Chapter 590: Complete Restoration is Near!

Leaving the indoor training grounds behind, we made our way next to where the gardeners were stationed. The magic stone crushing operation seemed to be going smoothly—

…Well, “smoothly” might not be the right word. Depending on how you looked at it, there was a problem.

“It seems like magic stone crushing has become a pretty popular job,” I muttered. “Do you think I should apologize to the captain of the Raven Kingdom’s knights?”

“I don’t believe an apology is necessary,” Fabienne replied with a small, wry smile. “But perhaps it would be wise to at least express your gratitude for their continued support.”

Even Fabienne looked slightly amused.

Alright, then—I’d bring a box of sweets later and offer my thanks properly. Maybe I should include some beginner-grade stamina recovery potions as well.

As I was thinking this over, we arrived at the gardeners’ hut. At this hour, the gardeners themselves were nowhere to be seen, but a few knights were busy working in their place.

“Good work, everyone.”

“Oh—Julius-sama! We’re the ones who should be thanking you for everything you’ve done.”

“No, no, I’m the one in your debt. By the way, could I take a look at your stock of ‘Rapid-Growth’?”

“Of course. Right this way.”

One of the knights led us into a storage shed beside the hut. Inside, numerous sacks filled with Rapid-Growth were stacked neatly in rows.

There was a decent amount… but nowhere near enough to cover the entire mountain in green.

Well, that made sense.

At the moment, the only ones producing Rapid-Growth were the handful of knights here and the gardeners working after they finished their regular duties. It wouldn’t be fair to compare them to the alchemists working all day or the knights assigned to magic stone crushing.

“Starting today, I’ll help with producing Rapid-Growth as well,” I said. “The purification of the tainted land is progressing well. From here on, we’ll need even larger quantities.”

“That’s reassuring to hear,” the knight replied, puffing out his chest. “We’ll continue to assist as well. If you need more hands, just say the word—we’ll bring in anyone who’s available.”

He said it proudly… but if we actually did that, it would just cause trouble for the knight commander again.

Just when the knights who had been stuck crushing magic stones were finally returning to their usual duties, they’d be dragged off again—this time to produce fertilizer.

Even the most patient commander would have something to say about that.

“Thank you. I’ll keep it in mind.”

When in doubt, smile and postpone the decision.

Surely, tomorrow’s me would figure something out.

And so, we got straight to work making Rapid-Growth. Thankfully, I had dressed in clothes suitable for labor—just in case something like this came up.

With Fabienne, Nero, and Lionel helping out, we worked steadily until the gardeners began returning one after another, having finished their tasks.

Naturally, we asked them if anything unusual had happened while we were away.

The answer was reassuring: nothing of note.

However, the gardeners were concerned about the slow production rate of Rapid-Growth. So when they heard that we would be helping, they were visibly delighted.

After all, the amount of Rapid-Growth produced directly affected the speed of the kingdom’s recovery. Their concern was understandable.

But now? There was no need to worry.

We were here.

If Fabienne and I went all out, production would surely skyrocket.

After all… we didn’t exactly have anything else to do!

From that point on, our days settled into a steady rhythm of traveling back and forth between the village and the royal castle.

The purification of the tainted land continued smoothly, and by now, most of the mountain had been cleansed. Production of Rapid-Growth was going splendidly as well, and it was being spread across the once-barren slopes.

Though, calling it a “barren mountain” no longer felt accurate—lush greenery was already beginning to spread upward from the base, creeping steadily toward the summit.

Alongside this transformation, people began returning to the village that had taken such good care of us.

…No, that wasn’t quite right.

It wasn’t just that people were returning—there were actually more people than before.

There were several reasons for this. One of the major ones was the mandarin tree grown by the Forest Spirit.

Apparently, that tree was unlike any ordinary mandarin tree. Its fruit had now come to be treated as a luxury item.

Well… I couldn’t deny it. It was incredibly sweet and delicious.

And when you ate it, it almost felt like energy welled up from within your body.

…Surely that was just my imagination.

At some point, word of this miraculous fruit spread, and buyers began appearing, eager to purchase it.

And before anyone really noticed what was happening… the village population had increased.

I don’t fully understand it myself, but as long as the village is thriving, I suppose that’s all that matters.

I had intended for the villagers themselves to enjoy the fruit… yet somehow, things had taken a rather unexpected turn.

The village chief seemed to be following my instructions and distributing it among the villagers as much as possible. But since it also brought in money, he appeared to be caught in a difficult position.

Well… I’ll leave that to his judgment.

For good measure, I handed him some extra-strong stomach medicine.

“At this rate, in about a week, the mountain should be completely restored. And with that, the Raven Kingdom’s land restoration project will be successfully completed.”

After finishing the day’s work, we returned to our room in the village chief’s house.

We had stayed here so often that it already felt like a second home. The furnishings were simple and unpretentious, which suited someone like me—originally just a commoner—perfectly. It was a place where I could truly relax without worrying about appearances.

“Yes… that’s true.”

…Huh?

For some reason, Fabienne was wearing a strained smile.

I glanced at Nero, but he only tilted his head in confusion, just like me.

What was going on…?

Meanwhile, Lionel had the same wry smile as Fabienne.

Hmm… suspicious.

“Lionel, if you have something to say, say it clearly.”

“Ahem… very well, then I shall speak plainly,” he said, clearing his throat. “Wasn’t our task merely to establish a prospect for the kingdom’s restoration? How, exactly, did it turn into a mission to achieve its complete restoration?”

“…Ah.”

…Crap.

Now that he mentioned it, that was how it was supposed to be.

I had completely forgotten.

Why hadn’t Fabienne stopped me?!

I could feel my face stiffening, the muscles locking up as realization set in. Still, I forced a smile and turned toward Fabienne—though I was fairly certain my current expression wasn’t something I should show to anyone.

“Julius-sama… you truly hadn’t noticed?”

Fabienne lowered her brows dramatically, looking deeply troubled. “I had assumed you intended to complete everything within the given timeframe.”

Was she troubled by my ridiculous expression… or by my latest blunder?

Only Fabienne knew for sure.

“Why would you think that…?”

“Because you’ve been working so hard every single day alongside everyone else. Wouldn’t it be stranger not to think so? I’m certain Sophia-sama and the others believe the same.”

…No way.

That can’t be true.

You’ve got to be kidding me—this is absurd!