CHAPTER 271: CHAPTER 271 THE WEST

Zion stiffened at her words. A pang of jealousy twisted in his chest, knowing that Levi once shared those moments with her. At the same time, guilt washed over him. He remembered how Addison had supported him for so long while he fought at the frontlines, yet he had been too blind and foolish to truly see her worth back then.

Knowing this, Zion smiled wryly as they pressed on.

It took them another two days of traveling at their fastest pace, stopping only to feed and rest the horses when necessary before continuing forward. When they finally reached the frontline where the mages were holding back the locusts, the mages who had managed to recuperate during the rough journey stepped out of the carriage and took over maintaining the barrier.

Meanwhile, the exhausted mages who had been sustaining it for so long were finally able to rest, while Addison and the others busied themselves helping with the harvest.

"Alright, Zion, you don’t know how to harvest rice stalks, so just help tie the bundles and carry them like the others," Addison instructed as she swung her sickle through the stalks with practiced ease.

Not far from where they worked stood the barrier that contained the locusts. Beyond it lay a desolate land—barren and lifeless. Countless dead locusts littered the ground, but every tree, every blade of grass, had already been devoured, leaving behind nothing but emptiness within the shimmering barrier.

When they arrived, the place was already bustling with activity. Addison and the others didn’t even have time to rest before jumping in to help. At first, some people tried to stop Addison from joining, but after she insisted, knowing how little time they had, they finally relented.

As work began, Maxwell, Levi, and Zion merely stood by, watching. Addison almost let out an exasperated sigh, thinking they would just idle around, but soon enough, after observing how the others moved, the three of them joined in.

One after another, they began carrying heavy sacks of stored grain from the warehouses to the caravans and into the magic bags, maximizing every bit of space so they could bring as much as possible.

"Alright, Addie, just don’t push yourself too hard. Call me if you need anything," Zion said as he handed Addison a towel and a bottle of water. Addison didn’t hold back, gratefully accepting them.

Under the scorching sun, her throat was parched, and sweat clung to her skin. She drank deeply, then used her fisher’s hat to fan herself while glancing around. A few acres had already been harvested, leaving patches of land that looked bald but alive, almost like scenes from a peaceful farm.

Yet when her eyes shifted toward the barrier where the locusts were contained, the contrast was jarring: beyond it lay only desolation, a barren wasteland crawling with locusts and stripped of every blade of grass.

Right now, they couldn’t use the biochemicals yet, as the barrier was too close to one of the pack’s territories and their fields. Because of that, Addison and the others had no choice but to focus on evacuating the people and harvesting the remaining acres of crops before resorting to releasing the biochemical solution.

After a brief rest, Addison picked up her sickle again and resumed cutting the rice stalks. Nearby, Zion busied himself with the bundles that Kisha had already cut, gathering the stalks scattered on the ground. He used the empty stalks as makeshift ties, binding fistfuls of rice together before stacking them until the bundle was as thick as an adult’s torso.

Once the stacks grew large enough, he tied them securely again with a length of hemp rope. Instead of carrying them right away, Zion continued methodically tying more bundles, preparing everything so they could all be hauled later in one go.

"Royal Princess, why don’t you rest for a while and let us old folks handle the harvesting?" an older woman called out as she hurried over with a basket of snacks. She couldn’t help but feel uneasy seeing their Royal Princess doing the work of common folk.

Perhaps it was precisely because of Addison’s status that the sight weighed on them; after all, they were accustomed to seeing members of the Royal Family dressed in fine clothes, living in grand palaces, proud and untouchable. To see a princess stooping to do what they considered menial labor was something they simply couldn’t get used to.

"No, don’t worry about it. We need as many hands as possible to finish all this work. After this, we still have to head to the neighboring packs to do the same, then move all the supplies to the temporary warehouses and granary," Addison explained as she cheerfully accepted the snack from the old woman.

What she said was true—after all, it wasn’t as if the Royal Family were too high and mighty to do this kind of work. The reason they usually didn’t was because they were tied up with governance, giving the right commands to the people under them to solve problems across the land.

If rulers tried to do everything themselves, they would be too exhausted to govern properly. Their role required more strategy than physical labor.

Still, Addison knew that not everyone would understand. Many assumed the Royal Family’s duties were simply about giving orders, when in reality, it was about planning, balancing, and leading wisely.

And since her father was already handling those responsibilities, she had come down to help guard the caravan, and since she was here, why not lend a hand with moving the goods as well?

"Princess, you are just too kind and humble," the old woman said with a bright smile. Without waiting for Addison to respond, she bustled over to Zion, who was a few meters away, tying bundles of rice stalks, and handed him a cold drink along with some snacks.

"Addie, we’re almost done with the loading. We’ll be ready to leave soon after this," Maxwell and Levi said as they walked over. Their clothes were disheveled, their faces streaked with sweat and dust, yet instead of looking worn out, the two of them somehow managed to appear ruggedly handsome. Addison narrowed her eyes at them, silently giving them a once-over from head to toe.

"Addie, you okay?" Levi asked, stepping closer to check on her. He studied her face carefully, worried she might be suffering from heatstroke. Her cheeks were flushed with a light sunburn, but she still seemed fine.

"It’s really getting too hot... no wonder there’s already a La Niña in the south," Levi murmured, glancing up at the sky.

Addison didn’t reply, her gaze drifting around the fields instead. Ever since her small confession about what was happening to her body the other day, and after what had occurred in the forest, her relationship with the three had subtly shifted—growing closer than before.

She could feel how each of them was careful not to intrude or force their feelings on her, choosing instead to quietly chip away at her defenses little by little.

And though Addison noticed their efforts, she allowed it. After all, it would be selfish of her to keep pushing them away when all they had done was help and care for her. So, she had begun accepting their concern and giving back in her own way.

Even so, none of them pressed further. It was as if they had silently agreed to wait until she was comfortable with their advances, an unspoken understanding that gave Addison room to breathe. For that, she was deeply grateful.

"I think this still isn’t the peak of the heat yet," Addison remarked as she bit into the cold watermelon that had been kept at the bottom of the well to chill before being cut. Along with it, there was also sweet milk with shredded melon, also cooled in the well, which tasted refreshing and helped ease the sweltering heat.

"How long will it take for everyone to finish harvesting these grains?" she asked Levi. Since she was busy helping with the cutting, she left the task of estimating the time to Levi. It was also his job to coordinate with the workers and see if they could speed things up.

Both Levi and Addison were already familiar with farm work, thanks to their time at the farm they built in the Midnight River Pack. Because of that experience, they knew what to ask and how to handle the process smoothly.

The people here were even surprised to see how knowledgeable the Royal Princess was, and because of that, they opened up to her easily and followed her lead without hesitation.

With Addison’s guidance and Levi’s instructions, the workers managed to increase their pace and harvest faster than before. Unfortunately, the land here was simply too vast. Addison doubted they could finish everything in one trip; they would still need to return after delivering the crops to the temporary warehouses and granaries.

They couldn’t transport all the supplies in one trip, but it also wasn’t wise to increase the number of carts in the caravan. The larger the caravan, the harder it would be for the guards to defend it in times of danger. For now, they could only maintain the current size and pace.