As Panamera beamed with excitement, the administrators of the city, like Thomas and the others, exchanged skeptical glances. Even Bell and Rosalie, both experienced traders, could pick up on the tension.
“Well, it’s understandable that they wouldn’t believe it until they see it for themselves,” Bell muttered, and Rosalie chuckled softly, a dignified laugh. She was on her best behavior, as usual.
“Yes, indeed. Though even after seeing it, they may not believe it,” Rosalie added with a smile.
As they chatted and laughed, the city’s administrators all wore uncertain expressions. Zetros, however, maintained his usual poker face. I decided then that I’d try to surprise him somehow.
With a satisfied smile, Panamera looked around at everyone.
“Now then, we’ve decided on the plan, yes? Let’s start by gathering the necessary materials. The Cayyenne Fortress City Knights will be in charge of material collection.”
“Uh, we’ll need a lot of wood. Most of the buildings in this city are made of stone, so we don’t need much stone. We could use some iron, copper, silver, gold, and mithril if possible,” came the response.
Panamera nodded thoughtfully.
“Got it. I’ll have them start gathering the materials. Anything else?”
“Magicians. Especially earth magicians—any number of them would be useful,” came the next suggestion.
“Earth, huh... Bellville, how many skilled earth magicians are there in the city?”
Panamera turned to Bellville, who answered without hesitation.
“There’s only one. A mid-level magician.”
“Have him brought here.”
“Yes, my lady!”
With that, Panamera quickly issued more orders, her efficiency evident as she directed her subordinates. Her promptness made me feel a bit anxious.
Wait a minute... Is she planning to start construction today? We just arrived in the city, didn’t we?
I watched the scene unfold with growing concern, but then Panamera noticed my expression and gave me a gentle smile.
“Ah, you’re probably tired from the long journey. My apologies.”
“Oh, no, no, I’m just looking forward to the delicious food!” I replied with enthusiasm.
“Hahaha! I had it prepared already. I’ll have it made right away!”
“Yay!”
The thought of getting to eat the delicious food from the old Yellenetta Kingdom made me genuinely happy. As I expressed that joy, Panamera spoke again, this time with a more apologetic tone.
“…However, unfortunately, there isn’t enough lodging for everyone. If Viscount Van could help with renovating the barracks or the castle, everyone would be able to rest and recover from their long journey. It’s a shame.”
Panamera said this with a look of regret on her face—something I had never seen from her before. It was overly dramatic, though.
“Understood. In that case, let’s start by renovating the barracks. We’ll leave the castle for later if we can.”
“Oh, that’s a relief!”
“Please make sure to gather the precious ores and spices. If you could get some black-colored stones as well, that would be helpful.”
As I said this, Panamera nodded enthusiastically.
Panamera led the way with great cheer, followed by our group, with Zetros and the others trailing behind. Ortho and the other adventurers, along with the Ceat Knights, stayed back in the main street, waiting for us. Ortho and his party, being well-traveled, didn’t seem as interested, but the Ceat Knights were clearly fascinated by the cityscape. Most of them were from humble or slave backgrounds, and it was likely the first time they had seen a city like this. As for me, this was my first time in the city too, so I was holding back the urge to wander around and explore.
“This is the barracks.”
Panamera stopped in front of a large building, located about halfway between the Kaien Castle and the city gates, and pointed at it.
“Oh, it really looks like a barracks,” I remarked.
It was a plain, square building with no decorations. Two stories tall, with access to the roof.
“It’s built long at the back. A hundred people stay here. There’s a training ground behind it, but it’s not very spacious.”
Panamera explained, and Bellville, from behind, added more details.
“There are stairs at both the front and back, and there’s a weapons storage near the entrance. It’s small, but there’s also a dining hall, and two separate toilets.”
“No bath or anything?”
“There’s no bathhouse or anything of that sort. There’s a well at the end of the training ground, and they fetch water from there to wash themselves.”
“Youth, usually only nobles use baths and such,” Panamera added with a chuckle.
“Ah, I see.” I nodded in understanding.
After hearing the basic details of the barracks and training ground, I felt I had a good sense of the situation.
“Then, could you ask the knights inside to step out?”
I requested, and though Bellville hesitated for a moment, he quickly went to give the orders.
“Viscount Van, shall I prepare the wood for you?”
As I watched the knights hurriedly exit the barracks, Kamshin asked me. He seemed concerned about gathering materials.
“Oh, yes. I’d like to make some furniture, so it’s not urgent, but it’d be great if we could get some wood ready.”
I answered lightly, but Kamshin’s face turned serious, and he nodded before calling over the Ceat Knights.
“Don’t rush too much, okay? We’ll just need a bit once the lodging is ready.”
I called out to remind him not to rush, but Kamshin suddenly looked startled, turned, and began running.
Kamshin called to the nearby knights, who looked alarmed and rushed off.
“Hurry up!”
“If possible, do it before we start building!”
“Will we make it in time!?”
The Ceat Knights rushed off to gather the wood, shouting in urgency. As I watched them go, I wondered how the city’s residents would perceive this. Perhaps they’d think the Ceat Knights were strange.
As I mulled over this, Bellville came out of the barracks.
“Panamera-sama, the knights have vacated the barracks and training ground.”
“Good.”
Panamera turned to look at me with an expectant gaze. It seemed like simply enlarging the space wouldn’t satisfy her, so I knew I had to offer a more thoughtful approach.
“Well, ultimately, the other buildings might be three stories tall as well, so let’s make the barracks three stories with four lookout towers on each corner. No, wait, with the width, that might not be efficient… Okay, we’ll build the four-story section only on the side facing the main road, and leave the rest as rooftop space.”
I muttered to myself as I looked at the building, gradually forming an overall plan in my mind. Once I had a clear vision, I’d move forward with the actual work.
“Alright, let’s get started.”
“Good, I’m counting on you.”
After hearing Panamera’s response, I entered the building. Without saying anything, Dee followed right behind me. It was reassuring to have him as my guard.
I quickly walked through the first floor to get a sense of the layout, and the spacious rooms made it easy to grasp the overall structure. I also peeked into the training ground, and indeed, it was quite small—almost square-shaped, with one side measuring less than ten meters. The ground was made of exposed dirt, so there was little risk of injury from falls.
“The well’s over there. Well, it’s not like we can move the well,” I noted aloud.
Having finished my inspection of the training ground, I mentally noted what could be used and what couldn’t.
“It would have been nice to have Espada here.”
I said this quietly to myself, chuckling. Then, I placed my hand on the ground.
“Well, I’ll just have to figure it out as I go. I can always make adjustments later, anyway.”
After a moment of contemplation, I smiled wryly, ready to move forward.
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