Several days passed, and after a brief stay, His Majesty and the others returned to their respective territories. During their stay, I had been asked by His Majesty about several things and had shared my requests.
The first request was for Prince Freitlinna, who had become a hostage due to Yellenetta Kingdom’s subjugation, to be placed under my command. If he were to be stationed in the Adventurer’s Town, I could also have Espada returned to me, which was my true intention.
The second request was for Targa, who had defended Centena, to be placed under my command. That earnest knight was undoubtedly someone I could trust. Trusted subordinates were precious, and I’d even be willing to have Targa act as the watchman for important sites in Yellenetta.
The third was a request for Viscount Panamera to be given land. He was the only noble I had formed an alliance with, so it would be especially beneficial if it were near my territory.
After sharing these three requests, His Majesty laughed in amusement and nodded.
"From now on, Baron Van will surely achieve feats that will make even his previous accomplishments seem insignificant. I look forward to it!"
With that, His Majesty departed from Ceat Village. I couldn’t shake the feeling that he had misunderstood something.
But for now, I decided to be content with the fact that I could finally relax.
"Till~… where are the sweets~…?"
"Coming right up! Today, we have fruit pies made with fruits from Shelvia!"
"Wow, they look delicious!"
I responded as Till appeared with the serving tray, and I lay back on the sofa while eyeing the pie on the tray. The freshly baked pie had a sweet, toasty aroma that immediately made my stomach growl.
"Cut it for me~."
"Sure thing."
I lazily made the request, and Till smiled as she agreed.
Sitting up on the sofa, I stabbed a fork into the piece of pie Till had cut for me and brought it to my mouth.
The crispy pie crust was wonderfully fragrant, and when I bit into it, a sweetness spread through my mouth. The filling was smooth and velvety, bursting with a rich and tangy sweetness that blended harmoniously with the pastry.
Thanks to the victory in this battle, both Shelvia Federation and Yellenetta Kingdom had to pay hefty taxes.
Moreover, a significant portion of the private wealth from both countries’ royal and noble families had been seized. Additionally, to prevent any future uprisings, restrictions were placed on the number of knights, and weapons like the black orbs and cannons were confiscated.
As a result, both Shelvia and Yellenetta’s economies were expected to worsen, and some taxes were to be paid in kind. While His Majesty had initially been opposed to this, he eventually agreed, reasoning that receiving goods, which had been imported from other countries, would be more profitable than accepting them in coin.
One of those goods was the fruit from Shelvia.
"This is delicious."
I commented while sipping my tea. Till smiled, but then suddenly tilted her head and looked at me.
"What’s wrong?"
I asked, and Till gave a wry smile before responding.
"Van-sama, you’ve put on a little weight."
"...?! Me? I’ve... gained weight...?"
I immediately checked my stomach. It was soft.
Don’t panic. I can still turn this around. That was the first thought I had as I took another sip of my tea.
"…Well, Till? I’m in my growth period, you see. That’s why I’ve deliberately gained a little weight. My cells need to multiply to speed up my growth. Oh, but it’s not about growing sideways—only vertically. According to my calculations, I’ll easily exceed two meters in height."
"I-I see. As expected of Van-sama."
I came up with a rather far-fetched excuse, but Till looked at me with sparkling eyes and praised me. The guilt was overwhelming.
"...Sorry. This is the result of my lazy lifestyle. I’ll exercise more."
I admitted my mistake honestly and stood up from the sofa.
"I used Dee’s intense training as an excuse to rest, but now I’m going to join in! Oh, but before that—"
I said, steeling myself for what was to come, and took a small bite of the fruit pie before leaving the lord’s manor. Van, the stoic boy, was now fully committed to transforming into a lean, muscular machine.
I knew it was going to be tough. Don’t try to stop me.
With a sense of determination, I walked toward the makeshift training ground within the castle walls, feeling like a boxer on a strict diet.
With the increasing number of residents, the training ground wasn’t very large, but it had become a difficult obstacle course with hills and valleys.
"I guess it’s time for some running drills."
I thought to myself, glancing around, when I suddenly saw a figure at the top of the hill. It was Lou.
But something was off. His back was hunched, and his head hung low, like an old man with a stooped posture.
Was he injured? Worried, I observed him closely. Then, Kamshin and the others appeared behind him, about thirty of them in total.
Everyone, just like Lou, seemed to be walking like elderly people.
Breathing heavily, they made it to the top of the hill, only to start descending again, moving like zombies.
"Don’t stop! The enemy is just ahead! After we go down, we’ll turn back and march again!"
The lively voice of Dee came from the back. Upon hearing Dee’s orders, the faces of everyone changed to one of grim determination. Right. Dee had been keeping his battle mode on, and now he was a nightmare to deal with.
"I think I’ll just sit this one out... It’s important to take things slow. Let’s prioritize keeping our lives intact for now."
I muttered to myself, thinking better of jumping into this madness. But before I could turn back, Dee spotted me.
"Ah!? Is that Van-sama over there! Ah, welcome to our fun training ground! We’re just finishing the first half of the running drills! Come join us for the second half! Oh, wait, oops, I gave away the end goal. It’s much more of a mental challenge to keep going without knowing when it will end!"
Dee said cheerfully. No, no, I was already in a mental challenge just watching Lou and the others looking like the end of the world had come for them.
"Come on, Van-sama! Let’s get you into your training clothes! Everyone, turn around and head back to the barracks! Van-sama needs to change!"
At Dee’s command, the zombie-like figures sluggishly turned around and began trudging back down the path.
"Let’s go, Van-sama! To the front of the line!"
The demon, in his cheerful tone, ordered me to join the zombie procession. There was no escape now.
"...P-Please go easy on me..."
"Ha ha ha! What a funny joke!"
"Where? Where’s the funny part?"
After this exchange, I reluctantly walked toward the barracks. I wanted to run away, but the fear of punishment kept me from doing so. They might say I have to train all day, every day from now on.
Well, I guess I’ll just have to brace myself. With that thought, I walked with a heavy heart, ready for the torture that lay ahead.
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