Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord

The residents of the neighboring village had never imagined that they would be given houses, so they stayed in each home in a daze.

The next day, I casually mentioned, “Maybe soup, salad, and bread for breakfast?” Not fully understanding the situation yet, the residents ended up having the same breakfast as me.

I regretted not preparing several options buffet-style to make things easier.

But I quickly shifted my mindset within five minutes and headed to the town construction site.

While recruiting well-built young men to eventually join the Seato knight order, I also had them help with building the town.

“Pull the rope over there!”

“Got it!”

“It’s a bit crooked. To the right.”

“To the right!”

“Got it!”

With calls full of on-site energy, we pulled the rope to check angles and lengths. Surprisingly, this was quite effective.

“This will be a residence here. So, this should be the entrance, right?”

“That would be more convenient. Shops will line this side, and there’s no reason to have an exit on the opposite side.”

“True. Well then, let’s transport the materials... Oh, you’re already doing that. Everyone’s gotten faster.”

While talking with Espada, the Seato villagers had already taken action, carrying wooden blocks inside. The neighboring villagers were also helping out, though still a bit unsure.

The elders were tasked with taking care of the cows and securing the livestock area. Since we chose a spot near the lake where Apcaluru and the others live, their wide-eyed surprise left quite an impression.

“Cows, huh?”

“Y-yes.”

“They’re cute.”

“R-really?”

“Indeed. We’ll also help with the care.”

Apcaluru responded warmly. Without minding the confused elders or the cows, Apcaluru and the others were watering, bringing grass, and feeding them.

It was quite a fascinating sight. Surprisingly, the elders and Apcaluru seemed to get along well.

Meanwhile, the children were excited about their new homes and even more thrilled by the massive castle walls. So they joined the Seato village kids to explore around the village.

It was very heartwarming to see the place become lively as more people arrived. The once obviously poor village seemed like a distant memory.

“Lord Van! Do you still need more?!”

Dee and others shouted loudly as they arrived with wood that hadn’t yet been shaped into blocks, loading it onto a cart.

“Let’s see... I’d still like about a hundred more logs. We’ve finally run out of wooden blocks.”

Saying so, I swung the huge axe I’d made over my shoulder and laughed heartily.

“Leave it to us! We’ll procure around a hundred today! Everyone, prepare the carts and let’s head to the forest!”

When Dee turned and shouted, not only Arb and Row but also the stronger folks from Seato village answered with deep voices.

Wait, doesn’t this mean we can already form a knight order?

There are guys here who look just like Viking men.

“Dee.”

“Yes! What is it, Lord Van?”

When I called out, Dee quickly turned around.

“Could we form a knight order with those energetic men?”

“Oh! That’s interesting! Let’s ask them!”

Dee asked around.

But to my surprise, the response was:

“Well, um, we’ve already been recruited by Lord Espada... and signed some kind of enrollment contract...”

A sincere young man said apologetically, and I couldn’t help but exclaim, “What!?”

Seriously, Espada? You’d been targeting these guys from the start. That’s so childish.

Regretting my slow start, I checked further and found that about a third of the people hadn’t been approached yet.

Good. If I appoint Dee as knight commander and make Arb and Row his deputies, we can form a knight order of about twenty people.

“Too few!”

I immediately retorted to myself.

Espada’s knight order has a bit over forty members. So combined, sixty would still be better.

Still, a new town must be built.

“Well then, I’ll create a unique knight order for this village and surprise Espada.”

With that resolve, I had Dee and the others resume gathering logs.