As expected, the crafty colonel spent the day dragging me around nearby villages, proudly demonstrating how "prosperous" the settlements under his control supposedly were.
The problem was that anyone not completely blinded by their own self-importance could immediately tell that the Fire Nation troops here were feared and hated.
The strained smiles and awkward waving beneath the watchful eyes of spear-wielding soldiers in red armor, the exhaustion on people's faces—it looked very much as though the locals had been herded onto the route by force from all across the region just to create the illusion of a happy and flourishing population on the colonel's lands.
The expressions of the Kyoshi warriors accompanying me turned stony, their lips pressed tightly together. They hadn't managed to uncover anything incriminating within the garrison itself, but what they were seeing now clearly disgusted them.
"Hm. I see the lands under your command truly are prospering, Colonel. Quite a pleasant sight, especially compared to what I've encountered elsewhere."
"Oh, you flatter me, Lord Chan! I am merely a loyal servant of the Fire Lord, doing all within my power for the glory of our people."
The pomp dripping from his words was enough to make my teeth ache.
"As are we all. Ah, and what lies farther down that road?" I nodded toward a barely visible trail.
"Nothing important. Farther on stands the half-ruined Northern Air Temple, where some refugees have settled in and are slowly dismantling what remains of the Air Nomads' former home."
"And you're doing nothing about that?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Why would we, my lord?" the officer replied with complete indifference, not a single muscle twitching in his face. "They pay a modest tax, cause no unrest, and anything remotely valuable was removed from the temple a hundred years ago, back at the very start of the war."
Had it not been for my vague memories of canon—and of a certain valuable something that could supposedly be found in the temple—as well as Morishita's hint, thanks to which I remembered there was anything interesting there at all, I might actually have believed him.
"I see. Fair enough. Nevertheless, I would like to inspect the old temple. I'm curious to see how the vanished people once lived."
"As you wish, Herald. I'll give orders for the necessary equipment to be prepared. The temple lies high in the mountains, and crossing the pass and trails without the proper gear can be extremely dangerous," Bohin replied with the same impeccable politeness as before.
And yet, there was once again something in his tone that practically screamed: don't turn your back on him.
Apparently, I'd guessed correctly, and there really was something suspicious going on with the temple. The problem was his wording…
Perhaps it was simply paranoia—the kind I had lovingly cultivated since nearly the beginning of my career. Considering all the disasters and conspiracies I'd already survived, it had long since become professional deformation.
Still, that quiet little voice in the back of my mind kept whispering that by "sending for equipment," the colonel could easily buy himself some time and hurriedly arrange a proper performance for my upcoming visit to the temple.
And as for all that talk about "how dangerous it would be without proper gear"… no, he probably wouldn't outright try to kill me if I headed there immediately from this very spot, but…
The Spirits protect the cautious.
"I understand. In that case, Colonel, please see to all the necessary preparations. Roughly how long will it take to gather everything needed for the expedition?"
"Everything is already in storage, so the messenger should make the round trip in two days. One day to the garrison, one day back."
"And how far is the temple itself from here?" I looked toward the distant snow-covered mountain. It seemed deceptively close, but experience—even from my previous world—had taught me just how misleading distances to something that enormous could really be.
"Only half a day along the trail. If it weren't in such dreadful condition, we wouldn't need any special equipment at all. But alas, the local inhabitants have little interest in clearing a path to a ruin, and the garrison troops are already stretched thin handling their direct responsibilities. Diverting soldiers to clear some useless trail simply isn't practical."
"Of course, I understand completely, and no one could possibly hold that against you. In the end, this is merely a personal whim of mine—a small weakness, if you will." I glanced at the darkening sky. "Hm, it's already getting late. I think it's about time we made camp."
As I said this, I cast a shamelessly lustful glance in Suki's direction.
"Yes, of course," the colonel nodded after following my gaze, then departed to issue orders for the tents to be erected.
***
Same place, somewhat later. Tent.
"You know," the girl whispered to me, "I'm honestly starting to look forward to the moment when your mask of a young rake traveling around with a retinue of lovers, servants, and a 'toy army' finally stops working."
"Mmm? Mask?" My hands settled on the Kyoshi Warrior's lower curves and gave them a light squeeze.
"Chaaaan," Suki said reproachfully.
"Alright, alright. Though really, I'm simply combining business with pleasure. But what exactly bothers you so much about this mask?"
"That people think I'm some pleasure girl!" the warrior hissed. "I'm a fighter fully capable of tying up almost every man here into knots."
"My dear, I know that. You know that. Our people know that too. Why should you care what anyone else thinks? Besides, the path of war is the path of deception. Trick the enemy, confuse them. If you are strong, appear weak. If you are intelligent, appear foolish."
I paused for a moment.
"Though the reverse works too—except nobody in history has ever successfully faked having a brain… ahem."
(End of Chapter)
P@treon: /SadRaven
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