They gathered in the flowerbed, standing among the dazzling petals, not quite believing their eyes. What they had assumed to look like just a garden feature was in fact a gravestone that they should have engraved into their very being. I'm sure that even though there might have be some faint doubt that what I spoke was the truth, the blood in their veins knew the truth. The lore books had mentioned vampires were said to feel such relations more keenly then others: hence why their traditional family groups were either so tight-knit or so distant, depending on the relationships between.

  Maybe it was the latter which was why Cordelia had passed on alone, with only me there to keep her company to the end. Her devotion to Mikel might have cursed her to remain forever attached to this manor, awaiting his return which never came. So whatever descendants she had moved on, while she remained stuck in place.

  Yet now, it was the former who came back to pay their respects for the first time in so long. House Cordis was a family that clearly cared for one another; one that sometimes argued on topics or disagreed on matters. But they stood together as one, always willing to rush to helps one another, and their friends especially, almost to a fatal point.

  It was fitting, in a sort of melancholic irony. Cordelia had been the one to protect the household when Mikel was away; now, perhaps the best of her line would be the ones to protect me when I began to interact with the larger world at hand. Hm.

  I'll definitely have to do something nice for them if I could get the ingredients. Maybe I could find a volcano somewhere? Obsidian for sun walker charms sounded nice, assuming I couldn't break their level cap any other way for them to acquire [Daybreak]. I guess I'll be on the lookout for that.

  It was the least I could do anyway for my friends, both past and present.

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  House Cordis held a private talk among themselves that I wasn't privy to after they paid respects, then they approached me with their plan. "Before anything, know that you forever have my gratitude and favor for saving my life, Master Noel," the duke declared, earning a surprised blink from me. "So do not fear to speak against my proposals and suggestions- they are in flux and can be easily adjusted to include or accommodate your decisions."

  Master? I mean, I get that the title was probably referencing my mastery of the crafts. But I mean...it had also been what Cordelia had called Mikel. Since these were her descendants, I guess I'll allow it. "Go ahead. I'm listening."

  "Firstly, I would like to clarify something. You would rather prefer to be out here than relocating your workshop to the city, correct?"

  I nodded, firm on that. "I'm afraid I've grown quite attached to my home, and don't really want to leave it," I confessed with a light cough. "And from what I know, puppets are hardly ever seen. I would like to at least have some degree of privacy in relative secrecy, though not completely."

  "Hence your usage of wards and illusions to hide your abode when you don't wish to be found." Gregori gave a single acknowledging nod. "Then I won't insult you by bringing up the idea again. However, you are able to remain in contact with us through your dolls still then?"

  "That's right," Kuch spoke up for me, tapping their helmet set on the table. "Whatever I see, we all see."

  "Which means that so long as you are in Gabion, then we can communicate freely should these plans likely change or run into complications. Good." Gregori took in a deep breath and rested a hand on the table. "Then allow me to lay out the plan: we, House Cordis, intend to expand the Duchy of Gabion westwards. Now that the threat of the tides is removed, for sure this time, then we can finally realize the dream of our ancestors in rebuilding and cultivating these lands.

  "Already, I have in mind at least two settlements." Frie helpfully laid out my handmade map of the local land for reference. "Firstly and most importantly, a town right here, where the forest fades into the plains. The dirt is fertile and rich- if we were to establish farms around that feed then into this new local settlement, then we would be able to greatly alleviate the long-standing issues of food in our duchy.

  "There is the worry it might be a bit close to your estate-"

  "I don't mind," I chirped and tapped at the woods where Puppet Atelier was surrounded in. "It would be only maybe half a day's walk away? That sounds perfect for me, I wouldn't mind sometimes being able to visit town now and then. There's plenty of tree for you to use for building material at first and if we do it right via reforestation, my home should be still somewhat remote and difficult for a wander to find."

  "We will take all necessary measures to ensure your privacy remains a priority," he promised, then moving his finger up. "Afterwards, I naturally wish to finally reclaim our lost mining town. Should we manage to do so, then not only have we laid one of our ancestors' greatest regrets to rest; we will have secured the many riches of the mountains."

  "Just be mindful that my mother's body still is there," Mordred warned, eyes narrowing. "And it was promised fully to Noel. If you want a piece, go through them."

  They all nodded seriously, but it didn't feel right. I guess my consciousness was still a little bothered by how casually the dragon was treating her mother's remains. So for my sake and perhaps hers, I also wanted to propose something. "How about turning the cave you once lived within into a shrine for her?" I made mention. "Something like a temple where her life is remembered even if her body is gone, if you want."

  "...I'll think about it," she grumbled, not sold on the idea, but not hating it. I suppose it was definitely a a far flung future project, yet I wanted to plan the seeds now. If only to perhaps give incentive for Mordred be inspired and finally learn more about what sort of her mother had lived.

  "Should you wish to do so, we would be more than happy to contribute," Teodor promised warmly. Then he turned to his father with a curious look, one that was also matched by his sister. "Father, you are oddly quite invested in this expansion plan, more so than any other endeavor I've ever seen from you. Were you truly able to draft this all up in the days you spent here?"

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  "When you have nothing but time to reflect and rest, your mind wanders-"

  "Oh, stop lying brother," Vio teased lightly with a giggle. "You're finally able to do something from your boyhood fantasies, aren't you? I remember you spending time with father back then in the office, going over all the plans for expansion with more than just fun."

  "S-sister, now is not quite the time-"

  "Ah and wasn't your wife also quite supportive and indulgent even in your hobby of map painting-"

  "Enough, enough!" he growled, a little bit of color in his cheeks. "But these plans are sound regardless of age, are they not? Doing so, we could finally address the historic problems have plagued House Cordis since our reestablishment under the empire. Something that would turn the city of Gabion into not just a simple fortress- but a market where all these new places could feed into, and then receive from."

  I could actually see the vision. And that was before even considering further expansion opportunities. "Are you aware that there's a swamp here?" I pointed out, drawing their attention to the south. "It feeds into a pretty large lake that then even leads into the ocean."

  "A possible river port?!" the duke excitedly exclaimed, clearly realizing the potential. He immediately realized that this children was staring at him, seeing a side of their father they never had borne witness too. The smirk on his sister's face was insufferably smug too. "A-ahem. But we must consider the possibilities, and I must stress that this only just an outline for what I hope to achieve in due time. For practicality, it would likely be best to start with the initial offering, and go from there. It's even imperative we do it as soon as possible for food."

  "It's too late to begin planting this year, so it'll have to be the next," Teodor calculated with a slight worry. "We do have some stockpiles of grain from the merchant who visited in spring. But given the increasing trickle of refugees, I think we have even more mouths to feed than normal. Should we carefully ration it out, we should be able to last the winter. Hopefully."

  Ah. Unfortunately, I don't think my supply of animal jerky were going to be of much aid, especially when my once-abundance of it had been annihilated by a bottomless dragon under my roof. Given the food I'd seen in Gabion too, like porridge and gruel, there wasn't any special cooking tip I was aware of to suddenly multiply fish. The only thing way I was going to be useful here was come next year, for the next harvest when the seeds were planted.

  I wasn't a farmer but for Sveg, it'd been honest work. Funny that the orc warlord of Lighthouse also had the best farm fields out of all of us. And I did pick up some interesting things from him.

  "What about our existing farms?" Petula pointed out. "Are we including their harvest?"

  "A fair point, sister. We might have more than we thought." His brow still bent into a furrow. "But I might as well write them off since bandits preying on the regional chaos took over many. Even should we manage to retake them, there is no guarantee they haven't yet burned the fields."

  "It would be remarkably petty of them to do so, especially when the early harvest should be around the corner. Hm, is that perhaps their hope, that we won't be able to respond before they can take it for themselves?"

  Gregori grimaced. "We haven't even the ordinary option of supplementary forces such as mercenaries," he declared sourly. "Many in Gabion had partaken in the effort to overthrow the city, so we would need to attract new ones to replace them. But with the conflict in our neighbors, they'd likely be more lured towards battlefield contracts which often pay lucratively and offer the choice of looting the defeated."

  "In contrast, even if we were to redirect the budget allocated to hiring additional garrison mercenaries for the wall, we can't offer much without ruining our own finances. Perhaps less experienced bands," Teodor considered, dark expression deepening. "Given these bandits are likely former soldiers or mercenaries themselves, it just means the challenge is substantial even if we were to have our house troops lead the way-"

  "Or," Mordred casually interjected with a bloodthirsty grin, "you could just ask adventurers to clear out those farms for you."

  Heads immediately turned with widening eyes. "Are you sure?" Vio asked, uncertain. "From what I've been told, the deal was only supposed to involve fighting against monsters-"

  "That was my mother. I'm not her," the dragon simply declared and pointed at her lance. "Plus, I've already stained Heart-Piercer with human blood. Not quite what I had in mind, but I'm sure a bit more probably wouldn't matter now. It's also the right thing to do- you can't very well turn away all those hungry mouths, can you?"

  "They are a source of manpower that the duchy has sorely needed for years, and at the rate they are entering the city, I believe they would in time become perhaps the first settlers of our town," Gregori detailed before pausing for a moment. "To turn them away as well would be the force them back into the war-torn regions they had fled from, where death or conscription await them."

  "For now, since they're too busy at war, the nobles won't petition us to send them back," his son noted with a sly smile. "Of course, they may choose to persecute later if they wish- but by which time, I expect the Third Legion to be here to make final determinations of blame and guilt."

  As expected, a lot of the specifics flew over Mordred's head and she just focused on what she wanted to care about. "So yes, you can't turn them away, and you need the food from the farms." She flashed a thumbs-up. "Got it. Kuch, you joining?"

  "I will," promised my doll before they turned to House Cordis. "Though I should note that while we can take the farms, we likely can't hold them between just the two of us. Not unless you want the soil to be truly watered with blood instead."

  "House troops will be on standby to follow in and secure the recovered territories."

  "Sounds like that's one trouble smoothed out," I happily declared and clapped my hands. "Let's break and have some food. I've a feeling there's still some more conversation to be had."

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