Published: January 12, 2026
Let's make the second defensive wall a solid one. Something as sturdy as a fortress city would be ideal.
With that rough plan in mind, I began gathering materials to build the second wall while discussing details with Espada.
“Considering future development, I think building a fortress for a city of about ten thousand people would be best.”
“Ten thousand?”
I tilted my head at Espada’s words. A ten-thousand-population city means a city where ten thousand people live.
For reference, even including Apcaluru and the others, our village is only about two hundred people in size.
“A city that can house ten thousand? Isn’t that a bit too big?”
I asked, but Espada shook his head.
“Given the current growth rate of the village, ten thousand is actually barely enough. However, once we build walls, management becomes necessary, and a considerable number of guards must be deployed around. Because of that, while it might seem a bit cramped, I recommend building it to the scale of a ten-thousand-population city.”
He said this as matter-of-factly as a secretary reporting the day's schedule, but I was stunned and couldn’t quite digest it.
After all, in terms of size, the capital city boasts three hundred thousand people, the Fertio Marquisate’s largest city has two hundred thousand, the second city a hundred thousand. Other towns range from fifty thousand to ten thousand.
In other words, even if our village develops splendidly, there aren’t enough people flowing in to fill such a population.
In Chinese stories like Romance of the Three Kingdoms, there are cities with populations of half a million, yet in this world, I’ve never heard of cities that large.
And now, we’re talking about a small frontier village with fewer than two hundred people, suddenly growing to house ten thousand.
This isn’t just a lovely countryside life—how many eccentrics would actually move here?
“…Wouldn’t something like one or two thousand be enough?”
I tried suggesting a more modest scale, but Espada furrowed his brows.
“No. That will inevitably cause unnecessary trouble and extra work later. If that’s the case, it’s better to plan while considering those things from the start.”
Hmph. Espada is known for his stubbornness. As the head butler, no one is better at supporting his master, but when it comes to voicing his opinion, he wouldn’t back down, even if it was against my father.
“Alright then. How about a hundred meters out in all directions from the current wall?”
“That’s absolutely not enough. While that might barely fit the residences, considering defensive facilities, inns, and guild bases, we need at least six hundred meters per side.”
“Six hundred meters per side!?”
That’s a size unimaginable from the current village scale. And what we’re building now is a serious wall—it should be at least ten meters tall to be called a wall.
But thinking that I’d have to build that myself was overwhelming.
Noticing my sour expression, Espada nodded solemnly.
“Of course, the full-scale wall construction will begin once enough people gather under Lord Van and sufficient manpower is secured. For now, I intend to build only a defensive wall in a way that allows easy improvements later.”
“So, we’re building a defensive wall…”
He clearly showed no intention of backing down.
Sighing, I looked over the rough map made by Arb and Row. It was handmade and sloppy, as the knights had no sense of surveying.
Still, I could get the general feel.
A road extends and ends at our village. Behind us is an artificial lake, beyond that a forest, and then a mountain range. The sides are open, but there are more forests and rivers further back.
In other words, the road in front should be prepared for human knights or bandits, while other sides should focus on defense against demonic beasts.
Against humans, quantity and variety matter. Against demonic beasts, power is more important.
Considering that, it might be a good idea to change the shape to increase our options.