Chapter 144: Knowledge Builds Empires
Two weeks of uninterrupted study passed inside the main residence. Under Kellar’s guidance, the four women mastered the alphabet and basic numbering with astonishing speed. Elia and Liora, demonstrating prodigious memory, learned to draft short sentences and keep accounting records, while Mila and Maya mastered fluent reading and calligraphy on wooden boards.
On the fifteenth day, the first phase of Kellar’s plan was complete.
The sun was beginning to set behind the mountains when the settlement’s large supply warehouse was transformed into an improvised classroom. Long benches of cut wood were lined up in front of four large tanned-hide panels stretched over oak frames, illuminated by torches and stone braziers.
The thirty riflemen of the brigade and the twenty recruits of Mentz’s newly formed police unit entered the room in strict order. Accustomed to Brak’s military discipline, they walked with straight backs, but their faces reflected deep perplexity. In their hands they carried neither muskets nor armor, but small polished wooden boards and sharpened pieces of charcoal.
Kellar stood at the front beside Mila, Maya, Elia, and Liora, watching the fifty men and women filling the room.
"Physical training and wielding steel make you warriors," said Kellar, letting his voice echo firmly over the murmur in the room. "But ignorance makes you cannon fodder. A soldier of the Overlord Tribe who cannot read a written order or interpret a map is incomplete. Starting today, this knowledge is just as mandatory as reloading your muskets."
Kellar pointed to his four consorts.
"They are your instructors," said Kellar, fixing his gaze on the troops. "Anyone who hardens their neck against them or shows disrespect during this class hour will answer directly to me and lose their place in the elite ranks."
"Understood, Great Shaman!" said the group of recruits in unison.
Without wasting time, the troop divided into four groups of twelve people. Mila took command of the first riflemen squad, Maya took the second, while Elia and Liora took charge of the remaining riflemen and the police unit led by Mentz.
At Liora’s table, Mentz held the piece of charcoal with evident awkwardness. His fingers, accustomed to wielding heavy axes and chisels, crushed the tip of the charcoal against the wood on his first attempt.
"Easy, Chief Mentz," said Liora, stepping closer with a patient smile as she handed him a fresh charcoal stick. "Do not try to break the wood. Hold the charcoal gently, as if holding a delicate herb."
Mentz wiped the sweat from his forehead, embarrassed to see the ten women in his police unit writing the letter ’A’ with much greater ease.
"This is harder than forging an iron beam, Lady Liora," said Mentz, adjusting his grip.
"Constant practice overcomes any difficulty," said Elia from the adjacent table, displaying the letters ’A’, ’B’, and ’C’ drawn on her hide panel with clear, thick lines. "Look at the hide screen. Each symbol represents a sound. Repeat after me: A, B, C."
"A! B! C!" said the group of police and riflemen, striving to synchronize their voices as they copied the strokes onto their boards.
At the other end of the room, Mila walked between the seats of the young riflemen, correcting their elbow posture and ensuring no one fell behind. Some of the recruits rescued from slavery looked at the letters on their boards with held-back tears in their eyes; never in their lives had they imagined receiving the opportunity to learn to read and write, a privilege reserved solely for the high nobles of the great cities.
After an hour of intense practice, Kellar raised his hand from the center of the room, bringing the session to a close.
"Enough for today," said Kellar, inspecting the wooden boards the soldiers held up with pride. "Tomorrow at the same time we will continue with the next letters. Remember this: steel conquers territory, but knowledge builds empires."
The recruits gathered their materials with reverence, bowing to Mila, Maya, Elia, and Liora before departing toward the barracks, ready to face the night with their minds and spirits strengthened.
Kellar watched the soldiers and police officers leave the warehouse, listening to the excited chatter of his troops as they headed toward the barracks.
"They are only the first group," said Kellar, turning toward his four women with a satisfied look. "Now comes the true hope of the tribe."
An hour later, the warehouse filled up once more, but this time the room flooded with the lively voices of all the children in the settlement. To guarantee perfect attendance, Kellar had established an strict order: school attendance was not only mandatory, but every family that sent their children would receive a double ration of daily supplies.
Now that everything had settled, each family received resources and could cook in their own huts. However, the communal dining hall was still operational, though it was now seen as a symbol of a lack of effort. Almost no one went there unless it was strictly necessary, and generally only the army recruits, widows, and orphans ate there.
Mila, Maya, Elia, and Liora settled back beside the tanned-hide panels, smiling as they saw the little ones take their seats on the wooden benches with their polished boards and charcoal sticks in hand.
"With the warriors, we secure the present," said Kellar, watching the spark of curiosity in the children’s eyes as Elia traced the first letter on the panel. "But with them, we secure the next hundred years."
As the children finished settling onto the benches, Mila, Meli, Maya, Elia, and Liora watched the scene with a special warmth in their eyes. Almost unconsciously, all five women brought their hands to their bellies, caressing them with tenderness. Teaching the little ones of the tribe made them immediately picture what it would be like when the day came to teach their own children, who were already growing inside them.
Kellar walked to the front of the warehouse. The moment the children noticed his presence, the chatter stopped and the silence took over the room.
"Strive," said Kellar, letting his gaze sweep over each of the young faces. "Everything you desire in this life can be yours, as long as you never give up."