I managed to fend off the assault on Centena and even reached a favorable alliance with the Shelvia Federation.
Though wounded, Jalpha remained alive, and Centena’s defensive strength had increased significantly. It was more than enough for now.
Moreover, the battle between the Yellenetta Kingdom and our main forces was undoubtedly in our favor. Given that they had brought tens of thousands of soldiers to Centena, it seemed that the outcome would soon be decided.
With this optimistic thought in mind, I finally made my way back to Ceat Village.
In my eagerness to return, I stopped by only two towns and didn’t buy many souvenirs. I was pretty tired, but the sight of Ceat Village and the Adventurers' Town filled me with an overwhelming sense of relief. After all, I suppose Seat Village has become my true home.
"Welcome back!"
"Back again, Espada."
As the castle gates opened, Espada and the others were there to greet me. The knights of Ceat Village seemed unaffected by anything. Surrounded by their excited chatter, I made my way to the lord’s manor.
"Van-sama!"
"Welcome back!"
"Hey! Everyone, I’m back!"
I was greeted with cheers that felt like an idol’s welcome, and made my way to the manor at the front.
"We’ve finally made it home," I said with a relieved smile.
Upon arriving at the lord’s manor, Till was the first to jump out of the carriage. As I watched, laughing, Espada, who had followed behind, deliberately cleared his throat.
"Before questioning her etiquette as a lady, I must remind you that she is still Van-sama’s maid..."
"Ah, sorryyyyyyy!"
It seemed that after being scolded for so long, Till had let her guard down. Espada lectured her for her lack of decorum as a maid, and I couldn’t help but smile at their familiar exchange.
The whole thing felt nostalgic in a way, and I watched with a bittersweet smile. Then, just as the scene was unfolding, Kamshin stepped outside, looking directly at Lou.
"Lou-sama! Let’s practice!"
"Eh!? Now!?"
Lou, who had just dismounted, looked completely taken aback. Kamshin, brimming with excitement, had already started practicing his sword swings, giving off an aura that made it clear refusal wasn’t an option.
Lou slumped his shoulders but grabbed his sword and walked over to Kamshin, seemingly resigned.
Despite his strict exterior, Lou was a caring guy after all.
As Till was being scolded and Lou and Kamshin set off for training, Arte finally stepped down from the carriage.
She had regained some energy, but I could still see her expression darken unexpectedly. Till, noticing this, immediately started trying to cheer her up with tea and sweets. Though it was a bit childish, I could tell Till had put a lot of thought into it.
Thanks to that, Arte had brightened up quite a bit, though I had seen her tear up while gazing at her dolls during our recent camp. It seemed the loss of them had affected her deeply.
"...Alright! Now that we’re home, let’s have a barbecue! Espada, do we have all the ingredients?"
Hoping to cheer Arte up, I turned to Espada, who was still in the middle of lecturing Till. Till turned to look at me with a face full of admiration, but I hadn’t said it to interrupt the lecture, of course.
Well, she seemed happy, so I’ll let her think that.
"Recently, the adventurers have brought back meat from the beasts they hunted in the dungeon. There are quite a few leftovers. We also have some preserved meats like jerky, so there shouldn't be any problem using it for the barbecue," Espada replied.
I nodded and looked at Till.
"Then, please go to the Bell-Rango Trading Company and ask them to prepare for the barbecue. If there’s anything else we need, I’ll make it, just let me know."
With that, Till beamed and answered.
"Yes! I’ll go right away!"
She skipped off in excitement, and after watching her leave, Espada turned to me.
"...We should have about two hours before everything’s ready, and there’s something I’d like you to make during that time, Van-sama."
"Huh? What do you want me to make?"
I asked, and Espada pulled out a bundle of papers that looked like ledgers. He flipped through the pages and stopped near the middle.
"A month ago, and again two weeks ago, the population of the village increased. About a thousand immigrants from the Marquis and Count's territories, as well as around three hundred slaves brought by Bell-Rango Trading Company and Mary Trading Company. I made the decision to purchase them."
"Ah, that’s fine... but are you asking me to build houses again?"
I asked nervously. Espada nodded, confirming my suspicion.
"Eh!? There are carpenters in Ceat Village already! I thought we’d built a fair amount already..."
"There’s not enough manpower. Even with four people working on one house, we still need over three hundred houses. So far, we’ve only managed to build about ten in a month. And while it may seem slow to you, normally it takes almost a month to build one house. When you consider the limited number of carpenters..."
"Ugh! Fine, fine! I get it, I’ll do it. Just please let me handle it. Arte, you stay home and rest. I’ll come for you later."
I was about to be lectured further, so I quickly cut it off, then reluctantly left for house-building, leaving Arte behind.
With Till absent, it was rare for Espada and me to be on our own.
As we walked toward the center of the village from the walls, I saw that many houses had already been built. Shops and inns had also sprung up, and at the village's edge, there was even a dwarf forge and blacksmith zone. While more facilities would normally be needed, we didn’t have the luxury to build them right now.
I might ask Bell-Rango Trading Company and Mary Trading Company for some assistance soon. If we want to set up new facilities, we’ll need skilled people with specialized knowledge.
"The right side of the entrance has a lot of vacant land, so I think we should start building houses there," I suggested.
Espada rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Yes. We already have shops and the Adventurers' Guild lining the road to the manor. It would be more efficient to have similar buildings on both sides of the entrance. Perhaps we should focus on building homes to the left of the manor. Also, the population growth is proceeding faster than expected, so we should consider larger homes that can accommodate multiple households."
I see. It seemed Espada was also considering the future development of the village. Multiple households would likely mean apartments. I wasn’t planning on building any luxury tower apartments in this frontier village, though.
"Then, let’s create a road along the walls and build three-story apartment buildings. I’ll aim for something big enough for six households. If we line them up, we’ll have quite a lot of people living there."
Espada seemed to consider this for a moment, then pointed to a nearby house.
"As a check for the limits, how many floors could we build on a plot the size of two of those houses?"
"Eh? Two of those houses? Hmm, if we put stairs in the center and three 3LDK apartments on each side, I think we could manage four or maybe five floors. If the plot were bigger, we could probably go up to ten floors..."
I answered but stopped, getting a bad feeling. When I looked at Espada, I saw him muttering something under his breath.
"With a 10-meter by 10-meter plot, we could fit two hundred people with forty people per floor. If we increase to eighty people, we could fit four hundred people per floor. Considering future growth, high-rise buildings might be better, though we’d need to think about how to manage wear and tear over several decades. If the buildings collapse, it will be difficult to repair, so it might be better to keep the buildings at three or four floors. If we end up using all of Ceat Village’s land, we could combine it with the Adventurers’ Town and create one large city."
Espada, ever the cautious strategist, considered not just the benefits but the risks as well. A smart person truly thinks about all possibilities and potential dangers. If it were me, I’d probably just want the biggest buildings possible.
"Alright then, three stories it is. We’ll also make sure the roads are laid out in a grid, right?"
"Yes, if we build them back-to-back, we can create roads between them," Espada replied.
"Great. Let’s get the wood blocks and logs over to the site. Someone gather laborers for me..."
"Ah, I’ll go!"
Before I could call for someone, Arte suddenly appeared from behind and volunteered to help.
"Arte? You should be resting at home..."
I said, surprised, but Arte shook her head and spoke with a serious expression.
"No, I’ll go get the knights. Please wait a moment."
She hurried off toward the castle gates. Since there was a guard post nearby, I knew she wouldn’t get lost, but I wondered if she’d be okay going alone to gather people.
"Espada, could you go with her?"
"Understood."
Espada agreed immediately, and the two of them walked off together.
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