Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord

"Here you go, Lord Van. The meat is cooked."

During our journey, after passing through two relay towns, I finally had to camp outside for the first time. Well, on Earth, I had experienced sleeping in cars before.

However, camping in a world filled with demonic beasts like this was a first for me.

Feeling a bit uneasy, I poked my head out of the carriage, and the leader of an adventurer group with a large scar on his cheek offered me a skewer of grilled meat.

Apparently, we had hired two adventurer parties for escort, and they all looked quite strong. Surprisingly, half of them were combat-type magicians, and two of the ten adventurers were women. One was a large, muscular warrior-type woman, and the other was a thin magician wearing robes, hardly looking like an adventurer.

The older man in front of me was Orto Seat, a capable adventurer. He looked stern but had been an adventurer for over twenty years, so he was used to dealing with clients.

Even when talking to someone like me, an eight-year-old child, he maintained a proper attitude, though his use of honorific language was sometimes a bit off.

"Thank you. Good work on guarding the perimeter. Make sure you get some rest in shifts."

I replied as I accepted the meat. Orto blinked and stared at me intently.

"Is something wrong?"

When I asked, Orto gave a wry smile and slightly bowed his head.

"Ah, no, no... it's nothing. I'll report back later."

With that, Orto left the area.

"Did something happen?"

Til asked proudly, giving a smug laugh.

"The adventurers have noticed Lord Van's qualities. Well, if I were a master of Lord Van like myself, I could tell you over a hundred amazing things about you! Heh heh!"

I reaffirmed how amusing Til was and could only respond with a dry chuckle.

After about two weeks, I finally arrived at the Nameless Village. We took a day’s rest in four towns, big and small, after leaving the city, and after passing the second town, we camped outside frequently.

Since we were transporting cargo as well, I think we moved at a leisurely pace. Traveling fifty to a hundred kilometers a day meant covering about five hundred to a thousand kilometers overall—a considerable distance.

That just shows how vast the marquisate’s territory is. In Japan terms, it’s like crossing three or four prefectures. I wonder exactly how big it really is.

As I pondered this, the carriage stopped before reaching the village.

"What’s wrong?"

Til called out to the driver, who replied in a flustered voice.

"It’s bad! The village seems to be under attack by someone!"

Hearing this, I stuck my head out of the window. In front of the carriage, Dee and two others were already lined up, on alert.

Beyond them, about several dozen figures surrounded the village. Their outfits varied, but all were armed in some way.

"Those are either bandits or mercenaries who’ve fled a battle. Both tend to prey on the weak when in trouble. But they’re experienced in combat."

Orto frowned and informed me as he leaned toward the window. That made sense. The attackers were shooting arrows from a safe distance, taking no unnecessary risks.

The village was surrounded by sturdy thick wooden fences, but the arcs of incoming arrows had little effect. From the gaps in the fence, I could see eyes glaring at the invaders. At the gate—the apparent entrance—stood the toughest-looking armored villagers in a line. Behind them were magicians.

If the villagers lost their patience and charged out, they’d be rained on with arrows and magic. No ordinary person could lead such a charge. The villagers had no choice but to defend their home like a turtle.

"Lord Van, permission to join the fight! If we all attack together, we should manage!"

The armed group looked to number forty or fifty. Though it was a surprise attack, we were outnumbered by an unknown enemy. Should we really fight?

But then, there was Dee, and veteran adventurers of proven strength among us. Maybe we could handle it?

"Well..."

I was about to answer when Orto interrupted.

"Wait a minute. It’s too dangerous."