The moment my carriage rolled over the new mana-stone street, people screamed. My name. Loud. Echoing. Like I was some war hero returning from the frontlines instead of a tired woman who spent the past four weeks teaching mages how to boil grass without exploding.
Children were waving wooden spoons in the air like banners.
Farmers were literally holding peanut plants like bouquets.
Mothers were holding up jars of peanut butter and ketchups like trophies.
Old men were crying. Actually crying.
And everywhere—EVERYWHERE—someone had put up a sign that said:
"WELCOME HOME, LADY SERAPHINE — PEANUT QUEEN OF THE WEST!"
I… did not approve that title, but okay, we're rolling with it.
As the carriage moved further in, I stared out the window with wide eyes because—wow.
The town I left behind?
The half-finished shops?
The half-muddy paths?
The dull ruin houses?
The farmers who barely had enough to plant?
Gone. Absolutely gone.
