“It’s different from the desert. Why is the path so complicated when the land is narrow?”

Excusing himself while sweating profusely, Kiecheff plunged through the bushes with a knife.

Unlike the uphill mountain path covered with dense grass, a wide open space was revealed.

Like a traveler who found an oasis, a flush appeared on Kiecheff’s face.

“Your Highness, this is the way!”

The two emerging from the bushes looked up.

The sky, which had passed the purple dawn, was now showing a bright blue color beyond the sky-blue morning.

“It took exactly a day.”

“…”

“If we had come the way the old man told us when we left, it would have been faster.”

Kiecheff, who was holding the reins, silently lowered his head. A bead of sweat rolled down from the back.

Giovanni quietly added.

“Return if you want to find progress.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”

No matter how strong a desert warrior with robust stamina, wandering in the mountains for a day would inevitably lead to fatigue.

The two walked silently.

Before long, they arrived at their destination, the western land.

A pleasant breeze gently blew.

“Your Highness, this is…”

Kiecheff couldn’t continue his words.

It was a vast landscape with green wheat spreading widely over the narrow plain that was not yet fully visible in their sight.

Kiecheff stared at the expansive wheat field with his mouth agape.

After a moment, he managed to speak.

“This is the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen in the kingdom.”

“So it seems.”

Giovanni opened his eyes slightly. The stern eyes softened.

“Beautiful.”

The lush wheat field.

In the desert, this land would be called a blessing.

“Why His Highness, the Khan, quietly followed the order to return to the kingdom seems to finally be understood.”

Walking through the field filled with wheat, Kiecheff spoke.

The face that smiled prettily in Giovanni’s gaze looked more youthful and vibrant.

“In truth, I couldn’t understand why you were attached to the kingdom with my head.”

“Is that so.”

“Isn’t it that you wish to turn this green land into a desert?”

Giovanni shifted his gaze to the vast expanse of farmland.

Green wheat filled his black pupils.

“Yes. This land is the land of life. If it is possible to change the barren desert like this, at least there won’t be a need to eat scorpions as the only source of food.”

“My parents didn’t sell me as a slave just to survive.”

Kiecheff, who smiled bitterly, stared at Giovanni with shimmering eyes.

“As before, and in the future, I will unquestionably believe and follow whatever decision His Highness makes!”

After uttering passionately loyal words, Kiecheff hesitated for a moment before adding.

“I will also trust and follow His Highness’s choice regarding that crazy woman, no, Eigrain Lorentz.”

Still detecting a lingering hint of displeasure, Giovanni smirked.

Embarrassed, Kiecheff cleared his throat and turned his head.

At the moment of trying to change the subject, an unfamiliar landscape caught their eyes.

Kiecheff squinted and pointed with his finger to a distant land.

“Your Highness, please look over there. Doesn’t something seem a bit strange?”

As they walked towards the deeper farmlands, the strange land that Kiecheff mentioned unfolded.

The land closest to the desert. However, unlike the expansive field of life they had just seen, the outer land, still under the jurisdiction of Liorsa, lay lifeless, with a pale yellow tint.

Giovanni touched the dry wheat lightly. Even with a slight touch, the stem that easily broke had no moisture at all.

Kiecheff looked around puzzledly.

“Is this land the only one affected?”

“It’s a drought.”

“A drought? That’s odd. Isn’t it natural for all lands in Liorsa to be fertile?”

Giovanni squinted his eyes.

“Let’s go to the village.”

Upon entering the village, they immediately headed to the tavern.

“Something seems strange.”
Seated, Kiecheff lowered his voice and whispered. Giovanni nodded.

Despite having such a wheat field, the atmosphere in the village was heavy.

“It hasn’t rained for several days; it’s a big problem.”

“So far, we’ve been using water from the river, but we can’t keep doing that forever. The dry farmlands are increasing, leading to deaths.”

“The Lord requested a priest from the central region; things might improve, right?”

The ones sipping rum in the tavern seemed like farmers.

The two briefly exchanged glances and listened intently to the conversation.

“Oh, well, don’t expect too much of that either. The summoned priest is just one or two people. Even if it rains, it’s only temporary. The ground is getting hotter; the fundamental problem isn’t being solved.”

“Still, a priest from the central temple might be different. It’ll get better soon.”

“Yes, a new temple has been discovered too. Don’t worry too much, brother. This land is a blessed land, isn’t it?”

A new temple. Giovanni and Kiecheff’s gazes met again. That was the reason they had come here.

Soon, the ordered food arrived.

“It seems the drought is more serious than I thought.”

Chewing on sausages, Kiecheff whispered.

“Huh? These are incredibly juicy. Delicious. Your Highness, please try them.”

Giovanni nodded and took a sip of rum.

Having been hungry while wandering through the forest, Kiecheff quickly finished one sausage and eagerly devoured another.

“Well, but, if it rains, the problem will be solved. Even without mysterious powers like priests or temples, it’s a country where rain often falls, so there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

Giovanni, who quickly emptied a glass of rum, glanced at the farmers who were sighing.

“Well, I guess we can’t be so optimistic.”