The day dawned with a different atmosphere. As soon as I left the mansion, I noticed that there was much more activity than in the previous days. Dragons crossed the skies in their original forms, while others, in their humanoid-dragon forms, walked through the streets carrying boxes, tools, and food. It was evident that news of the Purification of the lands had already spread throughout practically the entire kingdom.
After breakfast, a messenger sent by the Dragon King arrived at the property.
"Lord Takumi, His Majesty requests your presence at the castle."
I nodded.
"Tell the king that we will go immediately."
A few minutes later, Elara, Liriel, Lyannis, Vespera, Scarlett, Rai'kanna, Liriel's assistant, and I headed to the castle. Along the way, we passed several residents who made a point of greeting us. Some thanked Liriel directly. Others praised the work carried out by all of us.
Liriel's assistant looked around with a discreet smile.
"I never imagined that magic could change the life of a people so much."
Liriel calmly replied.
"Magic alone changes nothing. It only creates opportunities. The ones who transform the future are the people."
Those words made everyone remain silent for a few moments.
When we arrived at the castle, we were escorted to the great main hall. The Dragon King was already waiting for us alongside several ministers and advisers.
As soon as we approached, he opened a wide smile.
"Takumi."
"Your Majesty."
"Come."
I walked toward him.
The king looked at everyone present before speaking.
"For countless generations, our people believed that certain regions would never produce life again."
He paused briefly.
"You proved that we were wrong."
The advisers nodded slightly in agreement.
The king continued.
"The purified lands have already begun showing changes that even our scholars cannot fully explain."
I looked at Liriel.
She simply smiled, slightly embarrassed by so much praise.
The king then raised his hand.
Two soldiers entered carrying a large chest reinforced with metal.
When they placed it on the floor, I heard the weight of the coins moving inside.
The king approached the chest.
"As promised."
He slowly opened the lid.
The golden glow of the coins illuminated part of the hall.
"Sixty thousand gold coins."
Even after all the rewards I had already received throughout my journey, that was still an impressive amount.
The king continued.
"This payment represents only a small portion of the value you have brought to our kingdom."
I looked at Liriel again.
Without her magic, none of this would have been possible.
I closed the chest.
"Your Majesty, I accept the reward."
"But I would like to share a large portion of it with Liriel."
Everyone turned their eyes toward her.
Liriel's eyes widened slightly.
"Takumi... you don't have to."
"Yes, I do."
"It was your magic that made this possible."
She shook her head.
"You made this possible too."
"You were the one who believed those lands could still be saved."
I smiled.
"Even so, most of the credit belongs to you."
She remained silent for a few seconds before answering.
"Then do something for me."
"What?"
"Keep this money for me."
I was confused.
"Are you sure?"
She nodded.
"You're much better at managing these things than I am."
"When I actually need it, I know it will be safely kept."
I ended up laughing.
"All right."
"I'll take care of it."
Liriel's assistant watched the conversation with amusement.
"That really suits you two."
Scarlett crossed her arms.
"That was exactly the answer I expected."
Lyannis smiled discreetly.
"She never cared much about wealth."
Vespera added.
"She prefers knowledge."
Rai'kanna looked at the enormous chest.
"Even so... that's still a lot of gold."
The Dragon King gave a small laugh.
"I agree."
"But I consider this payment fair."
Soon afterward, some servants closed the chest again and placed it in a small carriage prepared to transport it to the property.
Meanwhile, we were invited to a lunch hosted by the king.
During the meal, the subjects varied considerably.
We talked about agriculture.
About the changes that would begin taking place in the purified regions.
We also discussed ways to teach the residents how to cultivate new foods.
The advisers asked several questions.
They wanted to understand which seeds would be most suitable for each type of soil.
I explained everything I knew.
Even though I was not a specialist, the experience I had gained managing my own lands helped considerably.
After lunch, we walked through the castle gardens.
The princess was also there.
She chatted animatedly with Elara, Scarlett, and Rai'kanna.
As I watched that scene, I realized that they all seemed to have already formed a certain friendship.
Even Liriel's assistant spoke naturally with her, asking questions about the dragons' customs and traditions.
It was good to see everyone getting along harmoniously.
In the late afternoon, the king spoke to me again.
"Takumi."
"Yes?"
"I hope you come back many more times."
"I will."
"I still want to follow the development of my lands."
He nodded with satisfaction.
"And this kingdom will always have its doors open to you."
I sincerely thanked him.
Before we left, some residents who were near the castle approached to thank us personally.
An elderly farmer held my hands.
"I spent my entire life believing that my children would have to leave this land."
"Now perhaps they can build their future here."
I couldn't find the words to respond immediately.
I simply smiled.
Sometimes a simple gesture said more than any speech.
When the sun began to disappear behind the mountains, we returned to the property, taking the chest containing the reward with us.
As I watched the road through the carriage window, I thought about how many lives had been transformed in just a few days.
The wealth we had received was important.
But much more valuable was knowing that those lands would finally bloom again.
The following morning we would begin preparations to return to the Human Kingdom, but before that, there were still important farewells to be made, especially to the Dragon King and the princess, who wished to meet us one last time before the journey.