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The invasion could put that in question, but since we did a good job defending against it, I expected the outcome to prove that we are capable of protecting the citizens, and also show a little of how powerful we are, even if our numbers are closer to that of a small village.

On our way, the first stop was Lily and Olivia, who were working together in the fields.

Olivia\'s Gift is called [Be Silent]. It has some uses for combat and other operations by reducing the sounds that allies make.

However, due to the second effect that increases her concentration and allows for faster and deeper thought, I agreed with her that a position behind a desk is more suitable.

She shows astonishing potential as an accountant, something we will need in the future. The timing is a bit off as we don\'t have enough resources to even worry about it, but I have no reason to complain.

Her personality is also not bad. She\'s not as exquisite as some of the other girls and seems well-mannered and easy to deal with.

As for the fields they were working in, Lily and I had decided on the first set of crops.

Wheat and rice were a must. Rice seemed a bit difficult to work with, but Lily was confident she could handle it.

And in case she needed help, we could always change things to facilitate things for her.

As for the other crops, we went with potatoes and beans to help with the soil\'s health and improve diets beyond just rice. We also chose sunflowers for oil, and thus, we had pretty much enough to sustain a small population.

The lack of variety was concerning for me, but... I had a few plans for that.

First, the residents can acquire rabbit meat by going to the forest. The first patches don\'t offer much of a challenge, and by having the Valkyries keep watch, it should be safe even if someone decides to go too deep.

Second, I\'ve already contacted a few farmers, and it\'s pretty much set for me to acquire some animals. So at least eggs and milk should also complement a typical meal for a resident of the Kingdom soonish.

Last but not least, the rooftop gardens that I\'ve asked Lily to teach and help the girls with.

Instead of production, I\'ve asked them to focus on variety, and they\'ve been cultivating a few herbs, a few flowers for spices, and greens, such as lettuce.

The plan is to use the Guild to put up job requests, such as gathering wood, minerals, or meat, and then offer these as a reward, creating a small work and trade culture inside the Kingdom.

If need be, I\'ll interfere to make it happen, but I\'d prefer to just give it a kickstart as autonomous and natural development would obviously be better than any plan I could come up with.

All of that would depend on what Lily and I can accomplish, but the good side of having so few residents is that we had ample room for experimentation without risking a mountain of death through a famine.

Miwen: "So I\'m putting all my faith in you. And remember, we have no future if you fail!"

Lily: "I... um... please don\'t tease me..."

A shame that she already understands me so well. If not for my memories being shared with her, I\'m sure I\'d be able to get an even better reaction...

Speaking of reactions though, the next step after Lily and Olivia was Agatha.

This woman is a bit... difficult to deal with. But in a nice way... I guess...

She has asked me permission to venture into the mines and the forest, to study the things that appear in the Kingdom.

Like I had thought, she\'s an alchemist. Her primary desire is to study and develop potions and medicine, but she also said that she can help with the fields if I allow her to.

It\'s a bit awkward though since I\'m pretty sure she doesn\'t compare with what Earth already has to offer when it comes to agriculture, but at the very least, I can have her test the soil with Lily. The two of them together should create a good combo to watch over the health of the crops.

And who knows, maybe with enough time and tools she\'ll be able to develop chemicals on par with the ones from Earth...

The chances are not so bad since I can force basically any mineral or plant from any world to spawn in the Kingdom. At least in variety, I don\'t lose to Earth, and if she\'s serious about studying all of that, she might discover natural or magical things with qualities not known to my world.

Miwen: "So, about your request. I gave it some thought."

Agatha: "So, is that a yes, or..."

Miwen: "With a condition."

Agatha: "...Well, I suppose nothing is free."

She nonchalantly started to take off her blouse, but...

Miwen: "Stop. I\'m not talking about that... I just want you to take at least one of them with you when you go somewhere. They are strong, so I\'m sure they can protect you. Right?"

Skuld: "Affirmative. We\'ll not allow harm to fall upon a fellow comrade."

Whenever I think about this woman, I instinctively compare her to Beatrice.

I\'ve come to know that she\'s younger than I thought, so they are not that far off in age, but it\'s not just that.

She gives off this feeling of... focus and uninterest... like she doesn\'t care about anything else aside from her research. It\'s how I imagine Beatrice\'s behavior to have been, and it makes me understand a little how she got in such a big mess, as it really does make approaching her a little hard due to some uneasiness.

I\'ve seen her talking with Olivia though, and since she has a similar age and mindset as Bea had before...

I think it\'s possible for them to make a strong bond, but I worry that instead of Bea dragging her up, she might be the one who gets dragged down.

Agatha: "Oh... Well... That makes things easier, I suppose."

Aside from her services, her body is basically the only thing she has to offer, so I can understand that she would do it in exchange for getting what she wants, but... it was such a small request that it made me feel kind of bad.

The only reason I denied it in the first place was because of the danger, and the fact that I didn\'t want to keep anyone from our current party around to watch them all the time.

To be honest, with the level-ups that the invasion brought, I could let her go alone, but... the Valkyries\' loyalty is high enough that I can trust them to be my eyes, so I want them to stick around as much as possible.

Especially when it comes to a certain priest.

Or Saintess Gabriella, as she should rightfully be called... apparently.

Miwen: "Hm? That\'s an odd combination. I wasn\'t expecting to see you here Angelica."

Angelica: "...! That\'s-"

Gabriella: "Oh, I\'m sorry. I was studying light magic spells together with the angel."

... But Angelica only knows a single one.

So this means that... in actuality, Gabriella was teaching her.

Miwen: "I see. But doesn\'t it bother you that she\'s also a dragon?"

Gabriella: "..."

Angelica: "..."

Perhaps she thought the horns were from a demihuman lineage instead of a demonic or draconic one, but judging by her reaction, she didn\'t know.

And Angelica made no effort to explain...

I could see in her face that she was depressed and anxious over me exposing her like this, but I had my own reasons.

Gabriella: "You\'re a half monster... but a Holy Dragon..."

She didn\'t give any immediate answer, but that was enough for me.

Preferably, she would\'ve said that, until someone does something wrong, independent of what race they belong to, they are innocent.

Instead, it felt like she was thorn thinking that Angelica\'s angel side should make her good, while her dragon/monster side should make her evil, completely disregarding the person herself.

Seeing this, I became a little more than annoyed, so before I did or said something stupid, I decided to leave.

Miwen: "I see you\'re not unhappy, so the event didn\'t bother you that much, right? That\'s good. These guys here are Valkyries, they\'re new residents, so treat them well. Now if you\'ll excuse us, Gabriella, I\'ll take my little dragon angel for a ride. Come on Angelica. We have something to discuss."

Ever since I exposed her, Angelica kept quiet. Even after we left the house they were in and she transformed, she would only utter a word once we reached the walls.

Angelica: "I\'m sorry."

Miwen: "Uh-huh. That\'s a good start."

Angelica: "... I... never got the chance to study so... I thought that if I learned more... I could help you..."

Due to her lineage, Angelica spent most of her life hiding and running, so it makes sense that she wouldn\'t know too much about magic.

But still...

Why is it that the quiet ones are the most troublesome? I feel like a kindergarten teacher.

Miwen: "I don\'t doubt for a second that you had good intentions. But I\'m still mad. And you should know why."

She had access to my memories, like Cassandra and Lily, so she should be able to understand me quite well as she was basically exposed to my entire life through my own eyes.

Precisely because she knew I wouldn\'t approve, she went out of her way to not bring attention to the matter, thinking that just because she doesn\'t talk too much she could disappear into the background and I wouldn\'t notice.

But she was wrong. I\'m glad I caught her so early into this, but sooner or later, I would\'ve noticed.

Angelica: "...When I saw your memories... Who you are and what you want this place to be... I thought that perhaps... this could be destiny... I hoped this could be my home..."

Miwen: "And is it not? I think the girls really appreciate you. And I do too."

It might be too early to say that we understand her, but she did tell us about her past, the love she received from her parents, how she was persecuted due to her race, and how she spent her entire life running away and hiding.

We at least understand that this has left scars on her.

For example, her personality seems to be a product of trauma.

Like Ellie, she is quiet, but she doesn\'t demonstrate the same shyness. She doesn\'t stumble over her words nor does she get embarrassed/anxious as easily when being talked to or teased.

Angelica only lets out a few comments that she judges important, and responds when directly talked to.

It\'s a strategy to blend in with the background and go unnoticed. She\'s hiding, and she does it so naturally that it\'s hard to tell if she\'s doing it consciously or not.

Everyone has their own opinion on that. Licia for example, thinks it should be fine, and that if we give her enough time without pointing that out, she will eventually overcome it on her own.

Cassandra takes a similar approach to what I use with Mia, forcing her to come out of her shell by poking at her whenever she gets the chance.

As for me... I sit somewhere in the middle.

I don\'t think she needs to change if she\'s comfortable the way she is right now.

I only interfere with the behavior of the girls when it\'s detrimental to themselves or poses a problem to me and the others.

Aside from that, I just offer my support and advice whenever I notice they have a problem.

Basically, I help them develop themselves in the direction they think will make them the happiest, as that also makes me happy.

Angelica: "I know that, and I swear, it\'s everything I ever wanted. I\'m glad to be here... but... That\'s precisely why... I don\'t want to risk losing the home I found..."

Brilliant. She\'s playing a zero-sum game with herself.

Miwen: "I see. So you always looked for a place where you were free to be yourself, and when you found it, you decided to hide who you are to protect it. You know that by doing this, you\'re making this place the same as everywhere else, right?"

Angelica: "I-"

For the first time, it felt like she responded emotionally, as she didn\'t have an answer ready, and stopped before saying anything, only to continue a few moments later.

Angelica: "I\'m sorry, I think I am... afraid...I don\'t know of what... And I don\'t know how to explain... I also... don\'t know what I should do."

It\'s hard for me to give her an answer. I think she\'s the one who needs to come up with her own.

I also don\'t think what she did is illogical. She received a lot of what she desired at once. It came easy, so she\'s afraid it will also go just as easily.

To protect it, she sought whatever power she could acquire. That\'s a normal reaction.

The problem is that she was going to make a mistake. She was going to sacrifice the very thing she was trying to protect.

So while I might not have the answer for everything, for this small part of her problem... for this one problem... I do have a solution.

Miwen: "That\'s fine. You can relax and take your time to find the answers you need to understand yourself, no pressure. But if you want my opinion... I don\'t think you should hide anything. This camouflage goes both ways, the more you cloud yourself for others, the harder it will be for you to see yourself."

Angelica: "...But then what-"

Miwen: "What you should do? Why not just enjoy your life? You can do whatever and be whoever you want inside my kingdom. I\'ll give you my support, and my only hope is that one day you will be proud and like yourself as much as we do."

Something in my words seemed to have resonated with her, and after thinking about it, she made a request.

Angelica: "...Then... is it fine if we stay like this... for a while?"

Like a child seeking their parent\'s protection, all she wanted was to hold my hand.

Again, it was a good way to dispel the fear. Just knowing that you have someone else by your side already makes you feel stronger.

Since I still had to check on the others, I ended up parading her as we walked holding hands.