S-Rank Harem: I Became My Character with Extra Control Skill

"Yes, it seems to be because my total mana pool is much larger now that I've reached my new rank," Ryan commented with a somewhat forced smile as he looked at the vast territory surrounding him.

'But this is too exaggerated. How much mana is this place really consuming to remain stable?'

He raised his right hand to chest height. Ryan slowly opened and closed his fingers repeatedly. He was trying to feel if something strange was happening with his internal mana flow, looking for some energy leak that would explain the terrain's growth.

But he noticed absolutely nothing different. His body felt just as powerful and full of energy as it had an hour ago.

"So, this place wasn't this big before?" Lise asked with some doubt in her voice while evaluating the whole place. The dragon moved her head from side to side, using her sharp, curious eyes to measure the true distance of the entire territory.

"No, in fact, it had already expanded at least six times its original size once before," Irina informed, crossing her arms over her chest. "And that was because of Ryan's sudden power increase in the past," the elven princess added, although she also observed with a lot of astonishment in her eyes.

The fact that the small, hidden village had changed so much in just a few days was difficult to comprehend. Now, at first glance, the enormous scale of the place made it look like a massive, unpopulated city.

Great mountains that were not there before had appeared out of nowhere on the distant edges of the place. And who knew what else might have appeared among the new, dense forests surrounding the plain.

Loud, highly coordinated metallic footsteps were heard in the distance. The sound of light armor broke the deep silence of the small group and drew their direct attention toward the main path.

"Your Majesty has returned!" two elf guards yelled in unison, their voices filled with relief. The two men ran in a great hurry across the grass and stood right in front of them. Both welcomed him immediately, bowing deeply before Ryan and lowering the tips of their spears until they touched the ground.

And only about thirty seconds had passed since that first warning shout from the entrance guards. The entire clearing near the magic portal was already filled with the inhabitants of the village, who had quickly come out of their houses.

Hundreds of elves and beastmen were on their knees in front of Ryan, looking down at the grass. The entire population was giving their undisputed leader a solemn and devoted welcome after so much uncertainty.

'To think they do it in such a coordinated way, do they rehearse for this? I'm still not entirely used to being treated like a king, but anyway, it's not like all this attention bothers me either.'

"Fu fu fu. I like seeing that all of them are very obedient to my master and treat him exactly as he deserves," Lise commented in a very low voice. The dragon smiled widely, feeling very proud of the great authority Ryan exercised over all those people.

"Young Ryan," a masculine and very familiar voice said among the kneeling crowd. Ryan scanned the sea of people gathered before him with his green eyes. The person slowly making his way through the crowd was Irina's elderly grandfather.

Cough. Cough. Cough. The old man coughed loudly as he slowly made his way toward the front of the group. He looked quite pale and seemed somewhat tired from the sudden physical effort of walking so fast.

"Grandpa!" Irina exclaimed upon hearing the older man's loud cough. The elven princess immediately ran to where he was, holding him tightly by the arms to help him. "Do you feel well? Do you want me to help you sit down to rest?"

"Yes. There is absolutely nothing wrong with me, my child," the old man answered, slowly catching his breath as he rested a wrinkled hand on Irina's arm. "It's just that I choked on my own saliva when I heard the wonderful news that young Ryan had returned home safely."

"Oh, Grandpa, please don't scare me like that," the beautiful elf commented at her grandfather's reassuring words. Both laughed softly amidst the crowd, demonstrating the immense familial affection they had for each other after surviving so many dangers.

'It still surprises me that such a fragile old man can walk around so freely,' Ryan thought, observing the warm family interaction from his position. 'How many years do elves really live in this world?'

'With a lifespan like that, I guess he'd be the kind of rarity you'd find in an antique museum back in my original world,' Ryan concluded, admiring the old elf's incredible mental and physical resilience.

Ryan took several steps forward, leaving Lise behind. He stopped a few meters in front of the old man and the rest of the crowd, maintaining a firm and authoritative posture as they continued to wait in complete silence.

"We have won the war in the north. Rigal is dead," Ryan said in a loud and very clear voice. He projected his voice with a lot of force to make sure that everyone in the place could hear him without problems.

Euphoria immediately erupted among the gathered inhabitants. The elves and beastmen began to celebrate with tears of pure relief in their eyes, raising loud cheers for their king's incredible achievements on the battlefield.

The constant fear that had plagued the inhabitants of the village had finally disappeared from their lives.

Amid all the loud cheers and cries of joy, the old man took a step forward. He got a little closer to Ryan, completely ignoring all the loud noise from his people.

"You are now a king with many achievements to your name in this world," the old man said in a much lower, more confidential tone, addressing Ryan directly.

"Don't you think it is the right time for you to marry my dear granddaughter?"

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