Chapter 200 I've made the final decisions for travel?
(POV: Lumiere)
The Duchy of Drakoria was the Southern territory of the Cross Kingdom.
It boasted a notable hierarchy consisting of 4 Earldoms, 12 Viscounties, and 40 Baronies. Among these Earldoms, the Goldcrest Earldom, under the esteemed leadership of Earl Fermor Goldcrest, stood out as a prominent entity.
Notably, the capital city of the Greenhaven Earldom, Zarbon, served as the epicenter for the revered Holy Sword Festival.
According to Lucilia,
Following the treacherous actions of Duke Veltuor, a new Duke was elected— Duke Dolselo.
And it was no surprise this Duke was also friends with Lord, now Viscount Randolph.
This association enabled Dolselo to garner support from his peers in the King's Court, ultimately securing Randolph the esteemed position of Viscount of Delia.
It was a lot to process...
I hesitated, unsure about leaving the comforts of the Silva Citadel and undertaking such a massive endeavor.
"It's not like I don't want to..." I paused.
Lucilia uttered an inquiring hum.
"...I'm not just okay with leaving the Silva Citadel, currently."
Stellaria arched an eyebrow and retorted, "Isn't this the kind of adventure you've always craved? Building new realms and shaping destinies? Yunno, all that mushy stuff."
There was nothing mushy about turning an undeveloped land into a fortress.
I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" I asked.
Martini chimed in, encouraging as always. "You've always had a knack for building and shaping," he stated matter-of-factly. "Assisting in the development of a Viscounty seems like a worthy endeavor."
Fasit nodded enthusiastically. "Don't forget how much Viscount Randolph has done for us," she reminded me. "It wouldn't be fair to turn him down now."
I turned back to Lucilia.
She looked at me with anticipation, awaiting my response.
I let out a sigh, helping him was the right thing to do.
"Alright," I finally said. "If that's what you want, Lucilia, I'll do it. And besides, it'd be unfair of me to deny Lo— Viscount Randolph's request."
Lucilia's eyes lit up with joy. Barely concealing her excitement she asked, "When do we start heading to Drakoria?"
I blinked in surprise.
"So soon?" I questioned.
Ophelia chimed in. "Yes, dummy," she replied. "That's why this visit was so urgent."
"I thought you weren't talking to me?" I asked her.
She averted her gaze away again. "Of course, I'm not."
Honestly... this woman.
"But what about the pyroapple plantation?" I asked, feeling torn. "I can't just leave it behind."
Fasit stepped forward, a reassuring smile on his face.
"Don't worry, my lord," she assured me. "We can handle the plantation in your absence."
I nodded gratefully, appreciative of their support.
Grome abruptly halted his chewing, his serpent meat hanging mid-air, and voiced his concerns.
"Wouldn't it be difficult for you to build the Viscounty like you did with the Silva Citadel if you don't have the aid of the same people who helped you before?" he questioned.
The group fell into a momentary silence, all of us stunned by Grome's rare display of intelligence.
"What—?" he asked. "Why's everyone looking at me?"
Ophelia broke the silence. "We're just shocked that you're capable of saying something that intelligent," she said.
Grome hissed in annoyance, grumbling as he continued eating.
"I'm not an idiot, I just don't use my brain much," he retorted, defiantly defending himself.
Lucilia's brow furrowed in concern as she chimed in, "Grome does have a point though. It might be a challenge to build the Viscounty without the support you had in the past."
Ophelia?s index finger continually tapped the table.
"And let's not forget that having any race other than mankind building a Viscounty in Drakoria would raise more than a few eyebrows," she added.
I rubbed my chin. "Hmm, what to do."
Umbra, who was standing silently behind me, spoke up with a suggestion.
"Why not use the [Transformation] skill?" he proposed.
I shook my head. "No, not everyone has that skill," I said.
Stellaria confidently spoke up. "My [Transformation] skill is strong enough to alter the appearances of everyone," she revealed.
The group turned their attention to her. "Really?" we said.
Serena nodded in confirmation. "Stellaria has almost 4000 years of experience with that skill," she stated.
"So, we're really going to be sneaking them into Drakoria?" I questioned, my brows furrowing.
Tapping her fork against her plate, Stellaria hummed. "Technically, it's not sneaking. I'll transport us there using spatial magic," she said.
Before Ophelia could talk, I told her, "Yes, she has spatial magic."
Then, almost like I knew Lucilia wanted to speak, I said, "And yes, very few people possess that skill, I know.."
And next was Grome who opened his mouth to speak. "I know, it's fascinating.."
Unlike Ophelia and Lucilia, Grome was thinking about "8" while I was thinking about "C".
"Huh?" he wore a puzzled look on his face. "I was just gonna ask for some more." He lifted his empty plate up, all that was left were the remnants of the serpent stew smeared across the plate.
Afterwards, we discussed our plans for Drakoria.
Martini leaned forward. "What about Mimosa, Great Lumiere? Shouldn't we bring her along?"
I stroked my chin, contemplating Martini's question.
Mimosa?s delicate touch and profound knowledge of plants and healing made her invaluable.
And yet, would that be crucial?
Serena spoke up.
"Mimosa's studies have flourished in recent months. By venturing into the realm of mankind, she may become even better, don't you think?"
Her words struck a chord within me, and I nodded thoughtfully.
"You make a valid point."
Fasit smiled approvingly.
"If Mimosa?s coming along, then I'm guessing we should let Magenta come too, that's fair, right?" I relaxed on my chair.
Martini nodded. "I mean, I see no issue there."
"Indeed. And we all know Magenta?s a hardworking gryganri," Fasit included.
Everything seemed to be shaping up nicely.
The conversation fell momentarily silent.
It was then that Stellaria uttered a snide remark.
"Well, well, why don't we just bring the entire Citadel along? Save ourselves the trouble."
Her words, however sarcastic they may be did have some sense to it.
I easily related with it. "Yeah, we should tune down the number of people we're taking."
"A moderate number would be advisable," said Lucilia.
As the discussion continued, other names were mentioned - Mojito for his strength and ability to handle heavy lifting, Thrain, Beorn, and Kipper for their skilled craftsmanship as Viscount Randolph's trusted workers. The decision became obvious - they'd be invaluable in helping us develop the Viscounty in the Duchy of Drakoria.
Right off the bat, we already decided Skarz would be in charge of the Silva Citadel.
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