I woke up early again.
The silence of the hill was different from Vailor. There was no constant noise of merchants, carriages, or adventurers walking through the streets at dawn. Everything there felt slower. Calmer.
I opened the bedroom window and looked down at the village. A light mist covered part of the fields, while the first workers began to leave their homes. The cold wind carried the smell of damp earth up to the mansion.
For a few seconds, I just watched the landscape.
It was strange to think that this place was now also part of my responsibilities.
Behind me, I heard light footsteps.
"You're already awake again."
I looked back and saw Liriel calmly approaching.
"You too."
She gave a slight smile.
"The mana here is too strong. Even while sleeping, I could feel it."
I looked back at the fields.
"It really is different."
Liriel stood beside me in silence for a few moments.
"But now it's cleaner."
I nodded slowly. The purification she had done the day before had helped a lot. There were still small impurities spread across the region, but nothing compared to what we had found before.
A short time later, we went down for breakfast.
The girls were already awake. Scarlett seemed energetic early in the morning, Rai'kanna was eating almost twice as much as everyone else, while Lyannis had already opened a book before even finishing the meal.
"You really read even while eating?" Scarlett asked.
"Knowledge doesn't wait."
"Neither does sleep apparently."
Lyannis completely ignored the comment.
Elara was looking at some reports she had received from the mansion staff, while Vespera remained silent near the window, watching the movement of the village.
After the meal, King Gromgar arrived accompanied by some guards.
"Today I will show you the main lands."
We followed him to the fields farther from the village. As we walked, I began to notice more clearly the differences of that region.
The crops were different from those in the human kingdom.
The leaves had darker tones, some fruits glowed slightly due to accumulated mana, and certain plants were abnormally large.
Lyannis immediately crouched near one of them.
"Incredible…"
She gently touched a leaf.
"These plants absorb mana directly from the environment."
The king nodded.
"Without enough mana, they die quickly."
We continued walking until we reached an area where several cyclopean workers were handling large metal containers connected to the ground.
I watched for a few seconds.
"What is that?"
"Condensed mana," Gromgar replied.
One of the workers slowly opened one of the containers, revealing a bright blue energy inside.
Even from a distance, I could feel the absurd density of that mana.
"The soil here needs to be constantly supplied. Without it, the crops don't grow properly."
Lyannis immediately showed interest.
"So you use magical irrigation."
"Exactly."
She looked almost excited.
"That completely changes agricultural functioning."
I watched the workers pouring small amounts of condensed mana near the roots of the crops. As soon as the energy came into contact with the soil, the plants themselves reacted slightly.
Some leaves even moved.
It was almost as if they were breathing.
"Interesting…" I murmured.
Gromgar crossed his arms.
"These lands have always been extremely valuable because of this. Certain plants here don't grow in any other kingdom."
Elara carefully observed all the movement.
"Then trade in the region must be important."
"It was."
The king looked at the fields in silence for a few seconds.
"Before productivity dropped."
Liriel walked to another part of the plantation and slowly closed her eyes.
A faint light appeared in her hand.
"There are still residues."
"Few?" I asked.
"Much less than yesterday."
That was already a good sign.
Scarlett approached some workers who were trying to move huge crates near the main barn.
"You're taking too long."
Before anyone could respond, she simply lifted two crates on her own.
The workers stared at her in silence.
"Is she always like this?" one of them asked.
"Unfortunately," I replied.
Scarlett shot me an irritated look.
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
Rai'kanna started laughing right after.
Meanwhile, Elara continued speaking with some local merchants. She asked specific questions about prices, trade routes, and production amounts.
Vespera, on the other hand, preferred to patrol the village surroundings.
Even in a calm moment, she continued acting like someone ready to eliminate any threat at any time.
Lyannis, however, seemed completely fascinated by the plantations.
"Takumi, come look at this."
I walked over to her near a more distant area.
She pointed at small glowing lines spread across the ground.
"Natural mana flow."
I observed carefully.
There really was energy flowing through the soil.
"These lands are practically alive," she said.
I stayed silent for a few seconds.
Maybe that really was the reason the Demon King had spread corruption there.
Lands like these could generate enormous resources.
We continued exploring the region for most of the morning. Gradually, I began to understand the complexity of the place.
It wasn't just an agricultural village.
It was a territory that depended directly on magic to survive.
Without mana control, everything would collapse.
At noon, we returned to the mansion to rest.
During lunch, Elara opened some financial reports.
"Expenses are higher than I expected."
"Magical cultivation consumes a lot of resources," I explained.
She nodded.
"But if managed correctly, the profit can also be enormous."
Minister Doran immediately agreed.
"The lands have enormous potential. The problem is that the previous administrators didn't understand how the region actually works."
Scarlett rested her face on her hand.
"So basically they left everything messy."
"In summary… yes."
After lunch, I went out again with some of the girls to observe other areas of the village.
The people already seemed a bit less uncomfortable with our presence.
Some Cyclops children even began following us from a distance out of curiosity.
Rai'kanna noticed it quickly.
"They've been staring at us since morning."
"Mostly at you," Vespera said.
"Why?"
"Because you're almost as tall as they are."
Rai'kanna looked offended.
Scarlett immediately started laughing.
As we walked, I noticed many houses needed repairs. Some crops were still partially dried out, and part of the village clearly suffered from lack of resources.
But even so…
The atmosphere didn't feel desperate.
It just felt tired.
As if the region was waiting for someone to solve its problems before it was too late.
Late in the afternoon, I decided to observe the condensed mana system again.
The workers showed in detail how the process worked. The energy was collected from small mineral formations near the mountains, then refined and distributed across the plantations.
"This requires a lot of control," I said.
"Yes," Doran replied. "If the amount is wrong, the crops can die."
Lyannis watched everything with extreme interest.
"Too much mana can cause root overload."
The minister looked surprised.
"Exactly."
She smiled slightly.
"Magic and agriculture aren't that different."
As the sun began to disappear behind the mountains, we finally returned to the mansion.
The cold evening wind began descending the hill, bringing the scent of the fields again.
After dinner, I sat on the balcony watching the village lights.
Scarlett appeared soon after, carrying two drinks.
"You're overthinking."
I took the cup she handed me.
"Maybe."
She leaned on the balcony beside me.
"Are you worried about these lands?"
"A little."
I looked again at the fields below.
"They're different from the others. Everything here depends on mana."
Scarlett was silent for a few seconds.
"But you've solved much worse problems."
I let out a small laugh.
"That's not wrong."
Soon after, the other girls also appeared on the balcony. Rai'kanna complained about the cold, Lyannis kept talking about magical plants, and Elara commented on possible trade improvements.
Liriel simply watched the landscape calmly.
Vespera, as always, remained near the entrance silently observing everything.
As I listened to their voices mixed with the night wind, I realized something I hadn't thought about before.
That village could truly become something much greater.
Much greater than it appeared now.
And perhaps those lands were more valuable than even the Cyclops Kingdom itself imagined.