Chapter 6

"What is this place...?"

Gil, my attendant, and the guards are all stunned, their mouths agape. I feel as if I’m in a dream.

The farm is a perfect circle, and according to the guards' investigation, it has a diameter of about 1,500 meters. The farmland is spread out in a circle centered around two small houses, with vegetable gardens, orchards, wheat fields, and pastures.

The soil is moist, and the grass and trees are lush with fresh leaves. The fields look like they have been harvested recently, with weeds growing abundantly. The wheat is not yet ripe but is densely filled with grains. Adorable wildflowers are blooming here and there across the property.

"What is going on here? This land is so fertile, yet no one lives here?"

A quick look around reveals no sign of a spring.

The two houses are empty, but they seem to have been inhabited recently, as there is no sand or dust inside.

"Your Highness! Look at this!"

The attendant is pointing to a large barrel. A rain gutter is connected to the roof, and when the lid is opened, it is filled to the brim with clear water.

After sniffing it, one of the guards cautiously tasted the water and, after a while, exclaimed, "It’s not poisoned! This is delicious!" He pulled the plug at the bottom and started drinking the water that gushed out, cupping it in his hands.

The horses, sensitive to the smell of water, gathered around, eagerly waiting to drink.

"Did they live here by collecting rainwater?"

"No, that can't be. There hasn't been enough rain recently to collect such clean water."

I saw a rain gutter for the first time in my life. The C-shaped wooden gutter looked well-used, darkened from absorbing water.

"Do they really get rain here?" I asked, disbelieving. The people who had been investigating the farm returned and said, "There are no wells or springs."

"That’s impossible. This much lush greenery can’t grow without water."

"However, Your Highness, if they were using a spring, there should be water channels, but there are none."

Everything here is strange.

The guards are looking around, amazed by this paradise-like place. One of them who went to search for a well returned with nectar fruits, carrying many in his arms.

"Your Highness, they are sweet, with thin skin and delicious. There were many seedlings pulled out, but a few are still left."

He seems to have already eaten one.

Everyone quickly gathered around, eager to get a nectar fruit.

"Hey, what are you all so excited about during work? How can you eat nectar in this abnormal situation!"

"Here, Your Highness. I saved the best one for you. Please, have it."

When I bit into the bright red nectar fruit, sweet juice burst out.

I was surprised by its thin skin and delicious taste.

"What is this? It’s sweeter and more flavorful than the nectar we eat at the palace."

I sucked and chewed, careful not to spill the juice, savoring the sweet and tangy flavor. It was truly delicious.

While eating the nectar, I noticed a chicken coop. The feathers on the ground suggested that the black gold had probably caught a chicken from here.

"You all! Stop eating and look for footprints. The people who lived here might still have been here when the black gold caught the chicken."

"Your Highness, there are camel tracks, but they have been erased with branches. The wind and sand have almost hidden them. We sent trackers, but it will be difficult."

"They are quite cautious."

"However, Your Highness, if they didn’t hide the spring or well, they had no reason to run, right?"

"There is a reason."

I stared at the lush farm and answered.

"They were hiding the secret of how they could grow such abundant vegetation without a spring or well. They didn’t run because we might come; they had planned to leave this place long before."

"Why?"

"The number of people living in those small houses couldn’t have moved everything so cleanly. They even moved the nectar trees. They must have been preparing to leave for some reason for a long time."

"Indeed. That’s true. But it’s a waste to abandon such a good place."

Indeed, it is. Why did the residents of this place do such a wasteful thing?

I left three guards behind to capture and question the residents if they returned and returned to the palace. Since the wheat had not been harvested, there was a possibility they would return to do so.

However, the residents never returned, and a week later, a report came that the plants in the farm were withering due to lack of water.

This report was also given to the king and the prime minister, and a small team was dispatched to investigate. Despite thorough investigation, the mystery remained unsolved. It was reported that the rain that might have fallen only on this farm never came again.

Who lived there? Why did it rain? How did they make it rain? We have no magicians in this country. Where are the people who lived there now?

There were many things I wanted to know, but nothing was resolved. It has been a month since then. The plants in the farm have withered, and the farm is turning into a desert.

......

"Mom, Dad, I’m going."

"Are you really going together?"

"Yes, Ethan really wants to go with me."

I have been to the center of the capital many times since we moved, but this is the first time I’m going with just the kids. My parents look worried as they look at me.

"Remember, if anyone calls you, never go with them."

"Alesia, I’m worried, so I’ll take you."

"I’m fine. See you later!"

I like working on the farm, but I had something I wanted to research at the library. I haven’t told my parents that I can read, so going to the library is a secret. If the child me suddenly knew how to read and write, they might be scared.

The library is four kilometers away, but it’s not a problem for us, who are used to farm work.

"Hey, Alesia, do you know the way?"

"Yes, Dad drew a map for me."

Dad drew a map, but I could probably find my way even without it. It’s been about forty years since my previous life ended, but the general route is still the same.

"I’ll be fine. I’ll manage."