The days in that village began to settle into a different rhythm after the first week. When I woke up that morning, sunlight slowly filtered through the bedroom curtains while the cold wind descended from the mountains surrounding the hill. For a few seconds, I simply stared at the ceiling, listening to the peaceful silence of the mansion.
It was strange.
After so many wars, battles, and deaths, that silence felt almost unreal.
I slowly turned my head and saw Scarlet sleeping close to my shoulder. On the other side of the bed, Liriel was still hugging a pillow while Lyannis remained partially covered by the blanket, reading a small magical book despite it being so early.
"Do you ever sleep properly?" I asked.
She slowly raised her eyes.
"Mages rest by studying."
Scarlet let out a quiet laugh without even opening her eyes.
"She actually believes that."
Lyannis closed the book.
"And I'm still alive to this day."
Rai'kanna stretched on the other side of the bed while Vespera was already sitting by the window, observing the scenery outside. Elara was still sleeping peacefully, which was rare considering she was usually one of the first to wake up.
I slowly got up and walked to the balcony.
The village was already waking up.
A few carts traveled along the main road while workers headed toward the fields. The wind carried the scent of damp earth along with the aroma of the recently restored crops.
The mana in the environment remained extremely dense, but now there was something different.
It was cleaner.
More stable.
Liriel appeared beside me shortly afterward.
"The purification really worked."
I looked at the fields again.
"The plants grew far too quickly in just a few days."
"Because that corruption was preventing the land from breathing."
She rested her arms on the balcony.
"There's still residual mana in some areas, but almost everything has returned to normal."
I nodded slowly.
Maybe it really was connected to the Demon King.
The more I saw the condition of lands in different kingdoms, the more that possibility made sense.
A short while later, we went downstairs for breakfast. The elven servants had already prepared the main table in the mansion. Unlike the cyclops structures, this place had proportions closer to those of ordinary humanoid races.
The minister was already waiting for us.
His name was Doran.
A cyclops who was extremely intelligent when it came to administration, even if he was somewhat disorganized in certain financial matters. Even so, over those days I had realized he was genuinely trying to improve.
"Good morning, Lord Takumi."
"Good morning."
He placed a few papers on the table.
"The latest crop shipments arrived during the night."
Elara immediately pulled the reports closer to herself.
"The merchants are still trying to lower the prices."
"Again?" Scarlet asked.
"Yes."
Elara sighed.
"And they still think nobody will notice."
Doran looked a little embarrassed.
"That happened quite often before your arrival, my lord."
I picked up one of the reports.
The numbers really didn't match.
Some merchants were buying crops below their true value using manipulated records.
"We'll deal with that today."
Elara smiled slightly.
"I was already expecting that answer."
After breakfast, we headed into the village together. As we walked through the streets, I noticed that the villagers no longer watched us with suspicion like they had during the first few days.
Now there was respect.
Some even smiled as we passed.
An elderly woman slowly approached carrying a small basket of fruit.
"Lord Takumi."
She handed the basket to me.
"Thank you for helping our lands."
I was silent for a few seconds.
"You don't need to thank me."
She smiled.
"We do."
The woman slowly walked away down the street while Scarlet crossed her arms beside me.
"They really have started trusting you."
I looked at the villagers working once more.
Maybe it was because they were finally seeing results.
The fields were alive again.
We spent most of the morning reorganizing trade agreements. Elara practically took control of the negotiations while Doran watched in amazement.
She could spot financial lies almost immediately.
One merchant tried to lower the value of an entire shipment by claiming the plants were of poor quality.
Elara simply pointed at the reports.
"Lie."
The man froze.
"The plants contain stable condensed mana. Their value has increased by twenty percent since the last harvest."
He tried to argue again.
She didn't even let him.
"And you altered the numbers here."
The merchant was left completely speechless.
Scarlet let out a small laugh behind me.
"He picked the wrong person to try to deceive."
After that, no one else tried to argue about prices.
In the afternoon, I went to the fields with Liriel and Rai'kanna.
The land had truly changed.
The plants were larger, healthier, and the amount of mana surrounding them seemed far more balanced.
I knelt beside one of the fields and touched the soil.
There was still dense mana there.
But now it didn't seem aggressive.
Rai'kanna looked around.
"These lands remind me a little of some demi-dragon regions."
"Because of the mana?"
She nodded.
"But it's different here. The mana feels heavier."
Liriel closed her eyes for a few seconds.
"The corruption has almost completely disappeared."
I looked at the fields again.
Then I concentrated a small amount of my own mana into my hands.
A blue glow slowly began to surround my fingers.
I released the energy into the soil.
Almost immediately, the plants reacted.
The leaves moved gently as the mana spread through the earth.
Liriel looked surprised.
"Your mana is more stable."
"Maybe because of the dragons' blessing."
Rai'kanna crossed her arms.
"You're starting to control the power better."
I remained silent for a few seconds.
She was probably right.
Without even realizing it, my magical control was gradually improving.
When we returned to the mansion in the late afternoon, I found Lyannis sitting in the library studying some ancient scrolls.
"Where did you get those?"
"Doran found them in the village's old archives."
She lifted one of the scrolls.
"There are very old records about the mana of these lands."
I stepped closer.
"And?"
"It seems this region was incredibly fertile hundreds of years ago."
"So the problem appeared later?"
"Probably."
She closed the scroll.
"And coincidentally, corruption appeared during periods linked to demonic activity."
That only reinforced my suspicions further.
The demons had truly affected far more regions of the world than we had imagined.
At the beginning of the night, we decided to have dinner in the outdoor area of the mansion. The sky was clear, and the stars illuminated the entire region surrounding the hill.
The atmosphere was peaceful.
Scarlet was talking with Vespera about training the local guards, while Elara explained some changes to the trade contracts to Doran.
Lyannis continued discussing magic with Rai'kanna.
Liriel simply watched everything in silence with a small smile.
For a few moments, I simply observed the scene.
It was strange how this group had completely changed my life.
Before, I only thought about surviving.
Now I had responsibilities.
Lands.
People depending on me.
And them beside me through everything.
After dinner, I walked alone to the highest part of the hill.
The night wind moved calmly through the fields while the lights of the small village shone in the distance.
I slowly closed my eyes.
Then I concentrated mana into my hands.
A small flame appeared.
Unstable.
Weak.
But unlike the first few days, it didn't disappear immediately.
I watched the fire dancing in the palm of my hand.
The Dragon's Breath was still difficult to control.
But little by little, I was beginning to understand that power.
The flame grew slightly stronger.
Then weakened again.
I slowly opened my eyes.
Maybe I really was becoming stronger.
I heard footsteps behind me.
Scarlet slowly approached.
"You're training again."
"I can't stop thinking about this power."
She looked at the flame in my hand.
"It's more stable."
"A little."
Scarlet stood beside me, looking at the village below.
"These past few days have been good."
I nodded.
"They have."
She smiled slightly.
"It almost feels like peace."
I looked at the fields again.
Maybe that was exactly what it was.
Peace.
Even if it was temporary.
Even if it was quiet.
Even if everything could change again at some point.
Still... those seven days had been real.
And maybe that was exactly why I needed to keep getting stronger.
To protect moments like these.
The flame slowly disappeared from my hand as the cold wind crossed the hill.
Then I took a deep breath and looked up at the starry sky.
"Tomorrow we'll return to Vailor."
Scarlet nodded.
"Time to take another quest."
A small smile appeared on my face.
"We've stayed still for too long."
And that night, for the first time in a very long time, I felt that the future might truly be able to change.