Nick exhaled in relief the moment they stepped into Floria.

He'd never been in real danger during this trip, which was a welcome break from his past experiences, but all the social jockeying, subtle tensions, and responsibilities… It had been more than he was ready for, regardless of his high charisma.

The occultist class gave him an edge over most mages when it came to navigating high society, that much was true, and his past experiences helped him to muddle his way through it all, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it.

Hopefully, this fulfilled his duties.

It was still light outside when they arrived at the Town Hall, but the day was ending, and there weren't many people out and about.

With a fresh perspective, Nick could see that Floria wasn't tapping into its full potential. The proximity to the Green Ocean alone should have made it a trade hub, with all the valuable materials that could be extracted from within, but instead, adventurers merely sold what they needed to survive another day and buy new gear, or in the rare occasion they hit it big, immediately left for Alluria, where their goods could be sold to the truly rich.

Not everything was fixable, of course. There was no way a frontier town could develop into a city like Alluria, even with their elevation.

However, some steps could have been taken to make it more successful. Eugene could have signed trade agreements with merchant houses to at least increase the frequency of caravans passing through, for instance.

Maybe I'm being too harsh. It's possible he tried, and they offered unfavorable terms. After all, he was a newly promoted Captain whose sole focus was keeping the monsters at bay. Any seasoned merchant would have run circles around him.

If that was the case, then Eugene hadn't done too badly. Signing exclusive trade deals would have been worse than the current situation.

But everything was about to change. Nick could already notice some differences from the past. Several buildings in the town center that had once been in various states of disrepair, either due to natural weathering or a lack of funds, were now undergoing renovation.

He knew that was thanks to the coin brought by the many spies and wealthy people who came after hearing of the dungeon or the crystal forest, and decided that if they had to live here for a while, they would do so in luxury.

If that alone was enough to give Floria a new life, then becoming the capital of a Barony would surely bring even more change.

It's still early days, but that just means we need to set things up properly. Given the significant interest from southern merchants, we're likely to see explosive growth.

Trotting down the main avenue, they finally arrived at the Town Hall, where Nick could sense that both his parents were still hard at work.

Interestingly, there appeared to be some people in the empty rooms on the upper floors, and from what he could spy, they were talking about reorganizing the building.

So I was right, we are going to move in here.

It was the most logical step, but he couldn't help feeling a bit nostalgic for the farmhouse. Hopefully, it wouldn't be completely abandoned. I can probably cast some protections on it to keep it in good condition. Having a place away from the town wouldn't be a bad idea.

"We're here," Homer murmured.

"Indeed. I think we can call this a success. If you'll take care of the horses, I'll go inform my father. Expect a commendation," Nick replied, and the man ducked his head, though he could see pleasure and pride swirling within him.

With one last pat to Beth, Nick dismounted and set off. He'd miss the frilly, and riding her these past few days had changed his view of horseback travel.

"I'll do that. Goodbye, Lord Nicholas," Homer called, and it felt final.

He's more perceptive than I gave him credit for if he's noticed my intentions. But then again, I wasn't really trying to hide.

Clerks and civil servants, whom he only recognized from seeing around town, seemed very busy as he walked through the entrance.

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Nick passed them by, receiving distracted greetings once in a while, when people bothered to look up from the tasks they were working on.

It was kind of funny how little reverence he received here, especially after being treated with pomp and circumstance in Oakenhallow and Honeyton. But he suspected it would take some more time for the locals to get used to the change in rank.

House Crowley had never been particularly strict about its presentation, at least as long as Eugene had been in charge.

When he finally got to his father's study, he saw it was being guarded by two soldiers, who noticed him immediately and saluted.

The militia, it seemed, needed no time to adjust.

"Lord Nicholas, welcome back," one called, and Nick had to hide his grimace. Would he be condemned to hear his full name forever? He hoped not. He'd always been Nick, and changing that now wasn't part of his plans.

Inside the study, his parents paused when they heard his name spoken aloud, and the door swung open.

Before Nick could even say anything, Elena had pulled him into a big hug, holding him close. "Oh, Nick. Welcome back home."

Once he was released, his father placed a warm hand on his shoulder, smiling down at him. I still need to get used to his new height. I was about to catch up, too!

"I heard from Sir Poules that you've been handling yourself well when he arrived the other day. Were there any problems in Honeyton?"

Nick sighed. "Well, I got the oath, if that's what you are asking, but we need to talk about a few things."

Eugene's expression grew more serious, and he nodded, pulling him into the room and giving a look to the soldiers, who hurried to close the door to give them some privacy.

Without even thinking, Nick summoned an air shield around them. He couldn't sense anyone trying to listen this time, but that didn't mean he should let his guard down with spies about.

Once everyone was seated, Nick launched into a quick retelling of his adventure. He made sure to praise Homer, as the soldier had made his life much easier by handling all the menial tasks required for the journey, but then mostly focused on the two major sticking points.

First and foremost, he was worried about Chandra. He made it clear that he didn't believe she was magically manipulating her husband, but her control over the servants and a large part of the population made him uneasy, and he wanted to make sure his parents were aware of her possible influence.

They didn't interrupt, which allowed him to then move on to the matters of Honeyton. The burning of Eztie's temple elicited a hiss from both, and his discovery of the murdered priests made Eugene adopt a grim expression, but they both chuckled at his outmaneuvering of Sir Quack. His mother even giggled when he recounted his efforts in the yard and his attendance at the ball.

"To think you'd be the first to participate in an official event representing House Crowley," she chuckled, well aware of his tendency to avoid such occasions.

Finally, Nick handed over the sword Yohan had gifted him, "and this is from the merchant I told you about. He made it clear he hoped to open a store here soon, but I haven't promised him anything beyond you hearing him out."

Eugene carefully inspected the sword as he unwrapped it from its covering.

As soon as the pommel touched his skin, a wave of heat pulsed out, pushing everything back and making the windows shake.

The door swung open suddenly, and the soldiers stormed in, searching for threats, only to be left speechless by the sight of Eugene grinning broadly as he held a crimson blade, looking at it with reverence.

Elena also had eyes only for the sword, and Nick wondered how Yohan had found such a compatible weapon, even though he had only met his father once, years ago.

"Well, he'll get his shop," Eugene finally said, sheathing the blade once again with an expression of barely contained excitement. If Nick knew him at all, he would probably spend the night practicing with it.

Not that I would be any different if I had such a well-crafted wand that felt like it was made specifically for me.

Of course, the sword wasn't custom-made, but Eugene's Prestige advancement made any weapon with a fire element respond as if it were, and few things could claim to be more attuned than Firestone.

"I thought so," Nick said with a chuckle. Yohan must have paid a lot to get his hands on that sword—much more than the money he earned selling him the ticket—but it was a good investment.

If he didn't delay too long, his would be the first merchant house to buy property in Flora. He would, essentially, have his pick, and with the support of House Crowley, he could expand very quickly.

The sword alone probably cost more than he'd earn in his first year of operations in Floria, but having a good relationship with the new Baron was almost priceless.

Once the guards were back outside and the door was locked, Eugene sheathed the sword and turned to look at Nick. "You have done well, son. The task I gave you wasn't an easy one, especially considering your age, but you earned the oaths of fealty and collected a lot of important information."

His eyes shone with pride, and Nick felt almost overwhelmed. Some of it was the intense emotional charge of being looked at by his parents with such open approval, but some of it was that Eugene was still not hiding his presence, and as a Prestige, his emotions had a much stronger effect.

Still, he appreciated it nonetheless. "Thank you. I won't lie and say it was a pleasure, because it wasn't, but I learned a lot."

His parents exchanged amused looks. "Yes, we expected you wouldn't want a repeat. You shouldn't worry about that, though. With Quack in the fold and expected to arrive in the next few days, and the last of the village chiefs having arrived just today, the consolidation of our territory is over," Elena said.

Nick sighed in relief. It wasn't so much that he feared something would go wrong, as that he had learned to prepare for the worst.

"Now, of course, begins the next phase. We are waiting for the knight corps that is currently handling the situation up north to send their representatives, and we'll soon begin the actual planning of the war effort," Eugene continued for her.

"So it is war, then?" Nick asked grimly.

Eugene closed his eyes briefly before opening them with a determined look. "Not open war, as the dark dwarves still don't seem willing to expand beyond the routes they've already seized, but we can't just accept the chaos they're causing."

"Well, you know I'll help if something needs my touch," Nick replied. He wanted nothing to do with the war, but if his family truly needed him, he wouldn't say no.

Fortunately, Eugene shook his head. "No, I know you want to continue your studies, and I support that decision. This isn't the kind of operation that can be fixed with a single daring strike, unfortunately. We'll be spending months, if not years, gradually pushing back their encroachment and dealing with the increased monster activity it caused."

"Hopefully, nothing else will come up in the meantime. The burning of Eztie's temple makes me think we might need to strengthen our defenses to the south as well," Elena added.

They continued planning for the next hour, discussing options and how much attention they could allocate from the northern campaign, but both of his parents made it clear they didn't want to involve Nick anymore.

He only hoped that would remain the case for a long time.