The month passed faster than I expected.
Before I realized it, I was once again sitting in front of a table covered with reports, contracts, and financial records from all the lands under my administration.
Honestly...
If someone had told me months ago that I would spend part of my life organizing taxes, trade routes, and agricultural profits, I probably would have laughed.
But now, it was part of my routine.
And I had to admit it.
It was far more complicated than fighting monsters.
The morning was quiet in the cyclops mansion.
Sunlight streamed through the large office windows while piles of documents remained scattered across the table.
Elara sat beside me organizing reports into different groups.
Lyannis was analyzing some elven trade contracts.
Liriel looked curiously at the numbers without really understanding much of that part.
Scarlet looked completely bored.
And Rai'kanna was simply sleeping on the sofa.
Vespera silently observed everything near the window.
"How can someone look at so many numbers for hours?" Scarlet asked while resting her face on her hand.
"Because those numbers support armies, cities, and kingdoms," Elara replied calmly.
Scarlet let out a defeated sigh.
"I'd rather face a dungeon."
"That explains a lot," Vespera murmured.
I ignored the two of them while continuing to analyze the reports.
The human lands had shown excellent growth that month.
The trade routes between Vailor and the elven regions had increased considerably after the latest road improvements.
Profits from the plantations had also grown.
Meanwhile, the elven lands remained extremely stable.
The elves practically turned organization into an art.
Everything there functioned almost perfectly.
The demi-dragon lands continued producing valuable magical resources in large quantities.
Mana crystals.
Rare herbs.
Materials used in magical weapons.
And now...
The cyclops lands were finally beginning to generate real results.
Dargan entered the room carrying several more scrolls.
"Lord Takumi."
"Finished the calculations?"
"Yes."
He carefully placed the documents on the table.
"The total monthly sum has been completed."
Elara immediately picked up the reports.
Her eyes quickly scanned the numbers.
Then she took a deep breath.
"The total gross value reached fifty thousand gold coins."
Liriel widened her eyes.
"That much?"
"Adding all the lands together," I replied.
Scarlet let out a low whistle.
"That's practically high nobility wealth."
"It actually surpasses several noble families already," Lyannis commented.
I continued looking at the reports in silence.
Fifty thousand gold coins.
It still felt strange thinking about values that absurd.
Especially because much of my life in that world began with trying to survive dangerous missions for just a few coins.
But the final amount wasn't fifty thousand.
Unfortunately.
Elara turned another page of the reports.
"Now comes the unpleasant part."
"Taxes."
She nodded.
Each kingdom collected a different portion depending on the lands, production, and political agreements.
Human Kingdom.
Elven Kingdom.
Demi-Dragon Kingdom.
Cyclops Kingdom.
All of them received part of the profits.
It was inevitable.
After almost an hour reorganizing values and calculating rates, we finally reached the final number.
"Thirty thousand net gold coins," Elara said.
Scarlet crossed her arms.
"So we lost twenty thousand."
"We didn't lose it," Lyannis corrected.
"Taxes maintain political stability."
Scarlet still looked irritated.
"It still hurts hearing that."
I ended up laughing lightly.
In a way, she was right.
Even knowing the political importance of it, watching twenty thousand coins simply disappear was still unpleasant.
But in the end...
Thirty thousand net gold coins was still an absurd fortune.
Dargan looked at the reports almost in disbelief.
"The cyclops lands have never produced this much."
I looked at him.
"How much came specifically from here?"
The minister opened another scroll.
"Ten thousand gross coins."
Liriel immediately smiled.
"So it really worked."
"Yes."
Dargan nodded quickly.
"After kingdom taxes, seven thousand net coins remained."
That truly impressed me.
When I arrived in that region, the crops barely grew properly.
The fields were weakened.
The land's mana seemed contaminated.
And now...
The entire village was prospering.
Liriel crossed her arms with a satisfied smile.
"The purification helped a lot."
"More than a lot," Dargan replied.
"The harvests practically doubled."
Lyannis carefully observed the reports.
"The magical stabilization of the land was the main factor."
Rai'kanna finally opened her eyes slowly on the sofa.
"You talk about money too early."
Scarlet immediately agreed.
"Finally, someone sensible."
I ignored both of them again.
I continued silently observing the numbers.
At first, I saw those lands only as a responsibility.
Now I was beginning to see something different.
Possibility.
Influence.
Growth.
Maybe I really could build something great in that world.
Not just military strength.
But stability.
Prosperous regions.
People living better lives.
It still felt strange thinking that way.
But it felt right.
After finishing the reports, we left the mansion to visit part of the village once again.
The atmosphere of the region was completely different from weeks ago.
The streets had more movement.
New commercial stalls were appearing near the central square.
The villagers seemed much more cheerful.
Even the houses were beginning to receive renovations.
I walked slowly, observing everything in silence.
Some children ran through the square while workers unloaded supply crates near the warehouses.
Scarlet watched the guards training once again.
Elara analyzed commercial activity.
Lyannis seemed focused on sensing the mana in the environment.
Liriel greeted practically every villager who passed by.
Rai'kanna carried enormous sacks of grain as if they weighed nothing.
And Vespera...
Vespera simply watched everything attentively as always.
An elderly man slowly approached me while holding some farming tools.
"Lord Takumi."
"It looks like the harvests are going well."
The man smiled.
"Better than they have in years."
I looked at the fields surrounding the village.
The wind slowly passed through the crops while the region's natural mana circulated in a much more balanced manner.
Things really had changed.
And quickly.
"The villagers are happy," the man continued.
"Before, many people were thinking about abandoning the village."
That surprised me a little.
"Was it really that bad?"
"The fields were dying."
He looked toward the distant crops.
"But now it feels different."
Liriel smiled subtly beside me.
"The land just needed purification."
The man nodded respectfully.
"Whatever it was that you did... it saved this region."
I remained silent for a few seconds.
It was still strange hearing that kind of thing.
Saving people in battle was one thing.
But helping an entire village prosper...
That carried a different weight.
A very different weight.
We continued walking through the region until we reached the main plantations.
Several workers were using condensed mana in the fields while others organized large crates of freshly harvested crops.
I watched the activity for a few seconds before slowly raising my hand.
I carefully concentrated mana.
Heat began to emerge around my fingers.
Small golden flames slowly appeared.
The Dragon's Breath.
The control was becoming much better.
Before, I could barely keep the flames stable.
Now I could already release fire without immediately losing control of my mana.
Lyannis observed attentively.
"Your magical flow is much more balanced."
"I've noticed that too."
The flames slowly circled around my hand before disappearing.
Rai'kanna crossed her arms.
"The draconic power is finally beginning to obey you."
"More or less."
There was still an enormous difference between my current control and the power the Dragon King had demonstrated.
But I was evolving.
Gradually.
And that was what mattered.
By late afternoon, we returned to the mansion.
That night's dinner was much calmer than usual.
Maybe because everyone was tired.
Or maybe because it finally felt like things were going right.
Scarlet talked about the local guards.
Liriel commented on the plantations.
Elara discussed possible future investments.
Lyannis explained complicated magical theories that only she fully understood.
Rai'kanna complained about cyclops food.
And Vespera silently observed everything while drinking calmly.
For the first time in a very long time...
It felt like a normal life.
After dinner, I went alone to the mansion's main balcony.
The night was quiet.
The wind slowly crossed the fields below the hill while small lights illuminated the distant village.
I rested my arms on the wooden railing while looking at the dark sky.
Thirty thousand net gold coins.
Responsibilities spread across four kingdoms.
Growing lands.
Increasing influence.
And at the same time...
I continued training for a war that would probably still come.
Peace existed.
But deep down, I knew.
It wouldn't last forever.
Even so...
Maybe that was exactly why those moments mattered so much.
I heard footsteps behind me.
Elara slowly approached holding two glasses.
She handed one to me without saying anything.
We spent a few seconds silently watching the village.
Then she finally spoke.
"You've changed a lot."
I looked at her.
"Is that good or bad?"
"Good."
She rested her arms on the balcony.
"At the beginning, you only wanted to survive."
I looked once again at the fields below the hill.
Maybe she was right.
At the start, I only ran from battle to battle trying to become stronger.
Now...
I was building something.
Protecting regions.
Making people depend on me.
And honestly...
That scared me more than any monster.
Elara smiled lightly.
"But I think you've finally started to understand the weight of being someone important."
The wind slowly crossed the balcony while small lights shone in the village below the hill.
I continued watching that scenery in silence.
And in that moment, I realized something.
Maybe strength wasn't just about defeating enemies.
Maybe true strength was carrying enormous responsibilities...
And still continuing to move forward.