The days began to follow a steady rhythm. When the sun rose between the peaks of the mountains, everyone was already awake. The routine on that estate was quite different from the one I had followed at the mansion in the Human Kingdom, but little by little I began to enjoy that lifestyle.
After breakfast, I always took a walk around the lands before starting any work. I liked observing how the soil reacted after the Purification performed by Liriel. There were still areas that needed time to fully recover, but much of the estate was already showing clear signs of improvement.
The seeds were still beneath the soil.
There were no sprouts.
Even so, I knew that this process required patience.
As I walked through the fields, Dargon approached with some documents in his hands.
"Good morning, Lord Takumi."
"Good morning."
He opened a small notebook where he recorded everything related to the lands.
"The servants have finished irrigating the western area."
"We also finished fencing off part of the future plantations."
I looked at the map.
"The work is progressing quickly."
"Everyone is highly motivated."
I nodded in satisfaction.
It was good to see that the servants were truly dedicated.
I spent part of the morning helping organize some tools and overseeing small repairs near the mansion. After that, I once again helped the women irrigate the plantations.
Scarlett carried large barrels of water without showing any difficulty.
Rai'kanna helped the servants reinforce some wooden fences.
Elara and Lyannis checked the seeds that had been planted several days earlier.
Vespera organized the storage rooms.
Liriel constantly analyzed the flow of mana throughout the lands while her assistant recorded every change she observed.
She seemed increasingly interested in that work.
At one point, she approached me.
"Lord Takumi."
"Yes?"
"May I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"When all of this starts producing food..."
She looked at the fields.
"...what do you intend to do?"
I thought for a few seconds.
"First, I want to make sure that the people here have enough food."
"Then I intend to send part of the production to other kingdoms."
She smiled.
"Then these lands will be able to help many people."
"That is the goal."
She seemed quite pleased with my answer.
When we finished the work that morning, I decided to train again before lunch.
This time, I did not climb up to the mountain.
I preferred to use an open area near the river.
The concentration of mana there was also high.
I spent some time practicing magical control while Scarlett and Rai'kanna trained in combat.
The others also took advantage of that moment to improve their own abilities.
The routine was beginning to produce results.
Everyone was improving little by little.
The next day, I had to temporarily return to the Human Kingdom.
Some simple quests had appeared at the Adventurers' Guild, and I thought it was important to continue maintaining my position as an active adventurer.
I traveled early in the morning by carriage.
Scarlett decided to accompany me.
The others remained behind, taking care of the lands together with Liriel.
We arrived at the Guild still in the morning.
I greeted some adventurers I knew and accepted two simple quests.
The first consisted of eliminating some magical wolves that were attacking travelers near a trade road.
The second was simply to escort a small caravan for part of the journey.
Nothing too complicated.
We completed both before the end of the afternoon.
I received the reward normally.
Before returning to the Dragon Kingdom, I took the opportunity to buy some farming tools that could make the work on the estate easier.
I also purchased new seeds.
When we returned, it was already night.
The women were waiting for us at the mansion.
As soon as I entered, Liriel's assistant came running.
"Did you manage to complete everything?"
"Yes."
She smiled.
"While you were away, the first sprouts appeared."
I immediately looked at Liriel.
"Really?"
She confirmed.
"Only a few."
"But that's an excellent sign."
I quickly left the mansion.
Even with little light, I could see small green leaves emerging from some of the planting beds.
I smiled in satisfaction.
The cultivation was really working.
Over the following days, we continued working normally.
The sprouts increased in number.
The fruit trees were also beginning to adapt to the soil.
The routine remained practically the same.
In the mornings, we took care of the lands.
In the afternoons, we trained.
On some days, I would quickly return to the Human Kingdom to complete small quests at the Guild.
Then I would immediately return to the Dragon Kingdom.
The journey had already become routine.
As the weeks passed, the servants began working in an increasingly organized manner.
Dargon managed everything efficiently.
I simply oversaw the most important decisions.
The princess also visited a few times during this period.
We always talked for a while whenever she visited the estate.
Sometimes we walked through the fields.
On other occasions, we simply drank tea on the mansion's balcony while watching the workers.
She seemed happy to see the changes taking place.
During one of these visits, she commented.
"I never imagined I would see such beautiful plantations growing on these lands."
I smiled.
"It's only the beginning."
"Even so..."
She looked around.
"...it already seems like another place."
I agreed.
The transformation really was impressive.
When the visit ended, she returned to the castle, promising to come back soon.
A few more days passed.
The plantations continued to grow.
So did our training.
My control over mana had improved considerably since I arrived in the Dragon Kingdom.
The women were also showing steady improvement.
That night, I sat alone on the mansion's balcony, watching the sky.
The mountain wind blew peacefully.
I looked at the fields again.
The small plantations swayed gently.
It had been almost a month since our arrival.
The daily work was finally beginning to show concrete results.
As I watched that scene, I had the feeling that we were very close to harvesting the first fruits of all the effort dedicated to those lands.