Published: January 15, 2026
"...Alright, I think this should do it!"
Looking at the finished fortress, I expressed my satisfaction with that comment. First, I repaired and modified the nearly ruined main fort, and finally remodeled the castle walls. I think it turned out quite well. Behind me, Talga let out a voice of disbelief as he looked at the completed fortress.
"...It's already become something completely different..."
When Talga said that, Stradale nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Panamera crossed his arms and laughed heartily, showing his teeth.
"Hahaha! As expected of you, boy! I'm curious what you focused on this time."
Panamera, who had gotten quite used to this, looked at the newly built fortress with great interest. By the way, Talga, who was building the fortress alongside us, responded with a dry laugh to Panamera’s words.
"...Does Baron Van build something like this every time?"
"If you talk about appearances, this is still on the normal side."
"What...!"
Ignoring the conversation between Panamera and Talga, I immediately started the tour of the newly finished fortress.
"Alright then, let's begin the fortress explanation."
"Y-yes."
"Seato Village knight order, follow behind."
"Yes, sir!"
Since Talga and the others as well as the Seato Village knight order followed, it turned into quite a large group moving together. We started from the Scuderia Kingdom’s castle gate, first showing everyone the exterior they were all looking up at.
"It might look like a giant turtle shell from the outside, but this is what makes it resistant to impact from outside."
Saying that, I looked up at the dome-like fortress towering before us. Everyone was drawn to mimic the same movement, looking up as well. Turning to them, I spoke with the tone of a tour guide.
"This massive four-story-like building is designed so that from the outside, you can’t really tell what the interior looks like. The castle gate on this side is made obvious, but the opposite side blends into the wall so it’s invisible. Now, let’s go inside."
"Yes!"
"I'm looking forward to it."
Til and Arte responded happily to Van-kun’s guidance. The atmosphere was like a school field trip, but this was actually a tour of the new Centena fortress, which was crucial for national defense. Everyone, stay sharp.
With a serious expression, I led everyone inside the fortress and began explaining the outer sections we built by remodeling the castle walls.
"The circular surrounding walls have become significantly thicker than before, and people can now live inside. Since the courtyard was largely reduced, the fort and castle walls combined can comfortably house over five thousand people. Also, there are simple dining halls and baths prepared within the walls as well as inside the fort."
While explaining, we walked inside the walls. Talga looked around curiously, while Panamera, Til, and Arte followed along, admiring the newly built walls with interest. Meanwhile, Kamushin, Stradale, and Row studied the structure of the castle walls with very serious expressions.
"...So, the new Centena has sufficient living space like this. Now, about the most important defense features..."
I paused and, while walking inside the walls, tapped the outer wall with my palm.
"On the second floor, there are lookout windows all around where small ballistas are installed for attacks. You might find the structure a bit complicated, but this is to prevent enemies who have invaded from easily understanding the fortress’s internal layout."
Saying that, I gave a brief look around inside the walls before moving to the courtyard. The courtyard is basically covered with a semicircular roof to protect against aerial attacks. To ensure its sturdiness, the castle walls are thickened considerably and the fort expanded. As a result, the courtyard is only just surrounding the fort. Normally, a courtyard is designed to allow troops to form ranks and prepare for deployment, but this fortress is not intended to be taken on the offensive.
After briefly mentioning that, we looked up at the large fort standing in the center.