The days passed in a breeze. Frostina settled into the settlement with surprising ease. She had her own house now, in the residential zone.
I forbade her from shifting into her original form without my permission.
And...
Her early days were full of complaints about everything that slowly turned into curiosity and then into amazement. She stopped complaining and started helping everyone on her own will.
While I, slowly, stopped relying on magic when it wasn't needed.
Favio had insisted on doing manual labor over the ease that magic brought. And I didn't argue about it.
We were gathered shoveling snow away from the paths while the others harvested what they could. The children were playing with the snow nearby. A snowball fight exploded while we were clearing the paths.
Then one hit me.
Then another.
Then some more.
Torra was leading the attack, giggling.
"Aim at Leigh!" He was running with snowballs in hand. I didn't bother looking his way.
But the path was now full of snow again. I stood straight and glared at the children.
"There he goes! The Leigh monster is here!" Torra gathered the others and they all ran away.
They were laughing as they almost stumbled running from me. They already expected me to follow and chase after them.
Which was exactly what I did.
I dropped the shovel and started pretending to be a monster. Torra and the other children had made me softer somewhere along the way.
Maybe because they were too innocent to judge me. Too fearless against my bloodlust. Like my whole existence was just a unique personality to them.
I picked up Maya first and tucked her under my arm like a doll. She laughed.
Jenna stumbled and landed face first into a pile of snow. I picked her up next and tucked her beside Maya.
Rafa was next. I knocked him down by throwing a snowball at him. Not to worry, I made sure it was just enough to make him fall. Not accidentally kill him.
Then I picked him up and dangled him by the collar.
The fourth one, Nico. The kid actually stopped running and gathered as many snowballs as he could and started throwing them at me.
Torra joined in and attacked too. I used the three kids in my hands as shields.
"No! The hostages are getting hit!" Nico exclaimed.
The two remaining kids really committed to their roleplay.
"Nico, abort! Let's run. The monster's closing in." Torra commanded like a little general.
Nico followed and they ran away from me again. I chased them but kept my distance so the game wouldn't end too quickly.
I just chased them around while the other kids in my arms giggled. Enjoying the little ride they had.
The chase only ended when both Nico and Torra got too tired to run anymore.
"We surrender! We can't run anymore." Torra said, already lying flat on the snow.
"A hero shouldn't surrender." I said, glaring down at him.
"But we're tired, Leigh." Nico complained, panting.
"A hero doesn't tire out. A hero never gives up." I said again.
Both Nico and Torra looked at each other. Then nodded.
"We don't want to be heroes. But we want to farm like you, Leigh. Use magic and be super strong." Torra said, mimicking my movements when I did manual labor at the farmlands.
I felt touched. Somehow.
Even if what I did nowadays was nothing but menial work in the fields.
I picked Nico up and tucked him under my other arm, while Torra went into his favorite position. Held by the collar like Rafa.
I carried them all toward the Sequoia tree and gently seated them one by one on the benches.
Celine was making hot tea for everyone. Even the children had gotten used to it.
With them drinking it every day, their bodies were quietly building an immunity to poison without them knowing it. They had already developed some resistance too.
The Glowfruits had been bearing non-stop and had become everyone's go-to dessert for how sweet they were. Even the mother tarantula had been feasting on them before going into hibernation for the winter.
"Brother Leigh, can I have that hot cocoa again?" Torra suddenly spoke up.
He was looking at his hot tea and then looked at me. He still remembered the taste from the palace.
I frowned. If Torra missed it, it only meant he had a good memory of it.
"I'll go buy some now." I said.
I had stopped teleporting away the moment someone wanted something. Elder Elka had told me she was grateful for how quickly I acted whenever someone needed something. But that teleporting here and there would be tiring for me.
That's what she said. She was worried about me. But she also knew I wasn't going to listen. That I'd still do things my way.
Or so I thought.
Their words had slowly changed me without me noticing.
Before teleporting away now, I always asked first. And because they couldn't stop me from going, they made each trip worth it.
"Is there anything else missing?" I looked at Elder Elka as I asked.
"Can you bring some bread again, Leigh? We're running low on breakfast supplies." Celine said as she went through the mental list of what the settlement needed.
"Brother Leigh, can we come with you too?" Torra had already jumped down from the bench.
"No. You come with me every time." I looked around at the other children and some of the adults.
My trips to the other kingdoms had turned into something like a tour. Every time I went to purchase things, there was always a pair who volunteered to come along.
And by now, they had started making a schedule amongst themselves, taking turns to visit the capitals. To get out of the settlement, even if just for one day.
Kalan and Rafa stepped forward this time. This father and son had always been cooped up in the settlement.
"Leigh, can we go with you this time?" Kalan asked, holding Rafa's small hand.
I nodded and they walked close to me.
"Anything else that needs to be purchased?" I asked again.
The settlement didn't really require much anymore. From furniture to fabrics, everything they needed inside their homes I had made through creation magic. Adjusting things every day whenever I found an inconvenience. Tweaking and making things more efficient and convenient.
The settlement had turned into a modern civilization.
What was still missing was food variety. I wasn't complaining about how the residents cooked. But there was still so much food left to taste. If it were just me, I would have gone and found a chef, a pastissier, people who knew how to prepare food well.
But after Oliver and Olivia's case, even if I technically bought them rather than abducted them, the residents weren't comfortable with something like that happening again. Maybe I'd find someone willing to live in the settlement on their own terms.
There was also the matter of protection. I wanted to establish a knighthood for the settlement. Visible knights would add a sense of security. For now though, I'd just purchase what was needed.
"Brother Leigh, me too." Torra moved toward us and clung to my thigh.
"You've already had your turn." I told him coldly.
"No... I want to go too." He pouted outwardly, making no effort to hide it.
Among everyone in the settlement, Torra was the one who could make me do things his way.
And right now, he succeeded again. I picked him up by the collar and let him dangle.
"We're going now."
I teleported us to Amlada's capital. I preferred staying within Amlada's territory rather than venturing into the other kingdoms. Branklore was pushing back now. The illegitimate prince had claimed the throne and been crowned king.
The other kingdoms were in turmoil. And Amlada's stance was to stay neutral, which worked perfectly fine for me.
If Amlada was ever forced into the war, the settlement, despite its isolated and hidden location, wouldn't be entirely safe. Strays would eventually find it. That was what I was trying to avoid.
As we arrived in the dark alley we always used, Rafa and Torra immediately ran ahead of us. Kalan and I followed behind.
Torra had been to the capital more times than anyone else in the settlement. He was practically a regular now and had already started touring Rafa through the stalls he frequented.
Kalan walked beside me, taking everything in slowly. He had been out of the settlement so rarely. Now looking at the bustling market, he was genuinely amazed. Seeing the different faces, the crowd, the sheer number of people moving through one space.
"Leigh, I didn't know there was so much to see in the capital. Is that why the others wanted to take turns coming with you here?" Kalan asked, still looking around.
Seeing him like that made every trip to the capital feel worth my time and mana.