“I think that’ll be it for today,” Kenneth said, stretching his body before grabbing his coat. “Either of you got any final questions for today?”

  Aloko raised his hand. “Kenneth, not to speak badly about your teaching, but I find it hard to understand much of what you are explaining.”

  “I see,” Kenneth said. “I assume you find it hard to understand because I’m talking about things you have not seen, like hearts or a lung.”

  “I have seen plenty of those… it’s just. I’m not sure how to explain it,” Aloko said, scratching the side of his face.

  “I will be the first to admit that a lack of needed resources has made teaching a bit harder. I do apologize for that, but as it stands, I’m unable to give both of you a proper education,” Kenneth said in his normal and deep voice.

  “Why don’t you talk to Ulric if you are in need of resources?” Kica asked, sounding tired. “The merchants will come any day now. I’m sure if Ulric deems it important enough, he can spare a coin or two.”

  “Does the merchant deal in your people's corpses?” Kenneth asked in such a calm manner that made everyone in the room realize it wasn’t even an attempt at a bad joke.

  Every Aki in the room just sat or stood frozen for a moment, some unsure, some quiet, and others who reached a boiling point.

  “By Akina. What kind of heresy do you speak,” a brown-haired guard said, taking a step forward and putting his hand on his sword hilt.

  “I do not speak any heresy, but only necessity,” Kenneth said calmly. “For someone without the power to heal as Kica can, they need to understand their own bodies and the bodies of others in order to-“

  “I do not care!” The Aki yelled. “To talk so lightly about desecrating of what is so pure. You should be punished!”

  “And you are going to carry out the sentence, I suppose?” Kenneth asked calmly, never showing a hint of fear in his voice.

  The brown-haired Aki then started to growl a little before pulling at his blade a little. ”I just might.”

  “Calm down, Liq,” the Aki beside him said, placing his hand on their stopping them from pulling out their blade. He has yellow fur with black spots all over his body and looks to be 230 cm tall. “Incurring the wrath of Ulric isn’t worth it.”

  “Not over her,” the yellow-haired Aki with brown spots said.

  “Excuse me,” Kenneth said with a raised eyebrow as the dream Kenneth had flashed before him for only a moment. “I might have misheard you, but did you make a mistake when you spoke just now?”

  The yellow-haired Aki with brown spots looked at Kenneth for a moment, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  “To be honest, I don’t have a problem with being mocked, but if you do so, at least have the decency to make it creative or at the very least accurate,” Kenneth said in a disappointing sounding voice hiding his rising anger.

  “I don’t know what you are talking about. I did not mock you in any way,” the yellow-haired Aki with brown spots stated.

  “Oh, I think you know exactly what you said,” Kenneth said calmly, hiding his rising anger as he walked towards the Aki.

  “Kenneth, there is no need for violence,” Aloko said, sounding nervous.

  “Who said anything about violence,” Kenneth responded. “I simply wish for this Aki to admit he was mocking me. Nothing more.”

  “How many times do I need to tell you? I didn’t mock you, but I am now you crazy vixen,” the yellow-haired Aki with brown spots said in a slightly angry tone.

  ‘Vixen. That is the word for a female fox. So he’s calling me a woman… again,’ Kenneth thought rapidly, reaching a boiling point. ‘Not only does that brat call me that but now them. I-I-I should teach them a lesson.’

  Taking another step, Kenneth balled his hand, making a fist.

  “There’s no need for this to get ugly,” Aloko said quickly, standing between the two.

  “Too late. It got ugly the moment she came here,” the yellow-haired Aki with brown spots said, looking directly at Kenneth, making sure that was no mistake to which he was talking too.

  “By Akina, you child,” Kica sighed in a tired and angry voice. “ Keep your mouth shut, Uko.”

  “Listen, I did nothing wrong. It was this vixen who just accused me of something I didn’t do, so if anyone is at fault, here it her,” Uko responded.

  “Uko, you should know better than to use that word,” Aloko said sternly.

  “Or what,” Uko said, getting up in Aloko’s face. “If I want to call her a vixen, I’ll call her a vixen.”

  Kenneth then let out a big sigh before taking a step forward. “Aloko, take a step back.”

  He did as Kenneth asked and got away from Uko.

  “Uko, I do not know why you feel the need to continuously mock me, and while I’m angry you chose to do so, I’m much angrier by the fact you threatened Aloko. My student,” Kenneth said calmly.

  “Do so again, and I’ll make sure the only way you ever eat again is through a straw,” Kenneth threatened.

  “If you want a fight, just give me the excuse, you crazy vixen,” Uko said, getting all up in Kenneth's face.

  “You know I’ve been really patient with you today, but if you want a fight, then just call me a woman. One… more… time,” Kenneth said slowly.

  “Huh?” Uko said, getting a confused expression. “What are you talking about?”

  “Kenneth, why would you be angered by someone calling you a woman?” Aloko carefully asked, making sure not to anger her. “You are wearing blue.”

  “I’ll tell you why. I’m a man,” Kenneth said, sounding a bit angry.

  The room then fell silent as some looked at one another while others looked a bit stunned.

  “But you are wearing blue,” Aloko uttered, surprised.

  “And your fur is red. They are just colors,” Kenneth retorted. “Doesn’t mean a damn thing.”

  Then in the next moment of silence, Liq began to laugh, getting the attention of everyone in the room. “In all my years, I’ve never seen a man dress as a woman.”

  “I recommend you stop that,” Kenneth said coldly.

  “Or what,” the giggling Liq responded. “You are just a coward who doesn’t know how to fight. But then blue fits you very well, then you midget vixen.”

  Kenneth being called a woman again forced the memories, foggy as they were, of last night's events to the surface of his mind.

  Stolen story; please report.

  And so, having reached a boiling point, Kenneth quickly reached and grabbed Liq by his throat, his entire hand easily reaching all the way around. “Should have stopped at midget.”

  Uko, in the next moment, then drew his short sword and as Liq tried to get out of Kenneth’s iron grip.

  “Let him go,” Uko growled as he placed his sword near Kenneth, ready to strike.

  “You do know what will happen, right?” Kenneth asked, taking his eyes off the struggling Liq.

  “I don’t care about Ulric!” Uko yelled. “Let him go now!”

  “I wasn’t talking about Ulric, but if you are going to make such a big deal out of it, then fine,” Kenneth said as he released Liq.

  “You abomination, I’ll have your head for this,” Liq said while having one hand around his throat and the other drawing his sword.

  “Okay, that’s enough!” Aloko yelled once again, standing between the two of them. “ Fighting won’t solve anything. Kenneth’s action might have been a bit much, but his honor was insulted regardless, and he did defend it.”

  Liq seemed to understand and put his sword back in its sheath, growling the entire time.

  However, it wasn’t Liq that felt the most anger at that moment; it was Uko. “That vixens honor. That thing has no honor. It’s only a monster that should be killed. Hey, thing in the name Giga I challenge you to combat.”

  I refuse,” Kenneth said, his back turned to Uko.

  “You refuse,” Uko said with a shocked expression. “I should have expected that. You are nothing but a weakling. I guess the color of a woman fits you well then.”

  Kica eyed Uko with an expression of annoyance before she quickly left the room.

  Kenneth, in response, only sighed before turning around. “Do you know why I refuse to fight you?”

  “Because you are a small fat coward and a weakling,” Uko responded.

  “No. If we were to fight today or tomorrow, I’m honestly not sure I’d be able to hold back,” Kenneth said, taking a step forward toward Uko.

  “Hold back,” Uko laughed.

  “Well, to your kind, I suppose I look weak and fat, but I assure you that if we were to fight and I didn’t hold back. If I let the beast inside me loos, it wouldn’t end well for you,” Kenneth said so calmly yet with an undertone of seriousness that made Uko waver a little.

  “You are only bluffing,” Uko said, his voice having the smallest hint of trepidation.

  “If you believe that to be the truth, then ask me again; maybe I’ll say yes this time,” Kenneth said, getting right up in Uko's face.

  “Kenneth, please cease this madness. There is no need for this,” Aloko said, his voice hinting at desperation.

  “Why not let them,” The third guard in the room said as she smiled, showing off all her pretty and sharp teeth. “It might be entertaining to finally see some blood be spilled.”

  Then in the next moment, the door was forcefully opened, and everyone looked and wondered what had caused it.

  Everyone looked, and they saw the foot of Ulric, which made them all freeze.

  “What is happening in here?” Ulric asked in his booming voice.

  “Nothing at all,” Kenneth answered with a sigh as he grabbed his things and attempted to leave.

  Ulric, however, blocked him with his spear and looked at him for a moment longer than necessary. “That is not what Kica told me. She said you were at one another throats.”

  “Commander, this is nothing more than a misunderstanding,” Uko said, sounding a bit nervous.

  “Yet your sword is unsheathed. EXPLAIN,” Ulric demanded in his booming voice.

  “I-I,” Uko said, not sure how to find the words.

  “As far as I could tell, he viewed me as a threat, and out of fear, he drew his sword,” Kenneth explained.

  Ulric, with a raised eyebrow, looked at Uko. “Is this true?”

  “Not, every… part,” Uko responded, each word taking longer than the last to come out.

  “I’ll only ask once, Kenneth. Did you lie to me?” Ulric asked in a very serious tone.

  Kenneth just looked him straight in the eyes, strangely enough, never feeling fear of any kind. “No. I only said as far as I could tell. If he did not feel fear, then some other emotion perhaps, but as far as I’m concerned, I never told a lie.”

  “Or do you want me to take off my mask and prove it to you?” Kenneth asked.

  “No, that is not needed; instead, I’ll simply get the truth from everyone here,” Ulric explained. “Now I want the truth for everyone.”

  Ulric then went on to ask each one in the room what had happened, never letting more than one person speak at the time, like an angry parent trying to figure out who punched first.

  “So the truth is that Liq wanted to draw his sword and punish Kenneth for talking about dead bodies. Then Uko unknowingly insulted Kenneth.”

  “And when Kenneth wanted him to admit he insulted him, both grew angrier until Uko called him a vixen over and over again until it was revealed he was wearing blue and was not a woman, at which point Liq insulted him further.”

  “It was at that point Kenneth’s honor was again insulted, and he grabbed Liq, and Uko drew his sword,” Ulric explained, looking at everyone.

  “And you challenged him to combat in the name of Giga?” Ulric asked, looking Uko straight in the eyes.

  “Yes, commander, but he refused, like the coward he is,” Uko said in a spiteful tone.

  “Enough of this. I do not care who started this or who did what. All I care about is if something happened, and as far as the truth is concerned, nothing happened but bruised egos and wounded pride,” Ulric stated angrily.

  “So here's what is going to happen. I do not want to hear any rumors about this ever, and if I do, whoever started them won’t get off easy. Next, Uko and Liq, you will keep your mouths shut when you are near Kenneth,” Ulric said in a voice that made everyone know they shouldn’t say anything.

  “And Kenneth,” Ulric said, looking him straight in his eyes. “Next time you attack my subordinate, you’ll lose one of your hands. Does everyone understand?” Ulric asked louder than usual.

  Some nodded, and others said yes, but by the end of it, everyone understood what they needed to do.

  As much as Kenneth might have hated it, he didn’t put his coat on. It was too hot for that, but what was worse than the heat was how he had lost control.

  He felt nothing but shame and somewhat disgust with himself. ‘Would I have said yes if he had asked again? Would I have lost control and killed him?’

  Those questions plagued his mind as he walked home, and again, he noticed everyone staring and whispering amongst themselves, and he didn’t need to hear what they said to know it was about the color of his shirt.

  ‘Perhaps I should just walk around in my undershirt,’ Kenneth pondered, unsure if that was even a good idea. Black was the color of campion; blue was the color of a woman if he understood that right, and who knows what white means.

  It was just those things he thought and felt and endured as he walked home.

  As Kenneth opened the door and walked inside, he was surprised to see Nya already sitting at the living room table with some papers.

  “Well, this is surprising,” Kenneth said, getting Nya’s attention. “I usually arrive home first.”

  “Yes, well, there are only so many times you can go over the outposts budget and make sure everything looks right.

  “You are still doing that?” Kenneth questioned. “Didn’t you do that two days ago as well?”

  “And yesterday,” Nya said, sounding exhausted.

  “How many times can you possibly need to do this?” Kenneth said with a bit of sympathy in his voice from the workload she had.

  “He never changes, it seems. Even when he was at the Kakili outpost, he would always sharpen his own weapon until it was perfect and then a few more times,” Nya said, the corners of her mouth moving up a bit.

  “Well, enough about me. How was your day?” Nya asked.

  “Well, before I answer that, I just need to know one thing,” Kenneth said, pausing for a moment, unsure if he should even ask this. “Do you see me as a woman?”

  The question seemed to confuse Nya for a moment before she giggled a bit.” What a strange joke to tell. Of course, you are a woman.”

  “Because of the blue color?” Kenneth said before taking a seat next to her.

  “Well, that and your nipples,” Nya said.

  Now it was Kenneth’s turn to be confused, but first, he needed to clarify a few things first. “In actuality, I’m a man. Not a woman.”

  Nya looked at him for a moment looking completely stunned. “But you have nipples.”

  “Yes, but so do my kind’s women as well. It's just how we are made,” Kenneth explained.

  “But why are you wearing blue then?” Nya questioned.

  “Well, I like the color, and where I come from, the color is more one for men than women,” Kenneth answered, unsure if his answer was completely correct.

  “I see, so what are you going to do now?” Nya questioned.

  “honestly not sure. It is a pain that people think I’m a woman, so I might need to take off the shirt or get it dyed a different color if that’s even a possibility,” Kenneth pondered.

  “Get it dyed! Are you mad !?” Nya abruptly yelled right next to Kenneth. “Do you know how much it’s worth?”

  “No,” Kenneth answered, confused and a bit shocked.

  “You clearly don’t know what the colors here mean, but let me assure you; it’s more than just what some women wear. It’s what wealthy women wear,” Nya said a bit loudly.

  “Okay, so it’s like a status symbol or something?” Kenneth asked.

  “You can call it that,” Nya answered, this time a bit softer than before. “One time when I was about a year after I came to Kakili outpost, a merchant sold some white cloth that was almost done being dyed entirely blue.”

  “I wanted at least a small piece of it, but the cost was so high I knew that only highborn royals would have the funds to get something like that,” Nya explained.

  “So blue is really that rare here,” Kenneth murmured. “So those that mean the roses I saw in the forest were rare or something.”

  “Roses?” Nya repeated, seemingly not knowing what Kenneth was talking about.

  A few moments went by where neither spoke until Nya’s eyes shot open like she was shocked. She then grabbed Kenneth by his shoulders, reaching across the table. “Have you seen flowers with blue leaves!?”

  “When and where!?” She yelled, shaking Kenneth a little.

  “Uhh… It was the same day we met and before I arrived at the old battlefield,” Kenneth answered, surprised by her sudden outburst.

  “It has only been… that means… yes!” Nya murmured before she almost jumped off her chair and grabbed Kenneth’s hand and tried to drag him somewhere. “Come with me now!”

  A bit confused and having only about three-fourths of the pictures, Kenneth went with her to wherever she wanted him to go.