[Zetros]
“I’ve made the rooftop and terrace,” Viscount Van said with a satisfied tone.
“Hmm, wonderful! It’s perfect!” Panamera responded enthusiastically.
“Wha...!?”
In an instant, on the newly transformed terrace of the castle, Panamera lifted Van off his feet and started spinning him around in pure joy. I watched them, Van’s face red from being spun around, then shifted my gaze to the breathtaking view of the city from the terrace.
If this had been the old castle, such a view would have been impossible, but now, the entire city was visible at a glance. The castle, which used to be three stories high, had now grown to five. That’s a huge difference. From the rooftop, you could look even higher, and from there, you could see the soldiers walking on top of the city walls.
“C-Clearly, let’s continue the explanation of the castle!” Van exclaimed, trying to steady himself.
“Ah, sorry, I got a bit too excited,” Panamera laughed, letting Van down.
Once freed, Van looked out at the castle interior from the terrace and began speaking again.
“As I mentioned earlier, this terrace is on the fourth floor. The fifth floor is for Panamera’s bedroom and office. The fourth floor has the meeting rooms and warehouses. The third floor is for guest rooms, a large hall, and servant quarters. The second floor has the bathhouse, treasury, and library. On the first floor, there’s a dining hall, kitchen, another bathhouse, and rooms for the guards.”
“Hmm, it truly is magnificent. The look of the castle is quite nice, too,” Panamera remarked.
“It’s designed in the Baroque style. The towers on the sides are climbable. The rooftop is a little cramped because of the design, but that’s fine since it won’t be used much,” Van explained.
“Oh! I see! Though I don’t fully understand it, thanks!”
As they spoke, once again Panamera picked Van up and began spinning him around. His attendants and subordinates were laughing at the spectacle, but the administrators of the city—those tasked with managing Cayyenne Fortress City—were still in shock, unable to comprehend the massive changes taking place in such a short time.
“...Pardon me. It’s clear that with Viscount Van here, this fortress city will be transformed in no time. But, what about the magic? With so many spells being cast, surely you’ll be exhausted after a week of this, won’t you?” Zetros couldn’t hold his curiosity any longer and asked.
Van, still caught in Panamera’s embrace, shook his head and smiled.
“It’s fine. Today, I’ll quickly make the furniture, and tomorrow I’ll focus on cleaning up the walls and gates. If we have the materials ready, we can also work on cleaning the residential areas and the main street. Also, depending on the earth mages’ abilities, we’ll start the water and sewage work. I think everything should be done in about a month?”
“So, just a month…” Zetros said, sounding a bit dazed.
Hearing this, I stopped overthinking. Van’s magic must work like this, and knowing that, Panamera had already started requesting additional changes for the castle.
“Make these windows bigger.”
“If I make them that big, the entire wall will be like one giant window. We might need to add more vertical supports for reinforcement,” Van explained.
“Fine, no problem.”
“...Is this okay?” Van asked, checking after making the adjustments.
As Panamera made her requests, Van skillfully altered the windows, walls, doors, and even the room layouts. It was nothing short of astonishing. His subordinates weren’t even fazed, praising the newly finished work.
“Wow, this is great! Now, as for the furniture, I’d like to get a little fancy with that…”
“You’ve already gone all out with this, though… For now, let’s focus on the barracks. We’ll tackle the rest later,” Van said, gently steering the conversation.
“Hmm... I suppose that makes sense. Tomorrow, then.”
As I listened to their conversation, Dee approached and reported to Van.
“Viscount Van, the knights have brought the wood. They’ve stacked it up in front of the barracks.”
“Oh, that’s a relief. We’ll probably be having dinner soon, so let’s hurry and at least get the beds set up.”
With that, Van smiled and we all moved toward the barracks.
By the time we arrived, Van had already spent hours modifying the building, but now he was set to start making furniture. The fact that the castle had been transformed in mere hours was astonishing enough, but now I was wondering if Van still had the energy for more.
The wood stacked in front of the barracks had only been felled and stripped of branches, still containing moisture, meaning it needed to be prepared before it could be used. Yet, Van smiled as he looked at the wood.
“Thanks, everyone. This is some great timber. It’s from the forest near the road, right? It’s really convenient to have so much wood so close by.”
As he spoke, Van touched the surface of the wood and began using magic. Before long, the huge pile of wood transformed into square blocks that Van could carry with both hands. In no time, it resembled a stone quarry’s storage area.
The residents of the city gasped, their astonishment audible.
“Alright, I’ll make these, so everyone, please help move them inside. Oh, and if it’s not too much trouble, could the Cayyenne Knights lend a hand?” Van asked.
“Sure, no problem. We’ll carry two each, so we won’t need to make multiple trips,” Dee replied.
“Oh, is that alright? Well, let’s get to it, everyone!” Van said, quickly coordinating the work.
After a brief discussion, Van turned the newly created square blocks into beds one after another. The design was simple but practical, with frames and slats, and it seemed more than enough for the barracks.
“These are lightweight futon beds, but I’ll prepare cushions later, so don’t worry when moving them,” Van said with a reassuring smile.
The knights responded and began moving the newly built beds into the barracks.
Creating over a hundred beds was no small feat, but Van worked so quickly that it took only moments to make each bed. The knights were struggling to keep up with the pace of moving them.
“Come on, anyone with a free hand, help move them in! Oh, Bell and Rosalie, could you gather some cloth or feathers for the bedding?”
“Eh? We don’t have enough materials ready for that…”
“What are you saying, Bell? Panamera-sama, we’ll get it ready right away! We’ll buy from the city’s residents! If Van’s making them, even old cloth should work, right?”
“Oh, I see! I’ll gather it right away!”
Panamera, fired up by Van’s enthusiasm, immediately moved to prepare the next task. The merchants also began to get busy. It was indeed a massive commercial opportunity for the entire city. Fortunately, even those without Scuderia Kingdom currency would have the chance to earn some wealth through this effort. With two trade companies involved, they could purchase what they needed for daily life.
The real question, however, was how much should be paid to Viscount Van for all of this. Normally, a thousand platinum coins wouldn’t be enough for the amount of work he had done. He had slashed the construction period by nearly five years, gathered most of the materials with his own knights, and met all the detailed requests.
Despite becoming a count, Panamera likely didn’t have the kind of wealth to cover this. Most of her income came from the royal budget and rewards, and the profits from the businesses she supported. As a landless noble, her finances were always tight, and she was managing a knights' order as well, so her personal assets couldn’t be large.
“...Excuse me for asking during such a busy time, but how should we compensate you for all this work? Perhaps we could pay over several decades...?”
As if on cue, Baratt, in charge of the city’s budget, spoke up. Van, while working on the beds, thought for a moment before answering with his usual calm smile.
“Just give me some delicious food.”
At his words, Panamera burst out laughing.
“Ha, hahaha! Zetros! Prepare the best feast in the city! Make sure it’s the finest!”
“...Understood.”
Though I didn’t think the payment was meant to be entirely in food, hearing their exchange, and seeing Van’s carefree smile, I quickly forgot about any concerns related to money.
I returned their smiles, and then we headed back to Cayyenne Castle to prepare the best dinner we could.
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