Published: January 15, 2026
Worried about the future of the fortress city Murcia, Panamera and Talga stared at the top of Murcia’s head with indescribable expressions, their heads hung low.
Clearing my throat, I glanced at them and then spoke to Talga.
“Next, I have a favor to ask of you, Talga.”
“Yes! Please, do not hesitate to tell me!”
As soon as I spoke, Talga immediately shifted his mindset and responded. Truly, he was a born knight.
“I want you, Talga, to govern the city as a magistrate someday. I apologize to the head of the baron family, but please work together with Espada to cultivate new talents. Among them, I hope you learn about managing Espada’s domains.”
When I said this to Talga, Panamera suddenly burst out laughing.
“In the end, that’s basically telling you to become Espada’s disciple, isn’t it?”
“Ugh… it’s an absolute necessity if I’m to be a magistrate…!”
Having been bluntly pointed out something hard to say by Panamera, Talga looked like he might cry as he tried to excuse himself. Talga chuckled wryly and shook his head.
“No, it’s fine. I still don’t think I’m a baron yet… but—”
“...But?”
I caught a hesitation in Talga’s words and asked him to clarify. Then, with a resolute expression, Talga opened his mouth.
“If possible, I want to learn the job of lord by Lord Van’s side.”
“Huh? By my side?”
I repeated the shocking words Talga had spoken. He nodded deeply in return.
Espada closed his eyes and hummed thoughtfully.
“…That might be a good idea. Eventually, the minor duties will be delegated to subordinates. If you at least learn the basics as a lord, you can learn principles, ideology, and foresight from Lord Van, which might be useful for future alliance relations.”
Even Espada started saying strange things like that.
“Eh? There’s nothing for you to learn from me.”
What are these two talking about? I thought, responding like that, but they both shook their heads firmly.
“No, there is.”
“Lord Van has allies like the Apcaluru and the dwarves whom most people would not normally be able to command. Also, he is favored by His Majesty, gaining independence and promotion faster than anyone else. Rather, even among the high nobility, there are those who want to learn from Lord Van.”
“Wow, you’ve got me completely misunderstood.”
I blurted out that thought because of their reaction, but Til and Kamushin shook their heads vigorously.
“That’s not true!”
“There’s no lord more wonderful than Lord Van!”
“Ahaha, thank you.”
Their highly biased praise made me smile naturally. Arte smiled gently beside me.
“Anyone who sees the people living in Seato Village would think so too.”
At Arte’s words, Panamera grinned slyly.
“...Oh my.”
“W-what’s with that smile...?”
Feeling shy, I asked, but Panamera shrugged and glanced between Arte and me.
“This face is natural. No grounds for complaints. Well, I’ll observe Seato Village a little longer before going to the domain. I will use it as a reference for managing my own domain.”
Panamera muttered that, leaned back in his chair, and stretched lightly. Smiling wryly at the sight, Talga looked over here.
“...I seriously want to learn under Lord Van.”
“Baron Talga? That sounds like I’m not serious myself?”
After hearing such a conversation between Talga and Panamera, I let out a dry laugh and sighed at the suddenly raised hurdle.
“…Sigh. Understood. Well then, let’s try it that way. By the way, Panamera, how do you intend to manage your domain? It’s still a town managed by people who were citizens of the Yelinetta Kingdom, right? And its scale is over five thousand people.”
It was a medium-sized town that had been our enemy until recently. Moreover, it was one of the fortress cities that protect and support the key forts of defense. Education about the Kingdom of Scuderia must have been aimed at a virtual enemy country. Even though it had become a vassal state after defeat, that hostile mindset would not easily change.