I woke up early the next day.
The morning light slowly passed through the bedroom curtains while silence still dominated the mansion in Vailor. I remained staring at the ceiling for a few seconds before slowly getting up.
My body still felt the effects of the battle in the dungeon.
But it wasn't ordinary fatigue.
The draconic flames felt different now.
Lighter.
More obedient.
I looked at my hand for a moment, and small red sparks appeared between my fingers before disappearing.
It was still strange getting used to that.
I calmly got up and started getting ready while the rest of the mansion gradually woke up.
When I went down to the main hall, Scarlet was already awake.
She was drinking coffee near the window while observing the city outside.
"You didn't sleep much."
I sat in the chair across from her.
"Neither did you."
Scarlet gave a small smile.
"It's hard to sleep after that dungeon."
Soon afterward, the others began to appear as well.
Liriel looked calm as always.
Elara was still clearly sleepy.
Rai'kanna appeared already fully awake as if she had just finished a training session.
Vespera remained silent as she sat down.
Lyannis carried a small book in her hands even that early in the morning.
I observed all of them for a few seconds.
Even after so many battles, that kind of peaceful morning still seemed rare.
The servants soon began bringing breakfast.
The smell of freshly baked bread spread through the hall as the conversation gradually started.
Elara rested her face on her hand.
"So we're going back to the cyclopes' lands today."
I nodded.
"I want to see how the crops look after the purification."
Lyannis closed the book she had been reading.
"The mana in that soil was deeply contaminated. If it really improved that quickly, then Liriel's magic worked even better than I imagined."
Liriel smiled faintly.
"The land was responding. That helped a lot."
Rai'kanna crossed her arms.
"I also want to see how much that village has changed."
Scarlet finished her coffee before standing up.
"Then let's go."
After breakfast, we began preparing to leave.
The journey to the cyclopes' kingdom was already becoming familiar.
Even so, it was still impossible not to notice how different that territory was from the other kingdoms.
The gigantic mountains.
The enormous structures.
The heavy flow of natural mana spread throughout the environment.
Everything there seemed larger.
Older.
We passed through the main gates during the morning and were quickly greeted by the local guards.
Some already recognized us.
Others merely watched in silence.
We headed directly along the main road toward the lands I managed.
As the carriage advanced, I began noticing something different.
The fields no longer looked as dry as before.
The vegetation was more alive.
Stronger.
Liriel noticed it as well.
"The purification really worked."
Lyannis carefully observed the flow of mana around us.
"The magical density has decreased considerably."
Scarlet rested her arm on the carriage window.
"The environment even feels lighter."
Rai'kanna gave a small smile.
"So our work really paid off."
I continued looking at the fields as we traveled.
When we first arrived in that region, much of the farmland had seemed weak and unstable.
Now it was already different.
There were still problems.
But at last there was progress.
After some more time, we arrived at the village.
As soon as the carriage entered the main road, I immediately noticed the change in the atmosphere.
Before, the village had seemed far too quiet.
Almost lifeless.
Now there was activity.
People walking through the streets.
Workers carrying harvest crates.
Children running near the houses.
The place felt far more alive.
Some residents quickly noticed our arrival.
"Lord Takumi has returned."
"It's them."
"Look, the entire group is here."
The way they looked at us was already different.
Before, there had only been curiosity.
Now there was respect.
The carriage stopped near the central square, and the minister responsible for the lands soon appeared.
The man looked far more energetic than the last time.
As soon as we stepped down from the carriage, he quickly approached.
"Lord Takumi."
I greeted him calmly.
"It looks like things have improved."
The minister immediately smiled.
"They've improved a lot."
That was already visible just by looking around.
Scarlet observed the village while a few children ran across the square.
"Even the activity has increased."
"Yes," the minister replied. "After the crops started recovering, the residents began believing again that these lands still had a future."
Liriel looked toward the distant fields.
"The contaminated mana has practically disappeared."
Lyannis agreed.
"Now the soil is stabilizing naturally."
The minister began accompanying us through the village while explaining the changes that had occurred over the past few days.
"The magical herb crops have started growing again."
"The farmers have finally managed to recover part of the harvest."
"Even merchant traffic has increased."
Elara immediately looked interested.
"Merchants?"
"Yes. Some have already started showing interest in the herbs produced here."
That caught my attention.
The cyclopes' lands truly had potential.
Far more than I had imagined at first.
Especially because of the enormous amount of mana present in that region.
We continued walking while observing the fields near the village.
This time, I could see the results more clearly.
The crops were already greener.
The leaves looked much healthier.
Even the mana in the environment flowed more naturally.
Liriel slowly approached one of the fields and placed her hand on the soil.
A small white light appeared for a few seconds before fading.
She gave a small smile.
"The corruption has been completely removed."
Scarlet crossed her arms.
"So it really was demonic influence."
Lyannis became serious.
"It was probably spread a long time ago."
That made sense.
Perhaps those lands had been suffering silently for years without anyone realizing the true cause.
Rai'kanna looked around at the workers.
"They seem happier."
The minister nodded.
"Before, many residents were thinking about abandoning the village."
He looked at me before continuing.
"Now that's changed."
I continued observing the fields in silence.
Deep down, that feeling was different from battles.
It was strange to realize that we were helping people without having to fight.
Without wars.
Without destruction.
Just rebuilding.
After visiting most of the farmland, we headed to the mansion on the hill.
That place also seemed more alive now.
Servants walked through the garden organizing various things while others maintained the property.
As soon as we entered the mansion, several employees gave small bows.
Most of them were elves hired specifically because the house had been built for races smaller than cyclopes.
Elara walked through the main hall, looking around.
"This place has become really comfortable."
Scarlet threw herself onto one of the sofas.
"Much better than being stuck inside a dungeon."
Vespera remained near the window, looking down at the village below.
Lyannis approached one of the bookshelves where several books had been organized.
Meanwhile, the minister continued explaining the results of the lands.
"Production increased by nearly forty percent in just one week."
That was truly far above expectations.
"Forty?"
He quickly nodded.
"The purification completely accelerated the soil's recovery."
Liriel seemed somewhat surprised as well.
"I didn't expect that much."
The minister opened several reports on the main table.
"The rare magical herbs have started growing again, and the amount of condensed mana required has decreased significantly."
I looked over the documents while Elara analyzed everything alongside me.
She quickly noticed several details.
"The expenses have also decreased."
"Exactly," the minister replied. "Before, we needed absurd amounts of condensed mana just to keep the crops alive."
Now that was beginning to change.
The more the soil recovered, the fewer resources would be necessary.
Scarlet observed the reports from a distance.
"I never imagined managing lands would be this complicated."
Rai'kanna started laughing.
"You only like the battle part."
"Of course."
The atmosphere in the room became lighter once again.
But even while we talked, my attention kept returning to the reports.
The numbers were truly improving quickly.
Faster than I had expected.
Perhaps those lands could really become one of the most valuable regions among everything I managed.
Especially because of their magical production.
After some time, the minister left to organize other village matters while we remained in the mansion.
I decided to walk alone to the main balcony on the hill.
The wind slowly passed over the fields below while the sun began descending toward the horizon.
The view from there was vast.
It was possible to see most of the farmland and even some distant parts of the village.
People continued working normally.
Without fear.
Without despair.
It brought a strange feeling of calm.
Scarlet appeared shortly afterward and stood beside me.
"You're thinking too much again."
I let out a small sigh.
"Maybe."
She looked over the fields.
"But this time it's different."
I looked at her.
"Different how?"
Scarlet took a few seconds before answering.
"You're not thinking about war."
I looked back toward the lands below the hill.
She was right.
For the past several months, everything had revolved around battles.
Surviving.
Getting stronger.
Defeating enemies.
But now...
Now there was something beyond that.
Responsibility.
Building.
The future.
Soon afterward, the others also came out onto the balcony.
Liriel silently watched the sunset.
Elara commented on the increase in trade.
Lyannis continued analyzing the mana of the region.
Rai'kanna talked about training the local guards in the future.
Vespera simply observed everything in silence as always.
And at that moment, I realized something important.
Perhaps this peace was not merely a pause between wars.
Perhaps it was exactly the reason why it was worth continuing to fight.