Time began to pass differently after the cyclopes' lands started to prosper.
The days stopped being only about training and dangerous missions. Now there was routine. Responsibility. Administration.
And, in a way, that was strange.
I had spent so much time living through one battle after another, wars and constant threats, that I still couldn't fully get used to long periods of peace.
Even so, that calmness was helping me grow in a different way.
That morning, I woke up early again.
The sunlight streamed through the bedroom windows while the cold mountain wind gently swayed the mansion's curtains.
Beside me, Scarlet was still sleeping peacefully while Liriel remained wrapped around my arm. Elara was near the window reading a small book since early morning, as she always did when she woke up before everyone else.
Rai'kanna was sleeping completely covered by the blankets while Lyannis sat quietly near the bed, observing some magical notes.
Vespera wasn't in the room.
She was probably already awake, patrolling the surroundings of the mansion again.
I let out a light sigh before getting up.
"You're up early again," Elara said without taking her eyes off her book.
"Habit."
Scarlet slowly opened her eyes.
"You really don't know how to rest."
"I do rest."
"Training doesn't count as resting."
Liriel let out a sleepy little laugh.
"He probably dreams about training too."
"That would be concerning," Lyannis commented calmly.
I ignored all of them and walked toward the window.
The cyclopes' village was already beginning to stir.
Even from a distance, it was possible to see workers heading toward the fields while small carriages traveled along the roads near the hill.
The difference in the region now was astonishing.
When I first arrived there, everything seemed stagnant.
The fields were weak.
The crops grew slowly.
Even the mana of the land itself felt unbalanced.
Now...
Everything seemed alive.
I lightly tapped the wooden window frame while looking at the green fields below the hill.
Maybe the work was truly paying off.
After breakfast, I went down with the girls to the entrance of the mansion.
The cyclopes' minister was already waiting for us near the carriage.
His name was Dargan.
A tall cyclops, extremely serious and organized, even though at first he had enormous difficulties managing the region's finances.
But over the past few days, he had improved considerably.
"Good morning, Lord Takumi."
"Good morning."
Dargan opened several scrolls as we walked.
"The crops in the northern sector have grown faster than expected."
"Because of the purification."
Liriel smiled discreetly upon hearing that.
"The impure mana has practically disappeared from the entire region."
Lyannis crossed her arms while looking over the documents.
"And the magical concentration of the land has stabilized."
Dargan nodded.
"The farmers have also reported an increase in crop quality."
That was good.
Very good.
Over the last few days, I had been trying to better manage not only the crops, but the entire structure of the village.
Commerce.
Distribution.
Storage.
Contracts.
Transportation routes.
It was much more complicated than it had seemed at first.
Especially because I now owned lands in several different kingdoms.
Humans.
Elves.
Half-dragons.
And now cyclopes.
Each region had different customs, different problems, and different ways of operating.
At first, I thought it would be impossible to manage everything.
But little by little, I began to understand how to deal with it.
Scarlet walked ahead of the carriage, watching the local guards training near the village entrance.
She had been helping a lot with the region's defensive training.
The residents had even begun to respect her almost like a commander.
Elara was already analyzing financial reports again.
Liriel constantly helped with the crops.
Lyannis studied the region's mana.
Rai'kanna assisted workers with heavier labor in the fields whenever she wanted a distraction.
And Vespera...
Well...
Vespera simply disappeared for hours and then returned saying she had eliminated monsters near the village.
Each of them was helping in her own way.
And honestly...
I could no longer imagine traveling alone again.
The entire morning was spent reviewing financial reports.
Some local merchants were still trying to manipulate prices and hide part of their profits.
But now that was becoming more difficult.
Elara quickly noticed several irregularities in the documents.
"Here."
She pointed to one of the scrolls.
"The numbers for this shipment don't match."
Dargan immediately took the reports.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
She turned a few more pages.
"These values were altered."
I observed the documents silently.
There really was a discrepancy.
Small.
But it existed.
"The merchant responsible?"
Dargan answered immediately.
"A man named Velnor."
I sighed lightly.
"Talk to him."
"Understood."
The minister immediately left the room.
Elara rested her face on one hand.
"People always try to make more money when they notice growth."
"You say that like it's normal."
"Because it is."
She slowly closed the documents.
"The more a region grows, the more people appear trying to take advantage of it."
That made sense.
Managing lands wasn't just about improving crops or increasing wealth.
It also meant dealing with human problems.
Greed.
Lies.
Conflicts.
Responsibility.
After lunch, I left the mansion alone for a while.
I walked toward the more distant fields while watching workers spread condensed mana across the land.
The cyclopes' method still impressed me.
They truly treated agriculture almost like magic.
Each field had specific points where mana needed to be released correctly to strengthen plant growth.
If the amount was too small, the crops wouldn't grow properly.
If it was excessive, the roots would die.
It was an extremely delicate balance.
I slowly approached one of the newly planted areas.
Then I knelt beside the soil.
I slowly concentrated mana into my hand before releasing small particles onto the ground.
The plants reacted almost immediately.
The leaves became brighter while the mana spread through the roots.
Interesting.
The Dragon's Breath might help more than I had imagined.
Not because of the fire.
But because of the incredible mana control that power was beginning to require.
"You're overthinking again."
I looked back.
Rai'kanna was walking slowly through the field while carrying several enormous crates as if they weighed nothing.
"Maybe."
She set the crates down near the crops.
"The workers are already starting to talk about you."
"That's usually not a good thing."
"Actually, it is."
She crossed her arms.
"They respect you."
I looked at the fields once again.
It still felt strange hearing that.
Respect.
Trust.
Responsibility.
I never imagined I would end up managing entire regions when I first arrived in that world.
My focus had always been surviving.
Getting stronger.
Protecting the people important to me.
But now...
Things had changed.
A lot.
By the end of the afternoon, we temporarily left the village to visit other regions under my administration.
The journey would be long.
First, we passed through the elven lands.
Unlike the cyclopes' regions, everything there was silent and extremely organized.
The forests remained enormous as always.
The elves had already prepared financial reports before we even arrived.
Lyannis reviewed part of the documents with me as we walked through the local mansion.
"Production increased again."
"How much?"
"Around fifteen percent."
That was excellent.
Trade routes with humans had improved significantly over the past few months.
Then we continued to the human lands.
Vailor remained as busy as ever.
The guild was still crowded, and many people continued to stop and look at our group as we walked through the streets.
Scarlet let out a small sigh.
"I still haven't gotten used to this."
"You should."
"I don't like drawing attention."
Liriel immediately started laughing.
"Says the woman with red hair carrying a giant sword."
Scarlet simply ignored her.
I quickly passed through the human properties, checking reports and inventories before we continued our journey again.
Our next stop was the territory of the half-dragons.
The difference between that region and all the others was still astonishing.
The amount of mana in the environment remained extremely high.
Rai'kanna seemed much more relaxed there.
As we walked along the main roads, several half-dragons respectfully greeted her.
Her influence in that kingdom was enormous.
I silently observed the city's activity as we passed through the markets.
When I first started managing those lands, everything seemed far more complicated.
But now...
Things were finally falling into place.
That night, we returned to the cyclopes' mansion.
The sky was already dark when I climbed to the main balcony atop the hill.
The cold wind slowly crossed the fields while small lights from the village shone below the mountain.
The girls were talking inside while the servants prepared dinner.
But I remained alone for a few minutes, observing everything.
Humans.
Elves.
Half-dragons.
Cyclopes.
Four regions.
Four different responsibilities.
And that was probably only the beginning.
The truth was that my life had changed completely since the beginning of that journey.
It wasn't just about battles anymore.
Now there were people depending on my decisions.
Lands depending on my administration.
Entire regions growing because of my choices.
And honestly...
That was frightening sometimes.
But also...
Strangely rewarding.
I heard footsteps behind me.
Scarlet slowly approached holding two glasses.
She handed one to me without saying anything.
I spent a few seconds looking at the fields again before speaking.
"Do you think I'm doing a good job?"
She looked at me as if the question were absurd.
"Do you really still doubt that?"
"Sometimes."
Scarlet rested her arms on the balcony.
"When I met you, all you thought about was surviving and fighting."
She looked toward the illuminated village below the hill.
"Now look at all this."
I observed the scenery in silence.
The village was alive.
The people were happy.
The crops were growing.
The merchants were arriving.
The lands were prospering.
And for the first time in a very long time...
It felt like I was building something that would last beyond the wars.