Finally, additional houses had been built, and parks and the like were arranged. The library was still postponed due to a shortage of books, but the two-story school and hospital had been completed.
By the way, while I was building those, the one and only carpenter in Ceat Village had constructed a single house on his own—and it turned out quite nicely. It had a handmade feel but was fully complete. At this pace, we could probably have him build one house every two months.
If he kept building steadily, his skills would improve, and more residents would want to become carpenters. Farmland, merchant guilds, blacksmiths, inns, and eateries were already in place. Materials like wood, stone, and metals were handled by the adventurers, so there was no problem there. In the future, professions like teachers, doctors, and nurses would be added.
There wasn’t a clothing shop for tailoring yet, but that could come later.
“…Anyway, Ceat Village is really coming along,” I muttered quietly as I sat on a bench in the newly finished park.
“—Baron Van? Did you say something?”
Noticing my mumbling, Kamshin called out from a short distance. When I looked up, I saw him playing on a freshly built swing set. He looked serious, but he was swinging with quite a bit of force.
The swing was probably a lot of fun for him. Alte was also gently swinging, and her expression was genuinely happy.
Till, meanwhile, was watching the two of them swing with pure envy. He had just turned nineteen, so why did he look like he desperately wanted to play? Well, it was natural to want to return to one’s childhood at times.
While watching the three of them enjoy the park, a young member of the knight squad came running with a report from the castle gate as usual.
“Baron Van! The knight squad… but what is this!?”
“Oh, has His Majesty already arrived? Well, if we’re going to re-invade Yerinetta, the sooner, the better.”
I guessed that as soon as the knights appeared in Ceat Village, His Majesty must have mobilized immediately.
“No, no, no, Baron Van? What is this unfamiliar garden…?”
“Hmm? Oh, the playground? That’s for children, so no playing on it. Up to eighteen years old, that is.”
Although I felt it was strange to call a playground a garden, I explained the rules. For some reason, both the reporting squad member and Till froze in shock.
Seeing their faces, as if the world had ended, I chuckled and decided to adjust the rules.
“Alright then, let’s make it nineteen. So, playing is prohibited from twenty onwards.”
“Yes!”
“Great!”
Their eyes lit up and they cheered at my words. Well, I guess it was good to see them happy.
“…Ah, someone was coming, right? I forgot,” I suddenly remembered the squad’s report and got up from the bench. The reporting squad member also looked startled and nodded.
“Ah, yes! The knight squad numbers at least several thousand! Possibly up to ten thousand!”
“Oh… that’s a lot.”
I nodded at the report and had Alte and Kamshin stop swinging. Laughing at how reluctantly the three of them followed behind, we headed to the castle gate.
Upon arrival, His Majesty’s splendid carriage immediately came into view.
“Oh, Baron Van! It’s been a while… though maybe not that long!”
“Welcome, Your Majesty. I’m glad to see you in good health.”
His Majesty, in good spirits, greeted us while stepping down from the carriage. Judging by the weary look on the soldiers who presumably came on foot, they must have marched at a high pace.
Noticing my gaze, His Majesty gestured toward his knights with a nod and a smile.
“We’ll be leaving Ceat Village in about two weeks. In the meantime, give the elite units of the royal knights a chance to rest. Other squads that joined along the way will be in the rear. Providing them some rest would be appreciated. Ah, you’ll need some food too. Is the stock sufficient?”
“Yes, it’s fine. Considering we might move to attack the Yerinetta Kingdom in under two weeks, we have more than enough supplies.”
His Majesty furrowed his brow and lifted one side of his mouth in curiosity.
“…Oh? And why is that?”
“Eh? We’ve already taken key points within their territory, so naturally they would want to reclaim them immediately. Conversely, as the attacker, we want to advance as far into their lands as possible before they can fully defend. Considering both sides, it might be effective for Your Majesty to stay in Ceat Village and mobilize the nobles to reorganize the kingdom’s forces. The regular knights are fine, but the peasant soldiers would benefit from extended preparation, even if it means increasing their rewards. Right now, time is crucial, that’s all.”
I gave that answer somewhat instinctively, and His Majesty regarded me with a strangely suppressed smile, as if amused. Did I make a mistake? I’m not even ten yet, so he should forgive me, right?
A bit anxiously, I watched him—and then a breathy laugh escaped His Majesty.
“Is this the thinking of a child? Incredible talent for war. Still, experience is lacking. With a smaller force, one can attack before giving the enemy time to think. But it’s unrealistic to conduct consecutive battles with tens of thousands on each side, especially when passing through the Wolfsburg Mountains…”
I nodded in understanding, replying, “Indeed. Tens of thousands would be difficult to manage.”
A long campaign would be extremely stressful. I figured His Majesty considered that.
Since we had built a road through the Wolfsburg Mountains, supply issues were relatively manageable. Ceat Village served as a supply point, supported not just by the Bell-Rango Guild but also by the Mary Guild, which regularly traded there. Supplies could be replenished continuously.
Moreover, if I personally went along, weapons and armor could be refreshed on site, and with adventurers and mechanical bow units, we could always have large monster meat to eat. The real concern, then, would be stress.
As I nodded at that thought, another squad member ran up from the wall.
“Baron Van! Mr. Bell from the Bell-Rango Guild has returned! And, for some reason, Mr. Apollo from the Commercial Guild is with him!”
“Huh? Mr. Apollo?”
Surprised, I asked again. His Majesty, however, nodded as if it were obvious.
“Hmm, the Commercial Guild. They’re late.”
His Majesty exhaled lightly, smiling at me.
“Along the way, they joined a group from the Commercial Guild and Bell-Rango Guild, but we quickly left them behind.”
“Oh, I see… but moving with at least several thousand people, how could you possibly be so fast…?”
I was shocked at His Majesty’s words, but he seemed pleased at my reaction and grinned.
“Hahaha! You must not underestimate our knights, who leave nothing to chance in their march training. Now, let’s see why the Commercial Guild came to meet Baron Van. I hope you don’t mind them joining us?”
Even as a genius, I could only smile wryly and nod.
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