The Wicked Wendy and the Insecure Sage

Once John confirmed that Steel Bone Armor production could meet its target, he left the weapons testing ground and headed straight for the Governor's Office. Wendy stayed behind, saying she wanted to try the armor herself so she could uncover more potential problems.

John might have believed her if she hadn't looked at the Steel Bone Armor with the excitement of someone who had found a brand-new toy. Still, he didn't refuse. He had seen how hard the Pighead Squad Leader had worked lately. Besides, as one of the finest soldiers in the 303rd Independent Division, she might genuinely provide useful data for future improvements.

After returning to the Governor's Office, John didn't go straight to his office. Instead, he took a detour to the garden beside it. The garden was small, planted by Wendy when she had nothing to do after arriving in Faoken. She had planted whatever struck her fancy, with no plan whatsoever: onions beside roses, garlic beside lavender, and so on.

The Pighead Squad Leader claimed it was "natural pest control." Marda praised it, saying "chaos is a form of spontaneous art." Dr. Caroline, who knew a thing or two about botany, declared that "this planting arrangement defies every botanical principle. It's neither scientific nor attractive."

Later, after clearing the garden and tending it diligently for a while, the Pighead Squad Leader stopped looking after it. Perhaps she had grown busy, or perhaps the novelty had worn off. Somehow, she tricked Meyer into doing the work for free and left all future upkeep to her. The wise Beastfolk Sage had no idea she had been duped. Thanks to the Pighead Squad Leader's persuasion, she had come to regard the garden as her own territory. Nearly every day, as soon as she finished treating people at the