Ch.164164. Home Again

The next morning.

“Is it all done?”

“…Yes, it’s finished now.”

After installing simple security facilities on the uninhabited island that now belonged to me, we decided to use teleportation magic for a quick return home, having completed all our business.

Teleportation magic. This difficult magic, which requires at least advanced-level skill to use independently, encompasses all spells with spatial movement functions.

Among these teleportation magics, the most specialized practitioners are the space magic users—certain mages who specialize in teleportation magic that directly transfers themselves through coordinates and mathematical calculations.

In contrast, the teleportation magic we druids use… belongs to nature magic and, strictly speaking, is closer to transmission magic than teleportation magic.

It uses the earth’s veins flowing through the spiritual underground as pathways, creating “doors” at both the departure point and destination—places abundant with nature’s mysteries—and connecting them as passages.

Although it requires preparation and is heavily influenced by environmental conditions, making it unusable in combat, it’s more convenient than any other magic for long-distance travel to destinations previously visited.

Unlike space magic, where miscalculating coordinates could result in being buried underground or teleported into the sky, nature magic’s teleportation is unparalleled in terms of safety.

Anyway, after completing preparations for this time-consuming but safe natural teleportation magic.

“Let’s go, Sophie.”

“Yes!”

Taking Sophie’s hand as she smiled with a gentle trailing voice, I walked through a small archway made of vine stems, grass, moss, and stones.

A green curtain of light that resembled rippling water. As Sophie and I pushed through it, we felt as if our bodies were being pulled by some enormous force…

Before this sensation could even end, we had already arrived at the Aleinos Forest, where the exit portal was located.

We walked step by step through the Aleinos Forest, quiet and still. Feeling winter’s charm as life withers, we moved forward slowly through the desolate landscape, sensing the life emerging within it.

And at the end, as expected, was my childhood home with my mother waiting to welcome me.

“You’re back?”

“Yes, Mother. I’ve returned.”

“I’m back… Mother.”

“…Oh my.”

Perhaps noticing that both of us were emanating advanced magical power, my master, who had unusually come out to greet us, smiled when she saw me holding Sophie’s hand and heard Sophie call her “Mother.”

She must have seen with her own eyes that we had become a special couple.

“I’m glad you look happy.”

“…Do I?”

“Ahaha….”

As she openly showed her delight, I felt somewhat embarrassed and awkwardly smiled while trying to hold Sophie’s hand tighter…

“Ah, Mother. There’s something I’d like to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Well, I brought a gift for you from there.”

As I spoke, I took out from my inner pocket a small and not particularly cute gift—a jade-colored Forest Dragon egg with distinctive leaf-like decorations.

“…Is that! Could it be a dragon’s egg?”

“Yes. I received it as a reward for doing something great in the Elven Kingdom.”

“‘Bacchus’s Garden,’ you mean?”

“Yes. …Huh? How did you know?”

“How would I know? I heard the story from your master after contacting him after a long time. I heard you defeated a high-ranking demon and its lapdog?”

“That’s right, yes.”

My mother still maintained a slightly awkward relationship with her master, so I was a bit surprised to hear that she had contacted him despite that situation…

“Ah, here it is for you.”

“Thank you, truly thank you.”

After handing the ostrich-sized egg to my mother to begin all this, I suddenly remembered “that news” and shared it with her.

“…Oh, Mother. By the way, I received a gift from Lord Neptunus.”

“From him? He didn’t do anything strange to you, did he?”

“No, not at all. I just received gifts. A divine beast to form an animal bond with, and ‘this.'”

I produced a beautiful blue crystal trident—a replica of the Trident—in my empty right hand. Seeing this, my mother, who had been somewhat worried about me, seemed to set aside her concerns.

“Come, let’s go inside. It seems we have much to talk about.”

“Yes!”

After exchanging brief greetings, we started walking toward the house to begin our proper conversation…

“Honestly, I still can’t believe you two have only just started dating.”

“Hahaha… Well, there were circumstances…”

I could only laugh awkwardly at my mother’s sudden remark as we walked.

According to the “common sense” of this era—no, by universal common sense—it was actually stranger that until now, we had officially been nothing to each other.

Living together, sharing a home, sharing a profession, traveling together—even in the relatively progressive modern era, this would be considered practically at the marriage-consideration stage. How much more so in this world that remains extremely conservative regarding sexual matters?

While love marriages aren’t unheard of, arranged marriages remain the norm, and among the upper classes, marriage is still used as a means of forming alliances.

Thinking back, I couldn’t understand why I had acted the way I did in the past, so I thought to myself:

‘They must have been so frustrated with me.’

[You’re just realizing that now?]

‘…I have nothing to say.’

Even hearing Corin’s sarcastic comment, I could only smile bitterly at my own foolishness.

※ ※ ※

And so, after pleasantly concluding that day, the next morning…

“I’ll be back, Sophie.”

“Yes. I’ll be waiting, so take care.”

Starting with a light greeting and a kiss, I planned to visit my estate, which was currently being governed by my proxy, “Enervale Gartrang.”

First, it was only natural to pay some attention to the estate since it was my land, regardless of having appointed a proxy, and I needed to meet the animal companions waiting for me there.

The second reason was that I wanted to provide proper knight training to Rabbit Knight Lancelot, who had entered my service.

Since Sir Enervale Gartrang was working as my vassal, he would be more than adequate as an instructor for comprehensive weapons training and tactics that a knight should receive.

And the final reason was to connect the island I had impulsively purchased to my estate, as it was perfectly usable despite the spontaneous purchase.

Not only was it a monumental place where Sophie and I became lovers, but it wouldn’t be bad to make use of it now that it was mine.

Conveniently, the uninhabited island wasn’t too far from either the Elven Kingdom or the Frankish Empire, and the island’s size and internal ley lines weren’t bad either.

Yet despite this, the island remained undeveloped.

The ocean currents that swirled around the island, creating a vortex that pulled inward, were the main reason for its extremely poor accessibility.

Additionally, there were many other islands in the archipelago surrounding the Elven Kingdom that made better resorts, and the island didn’t have any special resources to harvest, so it had been effectively abandoned…

Over time, even such a defective property generated some demand, but in the end, I was able to buy it at a bargain price… though it was still nothing more than a worthless piece of land no matter how I looked at it.

Of course, things would be different if someone of my advanced level were to take a direct hand.

I could add a few elements and open it as a quiet seaside resort, or improve the internal ecosystem and relocate residents to make it a residential area.

What particularly interested me now was creating a sort of “Jurassic Park”—a theme park and resource supply center replicating the primitive environment of the southern New Continent.

As for the complex and chaotic ocean currents, I could easily improve them using the sea manipulation abilities of the replica trident I had received as a gift.

And then…

“…Ah.”

My thoughts were completely interrupted here. As I rode Astra at full speed, I had entered one side of this forest, and in my eyes…

[[[Lord Druid! Have you arrived?]]]

“Ohhh….”

Having heard the news of my arrival, the deer cavalry and infantry soldiers of my domain—who had become quite impressive over time—had come out to greet me.