Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord

Passing through the gate, the carriage moved steadily through the orderly town. The soldiers marched in four rows, careful not to get in the way.

The town was clearly sectioned off, and the buildings carried architectural styles reminiscent of some foreign country. It was hard to believe a child had designed this. Perhaps the subordinates included a foreign architect.

Another thing that caught my attention was the rather tense atmosphere among the townsfolk.

Though their clothing was inconsistent, their weapons appeared well-used. They gave the impression of a ragtag group of troublemakers—likely mercenaries or adventurers.

I had seen towns full of adventurers before, but it was rare to see one with so few ordinary people.

While they mostly kept to the sides of the road, some sat awkwardly on the street or crouched.

Having mostly seen people kneeling with their faces to the ground, this was quite an interesting sight. Some soldiers radiated a tense atmosphere, but it seemed the brash crowd didn’t care in the slightest unless they had exceptional courage.

The town was small, and we soon reached its edge, but having heard it was a village of about a hundred people, it felt quite spacious.

For such a frontier village, having twenty or thirty huts about the size of stables would have been considered a luxury. By that standard, this place could easily be called a fortress city.

However, Panamera passed straight through the town and left without stopping.

The gate opened, and we proceeded at the front, returning to the main road.

Then, Panamera returned beside our carriage and spoke.

“The village seems to be over there. Well, just like the town earlier, this scenery doesn’t match anything in my memory.”

With a face that looked like he was trying to hold back laughter, Panamera pointed ahead to where the carriage was headed.

Pressing my face to the window, I looked out.

“Hmm? That is… could it be, a fortress?”

“Wow…! It’s huge!”

Pista, unable to hide her excitement like a child, shouted out. Indeed, I too was quietly overwhelmed despite my frustration.

After passing through what seemed like a decent town, a massive, bizarrely shaped wall and towers appeared. Anyone would be speechless.

“This is quite something. Honestly, there’s no doubt it’s more impressive than Personam Fortress, which is the key defense for this area.”

“Don’t say that, Prime Minister. Although this isn’t an official occasion, it would be troublesome if rumors spread that Personam Fortress—a great work of the previous king—is inferior to a frontier village.”

After saying so, Aperta shrugged even though he wasn’t joking. With half-shut eyes, he glared and then quietly chuckled, covering his mouth with his hand.

“It’s rare to hear His Majesty say something sensible, so I couldn’t help it.”

“You’re rude.”

I folded my arms and complained. Aperta has been around since before I became king and seems to have no sense of respecting the monarch.

Well, he’s rare enough to be a valuable companion.

“Your Majesty, when this land became a marquisate, this village must have been just an ordinary village. I don’t doubt the viscount’s words, but there’s no question this fortress was built at an astonishing speed.”

“What are you getting at?”

When I asked, Aperta smirked with a sarcastic look and replied,

“Isn’t it… interesting?”

Hearing that, I finally realized my own feelings.

That’s right. Deep down, I was greatly anticipating this and wanted to head to that fortress immediately. Though I was acting calm and composed in front of Pista as a proper monarch, in truth I wanted nothing more than to see the fortress right now, to question how the walls were constructed and how they defeated the dragons.

Recognizing this, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ha ha ha ha! Indeed! This just got interesting. Now, the fortress is right ahead. I want to ask about everything they did. Either way, it’s valuable information.”

Laughing, I said this, and Aperta chuckled softly and nodded.