Published: January 15, 2026
"Good morning."
"Good morning. Where are you coming from today?"
"Let's start from the city walls today."
"Understood."
With such simple exchanges, I set out for my morning duties. By the way, this conversation was with Zetros. It’s like a daily checklist we go through every morning.
"Oh, there’s a wrinkle on your clothes..."
"Oh, I didn’t notice. Thank you, Til."
"Yes!"
Perhaps because the attendants serving at Cayenne Castle are excellent, Til was unusually attentive this morning, circling around me like a satellite. Arte was also sticking close by my side or just behind me, occasionally laughing at Til’s over-the-top care. Kamushin seemed to have let down his guard a bit at last; though still watchful of the surroundings, he followed me in a somewhat relaxed manner.
Meanwhile, Dee treated this as training and led the Seato Village Knight Order members to chop and haul wood every day. Twice in the morning and three times in the afternoon, Dee’s laughter echoed throughout the city—it had become a routine event. The city’s children even chased after Dee when he ran carrying logs.
Incidentally, at Lord Panamera’s request, within a week we had thoroughly refurbished the castle gate and the surrounding walls, as well as the main street running through the center and the streets just inside the walls. Buildings facing the main street had to be demolished and rebuilt to widen the road, and that reconstruction is now complete. Thanks to this, anyone coming into the fortress city of Cayenne from outside would surely be astonished by the transformation.
From the highway, the city gate looks new and grand, and even the color of the walls is different. Passing through the gate, a wide and beautiful main street and square spread out before you, lined with brand-new three-story buildings, and at the far end stands Cayenne Castle, completely transformed.
We unified the style of the gate, buildings, and castle in baroque style, so the overall appearance should be impressive.
Currently, we are systematically cleaning up the city walls as well. Since the area is vast, just moving around is exhausting. We lack enough materials to completely renew the sewer system yet, so while I slowly repair the walls, arrangements for those materials are being made.
"The walls are only about a third done. I guess it’ll still take about a month," I muttered as I looked out over the city from atop the walls. The high vantage point brought a strong yet pleasant breeze. The gentle scent of flowers and grass seemed to soothe my fatigue.
"Lord Van, you must be tired. Here, please have a seat."
"Thank you, Til."
While gazing outside, Til placed a folding chair for me. It’s one we had made recently for long trips. Despite being incredibly light, it’s very sturdy, a prized item that the Bell Rango Trading Company was drooling over.
Sitting there, looking down at the city, I noticed a stark contrast between the new and old areas. The new parts were luxurious and beautiful, personally a very satisfying view. In contrast, the older neighborhoods still had missing roofs and walls, and although their colors were unified in brown tones, the uneven shades made their age stand out.
However, it seemed to me that the older parts conveyed a stronger sense of the people’s daily life.
"...Maybe I should reconsider the renovation plan."
Muttering this, Arte tilted her head.
"Reconsider the plan?"
"Yeah. If we stick to the current renovation plan, we might ruin the very landscape of this city that has lasted for decades. After I finish today’s wall repairs, I’ll talk to Mr. Panamera about it."
I might need to rethink quite a few things. As I hastened the wall repairs, a new plan began forming in my mind.
Back at Cayenne Castle, I immediately shared my ideas with Panamera. Since this concerned the entire city, I gathered Zetros and the others too. Despite being busy, they came quickly and immediately started considering my proposal.
"That would certainly make the residents happy."