Published: January 15, 2026
【Murcia】
"Welcome to Baron Van’s new territory, Your Majesty. I humbly welcome you."
I greeted him, my body tense with nerves, and bowed my head. His Majesty slowly descended from the carriage, looked down at me, and spoke.
"Hmm, you are serving quite well as magistrate. Since it’s a special occasion, will you guide me yourself?"
Seeing His Majesty smile eased my nerves, and I bowed once more. Good. He seems to be in a good mood.
"Leave it to me. It is the greatest honor to be able to guide Your Majesty."
"I see. Then, please do."
It was a minimal exchange. I was too nervous to respond politely and take my time, so there was no helping it. I could only strive to avoid giving a bad impression. Other nobles and the knight order were still arriving, but His Majesty’s words must take precedence above all else. I glanced silently at Dee, who gave some instructions to Arb and then came over to me.
Arb left a few knights behind and moved to the front of the castle gate. It seemed he would attend to the arriving nobles. Dee, Arb, and all the members of the mechanical bow unit who held crucial defensive roles were all Baron Van’s subordinates. In other words, once the fortress city’s knight order secured enough personnel, they would return to Seato village.
I wondered whether things would go well without Dee and Arb. My original knight order had many capable people, including Marcos. Still, experience was lacking. That included myself as commander. In fact, I could say I was overwhelmingly inexperienced.
No, perhaps the biggest problem was my own mindset—my lack of confidence. Could such an unreliable person defend what would undoubtedly become the most important base? And could I manage this without His Majesty noticing my shortcomings?
Lost in these swirling thoughts, I walked on without explaining the facilities. It was only when His Majesty and Venturi spoke to me that I responded.
"Lord Murcia, what are those small castles? There seem to be several."
"Ah, y-yes. This fortress city, as you can see, has a massive wall with a complex network of corridors that must be navigated to reach its center. Therefore, even after crossing the walls, each small castle functions as a defensive base. Additionally, there are numerous shooting positions along the walls. From there, we can attack enemies attempting to seize the small castles."
Answering someone’s question, I looked up to the walls, and Venturi spoke.
"...An outdated structure from long ago. Now that many powerful magicians have appeared, it’s difficult to ambush them with archers if knights stand before them. How do you plan to handle that?"
It seemed a genuine question, not meant to belittle the structure. But as Venturi—a battle-hardened veteran—said it, everyone’s attention turned to me. I had already asked Van and Dee about how to defend the fortress city and operate its facilities.
If I couldn’t explain confidently, I wouldn’t be convincing.
Summoning my courage, I looked Venturi straight in the face.
"Please rest assured. There is a mechanism called Sengan, gates just as sturdy as the walls protect it. Moreover, the weapons used to attack from there are rapid-fire mechanical bows made by Baron Van. Even if multiple heavily armored infantry defend it, they cannot completely block the arrows. Rather, this setup is designed to efficiently target magicians who break through the walls and infiltrate."
Saying this firmly, Venturi raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"Oh, I see. Indeed, against those fearsome ballistas and bows, ordinary magicians wouldn’t stand a chance. Well, if magicians of our caliber can use magic, they might try to dismantle the walls from afar... but then the ballistas will handle that. Indeed, a very difficult fortress to assault."
Venturi murmured appreciatively. The other nobles agreed.
"Attacking the castle with magic from afar is difficult, and attacking with sheer numbers is also hard... Yes, a tough nut to crack."
"Truly, it’s a design worthy of Baron Van."