Esparda put a hand on his chin and sunk back into thought.
“Uh, I’m not actually complaining, mind you!” I said hurriedly. “But if His Majesty does offer me more land, I will try to turn him down at least once.”
Esparda nodded a little. “I was thinking about the requests you just laid out, actually. This might be a perfect opportunity.”
“What do you mean?”
A grave expression came over his face. “Yelenetta is in a region that makes it easy to trade with the Central Continent, and it is said that the food culture over there is highly advanced. It is safe to assume that Yelenetta has easy access to a number of spices and ingredients that are unavailable to us.”
“…Give me the deets.”
We zipped back to the border with twenty war wagons, eventually spotting the Scuderian army doing repairs on the area around the fortress. From what I could see, they’d given up working on the wall or the buildings and were instead removing the chunks of the structure that had fallen to the ground, along with the corpses of enemy troops, horses, and dragons.
This must have been one heck of a battle. The terrain had changed considerably since I left.
As soon as I spoke to the soldier stationed at the fortress entrance, he yelled, “Baron Van Nei Fertio has arrived!” and dashed off.
Uh, should I follow him? Should I wait here?
I resisted the urge to wander away, opting instead to pass the time by looking at my surroundings. Before long, His Majesty and the other nobles exited a building further back in the fortress that was still intact.
“Welcome, Baron Van!” His Majesty approached me jovially, both arms in the air. “Thanks to your efforts, we were able to safely take down the enemy fortress!” Behind him, I saw Count Ferdinatto and Viscount Panamera smiling, and daddy dearest looking like he’d just swallowed a bug.
I took Dee, Khamsin, and Arb with me, then bowed deeply. “Congratulations on your spectacular victory, Your Majesty. I knew that you would triumph.”
“Oho, how uncharacteristically kind of you! Are you upset that I called you back?”
His Majesty was reading way too much into my polite greeting. I shook my head, a smile still plastered on my face. “Absolutely not. I am overjoyed that you have been victorious.”
He harrumphed. “Something is off about your demeanor, but I will accept your words at face value.”
Rude! I was totally not trying to play the loyal subject just to receive some land on the border. Now c’mon and give me my land!
I kept smiling brightly at His Majesty, and behind him I heard Panamera trying to stifle laughter. She sounded a lot like a balloon losing its air.
So rude. Is she gunning for this land, too? Fine, then we’ll settle this like warriors… Through a game of rock, paper, scissors!
His Majesty cleared his throat then, casting his gaze at the fortress. “As I’m sure you have surmised, I called you here for a very specific reason. You can see that this fortress underwent severe damage in the battle. We expect Yelenetta to deploy a significant force to reclaim it because it’s an important halfway point in their defenses. They might even request backup from the Central Continent. We must ensure this fortress can withstand such an attack.”
He turned his eyes back to me.
“There is no way to know how soon Yelenetta will return. This will be a dangerous worksite, but it is currently our top priority. Baron Van, will you take this job?”
The moment I was sure he had finished speaking, I said, “Your Majesty, I, Van Nei Fertio, will risk life and limb to build you the most powerful fortress that has ever existed!”
That must’ve earned me, like, a hundred loyalty points, right?
“…I see. I did not expect you to oblige so quickly. I will not forget your self-sacrificing devotion, Baron Van.”
Little Van’s hardcore loyalty was enough to surprise even His Majesty! He gave me a slight nod and turned to the nobles behind him.
“You have heard the baron! Half of you will remain here to help reconstruct and strengthen the fortress! I will announce achievements and rewards at the palace at a later date. Understood?”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” everyone answered.
Given how quickly they got moving, they must have been assigned jobs before I arrived. I watched them from the corner of my eye while His Majesty and Panamera approached me.
“So…what are you plotting?” the king asked.
But loyal little Van shook his head. “Plotting? Your Majesty, please, I wish only to devote my body and spirit to your cause.”
“Enough! Speak the truth. You are always the first to voice your displeasure when the opportunity arises, and I know how much you hate the battlefield.”
More rudeness! My poker face is my greatest asset! I went silent for a moment, contemplating the best way to answer, and Panamera grinned meaningfully.
“I imagine he intends to make a request of you, Your Majesty. He is attempting to display his loyalty.”
“I see…” His Majesty said with a frown. “But you are acting so strangely that it puts me off, Van. Speak freely, as you always have.”
Given no other choice, I laid my soul bare. “Your Majesty, I want to construct a fortress city here. Please give it to me.”
“Oh. I did not expect you to be so direct.”
What? Why was he giving me that look when he’d told me to speak the truth?
Meanwhile, Panamera grinned deviously. “It is common knowledge how much you hate combat, so why would you put so much stock in this fortress? I am sure you understand how fierce the combat here will be.”
Little Van was still in full honesty mode. “I want to acquire rare goods from the Central Continent. For that to happen, Your Majesty will have to occupy Yelenetta’s coast. By making this into an invincible fortress city, I can help with that process.”
Cakes, crepes, curry rice… All the foods I craved ran through my head, putting a creepy smile on my face. Considering the ferocious grins that His Majesty and Panamera were shooting me, it was safe to say that they misread my signals.
“I see,” said His Majesty. “I wondered how to motivate someone like you who desires neither social standing nor fortune, but it was simpler than I thought.”
Panamera nodded. “Your drive to see the unseen overrides even your hatred of war. Interesting.”
Actually, I just want to eat tasty foods. When I said rare goods, I meant ingredients and spices and stuff.
But they kept nodding and smiling those menacing smiles. “I cannot wait to see what new weapons he develops.”
“Agreed, Your Majesty.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” I protested, “I’m not an arms dealer. I’m just the lord of a little border village.”
They burst into laughter, ignoring me entirely.