“Berlitt, I’ll let you take care of the rest,” Luke said.
“Got it!” I called back, watching him return to the village, dragging the unconscious enemy commander behind him. I was surprised to hear that he was Luke’s brother. This whole battle had basically been part of a war of succession.
I hadn’t known the details, but my heart had nearly stopped when we first heard that five thousand troops were marching toward the village. Then, that crazy wall maze had popped up overnight, so I thought maybe we’d be fine after all.
Seriously, our mayor was something else.
The battle was already over. The enemy soldiers had thrown down their weapons and surrendered some time ago now. It wasn’t surprising considering how battered they were, and now their commander was unconscious.
“All right! Let’s begin treating the wounded! Let me know if anyone’s seriously wounded and we’ll move you to the front of the queue!” I called out to the enemy soldiers.
“W-Wait, you’re treating us too?” one soldier stammered.
“Of course! That’s what the mayor wants!”
Honestly, the enemy soldiers were the only ones who got injured. The elves had tended to our wounded during the battle, so nobody on our side was actually hurt.
“Whoa, an elf... I’ve never seen one before...”
“We’ll make introductions later,” one of the elven healers replied. “First, allow me to take care of your wounds!”
The medical team, mostly composed of elves, moved efficiently from one soldier to the next, treating them with ease. Their healing magic was so effective that you barely had the time to admire their grace before they were off to the next patient.
Meanwhile, the enemy soldiers started whispering among themselves.
“They beat five thousand soldiers like it was nothing, and now they’re showing us mercy?”
“That guy built a whole city out in the wilderness with a snap of his fingers...”
“I’m starting to think Lord Luke should be the heir instead...”
Hah! So now you finally understand how incredible our mayor is!
Unfortunately for them, he had no interest in becoming a lord, although he was a hundred times more qualified than that other sword-swinging brute. I knew he’d make an incredible marquess.
Even if he’s not planning on it, maybe one day it’ll happen?
“All right, looks like the treatment’s done! Follow me, everyone!” I called out.
“Huh?”
The soldiers tipped their heads in confusion but followed me away from the battlefield and toward the village.
Eventually, we stopped in a residential part of the village with several brand-new apartment complexes. They were still vacant, as Mayor Luke had built them earlier that day specifically to house the exhausted enemy soldiers.
They weren’t temporary shelters either; there was enough space to comfortably house all five thousand troops.
“Wh-What are these buildings? They’re huge...”
Each structure stood five stories tall, higher than the outer walls, and more than thirty were lined up in perfect rows. Just the sight of them left the soldiers dumbstruck.
“It looks like a castle wall... No, even bigger!”
Luke had probably built them with the village’s long-term growth in mind, but no one could believe he went so far for the enemy. The man’s generosity knew no limits.
“I’m sure you’re all exhausted. You can rest here tonight,” I explained as calmly as I could, but deep down I was giddy.
They’ll never want to leave once they see how comfortable these apartments are! Heh heh heh...
✦ ✦ ✦
The soldiers entered the mysterious building, completely dumbfounded.
“Look at this! Running water! Whoa, you can get hot water anytime you want!”
“Wait, so it was true? You can take baths whenever you want?”
“There are even kitchens and toilets in every unit!”
“This bed is so soft and warm... Mmm, so comfy... Zzz...”
“Hey, don’t fall asleep yet! They’ve got food ready for us! You’ll miss it if you go to sleep now!”
It didn’t even take one night. They were already hooked.
✦ ✦ ✦
“When are we finally gonna get out of here?” the knight groaned, still stuck inside a section of the walled maze with his men.
He was one of House Arvale’s vassals and had taken part in a war against the Schneiger family not long ago.
He’d seen Raoul’s power firsthand and assumed this battle would be a breeze, so he couldn’t believe how things had turned out.
A while ago, they’d heard a monstrous roar in the distance and froze, thinking they were about to be attacked by something from the Forsaken Zones. But since then, there’d been nothing but silence.
Eventually, boredom had gotten the better of them, and they sat on the ground with nothing to do.
“Can you hear me?” a voice said, echoing from—well, nowhere at all.
The knight looked around.
“Huh?”
“I’m not actually nearby. I’m speaking directly to you telepathically.”
Telepathically?
He wondered if it was magic or a Gift. He had to be on high alert if the enemy had someone capable of this.
“The battle is over, and your commander has been captured. The main force has already surrendered.”
“Wh-What did you say? You’re lying! There’s no way Lord Raoul could have lost!” the knight shouted, shocked.
The other soldiers around him began murmuring in confusion.
Thinking it was a trap, he snapped back, “I see what this is! You’re trying to shake our resolve! Well, it won’t work!”
“Shake your resolve? You’re trapped behind a wall with no way out. Why would we go out of our way to play mind games?”
“Ugh...” he groaned. It made too much sense; he had no comeback.
“If you want to get out, follow my orders.”
“What orders?”
“First, everyone must remove their weapons and gather them in a pile. It’s ultimately your choice, but if you don’t, you’ll starve sooner or later.”
“Tch...”
The soldiers had begun speaking more openly after the knight shouted Raoul’s name, but now they sounded hopeless.
“Wait, so Lord Raoul has really lost?”
“Is the battle over?”
“Will they let us out now?”
Morale was at rock bottom at this point. There was nothing the knight could say to rally them. He had no other option.
“Fine. We surrender.”
As soon as he said that, the soldiers dropped their weapons without hesitation. Honestly, they’d never had their hearts in this conflict, and now they’d been cut off from the main force and sealed inside this bizarre structure. No one was foolish enough to resist under those circumstances.
Rrrrruuuummmbbbllleee...
“The w-walls!”
“We can finally get out of here!”
The massive wall that had trapped them began to move, and at last, the enclosed space opened up. That mysterious voice led them through the winding maze and, eventually, a town came into view.
“What... What is that? What are those buildings? You’re telling me someone built an entire city in the middle of nowhere in under a year?!” the knight said. It was so far beyond anything he’d imagined. He felt dizzy just looking at it.
“Wait, where is the main force? And the other units?” he wondered.
“Don’t worry. Head straight down this path and you’ll meet up with them.”
“A-All right.”
He warily followed the directions until he came across his fellow soldiers sitting around grills, happily stuffing their faces. It was a full-on barbecue.
“This meat’s freakin’ amazing!”
“Try the pork! It’s incredible!”
“It’s not just the meat! The vegetables are unbelievable!”
“What the hell is all this?!” he asked.
He realized his mouth was watering and then finally smelled the rich, smoky smell wafting through the air.
“It’s exactly what it looks like: a barbecue. And yes, there’s plenty for you and your men. Help yourselves.”
“What...” he murmured.
Just then, a few familiar faces called out to him.
“Hey, Sir Pell! You made it!”
“Better eat fast or all the good stuff will be gone!”
“S-Sir Shell? Sir Biden?!” he shouted. He couldn’t believe his eyes. His old comrades who’d been commanding the other units had already surrendered!
“Wh-What’s going on here?”
“What do you mean? This is all thanks to Lord Luke! Nom, nom... Once he heard we’d marched all this way without a decent meal, he treated us to this feast! Nom, nom...”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full! Pick one or the other! Gulp...”
“You’re one to talk, Sir Pell! You’re literally drooling!”
There hadn’t been time to prepare proper rations during their forced march, so every last soldier was starving.
“You’d better give your men permission to eat, Sir Pell. The longer you wait, the more they’ll resent you!”
He turned around and froze.
His subordinates glared at him intensely. But no matter how hungry they were, none dared to touch the grilled meat without orders from their commander.
If he waited any longer, he might have a mutiny on his hands.
“A-All right! Permission to eat granted!” he shouted in a panic.
“Yeeaaaaah!”