Hello. It’s me, everyone’s idol, Van-kun.
So, I’ve been ordered to restore a fortress that looks like it had a missile dropped on it—while also being told to defend it on my own if an enemy attack comes. To anyone unfamiliar with the situation, that probably sounds less like a royal assignment and more like a brand-new type of torture.
And yet, I’m currently more fired up than I’ve ever been before. From afar, I bet you could see the flames blazing in my eyes like a signal fire.
“Alright! First thing’s first—materials! Everyone, gather up the collapsed wall rubble into piles!”
“Yes, sir!”
At my command, the knights of Ceat Village split into groups and set to work. Some knights from other squadrons stayed behind as well, agreeing to lend a hand.
The tricky part is that most of them outrank me—not just in title, but in age too. Ordinarily, someone like me asking for their help would be brushed off with a polite cough at best.
It’s kind of like a small start-up CEO giving orders to the presidents of major corporations and expecting them to roll up their sleeves. Normally, you’d need nerves of steel just to survive that.
But fortunately, I’ve got the king’s radiance shining down on me right now. With this divine beam of royal authority, I’ll wring every ounce of work out of these nobles. No choice—it’s urgent.
“Um, Viscount Pinin… I hate to trouble you, but I’d like to repair the northern gate. Could I ask you to gather some lumber, stone, and maybe some metal as well?”
“Hm… Very well. My knights will handle it. How much, and by when?”
“Thank you so much! It’s urgent, but… perhaps four wagons of metal, and double that in stone—”
“By when, boy?”
“Within the week…?”
“Oho…? That’s… somewhat ambitious…”
The veins in the middle-aged viscount’s bald forehead started throbbing, so I quickly waved my hands in denial.
“Ah, no, no! Of course, I wouldn’t dream of asking you to handle this alone! I was also planning to request Viscount Farina’s aid—”
“Farina, hm? Not a poor choice, but you’ll need more manpower than that. I can bring in two or three others.”
“Yes, absolutely! Just, um, please report back afterward with who you worked with. I’ll need to, ah, tell His Majesty…”
At those words, Pinin groaned and drew his chin in.
“O-of course! No need to remind me… Although, now that I think of it, Farina brought quite a few men this time. Between his knights and mine, the task should suffice. Never mind a week—materials will be ready in five days!”
“Thank you, truly!”
And so I went down the list, bowing low, compromising often, and wrangling these nobles into action. Left to their own devices, they’d find excuses to slack off—or worse, sneak away with leftover supplies.
Which is why I had to keep their tasks short, specific, and tightly monitored. A headache, yes, but effective.
Still, simply mentioning “I’ll report this to His Majesty” was enough to make even the rowdiest noble act like a chastened puppy. It really says a lot about how terrifying the king is.
After all, these nobles were the ones who failed to distinguish themselves in the last battle. Letting them stick around to rebuild the fortress was basically His Majesty’s way of saying, “Here, try earning some credit at least.” To spurn that kindness? That would be… career suicide.
Which is why I currently have higher-ranking nobles working their butts off under me. This is a rare chance. I might as well stockpile some extra supplies while I can.
“Van-sama, you’re making an awfully devious face,” Til remarked.
I quickly smoothed my expression.
“No, no, nothing of the sort. Just thinking about who else might be free. Got any idle nobles left? I’ve got a little task or two they could help with.”
“…Honestly, where do you pick these tricks up, Van-sama? You handle people like a seasoned merchant who’s crawled through every pitfall the trade has to offer.”
“Harsh! I’d prefer to call it ‘being good at asking for favors’.”
“…It sounded more like thinly veiled threats to me,” Til muttered, unimpressed.
I only offered her a wry smile before turning to Kamshin.
“Any walls left that need urgent repairs?”
Kamshin pulled out a hand-drawn map.
“Just the southeast side, sir. Everything else is already being addressed.”
“Right, that wall only had some cracks. In that case, let’s use whatever materials are ready first and start patching it up. Have we gathered the earth mages yet?”
At that, I turned to Arv, who straightened his back.
“Sir! Ten have gathered at the central plaza. Lou is out searching with the others, but this may be all we can find!”
“Well, you can’t expect a ton of people qualified for wall-building. Ten should be enough. Let’s get started.”
As I said that, Arte, who had been listening nearby, suddenly let out an “Ah.”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
Arte gave me a troubled smile and shook her head.
“Oh, nothing… I only realized we won’t be able to bathe today. My apologies.”
“…I forgot! Thank you, Arte!”
Her words hit me like lightning. With this many knights staying behind for reconstruction, the fortress is already overcrowded, and of course, there’s no bath access left for someone like me. My rank is the lowest here, and I’m still a newly minted noble—so naturally, I get the short end of the stick.
Which means I’ll be living and sleeping in this half-ruined fortress.
“Alright then! Change of plans—reconstruction begins now! No, scratch that, we’re rebuilding! I want clean, sparkling new facilities, and fast! Everyone, drop what you’re doing and gather lumber! Lots of it! Hurry!”
“Yes, sir!”
At my command, the Ceat Village knights immediately bolted into action.
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