In the end, since I had to hand over the splendid Yōmeimon gate I built to His Majesty, I decided to make a new lodging for myself.
"Come to think of it, most of the nobles around here outrank me. There’s a chance it could get taken away again, so this time I’d better make something less conspicuous."
With that decision, I thought about what kind of building would draw the least attention.
Yes—an underground chamber. If I made the entrance discreet enough, nobody would even notice it.
"If I’m going to do it, I’d like it to be spacious, kind of like those underground shopping arcades near train stations. Should I make the passageways straight for easy navigation? Or maybe a maze to help guard against intruders?"
I muttered to myself as I finished building the stairs down to the basement. Behind me, Kamshin, Til, and Arte exchanged glances.
“…As one entrusted with Lord Van’s protection, I’d prefer something easier to defend…”
“Um… if it’s a maze, I think I’d end up getting lost too…”
“How about making it a simple maze? For example, if you always turn right, you’ll end up on the correct path. That way no one will actually get stuck.”
They each gave their opinions.
“Oh, that’s a great idea. As expected of you, Arte.”
I praised the proposer and announced we’d go with her suggestion, smiling as Arte blushed shyly. Then, I sketched a rough map onto the dirt.
Right after descending underground, the path would split into three directions. Each of those would branch into two more.
“I heard somewhere that people tend to choose left paths instinctively. So let’s make it so always choosing right is the correct route. Ideally, I’d like a mechanism where picking the wrong path dumps them all into the same locked room with no way out, but…”
I sketched out a few paths on the ground, mulling it over. Kamshin and the others seemed to be thinking along with me.
Then Til raised her hand as if she had an idea.
“What if the wrong paths just loop around endlessly? That way, intruders might give up and leave.”
It was such an adorable suggestion I couldn’t help but laugh and nod.
“Good point. Then let’s also have each fork trigger a sound when someone passes. That way, if we also add doors that can’t be opened once shut, security will be solid.”
“Uh… when you say sound, do you mean…?”
“Like using strings and boards?”
Til and Kamshin both asked, though it seemed Kamshin was picturing an old samurai manor’s burglar alarms. Honestly, I wanted to ask how he even knew about that.
I wondered if such a thing even existed in this world.
“Well, let’s go with Kamshin’s idea. We’ll run strings beneath the boards, thread them through behind the wall, and connect them to the back room. Not sure if it’ll work since I’ve never tried, but we should experiment for the future anyway.”
At that, Kamshin nodded happily. Til and Arte didn’t quite get it, but at least they agreed.
Creating new things really is fun.
I kept turning over in my head how best to build a system to detect intruders.
That night, a clear metallic sound rang out from the thin iron plates installed in the ceiling of my room. The alarm had gone off.
“W-wow, that’s loud…”
Arte rubbed her eyes, half-asleep, and muttered as she walked over. I chuckled at her grogginess, stretching lightly as I sat on the sofa I had just made.
“Yeah. I modeled it after a cymbal, so it ended up louder than I thought.”
“Cymbal…?”
“It’s a musical instrument that makes a big crashing sound.”
When I gave her a simple explanation, Arte nodded with a serious look.
Then Kamshin appeared from the direction of the entrance, clad in light armor and carrying a weapon—as expected of his earnest nature.
“We have intruders.”
“Looks like it.”
I gave a wry smile in reply. Til, smiling gently, rose from the opposite sofa and glanced at me.
“Shall I make some tea?”
“Yeah, hot black tea sounds good.”
“At once.”
With a polite bow, Til went off to prepare it.
The reason we could be so relaxed was simple: our newly built lodging had top-notch security.
Once you went down to the first basement level, the passage split several times, and only by choosing the correct path each time could you finally reach the back chamber. That chamber contained several large rooms where ten people could sleep, plus a big dining hall, shared toilets, and our private rooms. At the entrance, we could secure a sturdy bar from the inside.
And since it was underground, no one could haul in heavy equipment to break the doors. The only option would be destructive magic.
But even that wouldn’t be easy.
The doors were over ten centimeters thick. Made of wood blocks, not overly heavy, but more than tough enough.
The alarm had gone off several times already, but no one had managed to get all the way to this room. I was eager to see just how well our defenses held, but so far the intruders weren’t up to the challenge.
“…That makes three so far, maybe?”
“It’s hard to tell in one go. For all we know, there could’ve been ten of them.”
We chatted like that while enjoying the freshly brewed tea Til had brought.
Delicious. It made me crave a cupcake for dessert.
“Lord Van, the enemy seems to have reached the door.”
“Oh? They finally made it this far?”
As I relaxed, Lou came to report from the entrance. Hearing this, Kamshin put on a serious expression and said, “I’ll go check,” before heading back down the corridor.
“Well then, let’s see if they can open it.”
I said with a grin, glancing at Arte. Now fully awake, she silently nodded and set her two puppets into motion.
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