The morning began quietly in the cyclops village. The wind slowly passed through the fields while a thin mist still covered part of the plantations around the hill. I had already been awake for some time. After training a bit of mana control early on, I went down to the mansion's main hall.
Scarlet was sitting near the window, drinking tea.
"You're up early again."
"I got used to it."
She let out a small smile.
"If you keep this up, you'll end up becoming an old administrator."
"I'd rather that than let everything turn into a mess."
She laughed softly while I picked up some documents that were on the table.
In recent days, I had noticed something very clear. The cyclops lands had enormous potential, but the administration was extremely disorganized. The minister the king assigned to help me seemed competent, but he was carrying years of accumulated problems.
Shortly after, the minister himself appeared.
His name was Dargan.
A tall cyclops, with a thick dark beard and a serious expression. Even though he tried to maintain a firm posture, you could see exhaustion on his face.
"Good morning, Lord Takumi."
"Good morning."
"The reports you requested are ready."
"Great."
I followed him to a smaller room in the mansion that was being used as a temporary office. Elara came right behind, carrying some accounting books. Lyannis also entered, curious about how the finances of that region worked.
As soon as I started looking through the documents, I realized the size of the problem.
The records were incomplete.
Different values appeared on different pages.
Some food shipments had no recorded destination.
Part of the taxes simply disappeared in the middle of the notes.
I stayed silent for a few seconds, looking at everything.
"How long has this been happening?"
Dargan sighed tiredly.
"Years."
"How did no one notice this before?"
"The previous administrator didn't care much about organization."
Elara crossed her arms.
"This isn't normal disorganization. There are merchants stealing money from here."
Dargan lowered his head slightly.
"I suspected that."
I continued calmly looking through the papers.
The lands were producing far less than they should.
Most workers were paid late.
Merchants bought products at far too low prices.
Some caravans took more cargo than they officially paid for.
It was practically continuous waste.
"I understand the problem."
Lyannis brought some documents closer to the table.
"The mana in these lands is very valuable. If production increases, this region could yield more than they imagine."
"I know."
I looked at Dargan again.
"I want all records from the last six months."
He widened his eyes slightly.
"All of them?"
"All of them."
"That will take time."
"Then we start now."
We spent most of the morning organizing documents. Elara helped quickly by doing calculations while Lyannis analyzed commercial contracts. Scarlet came in a few times bringing food and water for everyone.
In the middle of the afternoon, I finally began to see the pattern of the problems.
Three specific merchants were manipulating purchase values.
They were taking advantage of the village's lack of organization to profit from the farmers.
"These three."
I pointed at the names.
"They are stealing."
Dargan stayed silent.
"Are you sure?"
"I am."
Elara immediately confirmed.
"The numbers don't add up. They were buying for less than half the real value."
Scarlet placed her hands on the table.
"So why don't we expel them immediately?"
"Because first we need evidence."
Dargan looked at me with some surprise.
"Do you really intend to solve all of this yourself?"
"These lands are now my responsibility as well."
The minister stayed silent for a few seconds before bowing his head in respect.
That same day, we went to the small commercial center of the village.
The place was simple. A few shops, wooden warehouses, and stalls scattered along the main road. The villagers soon began to watch our arrival.
The three merchants were gathered near a warehouse.
As soon as we approached, one of them forced a smile.
"Lord Takumi. We weren't expecting your visit."
"I imagine."
I looked around the place.
There were stacks of goods with altered symbols. Some grain sacks had recently scratched-off markings.
It was too obvious.
"I want to see the records of the last deliveries."
The man hesitated for a moment.
"Of course."
While he went to fetch the documents, Rai'kanna appeared behind me.
She discreetly looked around.
"They're nervous."
"I noticed."
Vespera appeared shortly after.
"Two men are trying to leave through the back."
Scarlet smiled slightly.
"Want me to go get them?"
"No need to hurt anyone."
"Boring."
A few minutes later, the records arrived.
I compared them with the mansion's papers.
The values were completely different.
Poorly hidden lies.
I closed the documents slowly.
"You have been stealing from this village for years."
The merchant's smile disappeared.
"This is a misunderstanding."
"It's not."
Dargan finally stepped forward.
"According to official records, you have diverted agricultural production resources."
The man began to sweat.
"Everything can be explained."
"Then explain."
He fell silent.
The surrounding villagers began to murmur quietly. Many of them had already suspected this for quite some time.
Elara spoke calmly.
"If you continue lying, we will take this directly to the king of the cyclopes."
That was enough.
The three ended up admitting part of the diversion. They had taken advantage of years of poor administration to enrich themselves using unfair contracts.
By the end of the day, Dargan ordered them all removed from the village's trade negotiations until an official trial.
When we left, the village's atmosphere felt different.
Lighter.
Some villagers began to thank us discreetly.
An elderly woman held my hands.
"Thank you for helping our village."
I was silent for a few seconds.
"I just did what needed to be done."
She smiled.
"Even so."
As we walked back to the mansion, the sun was already setting behind the mountains.
Scarlet put her hands behind her head.
"You're good at this."
"At fighting merchants?"
"At leading."
I looked forward in silence.
Maybe she was right.
Before, I only thought about getting stronger to defeat enemies. But now things were different. There were people depending on my decisions.
The lands.
The villagers.
The girls.
Everything felt bigger than before.
When we returned to the mansion, night had already fully arrived.
The servants quickly prepared dinner. For the first time since we arrived there, the atmosphere was truly peaceful.
Liriel looked happy seeing the villagers starting to improve their lives.
Rai'kanna was talking to Scarlet about training.
Vespera observed everything silently near the window.
Lyannis was already analyzing new ways to improve the plantations using magic.
Elara continued doing calculations even during dinner.
"You're going to end up sleeping on those papers."
She looked at me.
"Someone has to stop you from wasting gold without thinking."
"I don't even spend that much."
Scarlet nearly choked laughing.
After dinner, I went up to the second-floor balcony.
The cold night wind slowly passed through the fields.
The plantations moved gently under the moonlight.
Small lights could be seen scattered across the village. Some houses were still awake.
I heard footsteps behind me.
It was Dargan.
The minister stood beside me, looking at the scenery.
"These lands have never been this organized."
I looked at him in silence.
"You're exaggerating."
"No."
He continued observing the village.
"In just a few days, you did more than many have done in years."
I stayed quiet for a few seconds.
I still had a lot to learn. Administration was completely different from battle. You couldn't solve everything just by using force.
But maybe that was necessary too.
Taking care of people.
Creating stability.
Building something that truly had value.
I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the cold wind.
This phase was different from war.
Quieter.
Calmer.
But somehow… it felt just as important.
And for the first time in a very long time, I felt like I was building something beyond just surviving.