Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 107: Safiro

Chapter 107: Safiro

Arabella woke up early in the morning to prepare for her visit to Safiro.

Her maids helped her bathe and get dressed. She asked them to choose comfortable clothes fit for walking since she might end up walking here and there again.

Ferdinand did not sleep in her room last night since he had a lot of work to do.

When she headed to the dining hall, Ferdinand was already there waiting for her. They had breakfast together and waited for Alwin.

Once he arrived, Alwin was straight to business. He greeted them and gave a brief report about Prudencia.

Everything was going well in Prudencia. Theodore was doing well. Odette and their other siblings were also a great help.

The food supply was already divided as well. With the help of the magicians, some were already sent where it was most needed.

The money Gulliver had to return was already retrieved and surrendered. Theodore would have it returned to the citizens with the help of his subjects.

The knights and some of the magicians were also there to watch over things to ensure everything reached the citizens.

Gulliver and the leaders of the mercenary groups had also begun with their task.

"Should I teleport to a high place with a good view again, Your Majesty?" Alwin inquired where he should teleport them in Safiro.

"Yes. I would like to look at Safiro from a high place first before getting a closer look just as we did in Prudencia," Arabella replied.

[Maybe I should have had it checked before we visit after all.] Ferdinand was nervous.

Arabella learned from Ferdinand’s thoughts that not all the elves or his people could teleport to great distances the way Alwin does.

Alwin was among the few who could teleport through great distances as much as he pleased even in a single day since he had so much more mana compared to everyone else. He was considered as a talented genius even in Estrella.

Thus, Ferdinand does not just summon everyone on a whim.

After the incident in Prudencia, Ferdinand thought of making Alwin check the situation in Safiro first before Arabella’s visit so she would not witness something unsightly or cruel again.

However, Alwin was occupied with Prudencia and Ferdinand got busy with work and forgot about it. He just recalled it when they were ready to depart.

Arabella learned that Ferdinand didn’t get any sleep. He worked all night. But he looked perfectly fine.

"Then I shall teleport near the Chief’s abode. It’s on top of a mountain called Mt. Esme and was surrounded by the residential area," Alwin informed.

Safiro was a much smaller territory compared to Prudencia in terms of population and land area so all of the residential houses were visible from the chief’s abode.

"Alright."

Ferdinand wrapped an arm around Arabella as Alwin teleported them.

Rendell prepared himself for combat in case there would be any danger at their destination.

In her previous life, Arabella learned from Nadia that the Safiro tribe once had a very small population so living in Mt. Esme was more than enough for them.

Mt. Esme was enough to supply them with food for a while. They gathered fruits from trees and tubers from plants. They also hunted animals or fished from the river.

However, when their population grew, they decided to settle on the grasslands surrounding Mt. Esme since they also needed to build more houses and plant crops to cater to their growing population.

They didn’t want to clear too many trees in Mt. Esme since their guardian deity, Esmeralda would be furious and deny them the blessings of the forest.

Only the Chief’s abode remained on top of the mountain.

Safiro’s population grew through the years and they widened their territory until it included the fertile lands surrounding Mt. Esme.

However, what Arabella saw once she was in Safiro was far too different.

"!!!!"

The four of them were wide-eyed and speechless at the sight that greeted them when they arrived.

The chief’s abode was run-down and looked uninhabited.

Upon looking closer, Arabella realized it wasn’t habitable. It was just the remnants of what once was the Safiro Chief’s abode.

Moreover, Mt. Esme was supposed to be a lush green forest as indicated in the map Arabella had reviewed last time.

But what they could see was a bare and barren mountain. There was no greenery at all.

There was a single gigantic tree near the Chief’s abode. But, it looked dead.

It was summer so it should have sprouted in spring and had gained back its leaves by now. Instead, it was dry and charred. Not a single leaf remained nor any new buds peeking. It was lifeless.

[A nymph? What’s a nymph doing out here? Rendell and His Majesty must have also noticed.] Alwin thought.

’Where?! Where’s the nymph?’

Arabella followed their gaze and all of them were looking at the dead tree.

{It’s barely alive. Some mana would help. But it wasn’t our goal for coming here. Let’s check it later.}

{Yes, Your Majesty.}

They resolved to come back for the nymph after Arabella’s visit was over.

Arabella knew it was also because she was around.

Nymphs were among the long-lived races. They probably had discussions she shouldn’t hear since they thought she still doesn’t know about Estrella.

Arabella would be lying if she said it didn’t make her feel left out.

She also felt bad for the nymph that was saved for later though it was barely alive.

However, from their thoughts, she learned that the nymph, specifically, a dryad, still had several more years of life since it had gone dormant.

Ferdinand’s perception of time was just skewed once again.

Or, probably it was because nymphs live a long life too so a few years of life meant it was dying.

"What is going on?" Arabella gasped when they finally went to look at the residential houses at the foot of the mountain.

All the houses looked old, bleak, and run-down to the point she had to wonder if people were indeed living it. It was way worse compared to Prudencia.