Chapter 85 85: Marquis Korrina
From a human perspective alone, the territory of the Kingdom of Azoth was by no means small.
It included the entirety of the Nebel Plateau, along with parts of the surrounding regions.
And this was only in the current era.
Back during the age when mystical science flourished, the Kingdom of Azoth had once occupied nearly one-fifth of Kalos's landmass, practically encompassing the entire northwestern region.
Unfortunately, the age of monarchic rule had long since passed.
For Azoth to even maintain its current system of governance was already the result of generations of painstaking effort.
"This is the map."
While handing Sora a detailed map of the Nebel Plateau, Fleur activated the airship.
"Once you've chosen a location, I'll escort you there for an on-site inspection."
"I've already thought it through."
Sora pointed at a marked region on the map.
"Let's use the area where Volcanion lives."
Ever since deciding to settle down, Sora had carefully considered the matter.
The Nebel Plateau was vast, but it wasn't truly ownerless.
The various overlords and territorial Pokémon all had their own domains, and Sora had no intention of disturbing them.
That was where Volcanion's advantage came into play.
As the guardian deity of Nebel Plateau, Volcanion naturally possessed territory of its own.
Nebel Plateau lay in the northwestern corner of Kalos, connected to Shalour City.
If the entire plateau were imagined as a giant circle, Azoth Castle would sit on the eastern side.
Further east lay the Erte Mountain Range.
Crossing those mountains would lead into Kalos's city network, eventually reaching Lumiose City at the heart of the region.
Overall, the Kingdom of Azoth could be considered a secluded and peaceful corner of the world.
"This area here?"
Fleur looked at the region Sora had circled.
"I understand."
"Next, I'll arrange for a road connecting Azoth Castle to the Nebel Plateau."
Volcanion's territory wasn't especially far from the capital.
By airship, it only took an hour or two to reach.
"However, due to environmental conditions, some sections can only be built as narrow trails."
That couldn't be helped.
Nebel Plateau wasn't flat terrain.
Its geography was mountainous and forested, with constant rises and falls in elevation.
Lakes and waterfalls also cut through many areas.
"If we proceed according to standard planning," Fleur estimated, "full completion will likely take around half a year."
And that half-year referred only to the road construction.
Still, the Kingdom of Azoth's technology was highly advanced.
They could build the preserve itself, along with Sora's residence and courtyard, simultaneously while paving the roads.
After all, supplies could simply be airlifted in.
"I'll speak with the Pokémon living along the route."
The greatest issue with wilderness development was environmental destruction and interference from wild Pokémon.
But to Sora, neither was much of a problem.
With Victini and Volcanion around, even severe damage could easily be restored with their powers.
As for the wild Pokémon, Sora planned to send out his Ogerpon.
After witnessing the earth-shattering battle between Ogerpon and Volcanion, the wild Pokémon of Nebel Plateau had completely submitted themselves beneath Big Sis Ogerpon's metaphorical skirt.
With her personally persuading them, the local Pokémon would never trouble Azoth's construction crews.
The central area hadn't belonged to them in the first place.
And since the project was building a home for Ogerpon herself, the Pokémon had even less reason to interfere.
As for the biggest issue—
Sora being human—
that had already been resolved through his status as Ogerpon's Trainer and the one who had earned the allegiance of the guardian deity Volcanion.
The local Pokémon had fully acknowledged him.
"Then there shouldn't be any problems."
Soon afterward, Fleur brought Sora to the center of the plateau—
the very place where he and Volcanion had once fought.
After several days of natural recovery, almost no traces of the battle remained.
Even the massive crater blasted into the ground had transformed into a crystal-blue lake.
Within it, water-type Pokémon and schools of fish could faintly be seen swimming.
"The main residence can be built beside the lake."
"This twin-tree cave should remain preserved."
"And the preserve boundaries can be established around this entire area."
Since it was a conservation zone, there naturally needed to be caretakers.
When Sora was present, he would handle things personally.
When absent, Fleur would temporarily take over.
Since combat responsibilities would be handled by the Pokémon Sora left behind, Fleur only needed to periodically inspect the preserve.
The workload wouldn't be too demanding.
Moreover, with such an expansive wilderness territory available, Kimia could relocate many of the royal family's Pokémon here as well.
Aside from her secretarial duties, Fleur also managed the royal garden sanctuary.
Conveniently enough, the girl herself was deeply interested in Pokémon care and breeding.
Her true dream was actually to become a Pokémon Breeder.
Her current position as secretary existed primarily to assist the princess.
In the future, specialized teams would likely take over much of that work.
Of course, the Fleur family's role as stewards of the Azoth royal household would never change.
For generations, the Fleur family had faithfully served the Kingdom of Azoth in positions of great responsibility.
"I understand."
"I'll handle everything from here."
Fleur would dispatch personnel to oversee the construction project.
As for Sora, he still had his own matters to attend to.
He couldn't remain on the Nebel Plateau indefinitely.
"That's how things stand."
That evening, Fleur reported the day's events to the princess.
"Mhm. You handled it well."
Kimia rubbed her temples, easing the stress of recent days.
"The Pokémon League has already taken over the Jarvis case, so we don't need to interfere further."
"And with you overseeing the preserve's construction, I'm very reassured."
Managing an entire kingdom was no small task.
Kimia's workload was immense.
Still—all of it was worthwhile.
Especially because of the hopes she placed on Sora.
In recent years, the Kingdom of Azoth had undeniably been in decline.
At its core, the problem was simple:
they lacked high-level battle power capable of representing the kingdom.
Kimia herself wasn't weak, but there remained a massive gap between her and true Elite Four or Champion-level Trainers.
And if one wanted to revitalize a region, the best method was through Trainers.
Hosting tournaments.
Creating unique attractions.
And most importantly of all—
Gym Leaders.
The Kingdom of Azoth and Shalour City were separated by the Nebel Plateau.
Yet due to geography, the two locations were practically inseparable.
Within Kalos, Shalour City occupied the northwestern corner of the continent.
Most people who traveled there did so specifically for the city's Fighting-type Gym.
The Gym Leader of Shalour Gym was named Korrina.
And in terms of lineage—
Korrina's ancestors actually shared familial ties with Kimia's royal bloodline.
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