All Konrad had wanted was to fill that massive mana pool he now had.
But tough luck with that.
"What have you done to my sister?" Strelok demanded, for the umpteenth time.
For some reason, the Paula in Konrad's head could no longer talk to him.
"At least let me go through this breakfast first," he moaned.
Meanwhile, Yuki-chan and Dmitry had a surprising amount of fun.
"And what's this one called?" the Captain asked, pointing at a piece of fruit that—
Um, no. Not even Konrad had recognised it.
"Uh, um. Eyna-san?" the emo girl turned the same question to their benefactor.
"It's called a lazo fruit," the purple-eyed beauty claimed, confident. "It comes from the Southern Continent via the sea, and tastes like, um—lime?"
Via the sea, she said? And Konrad was only thinking about whether Kasserlane had a shoreline?
"Ugh. How am I to translate that?" Yuki-san scowled, then went with "It's blue lime, I guess?"
Blue? To him, it was more of a teal.
And it especially felt odd to call it a lime when it was so large and cucumber-shaped, but—
"Can we actually afford such exotic fruits with our current finances?" Konrad asked, taking one into his hands. At a whiff, it did smell like a typical citrus, but—
Seeing Dmitry's face after he bit into it, he was glad he hadn't tried that.
"So bitter," he complained, putting it down, and—
"I did say it's lime," Yuki-chan laughed. "Don't we have to peel it or something?"
"No. You eat it like that," Eyna confirmed, cutting one in half. "And to answer your question, Master: it is, in fact, the cheapest imported fruit right now; that's why we have a lot."
"It's way more bitter than lime," the Captain claimed, putting his down.
And Yuki's laughter could even block out Strelok's demands.
"My sister," he repeated, while staring daggers at Konrad. "What did you—"
"Nothing, okay?" he snapped back. "She had kinda—stopped existing."
He had no idea how that happened, either.
But between finishing a magic circle, teleporting the CNPP away, and returning home—
Lady Origin disappeared, and his mana pool had become ginormous at the same time.
"Why can't you tell him instead?" Konrad grumbled, aiming it at Paula's memories in his head.
But even his parallel brain could only make a few educated guesses.
'Since he never had magic before,' she pondered. 'My original sharing her power with him must have triggered some strange resistance. He blocks all my attempts to make contact now.'
"And that's what she said," Konrad relayed.
"Fascinating concept," the Silver Mage noted. Because yes, he had also spent this breakfast with them. "So what you're saying is that this higher being not only didn't give him magic, but—"
"Yeah, it seems he can't even perceive it," Konrad agreed, having consulted with Paula as well.
"B-but why?!" Strelok cried out. "Why did she have to disappear?"
"Didn't you want to free her?" the Duke of Halaima muttered. "Have you seen the state she was in when we found her? Well, this was her freedom, I guess."
"And now I can't even talk with her memories anymore," the veteran Stalker groaned.
Yeah. Things must have been rough for him, but—
He had his own matters to attend to.
"The only thing I can recommend is to meet with my teacher," the old wizard offered. "In a single week, I learned more from him than in the past decade, all put together."
"You mean Maou—I mean, the Green Mage?" Konrad asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Why, yes. Ever since his return and rejuvenation, he's holding new classes."
He did now, huh?
And judging by how Yuki-san levitated a piece of lazo fruit—
The Silver Mage wasn't even the only one attending.
Much had happened while he was away, and all while they fought back Lucifer's invasions.
"I do have to inspect this town before we set out, after all," Konrad sighed, finishing his breakfast. "And if you have the time, dear Eyna, please escort me on the way."
Those purple eyes had lit up immediately.
"Yes, Master. It would be my pleasure."
And so, that was that.
The moment they stepped out of that lavish palace, Konrad's new home—
He had to question again whether they were still in Halaima.
"I don't recall this avenue at all," he pointed out. He counted at least seven similar buildings within the first hundred paces. "Were these houses always here?!"
"No, 'course not," Yuki-chan claimed with a laugh. "Lilith made them all last week."
"What?!"
"Lady Liliana shaped them out of earth and stone using her vast magic," Eyna confirmed, too.
"Last week?" Konrad muttered. "While fighting Lucifer's men."
He felt bad even for thinking he could stand on her level once he filled up his mana pool.
"It was necessary," the dark-skinned beauty noted. "We had to show the rest of the kingdom that our nobility had retaken the ancient seat of power. And, well, it had also filled up our coffers."
"Our nobility," he repeated. "You mean, like, Count Rolalt and the likes?"
And they paid the little demoness to summon palaces out of nothing?
"Yes, Master," Eyna nodded. "Every important aristocrat has their residences somewhere in Halaima now. And they also contribute a token force to the Town's Guard."
"I have to say," the Silver Mage interjected. "If this child wasn't working for you, I've—"
"I would never leave my Master's side," Eyna cut him off, hooking her arm into Konrad's.
That made his heart pound, but—
Good thing the little ginger demoness was not there to see that.
The old wizard would only laugh, until it turned into a coughing fit.
"It's a shame," he breathed. "But I can also understand. The Green Mage even abandoned his Ejtyangard tower for this town, so—yes. You must have something here that everyone wants."
Or, you know, that tower had been a ruin for the last century or so.
"I am lucky to have subjects like them serve me," Konrad noted, unsure what else to add.
He was to meet the king later today. And then what?
He couldn't even recognize his own town anymore. Why didn't they take Nimrod?
Which reminded him—
"How are things outside these walls?" he asked, keeping his voice low as they walked. "Are there any clashes between the tribes, nobles, and the nomads?"
"Minor ones," Eyna admitted. "But with the Deathwatch keeping an eye on everything—"
Oh. Oh, that.
The undead squirrels Stella had used to observe the mountains.
For a second, he associated something else with the ominous word.
"And it helps that we have a massive army patrolling everything," the girl added.
"We have?" Konrad asked, blinking.
When they tried to stop the nomads in the Halaima Pass, they had—what? A thousand men?
And many of them lacked training, or came from different duchies, or—
Almost turned against them.
"Why, yes," Eyna said, smirking. "Apart from the thousand-strong Town Guard, Mountaineer Corps, and Men-At-Arms? You also have eight thousand horse archers under your command."
Holy fuck. Wasn't that way too much?!
"No wonder the other dukes feel threatened now," the Silver Mage noted between coughs. "But during this afternoon's audience with the king, we should aim to clear things up."
"Y-yes," Konrad muttered. "Let's do that."