Dad told me that, based on his rough estimation, I'm at least 200 years old.
Give or take.
I reminded him of what I said earlier... that I don't track my age at all.
He nodded and asked me how I felt living beyond my life expectancy.
At this point, I tried not to look at Lion, because he was the one who had extended my life with a spell.
Of course, I admit that having my life extended was a joy while I was living with all of them. I experienced all sorts of adventures, the good and the bad, and met interesting individuals that would have otherwise been impossible to meet, given that they lived far away and it would have taken a long time to travel to their territory.
That's also another reason why I no longer keep track of my age. During our missions, it took a long, long time to arrive at our destination.
For instance, the Snowy Mountains. Since Lion couldn't use a spell to teleport us there because of the Absorption Stone, nor even a scroll or any other instant teleportation method. We had to travel the 'ordinary' way, though it certainly wasn't ordinary for me.
What was ordinary about riding an extremely fast, magic-powered carriage? It was faster than the racing cars in my previous world.
While I was imprisoned at the tower, I tried to draw a map of the places I visited. I realized that although they seemed quite near to each other, they were actually very far apart.
It took us months and years and I'm not even keeping track of the time, to explore just a part of the place.
PARTIALLY.
Oh heck, Lion told me a long time ago that we hadn't even explored halfway through it.
I wonder why they don't have a map of the places?
I got distracted by my thoughts and forgot to finish answering Dad's question. I asked him why they didn't make a map of the...
Everyone else in the room looked at me curiously, wondering what I was talking about.
Dad pondered for a bit before telling me that I must have meant the stuff he saw me using while traveling solo during my adventures when I returned to my previous world.
He explained that there was no need for them because whenever they visited a place, it was so deeply imprinted on their memories that if they ever wanted to return, all they had to do was recall the scene and use a spell or a scroll then voila!
How amazing!
But Dad admitted he might consider making it, as who knows? It might come in very helpful in the future.
Anyway, he gave me a look before reminding me to finish answering his question.
Oops.
I got distracted.
...
Now where was I?
Ah, yes. Living beyond my life expectancy.
I continued on, telling them that having an extended life was a different story back on my previous world.
It is hard watching everyone you know change significantly while you are stuck in time.
To be honest, a lot of humans wish to have their lives extended. They depict it in fantasy movies, novels, anime, making it seem amazing and wonderful.
What they don't know is that it is exhausting, draining to both my mind and body.
I admitted to everyone that my mind became weary after living on Earth for a while.
Of course I can't stay in one place for too long or they might discover that I'm unchanging.
Dad asked me what would happen if other humans discovered that I'm not changing or aging.
I shrugged and told him that some might be scared of me, while others might experiment on me.
Yes. There are a lot of bad humans who will do experiments on individuals, not just on this world.
Not staying in one area for too long was hard, as I formed a lot of wonderful friendships wherever I lived. I was forced to leave without saying goodbye, fearing they might discover me on social media and see my unchanging condition.
When I was younger, social media didn't exist yet.
Uh, to be exact, it wasn't popular yet.
However, when I returned to my previous world, thanks to a moron, social media was a huge part of everyone's lives.
To the point that most of your daily activities were seen by other people, making it hard to hide if you were that active.
Everyone thought it was strange that I didn't join them on social media, but I just shrugged it off and gave them all sorts of excuses.
Eventually, it got so annoying that I had to make a fake profile without using my real image.
I admitted that I was hooked for a time, stalking at... er... I was just curious!
Ahem.
I told Dad that living for a long time is mentally hard because some memories are soon forgotten and others are confusing whenever I try to recall them.
Dad had a look of realization on his face as he exclaimed that he understood now why some of the things I told him were confusing, which made him decide to look into my memories.
Seeing the image of my sister made me realize that I almost forgot what she looked like.
Noticing that I was about to cry again, Dad assured me that not all is forgotten, but rather stored deep in our consciousness. That's why he always took note of everything, just in case he might forget something as a result of living for a long, long, long time.
Ah! Like a journal or something..
I must remember to make one, one of these days.
.....
The elderlies had fun playing with riddles.
So much fun, in fact, that they challenged the younglings.
Of course, it is Lion, Sly, Khamsin and Orm whom they are facing.
Ten did not join, despite the look on his face that said he wanted to. Instead, he wrote all the riddle questions and answers as Dad ordered him to take note of them.
By the way, the elderlies won by a huge margin, making the younglings bicker among themselves.
As for Alpha and Ghost, they are having fun playing tic-tac-toe together.
Correction. Alpha is having fun because he keeps winning, while Ghost keeps losing yet insists on wanting revenge.
I tried to recall all the riddles I knew until I ran out.
Everyone nagged me for more, so I tried to think of another game for them to play.
Oh yes! I know what the elderlies might enjoy playing!
With a bit of magic from Lion, I have the necessary stuff for the elderlies to play Poker.
Not only Poker, but Mahjong too.
Hahaha!
They are even gambling among themselves..
Hahaha!
The elderlies shooed the pack and Khamsin, who looked like they wanted to play too.
As for Ten, he just stood by, watching in fascination as usual.
Let me think about what else they can play...
Aha!
The youngling group composed of Lion, Sly, Alpha, Orm, Ghost and Khamsin had fun playing Uno, though it ended with them bickering over who had cheated.
They all cheated. Nobody was innocent.
Ten helped me make the games using his magic, while I tried to rack my brain, trying to think of more ways to entertain them.
Snakes and Ladders!
It was hilarious watching them play. Whenever someone made a move, the others would stare a little too hard at the movement, counting every step as if they were making sure there were no extra steps.
Surprisingly, it was Ghost who kept winning the game.
Of course, the others protested and played it again and again until it was obvious that Ghost would win the game every single time.
Lucky him!
Since it was obvious we were taking too much time playing and had forgotten about the meeting, I told them I would teach them one last game for now.
After a quick glance towards the elderlies, who looked like they were deep in concentration with their Mahjong game, I taught the younglings how to play Go Fish and Old Maid. They were engrossed in playing for a long time.
I felt sorry for Ten, who just kept watching everyone having fun, so I taught him how to play Solitaire.
It ended up being his favorite game.
.....
Dad announced that we need a short break from being inside the castle. Since Aagon is here, they are splitting the pack with Khamsin to train them for a short while.
Aagon is going to train Sly and Alpha in combat skills and weapon usage.
Leon is going to train Orm and Khamsin in a technique that combines weapons and magic.
Dad is going to train Lion and Ghost in elemental magic skills.
As for Ten and I, we should stay in the castle.
Why?!
I want to see!
Despite my protests, Dad just grinned at me and promised that he would bring me next time, when I'm in better health.
But I'm in better he.. oh..
This is embarrassing.
I forgot that I'm still having my menstruation.
Nevermind. There are a lot of things I need to do in the castle and Ten is with me.
.....
Ten is quite helpful!
The rest had left earlier, with the younglings having sorrowful looks on their faces at having to leave me.
If it weren't for the fact that Dad gave them a look, they wouldn't have left at all, especially Lion.
Anyway, Ten helped me arrange some of my stuff in Lion's room. He didn't make fun of me after seeing Lion's display of the stuff I gave him.
In fact, he offered to make one for me.
No.
It's weird.
But he made me a treasure chest to hold all the stuff that Lion gave me, including the trinkets from when we were living by ourselves.
He also made me a makeup table that I designed, even though I don't have any makeup.
That's it!
I forgot about it!
Ten is really talented. He made some high-quality makeup for me.
It's worthy of starting a business, which brought a grin to his face when I mentioned it.
Soon, we were so engrossed in making and testing the makeup on me that we didn't notice the others coming back and looking at us in fascination.
Just mentioning the possibility of making it into a business sent them all into a frenzy and they immediately called a meeting, except for Dad, who took me aside for a private chat.
We stood at the entrance of the castle, where Dad looked at the sky for a moment before telling me that I should not waste my life by impulsively trying to save others.
Just like what I did with the Control Stone.
I chuckled and told Dad I would definitely do it again if it meant that I could save those who are precious to me, including him.
He didn't say anything else but just stared at me with those wise eyes.. er.. orbs of his.. before returning inside the castle and shrieking at Leon about why I'm his elite companion and if he is asking for complete annihilation by him.
Oh, Dad...
....
Leon is busy discussing the affairs of the allied territory with the group, as it turns out Asmodeus hasn't returned and chaos is reigning in that territory.
We were back having the meeting in the reception chamber this time, as my menstruation had finally ended.
I'm currently sitting on a couch by myself, as I'm a bit busy making origami for everyone.
Khamsin showed them the origami iris flower I made for him back then and now everyone wants one, including him again.
If it weren't for the fact that they are all dear to me, I wouldn't do it at all. It makes my hands cramped!
Anyway, while I was busy making all sorts of origami, everyone gave their opinions on the fate of the allied territory. Some of it was a waste, as there is huge potential for the territory after hearing all about the place.
Not only our territory but also the conquered territory turned out to be manipulated by Maelsa from behind the scenes. This sparked a war between the two, which, along with the allied territory Asmodeus brought under control, resulted in the destruction of the conquered territory.
Thankfully, the pack and Leon regret what they did.
Dad commented that Maelsa manipulated the war back then, likely searching for the Transformation Stone because he must have thought the conquered territory contained it.
Sadly, Leon admitted that he felt guilty about what they did. He wanted to restore the place to its former glory, but found out that nobody was left alive.
What?!
Seeing the look on my face, everyone tried to calm me down. Lion, in particular, tried to assure me that they hadn't killed all the citizens when they left the area after the war.
Then what happ..
Ah.
Demons.
Upon realizing it, I trembled so much that Lion immediately embraced me tightly as Aagon exclaimed that someone must have...
At this point, Sly covered my ears as tears kept falling down my face.
The citizens were innocent!
It was because of that Maelsa that they were killed, despite trying to live peacefully!
I was sobbing uncontrollably, so Dad murmured a spell of some sort that calmed me down, while Lion positioned me properly on his lap and embraced me tightly. Meanwhile, Sly held one of my hands, massaging and kissing it in an effort to comfort me.
It's so cruel...
So, so cruel...
....
It took a long, long time for me to finally calm down on my own.
I forgot that I'm not in my own world.
Though they might feel guilty about killing innocents, war or killing is just another day for them.
But it's not for me.
Thankfully, they understood me somehow.
Anyway, Dad's spell wore off and I tried my best not to show them that I was still affected.
While giving everyone the origamis that I made for them, Leon murmured that he didn't know what to do with the two territories, as he was absorbing them into his current territory, further expanding it.
Absentmindedly, I mumbled, while continuing to give everyone the origami, that there's a lot he can do with it aside from securing the area.
He can do agriculture, mining, building a military base and training ground in preparation for the Demon King's plan to conquer the world...
At this point, I noticed that everyone was listening to me.
Oops.
I thought I was just deep in thought.
Of course, they all thought that my idea was great, giving me all sorts of compliments while Dad kept making outrageous comments about how lucky he was that day when we entered his domain...
I would have been touched by their enthusiasm if it weren't for the fact that I'm still feeling horrible about the fate of the citizens from the destroyed territory.
Anyway, they were all busy making plans. Leon, in particular, told Lion and Sly about securing the two additional territories and Dad reminded them to make the fortifications stronger using some of the materials that I mentioned earlier.
Khamsin helped Ghost with the plans for making training grounds for the troops, outposts...
Dad helped Orm make a plan for a place where magic users can train..
Ah! A magic school!
Seeing the interested looks on Dad and Orm's faces made me realize that I wasn't thinking quietly again.
Now I'm telling them all I know about a magic school based on the fantasy movies I watched back on Earth.
At this point, everyone is paying attention to me.
.....
Alpha's responsibility as an heir is to ensure that everything goes smoothly. Additionally, he has to make sure the economy of the expanded areas can manage to keep up with the growing population and expenses.
Aagon took over for Leon in helping Lion and Sly, while Leon and Alpha were soon busy making plans of some sort...
That ended up with them asking me for an idea for another source of income for the territory.
Like I said, festivals...
Argh! That's one of the things I have to do soon!
So I mentioned some ideas like:
1. Mining.
2. Farms for wild prey and pests to provide food for the citizens who are predators so that it will reduce senseless killing.
3. Agriculture farms for citizens who do not eat meat.
At that point, Ghost and Khamsin looked up from their discussion, interested in what I had said.
Not only them, but Lion as well.
Concentrate on your own discussion instead!
And why am I in some sort of a real-life city simulation building?
I suggested that if the farms have excess, they can sell the rest of the produce to other areas instead of wasting it. Besides, we can use some of that excess for our own products!
Kind of like raw materials for our businesses...
It's like hitting two birds with one stone!
The territory earns and we won't have a hard time looking for the materials we need for our businesses.
Everyone seems to be on the same page and in good spirits while making plans based on what I said.
As usual, it was Ten who had to take notes of everything, as if he were the group's secretary.
Actually, he is, as he can take notes faster than any of them.
.....
4. Entertainment centers and attraction areas.
Of course, I gave the elderlies an intense glare and warning that there should NOT be gambling in the territory or else it will cause them trouble in the future.
After I explained it to them, they thankfully understood and Leon made notes.
However, I soon regretted giving them examples of entertainment centers and attraction areas for the territory, as it ended up becoming my responsibility.
The heck?!
Oh well, as long as it lessens the violence within the territory.
Even though the territory is amazing to me, it's a different story for them, as it is normal for them.
Besides the festivals, I told them we'll have a sports event, as well as sports and exercise centers, to help decrease the citizens' aggressiveness.
Everyone lit up, especially Alpha, Ghost and Sly, when I told them I would teach them other sports besides the rugby I already taught them.
Ah. I hope we can do everything before Maelsa comes back.