“I am not sure about the reason, but I am feeling that the speed of mana circulation has increased a lot.”

“It’s already ten days. And you are feeling that now?” The black man couldn’t help but frown. “Your knowledge about the fundamentals of magic is very poor. I still don’t know how you successfully comprehended [Gravity]. Maybe because of the world you are from. The one called ‘earth’.”

Kinoya was shocked. He couldn’t stop himself from asking “How do you know?”

“Why do you think? Who connected your soul to the system? Do you think that was a joke?”

Kinoya sighed, “It was not like I wanted to hide it… But what about the mana circulation? Could you be the reason? You are awake now, so…”

The black man shook his head, “It might be because of her.”

“Her? Who are you pointing at?”

“The one outside.”

“Outside? Iilea?” Kinoya was dumbfounded. “What does she have to do about my body?”

“I am not sure about it, I can’t probe her body either but…” The black man seems hesitant.

“Why are you making riddles?”

“I think, because of her presence, the mana circulation inside your body has increased. And it's not just you.”

“Maybe she has some kind of mana complication inside her body. That could be the reason why she doesn’t give off any aura when awake. Only when she is close to you… I don’t know what is happening inside her body but being close to you is helping her to correct the flow of the mana.”

“So we are compatible?”

“Yes.” He nodded, “And the compatibility between both of you is very high. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been so close to the innate stage of [Magic Perception]. It would have taken ten months, not ten days.”

Kinoya sighed. ‘Now what? She is my ‘Dao Companion’? Dao companion in a magic world?’

“Stop daydreaming, it’s morning. Get out and let me sleep.”

“Why does it feel like I am living inside you, not the other way around.” The black man didn’t even turn to look. So Kinoya woke up from his meditation.

The infrared vision opened up again. It was a lot clearer now. He couldn’t see the face clearly but he could see the position of eyes, nose and everything, still...

‘Why can’t I see her at all?’ All Kinoya could see was the outline of her body. Her body was black, like a void. Her body never reflected any of his mana waves, rather absorbed it all.

‘What are you?’ Kinoya didn’t ask but…

“Why are you looking at me like that?” The question caught him off-guard. However, he didn’t dare to move. “Do you want to do something naughty with me?”

“You-you are awake?” Kinoya had failed to control the shaking of his voice.

“What? You want to do it when I am sleeping?”

“Are you teasing me?” Even though he couldn’t see with his own eyes, he could sense the smile on her face.

“How can I? You are a captain of the great empire's army, and I am just a pro…”

“Can you not carelessly use that word?” Kinoya couldn’t let her complete the words.

“Why? It is the truth. Even if you are afraid of the truth or dislike it, it won’t change.”

“I know.” Kinoya groaned, ‘Why do I have to be compatible with this woman?’

“But, I don’t understand you.”

He could feel she was now staring right at him. Kinoya shook his head and asked, “Understand? Me? What can’t you understand?”

“You hate me. You hate my work. Still, you let me come here. Let me sleep on your lap? Why?”

“What why? I have nothing to do at night.”

“If a man has nothing to do at night and I go to his room, do you think he will let me sleep?”

‘Why? Really why did I let her?’ Kinoya never asked himself the question before. “I don’t know.” That was all he could say.

“Maybe because you can’t see me. No no, you have seen me once. Maybe you are infertile.”

Kinoya couldn’t see her, but her outline was enough. By instinct, he forced her down, “Do you want me to prove it?”

“So, are you not? Alas! You can’t prove it to me”

“Why?” Kinoya wasn’t sure whether he wanted to ask the question or not.

“Because I am.”

“You are…” As soon as he realised the truth he couldn’t complete the sentence. He moved away from her. He sat on the hay bed again, not knowing how to respond. “Don’t you have a single happy thing in your life?”

“Hehe.”Her laughter sounded very loud in his ears, yet it was hollow, “Now I understand.” That was her last words and she had left the tent.

“What did you understand?” Kinoya didn’t know the answer nor she returned to answer him. Somebody else came.

“Captain, are you awake?”

Kinoya came out, “What is it?”

With a bright smile on his face, Palsa greeted him, “Even if you say that you don’t like her, still you spend every night with her.”

“When did I say I don’t like her?” Kinoya couldn’t help but frown.

“So you like her!” His smile had grown bigger, so was Kinoya's frown.

“What are you here for?”

“Captain the base is ready.”

“Let’s go and see.”

The first day after the war went well. But after that, the problems barged in. Food was one of the biggest problems. With the food allocated to his troop, Kinoya was able to elevate the problem for now, but that wasn’t a solution.

With help from the rescued women, they were able to hire some of the able-bodied farmers. After consulting them, they choose to plant some wild vegetables and rice, which could be grown in the winter without much effort.

All 19 of them had to work in the field like slaves for 3 days. Only then they could recover the field, connect the waterway to the river and complete everything.

The corps has already been planted. The quickest one will be grown within a month, and the laziest will need 3 months. So, for the time being, they could stay alive only on ration, small animals and fishes from the river.

The second problem was lodging. Again the women solve the problem. Few masons were recommended. Most of them were now working to build stone houses for the women and soldiers but a few were on the project of creating the dome.

There were only three buildings around the area. Two barns were given to the rescued women. While the main farmhouse area was used to create another house.

“I don’t understand why you want to create a dome?” It was not just Palsa, others were confused too.

Kinoya wanted to make a dome similar to the one where he had trained in the forest near Arviga.

“But the building won’t be stable.” That was what the oldest mason had told him.

With the control over earth elemental, the building was no problem for the old man, but Kinoya was nowhere near his experience. So he had to devise a path.

‘Alas! I was a biologist, not an engineer.’ But three lives worth brain cells weren’t for show.

Under his order, they had started to create a mound made of earth. Now that Kinoya was looking at it, it was now almost 3 meters high at the centre.

Seeing Kinoya, the head mason came running, “Captain, we have already laid the foundation.”

“Up and down?”

“Yes, captain.”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

“But, if we lay the stone on it, it will crumble as soon as we remove the earth.”

During his time here he had looked at many places to solve the problem and the city lord palace was one of them. Fire brick was available in this world, but there was nothing like cement.

“Use fire bricks. And don’t you have something called Surkhi?”

“You mean blood cement?” The head mason was horrified, so was the other mason.

“That is what you call it? Yes, the red one, use it.”

“But it needs blood to mix.” The head mason wasn’t intended to use blood cement.

“Use the cattle, if you need. It won’t make much difference if you use water.”

“But the house will be haunted.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t force you to live in the house.” Kinoya didn’t wait to listen to their complaints, “Palsa, I am going to meet general Akai, you continue your training.”