Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord

As a test, I created a Mithril doll just under two meters tall. Its limbs were slender and long. Since it was made of Mithril, it should be sturdy despite the thinness.

One hand held a sword, and the other carried a large shield. It was a shield over a meter tall, also known as a Tower Shield.

Usually, such huge shields are made from wood or demonic beast hide, but I thought a Mithril doll could handle a Mithril-made one. Of course, the sword was also made of Mithril.

Thanks to this, I used up almost all of my Mithril ore.

"Um, Lord Van? I have a bunch of questions, but why are you in a dress holding a sword and shield?" Til asked.

I nodded confidently in response.

"This is a young girl doll in a beautiful dress meant to look good when dancing. But I thought it’d be better if it also had weapons and armor. That way, if anything happens, the doll can fight."

When I said this, Til looked at me with half-closed eyes. Arte stared blankly at the doll for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Heh, hahaha... ahahaha!"

Laughing with tears in her eyes, Arte smiled with a bright, carefree expression, as if something had been lifted from her. Til and I exchanged glances.

"…Maybe we should at least remove the shield?"

"I’m not laughing because of that."

"Alright, let’s make it fight with an umbrella."

"Lord Van…"

As Til and I exchanged words, Arte nodded with tears and laughter still on her face, then spoke.

"I think an umbrella would be good too."

"Eh... Lady Arte, you don’t have to force yourself," Til said worriedly.

Arte and I looked at each other and laughed.

I felt like it was the first time Arte truly smiled from the heart. Seeing her innocent, age-appropriate smile warmed my heart.

"Alright, let’s practice."

I said, regaining my composure. Arte hesitated for a moment but nodded immediately.

"O-okay."

She turned back to face the freshly made Mithril doll.

"...Phew. I’ll start."

As Arte declared this, the doll’s hand moved.

Its arm slowly rose, the wrist and finger joints bending in sequence. It was a smooth, beautiful motion.

Then the right foot stepped forward, and the doll spun around gracefully, arms spread wide. When the rotation stopped, it bowed lightly.

Simple, but certainly a dance. Just these movements alone were genuinely beautiful—each gesture refined as if carefully crafted to be seen by others.

However, because it held a sword and shield, it looked more like a martial dance than a traditional one. Well, that was interesting in its own way.

"Such a beautiful dance."

I said while glancing at Arte, who was sweating and breathing heavily.

"Arte?!"

"Lady Arte! Are you okay?"

I grabbed her shoulder in surprise, and Til came up behind to support her, speaking gently.

"Ah, I... I used too much mana… maybe because it’s a Mithril doll."

"Mana depletion, huh? Come, lie down and have some water..."

Til took care of her, and Arte smiled faintly.

"Thank you. Even though my body is tired, I feel good inside, thanks to both of you. I… I always thought I had no value. But from now on, I want to find something I can do."

Moved by her determination, I made a suggestion.

"How about we study your magic aptitude, Arte? That way, we’ll know what you can really do."

Arte nodded happily at that.

And so, two new weapons were created.

First was the mechanical bow made of Van-brand Mithril combined with demonic beast bones and hide. Its power and durability improved significantly.

But it was quite heavy, so the Mithril version was designated as a weapon for men. For women, a mechanical bow made of wooden blocks and demonic beast hide was crafted. It was lightweight and easy to handle.

Of course, when I showed it to Bola, she went wild and started firing arrows wildly. I began to worry a bit if it was alright to have Bola as the commander.

Kamushin tried it too, but he seemed to prefer swords.

Well, it’s best to be able to use both.

And the second weapon.

I stood before the wooden block doll seated in front of the materials warehouse and turned to face the gathered crowd.