The journey back to the Human Kingdom went by without any major events. After spending so much time among the mountains of the Dragon Kingdom, it was strange to travel along familiar roads again. As the carriage continued on its way, I looked through the window at the forests, fields, and small villages that appeared along the route. Everything seemed exactly as I had left it, but I had the feeling that I had changed during that month.
Not only because of the lands I now managed.
I carried much greater responsibilities than before.
Elara noticed that I had remained silent for quite some time.
"Are you thinking about the lands?"
I looked at her and smiled.
"A little."
"And also about everything that still lies ahead of us."
She immediately understood.
There was no need to mention the Demon King.
Everyone knew that he had occupied my thoughts ever since that dream.
Scarlett stretched her arms inside the carriage.
"At least we'll be returning to more comfortable beds."
Lyannis laughed softly.
"You only think about resting."
"I've been thinking about resting for an entire month."
The answer made everyone laugh.
Even Vespera, who was usually more reserved, let out a small smile.
Liriel's assistant watched the conversation curiously.
"You really seem like a family."
Liriel answered before anyone else could speak.
"I think we already are."
No one disagreed.
The rest of the journey passed peacefully.
In the late afternoon, we finally saw the capital's walls.
It was good to be back.
The guards immediately recognized our carriage and opened the gates without delay.
Some soldiers made a point of greeting us.
"Welcome back, Lord Takumi."
"Thank you."
We headed directly to the mansion.
As soon as the gates were opened, several servants came out to welcome us.
The butler was the first to approach.
"Welcome back, my lord."
"It's good to be home."
The other servants quickly began removing the luggage from the carriage.
Others led the horses to the stables.
I watched each of them working diligently.
Even during our absence, they had taken perfect care of the property.
We entered the mansion.
Everything was exactly as I remembered.
The clean corridors.
The organized furniture.
The garden visible through the windows was still very well maintained.
It was evident that everyone had performed their duties excellently.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"You all did an excellent job."
The servants thanked me with a slight bow.
After going up to my room, I placed some of the luggage on the bed.
The fatigue from the journey finally began to set in.
I sat down for a few moments just to rest.
Scarlett entered shortly afterward.
"Are you going to sleep now?"
I shook my head.
"First, I need to take care of something."
She looked curious.
"The gold?"
I nodded.
"I don't want to leave it in the carriage for another hour."
We went back down to the courtyard.
The large chest received in the Dragon Kingdom was still carefully secured to the back of the carriage.
With the help of some servants, we carried the chest to the room where my safe was located.
I opened the heavy metal door.
As soon as I placed the new coins beside the others, I realized how much my wealth had increased since I began my journey.
I stood there for a few seconds, looking at that enormous amount of gold.
Scarlett approached.
"You've already lost count, haven't you?"
I laughed.
"A long time ago."
Liriel also entered the room.
She quickly looked inside the safe.
"It still feels strange to see so much money gathered together."
"A good portion of this is yours too."
She smiled.
"We've already talked about this."
"As long as it's safe here, that's fine."
I carefully closed the safe.
The sound of the lock echoed through the room.
"At least now I can relax."
After storing the gold, we walked back to the main room.
The others were already talking while drinking tea.
Elara was asking Liriel's assistant questions about some magical studies conducted during the journey.
Lyannis was organizing some documents that had arrived while we were away.
Vespera was checking a small list of supplies.
Rai'kanna was curiously observing some flowers in the garden through the window.
It was a simple scene.
But it conveyed peace.
I sat beside them.
"Did you miss the mansion?"
Scarlett answered first.
"I admit I did."
"Traveling is good."
"But coming home is good too."
Everyone agreed.
We talked for quite some time about everything that had happened in the Dragon Kingdom.
We remembered funny situations.
The difficulties of planting.
The king's reaction when he saw the transformed lands.
And also his insistence on talking about marriage.
Scarlett looked at me with an amused smile.
"I don't think he'll give up anytime soon."
"I have the same impression."
Liriel's assistant began to laugh.
"He practically already considers you part of the family."
I shook my head, not really knowing what to say.
When night fell, I decided to take a short walk through the mansion's gardens.
The silence there was completely different from that of the mountains.
I looked at the starry sky.
Despite the tranquility of that moment, I couldn't completely forget the words of the Demon King.
Something was happening in the north.
And sooner or later, we would discover what it was.
I went back inside the house.
Before going upstairs to rest, I gathered all the servants at the main entrance.
I looked at each of them.
"I want to thank you for taking such good care of this mansion throughout this entire month."
The butler answered on behalf of everyone.
"It was an honor, my lord."
I smiled in satisfaction.
"Even so, tomorrow I will make sure to thank you in the way you deserve."
The servants exchanged curious glances, not exactly understanding what I meant.
I simply smiled.
I had already made my decision.
After everything they had done during our absence, it was only fair to reward them for their excellent work.
With that thought, I went upstairs to my room, ready to rest, knowing that the next day would begin a new stage of our routine in the Human Kingdom.