“…You can see them?”
Ethan naturally assumed that these fairies were only visible to Sylvia and Felix.
“…Of course? In fact, they seem even clearer because of this coffee.”
Jeremy looked at him with a puzzled expression, wondering why he would ask such a question.
Not only Ethan, but Felix also seemed a bit surprised.
“What kind of creatures are these?”
Ethan leaned in closer to examine the fairies with a curious expression. Jeremy mumbled beside him.
“Aren’t they beings created along with this mountain? They’re beautiful creatures that match the beauty of the mountain.”
“Hmm, that might be. But their wings are like butterflies, yet their appearance is…”
Sylvia gently placed her hand on the table and pulled the fairies towards her, cupping them in her hands. The fairies quietly accepted her touch.
In fact, they seemed to enjoy being in her embrace, snuggling closer together while still holding onto the sweet potato snacks in their tiny hands.
As Sylvia looked down at the fairies, she almost felt a surge of emotion. She quickly suppressed it with a small cough, which Felix noticed, prompting him to speak naturally.
“What do you plan to do next?”
Ethan and Jeremy hesitated to answer, unsure of what to say.
But they couldn’t ignore a question from the Emperor of Capitis.
“…For now, we plan to explore the newly discovered places. It might be a stretch to call us adventurers, but we do want to report our findings and share them as quickly as possible.”
“I just wish the captain would settle down already. What if he never gets married at this rate?”
Felix then asked them subtly in response to their contrasting answers.
“If you were granted land and asked to settle, could you do it?”
“…Land?”
“Yes. The Empress and I were actually here to scout. We hope many people will settle on my land and live prosperously.”
Ethan and Jeremy were wide-eyed with surprise at the unexpected proposition.
“As you know, our territory suddenly expanded. The land is as beautiful as the places you’ve seen. It would be a waste to leave such land untouched.”
Jeremy suddenly stood up at his words.
“Although I’m originally from the Corpora Empire, the truth is that Corpora is in turmoil right now. Most of the mercenaries who earned their income through dealing with demonic beasts have lost their jobs.”
“But finding other work is nearly impossible.”
Ethan added quietly. He had also tried to find other work, but it was impossible.
Being confined to a city with limited opportunities, the available jobs were already being done by those more skilled.
Not only the mercenaries but also the brokerage offices were going bankrupt one after another.
“I want to settle here!”
Jeremy raised his hand enthusiastically, his voice filled with hope.
“Besides, the thought of settling in such a beautiful and mysterious place makes it even better. And being granted land gives me a sense of responsibility! I must get married!”
Ethan, before Jeremy could make another outburst, grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back into his seat. Then, with a serious expression, he asked Felix,
“However, all of us, my team and I, are originally from Corpora. It wouldn’t be easy for them to adapt to the Capitis Empire.”
Felix nodded solemnly in response to Ethan’s cautious question.
For a long time, everything about him had bothered Sylvia, but now, for the first time, he found something he liked.
“Settle where you wish. If you do, I will grant you that place. If you want to be a farmer, I’ll give you land. If you want to be a fisherman, I’ll give you a boat. I’ll even help with clearing the land. If you want to create a tourist destination, I will give you all the support you need.”
Felix paused for a moment, then continued, his eyes gleaming sharply.
“In return, you must firmly establish Capitis as your homeland and take root here.”
Ethan and Jeremy’s hearts pounded at his words.
Whether it was a side effect of the coffee they had just drunk, or the anticipation of finally having a place to settle after wandering for so long, they couldn’t say for sure.
But one thing was certain—they no longer had to wander.
◆
After deciding to settle, Ethan and Jeremy descended the mountain with Sylvia and Felix.
Unlike their ascent, which had been aided by wind magic, they quickly made their way down.
“Whoa!”
Landing safely on the ground, Jeremy placed a hand over his chest and asked Sylvia,
“Is my heart pounding because I was startled, or is it because of the coffee? Why is it beating so hard?”
Ethan felt the same but pretended otherwise.
They asked the Nakri members waiting at the foot of the mountain about settling down, and they responded similarly to Ethan and Jeremy.
This made one thing clear—the Corpora Empire’s situation was indeed chaotic.
“So, where would you like to settle, Ethan?” Sylvia asked.
He thought seriously about it, as he had liked every place they had seen so far.
But if he had to choose the place he liked the most, it would be the one with the beautiful flowering trees.
“I’d like to settle in the place with the beautiful flowering trees. After seeing so many grotesque monsters for so long, I want to live somewhere surrounded by beauty.”
To fulfill his wish, Sylvia and Felix first headed to the area with the cherry blossoms.
Not far from the autumnal mountain was a plain filled with cherry blossom trees. A small path wound through the vast grassy field, lined on both sides with cherry blossoms.
“Wow…”
The sight was identical to the place where Sylvia had once gone to see cherry blossoms, and she couldn’t take her eyes off it.
Sylvia held Felix’s hand as they walked slowly. He, too, was absorbed in the scenery.
When a strong breeze blew, the pink petals fell like snow.
The two stood in a daze, watching the scene, as the fairies fluttered around them.
The fairies flew towards the falling cherry blossoms, each catching a petal in their tiny hands before returning to Sylvia.
“…Are you giving this to me?”
The seven fairies simultaneously held out the petals. A wide smile spread across Sylvia’s face at the sight.
“Thank you.”
The fairies blushed as if they understood her words and giggled among themselves.
The two of them, along with the fairies, slowly moved forward, enjoying the cherry blossoms before stepping aside.
“It’s a plain, so it would be great to grow wheat or rice here.”
“Indeed. But we’ll need more hands to maintain it. Do you think the Nakri mercenaries alone can manage?”
“Hmm, with about 100 people… it should be enough. Especially since they’re swordsmen and mages, I don’t foresee any problems.”
“I heard that while killing the last of the demonic beasts, Hubert and Dennis collected the essences. They say it amounted to quite a bit.”
Even in the midst of all that chaos, his subordinates had gathered the essences. It was all under Hubert’s command, but still, it was impressive.
When she later asked Hubert about it, he mentioned that he had a feeling these would be the last of the demonic beasts.
The essences they had gathered were all taken to the Corpora Empire before, but even in the midst of everything, they collected them for Capitis.
Essences were incredibly useful. Since they could no longer casually use the jewels created by the Black Dragon’s condensed magic, they planned to use the essences instead.
“We should also retrieve the jewels we planted in the lakeside village. Now that there are no more demonic beasts, it shouldn’t matter if we take them back, right?”
“Then perhaps we should use the essences to create automated mechanisms. If that works, even with a small population, managing the land wouldn’t be too difficult.”
Felix smiled brightly and pulled her into his embrace.
“With you by my side, I feel secure.”
An emperor could not run a country alone. More important than wise vassals was a spouse. He was fully aware of the strength that an empress could provide, and with Sylvia, he felt it even more.
Sylvia stepped out of his embrace and looked over the vast field. Imagining the golden wheat and rice that would fill this place, she began creating fields and paddies.
Near the cherry blossom trees, lush green wheat began to sprout, while in another area, square plots were dug out and water began to collect, preparing the ground for rice.
The rice plants grew rapidly, standing tall and vibrant. The green field, once just grass, began to take on a slightly different shade of green. Felix watched her perform plant magic up close, marveling at the sight.
Having absorbed the Black Dragon’s magic, Sylvia now possessed power equivalent to his, and the surrounding area changed at an astonishing speed.
“Truly, Siri, you are remarkable.”
The fairies, reacting to her magic, fluttered around joyfully.
They touched the newly sprouted wheat, laughing among themselves.
“Ah…”
As Sylvia poured out her magic, a firm hand touched her back. The place within her that was half empty was soon filled with his magic.
“You’ve done well, darling.”
Felix embraced her from behind. Nestled in his arms, Sylvia admired the landscape she had created.
“We’ll need to contact Uncle and ask him to send some people. We should leave the building of homes to experts.”
“Uncle, you say. Heh.”
“Well, it’s true. I might be holding back because of the class system, but it’s still pretty uncomfortable, you know?”
“Hehe…”
“In the world I lived in, you wouldn’t speak casually to your elders.”
As the two playfully bickered, the fairies flitted about energetically, circling around them.
They whispered among themselves.
[He’s right.]
[That’s what they said.]
Their voices were so tiny that the two didn’t hear them, but the fairies’ eyes began to sparkle brightly.
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