Published: January 15, 2026
“Lord Van, preparations are complete.”
Kamushin said proudly. He was clad in Van’s custom full-body armor, a sight rarely seen. Well, since Kamushin’s body wasn’t fully developed, it was a lightweight full-body armor made by combining demonic beast leather, but even so, the materials were excellent, so it should provide considerable protection.
At his waist hung a mithril sword. Personally, I thought it might be better if he carried a rapid-fire mechanical bow, but Kamushin never let go of his sword for even a moment.
Meanwhile, Til had put away the custom axe Van had given him long ago into storage, and was holding a rapid-fire mechanical bow in his arms. He was still wearing his maid outfit, so it just looked like a simple self-defense item. When I asked what happened to the axe Van made, he said he kept it on display in his room as a family heirloom. However, I knew it was actually just hidden away in the closet-like storage of his room.
Next was Arte. She was properly prepared to fight at full strength. To make use of her specialty—puppet magic—she had arranged two wooden block dolls side by side, seated. Their equipment was the same as before, made of mithril, and their weapons were halberds.
Those were heavy weapons that only someone as strong as Dee could wield, but the dolls controlled by Arte swung them lightly. They were the ultimate fighting force, capable of standing toe-to-toe even against large demonic beasts of dragon ascendant class.
Incidentally, I had already presented Rou with armor, gauntlets, and greaves made from mithril and large demonic beast leather some time ago. As a result, Rou now looked clearly more impressive than the captains of most knight orders. Behind him stood an armored carriage equipped with a mobile ballista, and ten members of the mechanical bow unit lined up in formation.
Seeing such wonderful companions, I nodded firmly.
“Yeah. With this, even if the Yelinetta Kingdom army shows up, we can scatter them. A month-and-a-half journey is nothing to be afraid of.”
When I said this, everyone puffed out their chests and nodded back. Still, the anxiety wasn’t entirely gone. I was confident our forces were far superior to most knight orders, but against a large army, we would likely be crushed by sheer numbers.
I couldn’t show my worries, so I smiled and looked off into the distance. I hoped this wouldn’t turn into a dangerous journey.
Just then, a knight from the order on horseback hurried toward us.
“A message from the gate guard! Viscount Panamera has returned! They will arrive at Seato Village shortly!”
“Eh?”
I tilted my head in surprise at the courier’s words.
[Panamera]
“Reuniting sooner than expected, boy!”
As soon as he got off the carriage, he said while looking at the familiar faces. At the center stood the boy Van, who nodded with a wry smile.
“Yes. Much sooner than expected.”
Hearing that, I thought to myself.
“Soon, huh? So you also predicted the enemy’s movements?”
When I asked, Van pointed at the merchant-like man behind him and spoke.
“No, it’s thanks to Apollo’s information.”
The merchant-like man smiled wryly and shook his head. Watching this, I confirmed the followers and subordinates standing around the boy. Their armor and weapons were clearly prepared for fierce battle.
“I see. Looks like the preparations are already complete. Where are you headed?”
“For now, we aim to reach the lord’s castle in the Fertio Marquisate. To assess the situation.”
“Hmm, straightforward. I like simple thinking. Then, my knight order and I will accompany you. I promise a safe journey, boy.”
He said with a laugh, and Van’s eyes sparkled as he smiled.
“Really!? Yay!”
Van’s childish joy was heartwarming, but I couldn’t just stand and watch.
Shifting my focus, I looked over Van and his group one by one.
“You know the situation, right? We’re in the middle of an offensive operation against the Yelinetta Kingdom. We need to reach Marquis Fertio as soon as possible and solve the problem. I want your help replenishing our knight order’s supplies and food. And we’ll depart early tomorrow morning. No objections?”