Chapter 5:
Returning Home
WITH FORTRESS CITY MURCIA FINALLY COMPLETE, it was time to head home. I gathered everyone by the front gates that faced Scuderia to offer them my gratitude. “It was quite the project, but we’ve completed all of His Majesty’s requests. Thank you so much, everyone!”
“Yessir!” replied the Chivalric Order.
In the front row stood Murcia and the temporary commanders of his Chivalric Order, Dee and Arb. Behind them were two hundred members of the Seatoh Village Chivalric Order, roughly a hundred of Murcia’s personal guard, and ten or so adventurers who would stay behind with Murcia and the rest. Boy super-genius Li’l Van, meanwhile, stood with his beautiful fiancée Arte, the lovely maid Till, and Khamsin, the boy who would one day be the strongest knight of all. I also had Lowe and Rango, Paula and her machine bow squad, and another ten adventurers to protect and guide us through the mountains.
“The Bell & Rango Company will begin doing supply runs here shortly, so feel free to use up all the spices and booze you have now,” I said with a smile. Murcia nodded.
“Thanks, that takes some of the weight off my shoulders. Food is key, after all. I’m sorry to make requests of you, but it would be a great help to receive reinforcements sooner rather than later. I hate to admit it, but I’m terrified of another attack by Yelenetta.”
I nodded, quickly putting together a plan in my head. “Of course. Since Fortress City Murcia will be the front line of this war, I plan to maintain a certain number of fighters in Seatoh Village and send others to you as reinforcements as soon as I can. We should be fine over there since we also have the Esparda Chivalric Order. Then, if our plan to populate this place goes well, we’ll be able to send even more reinforcements.”
Murcia’s tense expression finally relaxed. “That’d be very helpful. I’m an elemental mage, but I’m not talented enough to change the course of a battle on my own,” he said matter-of-factly.
That got me thinking about the best ways to use his magic. An air rifle came to mind, but the most effective course of action would be to use his wind magic to detonate traps remotely. We could build a decoy stone bridge that only looked tough, for example, and then, when the timing was right, have Murcia could destroy it with his magic from afar. Something like that would be effective against our enemies.
And if we prepared multiple such traps, our defensive capabilities, even in a war against a massive nation, would increase by leaps and bounds.
“No,” I said finally, “I have a better way to use your magic. Let me think on it a little bit.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yes. Your magic is so rare, I want to make the most effective use of it possible.”
That concluded our conversation. I offered more words of appreciation to the people lined up in front of me, then explained the importance of defending this stronghold. Finally, I turned to the people who would join me on the trip home and informed them that it was time to once again traverse the Wolfsbrook Mountain Range. My demeanor was grave; the path ahead of us was chock full of enormous monsters, and no matter how much road work I did, we couldn’t afford to let our guards down.
As it turned out, that was all for naught. Just like our last trip through the mountains, having skilled adventurers, ballistae, and my machine bow squad made for a peaceful little tour through the Wolfsbrook Mountain Range. Monsters were spotted way before we reached them and dispatched before they could become an issue. And with our carriages able to progress quickly over the road, we experienced way fewer dangerous incidents.
Our journey being what it was, spending the night in the wild was unavoidable, but we even managed to mitigate that issue. I built three large rest facilities in the open areas we came upon. They were by no means complex, but we could rest there with peace of mind. Because of all this, our journey home was even quicker and calmer than I anticipated.
The true hell came after we arrived in Seatoh Village. While my first night home was relaxing, Esparda summoned me for an emergency meeting the very next day.
“G’morning,” I mumbled, rubbing my sleepy eyes.
Esparda, clad in his usual work attire, nodded. “Good morning, Lord Van. It is time for work. Let us begin with the business we discussed previously.”
“Uh, what business was that?”
He locked his eyes with mine. “You proposed that we train talented people.” Surely you have not forgotten? went unsaid.
I panicked and racked my brain, trying to remember what he meant. “O-oh, yeah! Of course! I remember! You’re talking about that one girl you have working under you, right?”
He stared at me, almost as if he was counting each drop of sweat that rolled down my face. “Correct. Including her, I have finished training five individuals to level one.”
“Five?! That’s amazing! It’s remarkable that you managed to get them ready to go in under a year… Wait, what’s level one?”
Esparda raised a hand, palm out. “I split their curriculum into five steps. Level one means that they can manage things only during a time of peace. At level two, they have memorized the fundamentals and can handle a variety of situations. At level three and beyond, I can trust them to deal with unforeseen situations on their own.”
“Huh. I guess I must be level three, right?” I asked modestly.
He narrowed his eyes. “Lord Van, in matters of war, you are level four. Likewise when it comes to your studies. However, you are only at level two in internal administration, and for diplomacy and dealing with nobility, I would put you at level one. Oh, and on the business end of things, I would say you sit at level three.”
“Th-thank you very much,” I managed in the face of this blast of critique.