Published: January 13, 2026
A week later, the new outer wall of the town was completed. The wall formed a magnificent arc, and I couldn’t help but feel proud of how well it turned out. After finishing the surveying, Espada helped out, so the construction progressed smoothly, almost too smoothly.
Now, it was time to dismantle the old walls of the adventurer town and think about the layout for the new buildings. Planning the townscape was enjoyable, so I excitedly considered the necessary buildings and facilities.
Just then, a fast rider arrived.
“Lord Van! A fast rider has come from the border with the Yelinetta Kingdom!”
“Huh? Have we already won? Could it be that they stormed the fortress, prepared to accept casualties? That’s complicated.”
“I’m not sure. We haven’t heard the details yet.”
While exchanging words with Kamushin, I moved to receive the report from the rider. However, when I actually saw the knight delivering the report, I noticed something was off about his demeanor.
It seemed the news wasn’t very good.
“Baron Van, I have a letter from His Majesty.”
“Thank you.”
I accepted the letter from the kneeling knight and checked its contents.
After reading through everything, I read it once again.
“...Huh, hmm?”
That sound escaped my lips without thinking.
“What... what was written in the letter?”
Kamushin asked anxiously. I nodded lightly and began to explain.
“...It seems we did win. There were wyverns and medium-sized dragons involved, but the Yelinetta Kingdom has assembled top-class magicians. It looks like we managed to repel them properly. However, it was apparently a fierce battle. The fortress was nearly destroyed before the Yelinetta Kingdom’s troops finally retreated.”
“I see. So it’s a victory report.”
“No, actually…”
I gave an ambiguous reply to Kamushin’s words and looked down at the letter again.
“It seems they intend to reuse the fortress? Since it’s no longer a battlefield, they’re asking if I could somehow handle it.”
“They want the fortress to be repaired?”
I tilted my head at Kamushin, who looked a bit angry.
“What’s wrong?”
When I asked, Kamushin glanced briefly at the knight who had arrived by fast rider, hesitated, then turned back to me with a serious expression.
“...Even though it’s His Majesty, I think he’s been making far too many casual requests of you. We’ve already built roads, bases for rest, and forts, and now...”
Kamushin muttered bitterly. The knight’s eyes widened in shock. That was definitely disrespectful. This was really bad. I hurriedly placed a hand on Kamushin’s shoulder to calm him down.
“Don’t worry. Kamushin, calm down... It’s actually an honor that His Majesty trusts me. There must be something that only I can do, which is why they called me. Depending on the scale of the fortress, the repairs should be done in a month or two.”
I smiled and looked at the knight next.
“My servant just said something weird, but I’m not complaining about His Majesty, alright? He’s just overly devoted to his master... a bit yandere-like.”
I tried to lighten the mood with a dry chuckle, and the knight gave a reluctant nod. I hoped he’d keep quiet about it...
Right, I should bribe him.
“Ah, knight, thank you for your report. We’ll prepare a bath and meal for you right away. Kamushin, please show him around.”
“Understood.”
I moved quickly to curry favor with the knight. Whether Kamushin agreed or not, he politely bowed and took the knight away.
Kamushin’s problem was loving me too much. Being a popular man was tough.
Thinking this silly thought, I immediately summoned Dee and Espada for a discussion.
“...That’s the situation.”
After briefly explaining the contents of the letter, Dee and Espada fell silent, wearing serious expressions.
Huh? It’s not that serious, right?
Confused, I waited for them to speak. Then, as if signaled, they both looked up simultaneously.
They exchanged looks.
“...Should we just accept that they’re straightforwardly asking for the fortress repairs?”