[Bellville]
I couldn’t make sense of what was happening at all.
At the very least, we hadn’t even gathered the materials yet, and there were no workers in sight. I had no idea what we were supposed to do, and then, suddenly, it began.
First, the walls of the building started to change. It was as if the stone walls were alive, shifting and moving. The cracked and damaged stone walls transformed in the blink of an eye, and even the height of the walls doubled in an instant.
“…What’s going on? What is this?”
I heard someone murmur, but no one answered. Well, it was more accurate to say that no one could answer. The residents who had been watching from a distance were also voicing their astonishment, but there was no time to worry about the potential chaos that could follow.
I could feel vibrations from the ground repeatedly, and I figured that the interior of the building must also be changing. I looked toward Panamera for some sort of explanation, but she merely stood with her arms crossed, wearing a satisfied smile.
“Is it shaking because the materials are stone?” I asked, trying to make sense of it.
“No, I don’t think that’s it...” Bell said, still uncertain.
The merchants near Panamera casually exchanged remarks, as though it were just another day in their routine. They seemed far too calm for what was unfolding.
How much time had passed? After a while, Viscount Van emerged from the building. The large, new, white double doors creaked open, and he smiled at us, who were still frozen in shock.
“Well, the first phase is done.”
“The first phase?”
“I plan to have the users check it out before we continue with the rest of the modifications.”
“I see.”
As Viscount Van spoke with Panamera, my mind was racing with questions.
What exactly does he mean by the first phase being done? What exactly does the rest of the modification entail? I couldn’t understand how Panamera was nodding so contentedly at the mere words exchanged between them.
“Oh, go ahead, feel free to go inside and check it out.”
Viscount Van said as a large knight, probably Dee, opened the doors completely. I recognized him as one of the Viscount’s subordinates. As the doors opened, Panamera was the first to step inside, followed by Van’s subordinates and attendants.
“...There’s no point in just standing here, I suppose.”
Muttering to myself, I exchanged a glance with Thomas, and then, with some resolve, took my first step forward.
I thought I was prepared for what I was about to witness, but I was once again struck with amazement.
“W-What...?”
“It’s completely different from before…”
I agreed with the surprised voices in my mind, my eyes scanning the transformed interior.
“The stairs were positioned well, so I just shifted them a little. There are now two on each side, one in the back, and a total of four now. The entrance is widened since I expected a lot of traffic through it,” Viscount Van casually explained.
Just by glancing, the interior was completely unrecognizable. The walls had been replaced with pristine white stone, and the ceiling was now made of wood. The floors, still stone, had been polished to a smooth sheen.
“The first floor consists of a warehouse, dining hall, restrooms, and a meeting room. I’ve made the entire space larger, but unfortunately, I had to destroy the outdoor training ground,” Van continued.
“The training ground...?” someone muttered.
“...What about the training ground?” another voice asked.
As confusion spread, Van smiled faintly and nodded.
“Of course, I’ve prepared a replacement. Follow me.”
With that, Viscount Van led the way toward the right rear of the building. As we passed the warehouse, I couldn’t help but notice that it had doubled in size. The swords, shields, and armor, previously crammed into the space, were now neatly organized. This alone would make access to the equipment so much easier. Moreover, the entrance now had two points of entry, one at the front and one at the back. It was a significant improvement.
I’d seen this many times before, but having a single exit in times of emergency could often cause confusion—people rushing in and out, bumping into one another, arguing about who should go first. But with two exits, this confusion would be avoided.
“The new training ground will be underground,” Van added.
“…Underground?”
I blurted out in surprise. It was a rude thing to ask a noble, but Van seemed unconcerned, simply nodding and pointing to a nearby staircase.
“I’ve set up a staircase near the warehouse to make training more convenient. Please be careful as you descend.”
He said this with polite precision and began descending first. Wait, but there was no underground area in this castle, was there? Yet, without hesitation, Van led us underground as though it were the most normal thing in the world. My head was swirling with confusion.
“Come quickly, it’s interesting down here!”
Panamera’s voice echoed back from below, urging us to follow. We hurriedly descended the stairs, eager to see what lay ahead.
And then, we were truly astonished.
The space was immense, easily several times larger than the outdoor training ground we had seen earlier. Though there were large columns spaced at regular intervals, the ceiling was high, and it seemed big enough to practice spear techniques.
“The floor, walls, and even the ceiling have been reinforced with double layers of wood and stone. It’s thick, but I believe the armor will wear the surface down with training, so when that happens, feel free to replace the planks and make repairs,” Van explained with a light chuckle as he walked through the underground space, pointing at the ceiling.
“There are ventilation holes scattered throughout, but the sound echoing in here is a bit of a problem. Also, since it’s difficult to get natural light, lamps will be necessary. We have two large staircases in addition to the ventilation holes, so ventilation should be fine, but I recommend avoiding oil lamps and other fire-based lighting as much as possible.”
“I see. Understood. But with this much space, it could be used for other things as well.”
“Exactly. I’ve made sure rainwater won’t seep in, so it could double as an emergency shelter,” Van responded casually.
He and Panamera spoke to each other as though this were nothing out of the ordinary, but we were still stunned. We had never imagined such a drastic transformation could happen in such a short time.
As we stood there, dumbfounded, Van continued with a knowing smile.
“Also, we’ve added a dining hall and kitchen next to the well, and there’s now a bathhouse adjacent to it. The hot water system will be installed later. We’ve also added rooms for four people each on the second and third floors, so we should be able to accommodate about 200 to 300 people. There’s a central storage area on the rooftop as well. Lastly, we’ve added two four-story towers to the roof as lookout points. Of course, there will be watchtowers at the four corners of the city walls, but these will be convenient when we need to observe the city from above.”
With that, I was truly speechless.
Not a single person could say a word. Van and Panamera, however, exchanged mischievous smiles, as though they were enjoying watching our reactions.
“…There’s no way to compete with this. This is almost cheating,” Vilt muttered in disbelief, his voice echoing faintly through the underground chamber.
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