someone has to."
She stepped over a root, careful not to scuff her shoes.
> "I imagined the Commander role was more... delegation."
> "It is. This isn't about the role."
> "Then what?"
> "Reassurance."
She didn't speak after that.
But she stayed with me the entire walk.
At one point, I caught her scribbling something in that journal of hers when she thought I wasn't looking.
She asked tactical questions — formation placement, glyph theory, reaction speed for inner barrier collapse.
All good questions. Smart ones.
But the way she asked?
She wasn't just trying to learn how I lead.
She wanted to know why I'm the one they follow.
I didn't have an answer for her.
Not one I could explain.
---
Later: The Trap
It started with Riya.
> "Commander, have you ever cooked before?"
I should've said no. Should've deflected.
But I nodded.
Just once.
That's all it took.
Within ten minutes, Leander and Anna had dragged me into the kitchen like I was about to face a culinary duel.
Elric handed me an apron.
> "Let's see if the Commander can cook like he fights. Efficiently."
Alice stood by the door, arms crossed.
> "If he burns anything, I'm erasing it from the report."
They gave me ingredients. Whatever was left in the pantry: chicken, fresh-cut herbs, some seasonal vegetables, and bread that needed saving.
I didn't say anything.
Just moved.
Sliced, seared, flipped. Timed it all in my head.
I've cooked before.
You don't last through campaigns without learning.
No one asked because no one ever thought I'd bother.
When the food hit the table — warm, plated, and fragrant — no one moved.
Riya blinked.
Elric exhaled slowly.
Leander said,
> "Who… what… when did you—who trained you?!"
Anna:
> "Is this a trick? Is this food magic? Is he seducing us through nutrition?!"
Lily took one bite, covered her mouth, and smiled so wide I thought she might actually break into a laugh.
Alice, after two bites:
> "...I'm never letting you stop cooking again."
I just kept eating.
---
Evelyn was last to try it.
She took one quiet bite. Paused. Looked at me for too long.
> "You're not just a tactician."
> "No."
> "You're a strategist... everywhere."
I didn't answer.
But she wasn't wrong.
I don't just lead on the field.
I make sure the people behind me have what they need — even when they don't know they do.
---
That night, Elric leaned against my doorway, sipping his tea.
> "So. When were you planning to tell us you were secretly a five-star chef?"
> "When you stopped burning rice."
> "Hah. So never."
---
They think it's a surprise.
It's not.
Feeding people you care about?
That's just another kind of protection.