The Dreamer's POV

[01 Months: 10 Days: 04 Hours]

"Theo is such a prodigy, you know? As expected of one with the blood of the Lyma Family flowing through him… his progress so far has been abnormally fast."

Drius couldn't stop gushing about how Theo was an excellent student, and his incredible affinity for Martial Arts. I could see it was embarrassing the boy a little, but I couldn't stop the proud instructor from having a good time.

"Well, since Theo is faring better than most, I guess we can all be optimistic about his prospects in combat." I smiled in response.

"Yes! Exactly! The Young Master is that talented."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"You guys… ah, come on."

We all laughed and smiled as the conversation continued flowing in that direction.

Surely, it would be nice if I could groom him to be the perfect leader—both in power and resources. Theo rising meant I would too.

However…

'This isn't enough.' My thoughts echoed, masked by my outward laughter.

'While I'm happy about the sentiment being shared, this is far from satisfactory; both on Drius' end and Theo's side.'

It had been 10 days since the First Floor opened up, and while a lot of things had gotten better since my return, I wasn't satisfied with all of the results.

'Slow… we're too slow.' It wasn't an unwarranted anxiety. The way I saw it, we couldn't be at ease yet, until we were out of the woods.

'And we're far from achieving our objectives.'

It would soon be time for the opposing parties to start arising, so it was much safer to begin preparing as soon as possible. Plus, the Dark Spawn I encountered all those days ago was still on my mind.

There were too many unknown variables for me to consider, so it was difficult for me to see these little steps forward as considerable progress.

'We need more…' I narrowed my gaze on the two who sat before me, a smile still locked on my face.

'... To protect them, as my assets, and everything in this territory.'

I needed more.

*******

[Moments Later]

"I'll be leaving first. If you'll excuse me…" Once I was done with my meal, I rose from my chair and bowed slightly to the two who weren't quite finished.

I suppose it was Noble etiquette to eat slowly, but I had more things to do than allow something like that to waste my time too much.

"Ah, you're off to oversee the work in the Capital, right?" Theo asked, his eyes brimming with the same childlike wonder, yet tainted with maturity.

"That is correct."

"Alright, then. I'll also be continuing my training soon." He smiled, and I nodded in approval.

It pleased me that this kid knew what was at stake, and that he couldn't get too comfortable because he had allies by his side.

"I look forward to hearing more good things." I then turned my focus away from him. "Don't go easy on him, Drius."

"Understood!"

"H-hey!"

Those were the last words I heard before I activated [Grand Teleportation], causing a surge of purplish energy to shroud me in its entirety.

~VWOOSH!~

The world zoomed out of focus, and I felt everything around me contort as I began the warp.

'Alright then. Time for another day monitoring the work.'

I could only guess how much work had been done since when last I checked; yesterday night.

*******

I appeared above the city, my body feeling the great morning breeze and brilliant ray of sunlight as I levitated hundreds of feet from the ground.

The improved scenery brought a genuine smile on my face, and I felt at peace just staring at it from my height, witnessing all of the activities taking place at once.

This was my private time, to reflect and comprehend the current state of my assets.

'In just eight days since my return, a lot of things have changed. It's almost unbelievable.'

So many incomplete houses were now in their finishing stages, and the roads were already getting fixed. The most complicated projects, like taller buildings and more unique landmarks, were going to take more time, but we were on a good streak right now.

'... All thanks to my Minions.'

I could see as all my wyverns, Number 1 to 12, do a lot of the heavy lifting and aiding in the transportation of materials. Number 0, my dragon assisted in the much bigger projects, and its bulkier mass certainly helped in the construction of the much larger structures.

Perhaps the most essential highlight in all of the work of my Minions would be Tank, the Whispering Treat, since it could generate lots of spawns to assist in the smaller construction work.

It made things faster, and since the spawns could be distributed throughout the city, it aided in the overall construction work and not just in a region.

Alpha, Beta, and Gamma were currently wearing masks to hide their identities, but they also worked in the edges of the city. Their main purpose wasn't really construction work, but rather security.

I had them on guard around in case any more Dark Spawns, or even any adversary at all, showed up.

'Everyone's working. Well, almost everyone.'

The only ones not doing anything were Black and Omega.

The former was more suited for shadow work. He also served as Drius' sparring buddy, so that disqualified him from the kind of work being done in the Capital.

As for Omega, it also wasn't suited for this kind of work. Plus, I had already decided to make it my trump card, so I would only use it if it was absolutely necessary.

And since the construction was moving so quickly without it, I didn't think I needed it present after all.

"Then, there are the workers…" I muttered, staring at the simple folks who had already begun adjusting to having monsters work side by side with.

It took some convincing at the start, but I didn't need to stress myself too much. I was the boss, and since they needed the job more than I currently needed them, they agreed to the new terms of labor.

'Well, it's not all good for them…'

For one, now that the workers had their workloads lessened thanks to the more efficient work of the Minions, the latter could be viewed as some sort of threat to their jobs.'

It reminded me a bit of the AI epidemic that was occurring on Earth before I was transported here. Not only because I didn't have to pay or interact with my Minions beyond the scope of their duties, but also because they didn't get tired, sick, hungry, or injured the way regular people would.

They were the perfect workers.

'While I feel for the workers, something like this is inevitable if the most efficient path is to be taken.'

However, I wasn't heartless, especially considering the long-term implications of my current decisions.

The workers were there for us when the Lyma Region had no one, so it would be generally viewed in a negative light if I was to leave them at such a disadvantage. My goal was for long-term prosperity and not simply short-term progress.

It wasn't like Theo could rule a Lyma Region filled with nothing but my loyal Minions. No… we needed people.

With that in mind, I made a compromise.

In order to make the people feel cared for, I maintained the promise of the homes they would have in the city once it was complete. They were also exempted from paying taxes for a year once the city was functional.

With my current plans for the Lyma Region, I reckoned my decisions wouldn't affect the economy too much.

As such, other than their wage, nothing more was going to be affected. Also, it wasn't like all the workers were suddenly no longer busy. Everyone still had roles to play in the construction and full on restructure of the capital, so it ended up being wholesome.

It was difficult figuring out the best way to compromise, but I ended up pulling something off.

That was a good bargain for these people who were mostly simple folk trying to support their family, and in the end, they would see me as a kind benevolent man.

Well, not me, but Theo.

He was the face of this entire thing—the star. I was simply the manager.

His reputation being boosted by the simple folk was something I had to ensure remained constant since public opinion held great power, even in a monarchy. A ruler who had the support of his people would have it much easier in his reign.

"Haa…" Observing the Lyma Estate now, I realized it was still a shell of what it once represented.

If I had never witnessed its full glory before, perhaps I wouldn't have felt this way.

'But this is good. I should feel all of this.' My lips curled up in a grin as I took in everything around and beneath me.

'That way, I can change everything.'

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[A/N]

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