Published: January 15, 2026
[Murcia]
While being laughed at by everyone I was leading along, I guided them to the main keep at the center of the fortress city. It was so embarrassing that I felt like my face was on fire, but since His Majesty and the heads of the Venturi and other senior noble families started talking to me more, it might have turned out for the better after all.
Apparently, everyone seemed to think I was confident in managing and defending the fortress city.
Personally, I thought I was just a pathetic older brother boasting as if the things my younger brother, who is more than ten years younger, had made were my own, but it seems things turned out well.
Feeling truly relieved, I climbed the last flight of stairs and then looked back. Venturi and His Majesty came up in that order, and they immediately became captivated by the breathtaking view.
I quickly understood their current feelings. Like every floor, the design allowed the use of ballistas and mechanical bows from anywhere, with sturdy shutters installed on every window. This meant the interior of the castle consisted of dimly lit rooms, corridors, and staircases despite its interesting structure.
However, once you reached the main keep, there were wide-open shutters all around, with dazzling sunlight pouring in. Moreover, aside from the Wolfsburg Mountains behind us, the sky in every other direction was a beautiful blue.
Drawn to this blue sky, His Majesty and the others moved to the terrace and expressed their admiration.
“Oh!”
“This is amazing!”
Hearing such voices, I also stepped out onto the terrace. Although I had seen this view many times, I was still moved by it.
In the distance was a vast plain stretching to the horizon under the deep blue sky, with a highway cutting through the land. In front of us was the freshly renovated, beautiful castle town. Looking to the sides, parts of the Wolfsburg Mountains could be seen on the edges of the view, and a pleasant breeze flowed through.
After feeling a sense of confinement climbing endless stairs, this view offered a refreshing sense of liberation that was exhilarating.
But Van had surely designed this room strategically. Thinking that, I conveyed the value of this main keep to everyone.
“This top floor is called the main keep. The entire fortress city is designed in a stepped fashion along the slope of the hill. That is, the castle walls and gates on the Yelinetta side are at the lowest point, then comes the turret in front of it, next is the small castle’s main keep, followed by the second small castle, then the third small castle... and finally, this main keep is at the highest point. Each castle is designed to be able to carry out defensive battles independently, which is important, but it is also vital that the walls and turrets allow constant surveillance of the surroundings from various points. And…”
While explaining, I moved to the edge of the terrace, placed my hand on the railing, and pointed down the highway.
“If you look at the ballista installed one floor below, its range extends to about the middle of the highway visible from here... around that area.”
When I said this, a murmur arose. Looking back, everyone was astonished at the highway I had just pointed out.
“Incredible...!”
“That’s a serious threat to anyone trying to attack this castle.”
There were many voices of surprise, and understandably so. The actual range of the ballista was something even Van, its creator, had been amazed by. While the accuracy inevitably declined over that distance, it was still a powerful threat.
This would be felt even more keenly by powerful magicians who usually dominated the battlefield.
“Even with all this constructed, are you still planning to develop some kind of new mechanism? I’m curious about what you intend to make.”
His Majesty couldn’t hide a smile as he made that remark. Venturi lowered his chin, seeming to ponder something.
“...Hmm. That new weapon from Yelinetta… can this hold up against it?”
“According to Van, at the current level of accuracy, there should be no problem. The hit rate is originally low, and it seems that the increased range further lowers it. Even if it reaches that far, hitting any part of this fortress city would be considered a success,” I relayed what Van had told me.