A few weeks, that was how long the hero's party had been away from Elenaris, and Mono had somehow already managed to make her crown more presentable. The streets were clean, the sewers properly covered, and steam was replaced by electricity with an underground channel of power generation.
The lamps were bright, and the people seemed happier, except of course the criminals twenty thousand of which have been worked to death as punishment to rebuild this kingdom.
"How the fuck did she manage all this?" Looking around the city's paths right as he'd walked in, Raven tried to spy a single piece of trash but just couldn't find anything. "The smells are gone too, and it's so much colder now..."
"I guess that's what we get when you hand your kingdom to a sorceress obsessed with efficiency," Erika muttered, walking up to Raven.
"Yeah, but, if the rumors are true then this cost the kingdom twenty thousand lives, and we've probably added more to that pile with the centaurian slaves," as Raven covered a broader topic, overhearing it both Amedith and Liliyana grew a bit concerned.
"We'll meet you guys at the inn, that's where we're going first, right?" Grabbing Liliyana's hand, Amedith began charting his way forward. Raven tried to call out to him and stop him but worried that the children were sent to the dungeons instead of an orphanage, the ex-hero and his lover didn't even look behind.
'I hope I'm wrong or Mono has a lot to answer!' Heading straight for the orphanage and perhaps later the church, Amedith wanted to ensure that the children were there before their talk with Mono. That way if she tries to play things off by saying they weren't in the dungeons he could instantly call her out on her lies.
As the duo kept walking away, however, the others were left behind in waiting for a carriage Regalia was supposed to bring. Standing there with not much to do, Raven decided to talk to the guard and found out what the people were told about the monster alliance's annihilation. And to nobody's surprise, the party wasn't credited for the deed instead the glory went directly to their new queen.
Leaving a quick peck on his cheek, Regalia finally moved out of the party's way. Raven instantly tried to get in, but his shirt was suddenly pulled back. Turning his head around, he noticed all three of the girls either angrily looking at him or pouting like a child. But since Mel was the one who'd pulled him back, Raven turned to her to ask what was wrong.
"Prefer older women, huh?" Being the same age as him, Melicia felt a bit jealous because of Raven's comment.
Erika was the same and so was Aria, but the two let Mel handle the conversation herself.
"I...I just didn't wanna make her feel old in comparison, you know?" Knowing he'd messed up, Raven nervously scratched the back of his head. Thankfully, Regalia was daydreaming about pups, or else her wolf ears would've easily picked up the conversation. "Besides, I can't have kids just yet, our journey is nowhere near its end yet!"
Seeing at least some logic in his reasoning, the girls–although reluctant to forgive him, temporarily moved past the matter and followed him into the carriage.
'Phew! I should be more careful.' Deciding to cheer them up later, Raven made a mental note to spend time with each of them on their own so nobody could barge in or disturb an intimate or heart-warming moment.
Before any of that, however, was time to get to the bricks and cobbles and meet up with Daine and her family. The last time the party was at the inn, only Lana was standing on her feet while Diane and Zoey were both recovering from the stabbing.
'Let's hope they're okay, we have a lot to do in Elenaris before leaving this place behind after all.' While praying for their well-being, Raven and the party gazed out of the carriage windows, hoping that everything for once, goes without any problems.