When Konrad's eyes finally opened, he was no longer in that dried-up ocean bed.
And his actual bed? It was way more comfortable than he had expected.
Too comfortable, even. Also huge.
Was he still in Kasserlane at all?!
The room, as well.
While it wasn't as lavish as his new office, it definitely wasn't the old, cramped little space he used to have. An entire army would have fit, or at least his haremettes, but—
No. Right now, he was alone in the dark, with gilded curtains blocking out most of the sun.
"I was away for two weeks, not two decades," he mumbled as he got up.
And compared to the shabby place he had left behind, this had to be the height of luxury now. The bedroom came with carved wooden furniture of the highest grade, too, and that mirror—
Had he ever seen one this big and this reflective in his entire second life?
Or those expensive-looking carpets?
Let's not forget about the three long sofas full of fluffy cushions and pillows, either.
"Wait." He froze, eyes going wide. "They did say something about visiting the king in the capital."
If this was not Halaima—
He rushed to the windows and yanked at the curtains, only to find the familiar town outside.
But—was it?
Last time he saw it, the restoration work had only begun, and yurts dotted the squares. In comparison, the street below him was clean, and the buildings across seemed brand new.
Or was it the snow, covering up the dirt?
Now that he thought about it, winter was finally here. Yet inside, it was still cozy and warm.
And hold on. Were those actual glass-plane windows? In Kasserlane?!
What would all these even cost?
And when did they build it? Who and how?
'It all reeks of mana,' Paula noted, making him jump. 'And considering your wives spent most of their time fighting off invasions? You should definitely commend them for their efforts.'
"They built this?" Konrad scowled. "With magic?!"
He didn't even think of that before.
And judging from the Green Mage's tower back in Ejtyangard—
What could he have built with his earth magic, too?
"No. Wait. What about the furniture?" he muttered. "The carpet, and all that?"
"Many of them are the nomads' gifts, or came from neighbouring nobles, Master," Eyna said.
And fuck, that made him jump again.
The purple-eyed beauty was standing in the open doorway.
That girl could definitely not teleport, but somehow she always snuck up on him like that.
"So, you're saying this is actually my room?" Konrad scowled, trying to calm his pounding heart. "Don't mean to complain, but couldn't we spend our money better, or—I don't know?"
"As I said, most of the furniture was a gift," the girl repeated. "It cost Halaima nothing."
"W-well, yeah, but if we sold them—"
"Selling nobles' gifts would lead to diplomatic troubles, Master," she pointed out. "And if we did the same thing to what the nomads offered—they might have outright rebelled against us."
Uh, right. Right.
So he was, after all, back in Kasserlane now.
It was a much different world from what he knew back in his first life. Every little thing had a meaning, and every class or culture had its own customs he had to keep in mind.
Thank the spirits for this dark-skinned beauty who was always there to warn him.
But hold on. How did she even know all that?! Artificial construct or not, she should have been a tribal girl, the daughter of a chieftain, and yet—
"If you're ready, Master, I can serve you breakfast," Eyna interrupted him, offering.
And in that posture, she looked more like a maid than any of those other things.
"Wait. How long was I out?" Konrad asked, scratching his head. "And where are the others?"
"Um, Ladies Liliana, Gabrielle, and Stella are away with Maou Midori, Zoltan, Soap, and Roach. As for where exactly, I'm not sure, but—your other friends might join you in the hall."
Ugh. They must have been out fighting off Lucifer's invasions while he took his sweet time.
That said, his wives did tell him to lie low and let them do the heavy lifting.
But mentioning his friends had almost made him forget his other question. Almost.
"So? How long?" he grunted, feeling stiff but better rested than he had been in forever.
"Hmm. I'd say a little less than three days?" Eyna claimed.
"What?!"
"It was a well-deserved rest, Master," she said. "But I'd like to remind you of the invitation from the king, so—I'm glad you chose today to wake up, after all."
Fuck. Yeah, he actually did remember that.
"B-But isn't that in the capital?!" Konrad yelped, heart pounding even faster now. "Crap. And I hadn't even toured the town. Haven't done anything yet. How am I gonna make it?!"
"About that," another voice, much older and more tired, rang out from behind that door.
Eyna turned, greeting the newcomer with a bow, and—
"His Excellency, Royal Court Wizard, and Master of the Mail, the Silver Mage," she announced.
Wow. The old wizard he met when they were all trapped in the Demon Lord's anomaly hadn't gotten any younger. He carried a staff, all too familiar, shuffling his legs and bowing to him, too.
"It's good to see you again, Duke Halstadt."
Right. That's who he was. A freaking duke, damn it.
But what was he even supposed to do? Bow as well? Offer a handshake?
He was still in some pajamas, and—
"Mmm. Y-yes. The pleasure is mine," he forced it out, standing at attention.
"No need to be so rigid," the old man said with a smirk. "And take your time to get ready. Grab something to eat, tour your town—I'll portal you to the capital once your entourage is ready."
Entourage. Did he even have one? And—
"P-portal?" he stuttered, still unsure how to act. "But it's hundreds of miles from here."
It was this exact wizard that taught him how they worked, after all.
And also how short their range was.
"Yes, well," the Silver Mage rasped. "In the last week I've been refreshing some old methods with a friend in this town. Improved the formula. Can get you anywhere within the kingdom now."
A friend? In this town?
"His Excellency had been visiting us, and the Green Mage often, Master," Eyna noted.
Ah. That.
"Wait. So the king had—did he rehabilitate Maou Midori as well?" Konrad scowled.
"Rehabilitate who, Duke Halstadt?"
That expression and the way he crossed his arms—the old wizard was actually playing stupid.
And who knew what else had changed in the few weeks he had been gone?
"Guess I'd better tour my fief before I meet with the king, after all," he muttered, lost in thought.
"After breakfast, Master," the purple-eyed beauty said, putting her heels down.
Right. That. Good thing he had her.
And he had all the rest of his Haremettes, too, fighting out there in his stead, and—
"Breakfast?" Yet another familiar face appeared, repeating that single word before switching to English. "That means food, right? What are we having? Ah—and good morning, Konrad."
"Kon-chan, Ohaio," Yuki had joined, too, using Japanese instead. And the third face—
"What have you done to my sister?!" Strelok demanded, pushing past the others.
Yeah. Breakfast, huh?
Damn, he had a lot to sort out, and fast.