CHAPTER 123………………….
Harvest in the Desert
It was a time of recovery.
The condition of my companions and myself wasn’t particularly bad.
All that was needed was to fill the empty circles, so it wasn’t exactly “recovery” in the usual sense.
Those who needed recovery were not us, but the people of the East.
The history and legends they had long believed in had collapsed entirely.
Though each tribe reacted differently, it was clear that chaos had set in.
“Stabilizing the center is important.”
Leonis used everyone he could—Hasim, his tribe, bandits, and others—to subtly influence the opinion of the Eastern people from the ground up.
As I had noticed in the North, he was surprisingly sharp when it came to these matters.
“It’s a noble virtue. If you ever intend to revive your family, it wouldn’t hurt to learn a little… No, never mind. You’ll probably just solve everything with magic anyway.”
Thanks to Leonis’ efforts, the opinions of the Eastern tribes were gradually calming.
But Leonis wasn’t stopping there; he pushed forward even faster.
“Samara!”
“Naira! Oh, thank the gods! Thank you!”
Messengers were sent to Zahab, summoning Samara and the members of the gang who followed her to Seradra.
“You’re alive! Really alive!”
“There’s no way I’d leave you behind to die.”
The two women hugged each other tightly, eyes brimming with tears as they savored their reunion.
With slightly reddened eyes, Samara approached Leonis.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“No, I’m the one who should apologize. Despite what I said… I could only save one priestess…”
“Please, don’t say that. Your Highness already saved us once in Zahab. And the priestess… the fact that Naira is alive is our greatest gain. A priestess is our tribe’s most precious legacy.”
“…I appreciate that, Grandmother. But… it’s not over yet.”
The presence of Samara, Zahab’s matriarch, and the gangs that followed her made the lord’s people of Seradra—who knew nothing of the situation—wary of them, seeing them as unfamiliar and untrustworthy.
Leonis deployed mediators to erase even their suspicion of Samara and the gangs.
“Aren’t they the gangs from Zahab?”
“They ran gambling houses, right? Why are they here…?”
“Haven’t you heard? The matriarch of Zahab is from the Karaime tribe.”
“Matriarch? What’s that?”
“She’s the one who rescued slaves from the East. Even the gangs were saved by her, apparently.”
“Wow… that’s so… Karaime of them.”
The effect was remarkable.
Centered on Priestess Naira, the Eastern tribes began to gather one by one.
“I’m not saying you should rule like a king. But you do need to unite the tribes, especially when there are external enemies like now.”
Once the groundwork was laid, Leonis placed Samara at the forefront.
“Can you do it?”
“…Isn’t it something I must do?”
“That’s right. I’m sorry, Grandmother, but you don’t have a choice.”
“Don’t say such things. I will wholeheartedly repay Your Highness’ kindness.”
“…Thank you.”
With Samara joining, the task became much easier.
Under the name of the Karaime tribe, the various Eastern tribes began to unite.
From the bandits and small tribes in Saharam, to Nasradin, Karzeha, and even the people of Zahab’s lord, a strong Eastern alliance was forming atop the collapsed sandcastle.
Summer was passing quickly.
It wasn’t only the Eastern tribes that were beginning to accumulate power.
“You’ve changed.”
“……”
“What did you do?”
“……”
As if their earlier slump had been a lie.
“Eh? Eh? Eh?!”
“…Calm down, I’m not going anywhere.”
Sirina pressed herself tightly against me, her sharp gaze flashing constantly.
Her eyes were fixed on the seven circles I now possessed.
She could see everything, so nothing could be hidden.
But her circles had grown too.
She had reached three circles.
“You… when did you increase yours?”
“Ah.”
“I thought we agreed to progress one step at a time?”
“Ha, I only increased by one!”
“You did it while I wasn’t around.”
“I… didn’t do it!”
“…What are you talking about?”
“While watching the drought ritual, suddenly… mana just surged…”
Sirina gestured awkwardly, desperately trying to explain herself.
Though it wasn’t all coherent, I could understand from context.
The mana, abundant from the drought ritual, had clearly affected her.
Still, for her to add an entirely new circle…
It was undeniable that Sirina was favored by mana.
“I see, so it’s not your fault.”
“Eh?!”
When I placed my hand on her head, she froze, like a malfunctioning doll.
“Then let’s try it alone now.”
“…Try what?”
I said, extending my fingers from index to pinky.
“The fourth one.”
“…!”
Sirina’s pale eyes sparkled.
“Today’s harvest.”
Thump.
Ronan placed a heavy leather pouch on the desk.
Peeking inside, it was full of golden accessories.
Artifacts.
“You found a lot. It’s easier with you here, Sirina, huh?”
“Treating your partner like that isn’t pleasant to see.”
“I’ve told you, we’re not partners… fine, whatever.”
It’s not worth reacting every time.
I waved them off and rummaged through the pouch.
“Still this many? Seems you hid more than I expected.”
“Yeah. I thought there wouldn’t be any more, but wherever Sirina pointed, there they were.”
Ronan, along with Hog, had been excavating artifacts from the ruins of the lord’s castle.
The opponents we had faced in the East, those supported by the First Prince, all had considerable artifacts.
Ishara was the same, and Hakhir too, all had powerful artifacts.
After defeating Ishara, many artifacts were obtained in the arena, so it was assumed Hakhir’s castle would contain some as well.
The assumption was correct.
So, with the lord’s castle collapsing amidst calamities, Ronan and Hog were forced to dig deep trenches to recover them.
Since Sirina joined with her fourth circle, the speed of discovery and the amount found had greatly increased.
Every day, I spent time appraising artifacts.
Most of Ishara’s artifacts were weapons or armor, while Hakhir’s buried under the castle were mainly accessories.
Rather than straightforward enhancement magic, many had versatile spells inscribed, making appraisal even more enjoyable.
“Oh.”
For instance, a paired set of rings.
“This is quite…”
“Why? Does it have some amazing magic?”
“Not amazing, just a slightly complex magic.”
“What is it?”
“.”
I slipped the larger ring onto my finger.
“It allows the wearers to share their exact locations with each other.”
“What use is that?”
“Well…”
“See, this is why those who don’t use magic…”
I clicked my tongue at Ronan and Hog’s ignorance.
“If you share positions, you can cast magic even at long distances. If we had this earlier, Sirina’s voice wouldn’t have been heard everywhere.”
“Then we should give it to her.”
“It suits her perfectly!”
“Yeah, okay, that’s enough, you two.”
Seeing the two giggling, I gave up explaining further.
After all, neither of them needed this information since they didn’t use magic.
…Really, aside from Sirina, no one needs this.
I set the ring aside for now.
“What’s so funny? Let’s laugh together.”
“Your Highness, do you have nothing to laugh at?”
“Not even energy to get angry.”
Leonis, pale and weary, flopped onto the soft sofa across the room.
“You really should take it easy…”
Hasim stood beside him, looking concerned.
“I’m fine, fine. Everyone’s working hard, this is nothing…”
Despite his words, his waving hand looked ready to drop any moment.
Understandable, since Leonis hadn’t rested a single day since the calamity had fallen.
“He’ll actually collapse if he keeps this up.”
“Then at least cast some magic that prevents him from collapsing…”
“Well, fortunately, something suitable came along.”
“Really?”
I tossed a delicate bracelet toward him.
Hasim caught it first, then carefully handed it to Leonis.
“What is this? An artifact?”
“. A bracelet imbued with magic that enhances health recovery.”
“Oh.”
Leonis immediately wore it, smiling in satisfaction.
“It even smells like flowers. Or is that just me?”
“No, it’s part of the magic’s effect.”
“I see. Thanks.”
Stretching, Leonis rose.
“Now, everything’s more or less organized.”
He rested his arms on his knees, chin in his hands, and began speaking.
“The Eastern tribes have gathered around Seradra, and Samara is coordinating them. This could be the first true kingdom in Eastern history. Even if not, their power is undeniably growing. Once Samara arranges a meeting with the tribe leaders, we’ll draw up contracts with them.”
“Contracts?”
“Yes. Agreements to lend me their strength in the battles to come.”
Empty promises and emotional understanding mean nothing.
What matters is whether they provide real, practical assistance.
For Leonis, that was the top priority.
With magic, the contracts would be unbreakable.
“Sure, it’s not difficult.”
“I knew you’d say that. Also…”
Leonis glanced sideways at Ronan standing next to me.
“…What is it?”
“Bardo contacted me.”
Leonis spoke carefully.
“I’ve confirmed your parents’ identities, Ronan.”
“…!”
“Elianne Raimond. Your mother is indeed of the royal bloodline.”
The daughter of a concubine favored by the previous emperor.
Unlike the current emperor, succession was clear, so she spent her life in her mother’s hometown.
“I apologize on behalf of the Empire for the injustices you suffered. I’m sorry.”
“It’s… alright. I… I…”
Ronan’s voice trembled at Leonis’ words. After swallowing, he spoke again after a long pause.
“…I am satisfied that my mother was right.”
“The issue isn’t your mother.”
“…Pardon?”
“What about your father… have you heard anything?”
“No. Mother rarely spoke about him.”
“She likely had nothing to say.”
Hasim said firmly.
“He was someone who shouldn’t be known.”
“What? Can’t be known… what do you mean?”
Hearing the incomprehensible words, we tilted our heads, and Leonis sighed before hesitantly speaking.
“Your father… belongs to the royal shadow families… one of the Lion’s Shadows.”
“…Wait, what?”
The two families who had served the Raimond royal line for generations:
The Crow of the Croben family.
And the other:
“The Wolf, the Diak family.”
Following Hasim, Leonis looked Ronan in the eye.
“The damn shadows my brother’s been stepping on all this time.”
