Final Chapter:
Summoned Again
A WEEK WENT BY, AND WE COMPLETED WORK ON the new exterior wall. As planned, it drew a lovely arc. Not too shabby, if I said so myself. With Esparda helping out after we’d finished taking measurements, constructing the wall was almost too easy.
Now it was time to remove the existing wall and think about where the new buildings would go. I enjoyed planning out towns, so I was having a blast figuring out what sorts of buildings and facilities we would need.
That was when a messenger arrived on horseback.
“Lord Van!” Khamsin said. “A messenger from the border has arrived!”
“Whoa, did we win already?” I stopped what I was doing to follow him back to the messenger. “Ugh, don’t tell me they just stormed the fortress knowing they’d take heavy casualties. That puts a bad taste in my mouth.”
“I suppose we will find out soon enough.”
As we approached the messenger, a knight, I noticed something off about him. This isn’t good news.
He knelt. “Baron Van, I come bearing a letter from His Majesty.”
“Thank you very much.” I took the letter and read it over, unintentionally muttering as I went. “Hmm… Hmm?”
“What does it say?” Khamsin asked in a concerned tone.
“Well, it looks like we won, for what it’s worth. The enemy deployed wyverns and medium-sized dragons, but since we had our best mages with us, we defeated them. The only issue is that it was a fierce battle. Yelenetta’s army didn’t retreat until their fortress was in tatters.”
“I see. Then this is a victory report?”
“Well, actually…” I could only offer Khamsin a vague reply as I read over the letter again. “It looks like His Majesty wants to reuse the enemy fortress? Since the battle is over, he’s requesting that I come back.”
“He wants you to repair the fortress?” A trace of anger crossed Khamsin’s face.
I tilted my head. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
Khamsin glanced at the knight, then looked back at me seriously. In a bitter whisper, he said, “I understand that he is the sovereign of this nation, but I still think His Majesty is requesting too much of you. You’ve made roads, lodgings, bases, and fortresses, and yet…”
The knight’s eyes widened. Khamsin was committing lese-majeste. This was bad, no matter how you sliced it. I panicked, putting a hand on Khamsin’s shoulder to calm him.
“It’s fine, Khamsin! Calm down. I’m grateful that His Majesty asks so much of me. He’s summoning me because this is something only I can do, and depending on the scale of the fortress, it’ll probably only take me a month or two to repair.” I smiled at Khamsin, then turned to the knight. “I know my attendant here said some funny things, but he wasn’t complaining about His Majesty. He’s just overflowing with love for his master, you see. He can be overly passionate at times.”
I followed this up with a dry laugh. The knight nodded, his expression difficult to read. I would be thrilled if he stayed quiet about the whole situation…
Oh, right! I could bribe him!
“Thank you so much for delivering this letter. We’ll prepare you a nice hot bath and a meal at once; please enjoy yourself.” By showering him with comfort, I hoped to make the knight feel as though he owed me. “Khamsin, if you would?”
“Understood.”
I wasn’t sure how Khamsin felt about any of this, but for the moment, he gave me a proper bow and led the knight away.
Khamsin loved me too much. Popularity sure was a double-edged sword.
Dismissing these silly thoughts, I summoned Dee and Esparda so we could discuss the letter.
“…So that’s what happened.”
Having heard me explain the letter’s contents, Dee and Esparda both went quiet. They looked troubled. I was confused—was it really that serious?—but I waited for one of them to speak.
Eventually, they raised their heads in unison, like someone had given them a signal. Then they exchanged looks. “Can we assume he is earnestly requesting that Lord Van make repairs to the fortress?” Dee asked.
Esparda groaned and tipped his head forward. “Even if part of the fortress was heavily damaged, that would only be true of the side facing Scuderia. As long as the walls and buildings facing Yelenetta are fine, then they should have no problem reusing the fortress. All things considered, there are two ways of thinking about this.”
“And they are?” I asked automatically. He’s such a darn good conversationalist!
He cleared his throat and continued. “The first is that His Majesty wishes to create opportunities for you to distinguish yourself. Even as an outsider, it is clear to me that His Majesty places great value on you. Perhaps, by having you repair the fortress and equip it with ballistae, he’s trying to give you a chance to demonstrate significant achievements. If so, you will be granted the title of viscount. Perhaps even something higher.”
I had mixed feelings about that. “What else?”
“The fastest way to get to the fortress is from Seatoh Village. His Majesty may intend to carve out that chunk of Yelenetta’s territory and give it to you.”
“What?!” I shouted. Esparda’s explanation took me completely by surprise. Seriously, an amazing conversationalist! “I mean, as a nobleman, it’s great to get more territory, but that’s not really my ambition. I’m happy with what I have. Heck, not only have we got hot springs, but also a swanky hotel, restaurants, the works. Every month new businesses open. And we have a beautiful lake where we can ride boats! At this point, if we can open a place selling cakes, crepes, ice cream, and Belgian waffles, I’d be thrilled… Oh, and a delicious bakery and a ramen joint. Those would be wonderful, too.”
My intent was to express to them how satisfied I was with my current situation, but I took an accidental detour into all the different sweets I wanted to eat. Food really is the spice of life. I’d love some curry. Just thinking about it is making me hungry!