Published: January 13, 2026
"...What a surprise."
His Majesty muttered as he climbed up to the top of the fort. Looking up at the tower in the center of the fort, he opened his mouth with a look of amazement.
"I was watching from below, and to build such a fort under concentrated magical attacks... If this were the enemy, it would have been a terrifying situation. After all, the fort even has ballistas made by the baron installed. Truly a formidable threat, isn't it?"
With a meaningful tone, His Majesty turned to look behind him. Immediately, Count Ferdinand nodded deeply.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I sincerely feel fortunate that Baron Van is on our side. Thanks to this fort, the number of soldiers who would have died will be drastically reduced."
At Ferdinand’s words, Venturi and Panamera also nodded. Meanwhile, Jarpa and some other nobles merely lowered their chins slightly, clearly displeased.
Glancing sideways at their reactions, I turned back to His Majesty.
"Well then, Your Majesty. I will be going now..."
I gave a vague farewell and tried to leave the battlefield. However, His Majesty smiled and showed me the palm of one hand.
"Wait, Baron Van. There's no need to rush. After all, if you leave now, night will soon fall in the mountains. It would be better to rest at this fort, guarded by the knight order, and return the next day."
"...No, I believe the battle is about to begin right now..."
I couldn’t bear the thought of being dragged into the fight. I instinctively rejected His Majesty’s suggestion. Although I thought it might be rude, I really didn’t want to join the war.
Raising one hand, I bowed slightly and politely declined. But His Majesty didn’t seem to care at all.
"Rest assured. No one is ordering you to participate in the war. But, if you don’t mind, I would be grateful if you could build some more structures behind the fort..."
"...Understood. I appreciate Your Majesty’s kindness. I will immediately leave the fort and begin the work."
Rather than a command, His Majesty made a request. In this situation, with other nobles watching, it would be hard to refuse. I had no choice but to obediently bow and comply. His Majesty was overjoyed, saying things like, "As expected of Baron Van! You think of the kingdom first!"
Reluctantly... really, truly reluctantly, I agreed. However, I would take full control over the fort’s expansion. My summer project would be fort construction.
When Til, Arte, Kamushin, the Seato knight order, and the adventurers gathered at the base of the fort, an intense explosion suddenly echoed from the other side of the fort, sending a shockwave through the ground.
It seemed the battle was officially underway. Although ballistas were installed in the fort, with the scale of that fortress, the conflict wouldn’t be resolved so easily. The enemy surely had magicians too, and there was a risk the ballistas might be destroyed.
Well, it would take a magician of considerable skill to break my ballistas.
Proudly praising my own work, I checked around the back of the fort. There was the road I built, and the slope lined with trees on the mountain. I couldn’t build very wide, but I supposed that could be managed with some ingenuity.
What kind of building should I construct here?
While pondering that, Til and Arte stepped out of my carriage.
"Lord Van! I’m so glad you’re safe!"
Til said with an expression of relief, and Arte smiled as she spoke.
"Til was very worried."
Arte said that, and Til nodded repeatedly with teary eyes. I laughed and nodded back, then looked at Arte.
"Weren’t you worried much, Arte?"
I asked mischievously. Arte blinked, blushed deeply, and looked down shyly.
"I-I was worried too. But knowing Lord Van’s magic, I was sure you would be alright..."
She spoke quickly, and I smiled wryly as I nodded.
"Thanks to Dee, Kamushin, and the Seato knight order. Ort and the others worked hard too. Because the construction went smoothly, we achieved the best result."
While answering, I checked the surroundings and spoke again.
"Alright, then. I’ll expand the back of the fort a bit. Everyone... let’s take a break, shall we?"