Alice's idea seemed to be working for now.

  Maintaining a dense mana field tightly around myself, and thereby reducing the ambient mana in the rest of my domain, was far easier than trying to isolate every human within it. But two problems remained: First, I was constantly generating mana. Sooner or later, keeping it all compressed around me would become more difficult. Second, my vast domain was already showing signs of strain under such low mana density. Apparently, the distance one could control their domain was somehow tied to how densely it was infused with mana.

  The sunlit yard was suddenly veiled in shadow. I looked up to see dark clouds gathering. There was no rainy season on this continent like on the other, but still, this time of year brought more rain than average.

  As I approached the baron, my thoughts drifted back to the problem at hand.

  One possible solution, at least for the first issue, was what Ju had suggested: expelling the accumulated mana in controlled waves.

  But what about the second problem? My domain was crumbling, shrinking due to the reduced mana density.

  I had just started getting used to this broad awareness, and now I was supposed to restrict it?

  It felt like putting on blinders, or any other device meant to narrow one’s vision.

  Alice was just entering the smithy when my attention snapped to that spot.

  But that was already an area I was beginning to lose control over.

  As I focused on it, a thicker strand of mana formed, a kind of flexible, flying “mana pipe” connecting me to that section.

  And just like that, the area stabilized.

  For a moment, I was baffled.

  It worked. I could maintain that part of the domain by reinforcing it directly.

  The only drawback? I had to be careful to keep those mana threads away from any nearby humans.

  A broad grin spread across my face as I exhaled, satisfied with the results of my mana experiment. I waved to the baron.

  “Queen Lores! Your Highness! I bring good news!” he called out as he approached.

  “Hello, Baron Esterghom! I hope it's truly good news, Baron!”

  I was pleased to see that he didn’t seem to be sweating as much as he used to around me. He even managed to keep a jovial expression as he drew closer.

  A distant thunderclap rolled over the castle, and he glanced up at the dark clouds for a moment before refocusing on me.

  “Your Highness, it’s very good news. We’ve received an answer from Guadalquatz!”

  Just then, a fleeting image of rain falling over the lake passed through my mind. I blinked, momentarily confused, before realizing it was Yisila sending a visual update, apparently, the rain was nearing. Too much parallel input for my poor brain.

  “Guadal-what?” I asked, trying to understand what he was talking about. Was that the name of some place my orcs had attacked?

  “Guadalquatz,” he repeated, trying to keep a steady face while his eyes blinked in confusion. It was clear he expected me to recognize the name immediately.

  A little disappointed, he added, “The capital of the Krawag Republic, Your Highness. You tasked me with inquiring about Lady Tina’s whereabouts.”

  “Oh… those blasted dwarves,” I muttered.

  Another distant boom of thunder reminded me the rain was getting closer.

  “Ah, yes, Your Highness. The Krawag Republic is open to dialogue. There’s a chance we can negotiate Lady Tina’s release.”

  Now that was good news. I pushed aside the distracting thoughts and focused on the conversation.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “You mean she might be set free?” I asked.

  “Certainly,” he replied, wiping his brow. “It’s only a matter of… resources.”

  Damn. Those dwarves would want gold, exactly what I didn’t have. He must have seen the concern on my face because his own expression shifted slightly.

  Just then, I caught sight of my gauge-boy waving the orange flag. Drats! I’d let my mana drift again. I closed my eyes and pulled it all back, concentrating the bulk of it just inches around me.

  “When will we get her back, and how much will it cost?” I asked.

  The paladin walking beside the baron glanced up uneasily at the dark clouds gathering above us.

  “I’ve been instructed to inform you that everything will be taken care of by the Kingdom as a goodwill gesture, Your Ladyship. Prince Aloun personally assured King Thores that he would oversee the negotiations and ensure the young lady’s release.”

  “King Thores followed up on the request?” I exclaimed, genuinely surprised. I hadn’t expected that level of involvement!

  Annoyingly, that was when the sky opened up and a sudden downpour drenched us. We began hurrying toward the main building. Jin’Sue was already closer to the entrance, his green flag waving as he dashed ahead.

  I didn’t want to leave the corpulent baron struggling alone in the rain, so I matched my pace to his.

  “Indeed, Your Highness,” he managed between heavy breaths, water streaming down his face and dripping from his mustache. “His Majesty would be honored to receive you in Uldaman. Just let us know when you wish to proceed with the visit. It would be a great honor to welcome the Great Queen of Hologomora to our city. And hopefully, you will be able to meet the young lady there as well, Your Highness…”

  I tried to shift the raindrops to the side, to push them away with my magic, but there were simply too many. A different kind of defense would be needed to fend off such a relentless wave of flying drops. Maybe I managed to deflect five percent at best.

  Meanwhile, small rivulets had already begun forming in the yard, heavy drops splashing water in every direction.

  From the entryway, Jin’Sue was cheerfully waving the green flag, while the paladin behind us looked like a soaked tin can on legs.

  “Uh, but that’ll cost a lot of gold I don’t currently have. Just opening a portal to bring her here would be expensive!” I blurted, swiping the water from my brow.

  “It doesn’t matter, Your Highness. As I’ve already informed you, the matter will be handled by the Guaravian Kingdom. Your visit to Uldaman will certainly help speed up the process, Your Highness.”

  Could it really be that simple? Was it all just a matter of having the right connections, and suddenly everything becomes possible?

  As a well-trained schoolgirl, I paused at the door to let him enter first, but he halted in turn.

  “After you, Your Highness,” he said gallantly.

  The poor paladin stood stoically in the downpour behind him, a dripping, armored wet tin can.

  A thunderclap struck something very close—maybe one of the castle towers. The deafening boom rang in my ears, and the baron involuntarily pushed me forward as he jumped inside.

  “Baron, are we sure we’re talking about the same girl?” I asked as we advanced down the corridor, wet footprints forming puddles behind me. “Because, as I said, Tina is not just a simple girl, she’s actually one of the wives of the Golden Emperor. Technically, that makes her a queen. Will she really be freed?”

  “Yes, Your Highness. Those ‘blasted dwarves,’ as you so colorfully call them, refer to her as the Virgin Golden Queen, born Thiara de Hollybrunn. We are indeed talking about the same person.”

  I chuckled. The baron seemed to have regained his usual flair.

  A small flock of maids followed me, fussing over clean towels and trying to coax me into changing clothes. But I wasn’t finished with the conversation just yet.

  We entered a sitting room where a fire was already crackling in the hearth. We made our way to the warmth, settling into chairs while amenities were brought over.

  Ah... it felt so good to be among people again.

  We chatted a little longer, and Jin’Sue kept the flag green the entire time. I smiled, delighted: I had found the solution.

  Several mana pipes were already stretching out from me to the edges of my domain. It wasn’t quite as large as it had been before, but I figured that was just a matter of time, willpower, and practice.

  And even better, I could use those same mana pipes to offload excess mana away from me.

  Relief and joy surged in me, so strong I almost burst into a little dance. Finally, finally, everything was falling into place.

  Ju was free. Tina would be free soon. My aura issue was under control. And best of all, I could finally be around people again.

  Once the meeting with the baron ended, I couldn’t hold back the maids any longer. I was swept into a bathroom, disrobed, washed, and cleaned before being dressed in a fresh set of robes.

  I let it all wash over me, smiling inwardly. They were so sweet and genuinely concerned. Not that cold and damp were any real threat to me at my level. Honestly, I could probably sit on a block of ice without even feeling chilly, maybe a little annoyed at the inconvenience. The ice would likely sizzle and melt before I noticed.

  But still… it felt good to be cared for.

  As warm hands dried me and happy voices chattered around me, I let myself drift.

  And for the first time in what felt like ages, I could truly think optimistically about the future.

  Oh, well…