Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord

"Scudetto Under Attack"

When the report arrived, the first thought that came to mind was the usual annual harassment from the Yelinetta Kingdom.

If we fought head-on, the odds wouldn't be in our favor. That was the thought, but the Kingdom of Scuderia, steadily growing stronger, was an eyesore.

So, every year they would engage in minor skirmishes to force us to divert resources to defense.

That was the reason behind the Yelinetta Kingdom's actions.

However, they always managed to prepare enough troops capable of attacking the fortress city. Moreover, once the fortress city was surrounded, food supply would become an issue.

"...It cannot be helped. Deploy only the First Knight Order and the magician corps. Also, send messengers to nearby lords to dispatch their troops."

After giving these orders, a silhouette of the butler spoke up.

"Near Scudetto, there is the village governed by your son, Lord Van, but regarding that..."

"Are you an idiot? That village isn’t capable of sending out troops. More than that, they are barely managing to survive."

Answering firmly, the silhouette frowned and pressed further.

"However, a traveling merchant who came from the capital city recently said that Lord Van was granted the baron noble title for his achievements in dragon slaying..."

At those words, I let out a deep sigh.

This man who became the butler after Espada certainly understood and executed his duties well.

But lacking the knowledge and experience of Espada, he sometimes lacked deep insight.

"Nonsense. Try thinking for yourself. How much value do rumors and hearsay really have? If he had truly slain a young or lesser dragon, the first report would have been brought directly to our marquis family. But no such report exists."

"Th-That may be so, but Lord Van is no ordinary child. He does things beyond the imagination of common people..."

"Silence. Prepare quietly and quickly."

Cutting him off, I said this. The silhouette nodded with a troubled look and left the room.

From long ago, such words were often heard from those who served within the mansion.

"Van must be a genius."

Especially among the maids, that phrase was commonly used.

Because I once took those words at face value, I paid attention to him, but to me, he just seemed like a kid with a good memory.

In fact, although Espada and Dee educated him thoroughly, he never showed results significantly better than other children.

If no results appear, do people sense some latent ability I cannot see?

I thought so, but the evaluation of his magical aptitude was the worst possible.

The greater my expectations, the greater my disappointment, and I felt my enthusiasm quickly fade.

"What new hero of dragon slaying? How could a child from that tiny village have killed a dragon? Even with Espada and Dee there, it's utterly impossible."

Snorting, I looked out the window.

The main street of the town stretched north. Van had set off down that road toward the Nameless Village.

I didn't know why he was so beloved, but many maids and soldiers volunteered to accompany him. However, I rejected the idea, saying we could not spare personnel for a doomed frontier territory.

Therefore, when I heard Van had achieved merit and even received a noble title, the first thought was Count Ferdinand’s scheme.

It was land taken from the count's domain. I thought perhaps the count was helping Van to gain favor and reclaim his territory.

But I quickly dismissed that. Such a plan would be too convoluted and risky. The count, wary of me, wouldn't take such steps.

Having made that judgment swiftly, I had erased Van from my mind.

"...Nonsense. But after driving off the Yelinetta Kingdom’s forces, I might stop by once."

If the village had developed even a little, I might consider offering some aid.

Arriving at the largest town near Scudetto and gathering the knights and mercenaries from nearby towns, we headed straight for Scudetto.

Having fought in this way many times, we could reach Scudetto in just about three weeks.

The report had been delivered by fast rider and should have allowed us to arrive faster than ever.