Fragha closed his eyes for a moment.
Then he opened his eyes again.
"In that case," Fragha said, his voice still weak, "tell me everything that happened while I was in a coma."
The people in the room exchanged glances.
Hans was the first to step forward. His usual composed expression had not completely returned. Relief still clung to his face, and his fingers tightened around the documents he had brought with him as if he had been waiting for this moment for days.
Fragha looked around the room once more and frowned slightly. "Where are Arad and Ivan?"
Hans bowed his head. "Commander Arad is with the knights, my lord. Even while you were unconscious, he continued their training without pause. He said Constantia could not afford to become weak just because you were resting."
Fragha's eyes softened faintly.
"That sounds like him."
"Yes," Hans replied. "The knights have improved much faster than expected. Their movements are still rough, and most of them still lack proper discipline, but they no longer panic as easily as before. They listen to orders, they hold formation better, and they have started to understand that their role is not merely to swing weapons."
"And Bredt?" Fragha asked.
Hans gave a small, almost helpless smile. "He has been consistent with his punishment. He doubles his training portion every day, exactly as you ordered."
"Every day?"
"Every day," Hans confirmed. "He complains loudly, curses the dirt, curses his own legs, curses Commander Arad's training methods, and then finishes the session anyway. Commander Arad said his body is weak, but his stubbornness may actually be useful."
A faint breath of amusement escaped Fragha's lips. It was not quite a laugh, but it loosened some of the tension in the room.
Albert then stepped forward, rubbing the back of his neck. Compared to Hans, he looked more awkward, as if he was not used to reporting in front of so many people. Still, there was clear pride in his tired eyes.
"As for Ivan, my lord, he has been helping me most of the time," Albert said. "Since we still lack proper tools for forging, he could not do much blacksmithing yet. But he has been useful with repairs, shaping metal parts, and helping us keep the workers' tools from falling apart."
Fragha listened quietly.
"Recently," Albert continued, "Ivan has also been helping the fishermen with Roberts. They are making new fishing nets and traps. The old ones were too damaged, and if winter is coming, the fishermen need to catch as much as they can before the sea becomes harder to work with."
At the mention of winter, Fragha's gaze grew sharper.
Albert noticed it and continued before Fragha could ask. "The temporary workers have mostly been helping me with construction. In these two weeks, several houses have already been completed, and three warehouses are finished as well."
Fragha's eyebrows rose.
"Several houses and three warehouses?" he repeated. "In two weeks?"
Albert nodded, though his expression became slightly complicated. "Honestly, I was surprised too. At first, I thought we would need much longer. The workers were exhausted, and we did not have enough trained builders. But after a few days, everything became strangely smooth. People started moving as if they understood what the others needed before anyone said it. The lifting teams worked faster. The mixing teams made fewer mistakes. Even the ones who used to argue over small things became easier to coordinate."
Hans adjusted his glasses. "None of us can explain why it happened. It was as if everyone naturally understood what the others needed to do. The entire village became far more efficient."
Albert nodded in agreement. "It felt strange, but no one questioned it. We simply kept working."
Fragha frowned slightly.
That's... odd.
Before he could think any further, a familiar blue panel suddenly appeared before his eyes.
«[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Passive Effect Detected.
Skill Emperor's Command remained active while the user was unconscious because it was never manually deactivated.
Current State: Passive Mode
Effect:
— Greatly improves the coordination and efficiency of all loyal subjects within the affected territory.
— Moderately increases physical output and work efficiency.
— Does not require active commands from the user.
Note: Passive Mode continuously consumes a small amount of the user's internal energy.»
Only Fragha could see the translucent panel.
His eyes widened slightly.
So it stayed active this whole time...
The pieces finally fell into place. The villagers had not suddenly become master builders overnight. Emperor's Command had continued guiding the flow of their work even while he lay unconscious.
Then...
A small smile formed on the corner of his lips.
If that's the case, it might actually be better to leave Emperor's Command active whenever I'm asleep or unconscious. The passive effect alone is enough to keep Constantia running efficiently.
His gaze drifted across the room before returning to the glowing panel.
Not now, though. I've only just woken up.
With a thought, he selected the option to deactivate the skill.
«[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Emperor's Command has been deactivated.
Passive Mode terminated.»
The panel dissolved into countless blue particles before disappearing completely.
Albert, unaware of the silent exchange, continued his report.
"There is another reason construction progressed so quickly, my lord. The cement you taught us to make exceeded all expectations. Since it acts as a hydraulic binding material, the walls hardened much faster than they would have using traditional methods."
He scratched the back of his head with a grin.
"And there was another stroke of luck. Building materials in Balan Village have become much cheaper lately. Their economy seems to be struggling, so I was able to buy stone, timber, and other supplies at surprisingly low prices."
Fragha silently absorbed everything he had heard.
The passive effect of Emperor's Command had accelerated the village's growth far beyond his expectations, while cheaper materials from Balan had pushed construction even further. Together, those two factors explained why Constantia had advanced so much during the two weeks he had been unconscious.
Hana suddenly lifted her chin, as if refusing to be left out.
"I also worked," she said.
Fragha turned toward her.
Hana's eyes still looked tired from lack of sleep, but there was a spark of pride in them now. "Hans and I have been developing magic scrolls using magic runes. The first goal is food preservation. If we can apply a cooling effect inside the warehouses, we can keep fish and other supplies from spoiling too quickly."
Hans nodded. "Lady Hana's theory is sound. A proper cooling scroll could greatly improve our food storage capacity."
"And not only warehouses," Hana added quickly. "If we can simplify the structure later, we might be able to place smaller versions in each house. I also tried designing a heating scroll for winter, but…" Her voice weakened slightly. "Magic rune materials are too rare. I could only make one working prototype."
"One is already impressive," Fragha said.
Hana blinked.
Fragha looked at everyone in the room. "All of you kept Constantia moving while I was unconscious. Houses, warehouses, food preservation, training, fishing nets, tools, supplies… You did well."
No one spoke for a moment.
Albert lowered his head in embarrassment. Stella looked away while pressing her lips together. Hans exhaled softly, and even Oderick's stern face relaxed a little. Hana's grip on the blanket loosened, though her eyes remained fixed on Fragha as if making sure he would not disappear again.
Hans then stepped forward once more.
"My lord, I have two pieces of news," he said. "One good and one bad."
Fragha leaned back slightly against the pillow. "What is the good news?"
"Our food stock is now more than sufficient to survive the coming winter," Hans answered. "With the new fishing traps, preserved supplies, and warehouse storage, we should not face starvation even if the season becomes harsh."
Fragha's expression eased. "Good. And the bad news?"
Hans's face became serious again. "Our income is extremely low. We have focused almost everything on food, construction, materials, and survival preparations. Because of that, we are already behind on wages for the workers and knights."
The room's mood grew heavier.
Fragha lowered his gaze in thought. Money. It always returned to money. A nation could not stand on loyalty alone, and even a village filled with hope would eventually crack if stomachs and wages were ignored for too long.
"Very well," Fragha said after a moment. "We will discuss that later."
"No," Hana said immediately.
Fragha looked at her.
Her face was still pale, but her tone left no room for argument. "You just woke up after being unconscious for more than two weeks. You are not holding a financial meeting from your sickbed."
Zael crossed his arms from near the doorway. "She's right, Lord Fragha. Rest for now. Let us handle the village a little longer."
Fragha glanced toward him. "You sound more responsible than before."
Zael's expression stiffened. "Please do not make me regret saying it."
A few people smiled despite the tension.
Before Fragha could reply, hurried footsteps came from outside the room. The sound grew louder, joined by several voices speaking over one another. A moment later, the door opened again.
Arad entered first, breathing heavily as if he had run all the way from the training field. Behind him came Robert and Ivan, both equally out of breath. Dust clung to their clothes, and Ivan still had traces of rope fiber and fish netting caught around one sleeve.
"My lord," Arad said, his usually steady voice rougher than normal.
His eyes stopped on Fragha sitting upright in bed.
For a moment, the commander said nothing.
Then the space behind them filled with more faces. Bredt appeared near the doorway, bruised and sweaty from training. Erwin and Kaelen stood beside him, and behind them gathered workers, knights, fishermen, former slaves, and villagers who had heard the news and rushed over without thinking.
They crowded the hallway, some craning their necks to see inside, others covering their mouths as if afraid to make a sound. The room became full of quiet, trembling relief.
Fragha looked at them all from his bed.
The people of Constantia had come to welcome him back.