The month passed faster than I had imagined.
That morning, I woke up before sunrise, as had already become customary since we arrived in the Dragon Kingdom. I opened the bedroom window and felt the cold mountain air slowly enter the mansion. The sky was still covered in a bluish hue, but the first rays of light were already appearing behind the great peaks.
I put on my clothes and went down to the main hall.
The women were already awake.
Scarlett was organizing breakfast together with the servants.
Elara was talking with Lyannis about the growth of the plantations.
Vespera was looking over some reports prepared by Dargon.
Liriel was drinking tea while her assistant wrote new notes about the mana flow in the region.
Rai'kanna appeared shortly afterward.
"Good morning, Takumi."
"Good morning."
Liriel smiled at me.
"I think we'll have a surprise today."
I looked at her curiously.
"Why?"
"Come to the fields after breakfast."
I decided not to press the question.
We finished the meal peacefully and all headed toward the cultivated lands.
As soon as I crossed the small wooden fence, I stopped for a few seconds.
The small plants that had barely appeared weeks ago now occupied practically the entire cultivated area.
The wheat stalks swayed in the wind.
Some trees were already showing their first fruits.
The vegetable beds were completely green.
Even some vegetables were already ready to be harvested.
I took a deep breath as I observed that landscape.
It was hard to believe that this was the same dry and practically useless land I had found when I arrived.
Scarlett smiled.
"We did it."
Lyannis walked between the planting beds.
"The leaves are healthy."
Elara examined some fruits.
"They don't even look like they were grown in land that was once considered infertile."
Vespera picked up a ripe tomato.
"It looks perfect."
Liriel approached me.
"The Purification has completely stabilized the soil."
"We only needed to wait for nature to take its course."
I looked over the entire plantation again.
"I never imagined it would work this well."
She smiled.
"I did."
Her assistant also seemed impressed.
She walked from one side to the other, observing everything with great curiosity.
"This is incredible."
"I've never seen such a great change."
"These lands really were doomed."
I continued walking through the fields.
The servants had already begun the first harvest.
Some were gathering vegetables.
Others were sorting fruits.
Dargon approached carrying a basket.
"Lord Takumi."
I looked at him.
"The first food."
I picked up one of the apples.
It was firm.
Beautiful.
Without any sign of defects.
I smiled in satisfaction.
"It looks excellent."
"Everyone became very excited when they realized that the time for the harvest had finally arrived."
I watched the workers' movements.
The atmosphere was completely different from the first days.
Back then, many of them had doubts.
Now everyone worked with smiles on their faces.
I spent much of the morning helping with the harvest.
Scarlett carried large baskets without difficulty.
Rai'kanna helped the servants sort the fruits.
Lyannis organized the vegetables.
Elara recorded which species had shown the best development.
Vespera checked the storage.
Liriel used small spells only to analyze the state of the mana present in the soil.
Her assistant recorded absolutely everything.
When the work was finished, we gathered much of the production in the main storage room.
I looked at all those boxes.
Wheat.
Potatoes.
Carrots.
Tomatoes.
Onions.
Various fruits.
Even though it was only the first harvest, it was already much more than I had expected.
Dargon commented.
"If the next harvests continue at this rate, these lands will be able to provide food for many families."
I agreed.
"And that has always been the goal."
While we were talking, one of the servants came running toward us.
"Lord Takumi."
"Yes?"
"We received a message from the castle."
I took the small scroll.
It was from the Dragon King.
He was asking how the lands were progressing.
I smiled.
"It seems the time has come."
Scarlett looked at me.
"Are you going to show him the results?"
"Of course."
Liriel also agreed.
"He needs to see it with his own eyes."
I quickly wrote a reply.
I informed him that the first harvest had been successfully completed and asked him to visit the estate when he had time.
I handed the message to the messenger.
He left immediately.
During the afternoon, we continued organizing all the production.
Part of the food was stored.
Another part was set aside for the servants' consumption.
I also reserved a few boxes to give to the king when he arrived.
I wanted him to see not only the plantation, but also the concrete results.
As we finished the work, I sat for a few minutes near the wheat field.
I watched the wind slowly move the golden stalks.
It was a beautiful sight.
Very different from the first time I had been there.
On that occasion, there had been nothing but stones, dry soil, and little hope.
Now there was life.
There was food.
There was a future.
Scarlett sat beside me.
"Are you thinking about something?"
"About how much everything has changed in just one month."
She also looked at the fields.
"You accomplished this."
I shook my head.
"No."
"We all did."
I looked at her and then at the others.
Each of them had contributed in some way.
Without Liriel, the Purification would never have happened.
Without the others, the work would have been much more difficult.
That achievement belonged to everyone.
The rest of the afternoon passed peacefully.
The servants finished their work before nightfall.
The mansion became quiet again.
During dinner, everyone talked excitedly about the first harvest.
Even Liriel's assistant said that she would never forget that experience.
When night had completely fallen, I walked through the fields once more.
The moon gently illuminated the entire plantation.
I smiled as I realized that this place had finally regained its life.
As I watched the plantations swaying beneath the moonlight, I heard in the distance the powerful sound of wings cutting through the sky.
I raised my eyes.
A large dragon was rapidly approaching the estate.
From the glow of its golden scales, I immediately recognized who it was.
The Dragon King had answered my call and was coming personally to see the result of the first harvest.