Chapter 6: The Bandits

THREE DAYS PASSED, AND I DID A WHOLE LOT OF WORK. I used my production magic to strengthen the entirety of the village’s protective wall. Stones had initially been set into the surface, but I fused them together to make them as tough as concrete.

The height was a little inconsistent, so I brought the tallest portion of the wall to an even three meters. It was one and a half meters wide, with all the shielded ballistae set equidistant from one to the next. There was a total of one hundred, to be precise.

If this were a tower defense game, I would’ve loved to throw in some alternating machine guns and anti-air rockets, but alas. Word had it that researchers in this world were working on gunpowder and some rudimentary firearms; I’d have to ask the merchant about that when the time came.

Also, it had taken three days to get our moat to completely encircle the village. I’d set up a drawbridge with a pulley system leading to the village entrance for people to come and go, and I set a metal plate against the doors to strengthen them further.

“Now I’m satisfied,” I said proudly. “There aren’t many villages as tough as this one!”

“Of course!” Till said.

“That’s right!” Khamsin chimed in.

Esparda and Dee, on the other hand, wrinkled their brows as they groaned in tandem.

“This is no longer a village.”

“It’s a small fortress. At this point, bandits would stand no chance against us.”

And just like that, I got the stamp of approval from both men. Surely I was imagining the exasperation weighing them down.

That was when Dee spoke up, sounding somewhat vexed. “If only Lord Jalpa realized the kind of power you wield… You would have been made the next marquis, or at least an advisor. Think of all the good you could have done.”

Esparda frowned. “You mustn’t speak like that. The marquis only held offensive power in high esteem, and nothing more. It is not our place to judge his way of thinking.”

“But Esparda, just look at all this! Is it not obvious?! Lord Van has more than enough offensive power! Given the time, one could say he has more power than any other!”

“His power lies in protection. Just as this base cannot move, Lord Van’s magic is not made for invading other nations. But should another country attack us, his protection would be like a steel wall, keeping the citizens safe.”

“Nonsense! War is not simply the clashing of troops! There are squads for attacking, squads for protecting, and squads that support the rest. All of these groups must be involved for a fighting force to function properly…”

The men’s fierce argument would no doubt rage on for some time. Their harsh tones were beginning to upset Till and Khamsin, so I quickly intervened.

“We don’t have time to waste asking for the things we don’t have, we can only look for the best way to fight with the things we do have,” I said, shamelessly copying that one anime character’s famous line as if it were my own.

The pair stared at me with wide eyes, unmoving. After studying my face for a bit, Dee burst into laughter.

“Gah ha ha ha ha! You are quite right, my lord! Bemoaning our circumstances changes naught! It doesn’t matter if you’ve been exiled to the corner of our territory. You’ll make a comeback! And before long, your territory will—”

“Why are you encouraging him to go down a path that would put him at odds with the marquis?” Esparda asked, composed in his interjection. Even with his deadpan expression, he seemed proud.

That reminds me… The day after a big building session usually features a ton of studying. I’ll have to pretend to be busy tomorrow. Maybe I’ll make weapons.

As I steeled my resolve, I caught Till and Khamsin watching me with sparkling eyes. I couldn’t bear to look at them. How could I ever tell them that I’d just lifted a famous line without giving any credit?

Unsure what else to do, I figured I’d go look at the moat. It was basically dry and empty, with a bit of a ramp; we had yet to fill it with water, but that was my vision. Appearances were just as important as function, you see.

There was actually a little water in the moat, but it had soaked into the dirt, making it more like mud. As I suspected, I would have to solidify the bottom and sides of the moat for it to work properly.

I also needed a way to draw water. Unfortunately, there were no rivers or lakes nearby. Every now and then, the villagers trekked to a faraway stream to fetch water, but it was never much. They usually used pots to catch rain, which they filtered before using.

“We definitely have to get ourselves a water source. It’s our most important lifeline,” I muttered on my way to the village entrance.

I opened the front door, only for one of the villagers to burst in from outside. They were frantic—spooked, even.

“Th-the bandits have come! They’re heading this way from the road! H-hurry and raise the bridge!” they cried between breaths.

I nodded briskly and swiped a hand through the air. “Raise the bridge and close the doors, now! Do you know how many villagers are still outside?!”

The men immediately did as I’d ordered, raising the bridge and shutting the doors, bar lock and all. The women and children did a head count as they sought cover.

Wow. I’ve only been here a few days, but they’re already listening to me as their lord! Look at them, swift on their feet and acting with purpose!

Silently rejoicing, I confirmed that we were good and closed.

Next, we needed to take our positions. “One person on each of the observation towers! At least five on the defense wall! Ten people at the entrance!”

As I issued commands, I attempted to climb the wall myself, but Till grabbed my hand to stop me.

“Till? I have to get goi—” I turned around, only to see her standing there with tears in her eyes.

She was distressed, that much I knew. How? Well, I’d never seen her like this.

“…Sorry. Dee, could you take your men and check the situation? Once you let me know what’s going on, I can issue commands from the rear.”

Dee thumped his chest as his lips curled into a smile. “Roger that!”

Dee

TO ME, THIS WAS THE KIND OF SIMPLE BANDIT ​suppression I’d experienced dozens of times. There were times when we had few knights from the Chivalric Order present, and even times when we were attacked while marching. During those battles, bandits had gone so far as to threaten our clients into spilling information so they could come at us with their full might.

But I crushed every single one of their attempts.

I firmly believed our success was thanks to my men’s skills, correct battle formations, and our impeccable tactics. I had full confidence that my orders were perfect—prodigious, perhaps.

Regardless, I wanted to follow Lord Van’s orders in the here and now. That surprised me, as I felt I had better control on the battlefield than even my own superior, the commander of the order.

“No, that’s not it.”

It wasn’t that I wanted to follow Lord Van, per se. He had defied my expectations over and over again, so now I wanted to experience his command for myself.

When I realized this, a grin spread wide on my face. “Ha ha ha! Fascinating!

Now then, how will things fall?! I cannot wait to see!”

I laughed to myself while climbing the stairs, glancing at the terrified faces of

the villagers manning the ballistae. I gave the ones hunching over a smack on the back, then looked toward the road. The view was clear, with no obstacles or cover to speak of in such a rural location. The man must have noticed the bandits from far away. He had the potential to be a great scout. Only now was I able to confirm the group of ferocious bandits coming our way.

They had no sense of unity about them, given their slapdash attire. One of them even had his mouth open and was swinging a sword around.

“Hrm? They’re running at us?” I cocked my head to the side.

Just then, Lord Van called out to me from behind. “What’s the situation?”

Chuckling at his calm and measured tone, I reported to him as if I were a foot soldier. “Enemy’s somewhere between fifty and a hundred strong! They’re still several hundred meters away! Strange as it sounds, they’re running at us with all they’ve got! By the time they get here, they’ll probably collapse on the ground in exhaustion!”

Lord Van waited one or two seconds before replying. “Got it! Do you think maybe they’re being chased?”

Hrm, that makes sense. It would explain why they’re sprinting toward us. Have they been discovered by some Chivalric Order patrol or the like?

As I strained my eyes to get a better look, a villager beside me let out a yelp.

“What is it, my good man?”

He pointed behind the bandits. I couldn’t see clearly due to the cloud of dust they were kicking up, but apparently he’d picked up on something.

“A tail! I can see a tail!”

“…A what now?”

The lack of further information left me puzzled. I needed to confirm the situation. Behind the bandits—who were running in scattered lines of five or so —I could only see a cloud of dust. It was nearly impossible to make anything else out, but one by one, the villagers raised their voices in alarm.

Do these humble folk have abnormally good vision?!

“Those are armored lizards!” one shouted.

“And not just one or two!” said another.

I grimaced. This was terrible. The worst possible adversary for this village had shown itself. I spun around and yelled toward Lord Van on the ground.

“A group of armored lizards is chasing the bandits! Your average weapon will have no effect on them!”

The boy’s expression darkened. Of course it would. The only combat-ready mages in this village were Esparda and the lady adventurer. Worse yet, the adventurers were currently out procuring materials.

With the right armor and heavy gear, the Chivalric Order could slow the lizards down and strike at their weak stomachs. But I couldn’t make the villagers attempt that—and even if I did, they would fail.

Even with heavy equipment, I could handle two lizards myself at most. My men could take care of one if they worked together. All we’d be able to do was buy time while the horde of creatures came at us with their claws and tails.

“Everyone, switch ballista projectiles! Load the iron bolts on the side!” Lord Van commanded.

So he’s going to cling to the slimmest possibility of victory and boost the offensive power of the ballistae? Better than doing nothing, but still an impossible gambit.

“No. I vowed to follow Lord Van’s orders. I am free from obstructive thoughts! A knight does as he’s told!” I said to myself.

I made my way toward an unmanned ballista and loaded it with the other villagers. Since we had assumed we’d be fighting bandits, the original bolts were those mysterious, spear-like projectiles our lord had made with his magic. They’d be more than good enough as a show of force against normal humans, but they would likely bounce right off of armored lizards, hence the need to swap them out.

After unloading a wooden bolt from the ballista, I grabbed one of the iron bolts off the ground. It was heavy, but only about as much as a short sword. Its destructive power was undoubtedly a notch higher, but it wouldn’t be nearly as strong as a swing of my blade.

If only we had three more talented swordsmen, or maybe five… Then the six of us could fight with support from the villagers and easily vanquish anywhere between ten and twenty beasts…

I suppressed the urge to grind my teeth as I loaded the iron bolt. I tugged on the wooden piece that pulled back the drawstring. I could hear grinding noises, but the ballista itself was extremely tough. It was made exceedingly well. In fact, it was hard to believe it was made by an eight-year-old child.

Moved by the thought, I set up the loaded ballista and glanced at the road. The bandits were already within earshot.

“Help! S-save us!”

There were fewer than I’d expected, and all out of breath. Forty men, give or take. Now that they were in range, I could fully see the armored lizards in pursuit, and they were massive. From snout to tail, they must’ve been over eight meters long. If we hadn’t dug the moat, they would’ve been able to reach the top of the wall just by standing.

Worse yet, there were something like thirty or forty of these creatures, an unusually large group. A midsize village would struggle with this, never mind us.

“There are forty armored lizards, all eight meters long! If one of their meals trips and falls, they’ll slow down to dine. Nothing to fear!”

“By ‘meal,’ you mean a bandit? Maaan, that’s terrible!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Lord Van’s out-of-place reaction. “Gah ha ha! My apologies! That was improper of me!”

The villagers gawked at us in disbelief. Though even I considered this to be a bit of a dilemma, we needed to tell jokes and set one another at ease in times like these. Excess tension would be our downfall.

“All right,” Lord Van said. “We’ll allow the bandits to fall into the moat before we fire. Let’s make sure those lizards get as close as possible! Once the enemy pitches into the moat, everyone open fire! Got it?”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“Understood!”

The villagers responded to Lord Van’s orders as they trembled in fear.

They had little to worry about. A good shot to the mouth or the eye would keep the beasts in check. We just needed to buy enough time for the mage adventurer to return, and then I would charge in alongside Arb and Lowe. With Esparda’s help, we could take down one lizard at a time.

“Come on, everyone!” I bellowed, hoping to boost their spirits. “Tonight we’re having lizard steak for dinner!”

One by one, the bandits toppled into the moat with pathetic cries. The villagers looked like they were ready to flee in the face of those terrifying armored lizards, but because the ballistae were locked in place, they needed to stay put. And considering the protection each weapon provided, they probably didn’t want to leave all that much. The wide shield allowed even rookies to stand on the battlefield.

While I contemplated the usefulness of ballistae, the scaly threat arrived.

“Eeeek!”

The final bandit fell to the ground with a shriek before he could reach the moat, so an armored lizard chomped down on his leg and gently shook him. He looked like a ragdoll in the hands of a child—until another lizard bit down on his torso and they commenced a tug-of-war.

His body was torn in half, blood flying everywhere.

“Aurgh…!”

As he rasped out a death rattle, the lizards devoured his body. That had the villagers—and the bandits just below the scene—at their most horrified.

I took a deep breath, then shouted, “Ready!”

The villagers moved on instinct, aiming their ballistae. With forty giant lizards in front of them, it would be difficult to miss.

Smirking to myself, I issued the command: “Fire!”

Simultaneously, I aimed at the face of an armored lizard in the back and loosed the iron bolt. It whistled through the air, hurtling at an incredible speed.

The armored lizard raised its head, which seemed to suck the projectile right in.

Then the bolt disappeared.

Surely that was what happened. I peeked out from the side of the shield to check. There was a tiny black dot on the lizard’s forehead, and the great beast fell onto its side, twitching. Then, the armored lizard behind it screamed out and contorted in pain.

The screaming lizard had an iron bolt lodged in its front leg.

So I missed it?

I thought as much, but then I noticed that the toppled lizard showed no signs of standing back up. The lizard with the bolt through its leg tore itself free, revealing that the projectile was firmly lodged in the earth.

Looking around, I found that none of the villagers could disguise their shock. Indeed, with the simultaneous firing of fifteen ballistae, tons of armored lizards had collapsed on the ground. Since many of the ballistae were aimed at the same beasts, this wasn’t the best possible result, but it was still far beyond my expectations.

“How did it go?”

Lord Van sounded ever so slightly panicked.

“You made something incredible, my lord!”

“Um, in what way?”

“The good way! Our attack just now killed ten lizards!” A moment passed, and then the villagers cheered.

“That said, we only have one iron bolt left for each weapon. It would be a huge help if we could have the stock from the other ballistae!” I yelled, prompting some of the villagers to scurry off to collect them.

“If you have the chance, test out the wooden bolts too!” he replied. “They’re light, but they should be as sharp and tough as the iron ones!”

Seriously?

I had my doubts, but since the lord’s interest was piqued, I would give them a try.

“Everyone else prepare your iron bolts and be ready to fire!”

After turning to issue orders, I loaded a wooden bolt, pulled the drawstring, and got ready. Loading the ballistae took less effort than expected, as everyone was already good to fire the next volley.

“Ready!”

As I cried out, everyone took their positions in a synchronized wave. It was wonderful. A single volley had been enough to give everyone a sense of confidence. Confidence enabled positivity, which granted one the power to take initiative. That meant this next volley would be faster, more precise.

“Fire!”

Our bolts went flying. Now that we had villagers firing from the observation towers and corners, this round was twenty-five strong. This harmonized volley was the village’s most powerful attack. The bolts slipped right through the lizards’ heads and backs, audibly riddling the earth behind them. Right after that, the lizards screeched out their last. It was an astonishing sight to behold.

Unbelievably, my wooden bolt also pierced an armored lizard’s skull—the same skull that could’ve deflected an iron sword! Though it was lighter than an iron bolt and couldn’t go as deep, the wooden one was still half-lodged in the beast’s head.

Shocked as I was, my instincts kicked in and had me barking commands.

“Listen up! Use the wooden bolts! Ready the ballistae!”

We didn’t have to wait for the iron bolts to arrive—all we needed was speed and precision. The bows were drawn and the ballistae loaded.

“Ready!”

Some of the villagers were fumbling in their anxiety, but most successfully loaded their ballistae.

“Aim!”

The remaining villagers finished their preparations and aimed their weapons.

“Fire!” I commanded, initiating the third volley.

Only five armored lizards remained. The wooden bolts that pierced their backs or shoulders would cause them pain, but a head shot wrought immediate death. The twenty-five bolts hissed as they sliced through the air. The majority collided with the lizards’ backs, but five—including my own—hit their marks.

What an absurd outcome.

The enemy was annihilated. Not only had our side escaped free of casualties, but we also had no injuries to speak of. We’d used fewer than sixty bolts in the battle. Were I to tell the commander about this, he probably would’ve punished me for telling tall tales. He wasn’t one for jokes, so we’d undoubtedly squabble over it.

“Lord Van is going to become a key player, Commander,” I murmured, turning toward the young lad. “He will rise to greater heights than I ever imagined.”

In this moment, however, his expectant gaze made him look every bit his age.

I smiled and raised a fist high in the air. “Victory is ours! The armored lizards have been annihilated. We have won!”

At the news, the village was enveloped in cheers. My fellow fighters atop the wall embraced one another in joy. Till and Khamsin wrapped Lord Van in a hug, grinning ear to ear.

I also saw Esparda dabbing away his tears with a handkerchief as he gazed upon our joyous young lord. I opted to keep the observation to myself, lest he chew me out for mentioning it.

Ortho

ON OUR WAY BACK TO THE VILLAGE, IN HIGH SPIRITS after mining a ton of ore,

Kusala abruptly stopped our ​carriage. Unnerved, I made my way to the front.

“What’s going on?”

Kusala didn’t move a muscle, his eyes glued to the village ahead. I followed his gaze and immediately understood.

“Armored lizards?!”

Those monsters had hides tough enough to ward off blades. To make matters worse, there were dozens of them.

“Damn it! How did this happen?!” I gritted my teeth and drew my sword, but something about the scene struck me as odd.

Pluriel approached from behind, bewildered. “Um, is it just me or are the armored lizards sleeping on their sides?”

“You sure they ain’t dead?”

“No way, right? You’d need two hundred knights from the order to take on a group that large.”

No sooner did those words leave her lips than a cheer rose up from the village.

“Hey, you gotta be kidding me. I’ve had enough surprises this week to last me the year,” I grumbled.

Van

“WE WON!”

I hurried up to the top of the wall while the others declared our victory.

“Well done, Lord Van.”

“You’re amazing!”

With a quick nod to Till and Khamsin, I bounded up the stairs, skipping every other step.

“Ooh, Lord Van! Take a look at the aftermath!”

I slipped past Dee with a few words of praise to the villagers, making my way to the edge of the wall. What I saw was absolutely incredible: a veritable mountain of giant lizard corpses piled up right before the moat. Those things were so gargantuan, they could’ve been called dinosaurs.

“These things are legit dinosaurs!” I blurted out. “There were forty of them?! I’m shocked we won.”

“Gah ha ha ha ha! I’ve never heard of these ‘dino sores,’ but we have your ballistae to thank for this victory! The scales of the armored lizard are said to be as tough as steel, and your bolts pierced them. Not just the iron ones, but the wooden ones as well. They were more powerful than should be possible. Without them, I doubt this village would still exist.” Dee enthusiastically slapped my back.

“Wha—whoa! I almost fell!”

He’d knocked me off balance, so I rattled off a few complaints. But when I looked down, my focus changed completely. Pale-faced bandits were huddled in the moat, looking up at me.

“Right, I forgot about them. Looks like there are only thirty or so left.”

Dee blinked a few times. “Ahh, right! The bandits! Okay, everyone—aim your ballistae into the moat! If they so much as move, open fire!” The bandits quivered in fear.

Dee glared at them as he threw down some rope. “Use this to bind yourselves. Anyone who wants a shower of bolts, feel free to stand up!” Dee shouted, sending the bandits into a mad scramble to tie each other up.

By the time we walked the bandits to the front of my manor and sat them down, Ortho and his party had returned.

“What’s with all those armored lizard corpses? And who’re the bandits?!” Ortho demanded as their carriage rolled to a stop.

His yelling was enough to make said bandits tremble in terror.

I folded my arms and groaned. “Well, just when we thought the bandits were attacking, it turned out they were being chased by those lizards. We ended up slaughtering them, I guess?”

“H-how did you manage that?! And their corpses are in such good condition!

Even we couldn’t take them down easily!”

I wasn’t sure how to answer the befuddled adventurer, but I figured there was no point in beating around the bush. “With ballistae?”

“Ballistae?! Are you kidding me?!”

Khamsin proudly chimed in, “We only used sixty bolts.”

“Only sixty?!”

Ortho was so stunned that he’d been reduced to a parrot.

Pluriel stepped forward, shoving him out of the way. “You defeated that many armored lizards without Esparda’s magic? I’m fairly certain a ballista wouldn’t be enough to damage them,” she said, confused.

“I was just as surprised as you are, honestly. Oh, but you guys have the swords I made for you, right? You should know how sharp they are.” Ortho and his party exchanged wide-eyed glances.

“Don’t tell me those bolts are…”

I nodded. “Yup. They’re as sharp as your swords.” That rendered them truly speechless.

At that moment, Dee came over to us. “You gave Ortho and the adventurers swords?”

I could practically hear him crying, What about me?!

Behind him, Arb and Lowe looked like they were about to cry.

“No, no, no! You misunderstand. I sold them the weapons. A short sword for three gold, a long sword for five…basically. Got it?”

I looked to the adventurers for help, so they each brandished their blades, holding them up to Dee and his men.

“We only encountered small monsters, but we were able to cut through their bones with no effort at all.”

“They’re thin, light, and easy to swing—yet incredibly sharp. They’ve been a huge help already.”

“He took our requests and made them within minutes, but they look and feel amazing!”

For some reason, the party members were offering their impressions one after the other like it was some kind of telemarketing pitch. Meanwhile, Dee and his men ground their teeth bitterly. They glared daggers at the adventurers, then rounded on me.

“Lord Van, I wish to buy a sword! How much for a great sword?!”

“I’d like a matching long and short sword set!”

“Likewise!”

The trio crept toward me, peppering me with their sword orders. Their intensity was akin to bloodlust. By contrast, Ortho and his men smiled cheerfully at their new weapons.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at how different they were. Then I shook my head. “I can’t possibly take money from my loyal retainers after you came with me all the way to the middle of nowhere. As long as you do something about the materials, I’d be happy to make complete sets of equipment for all three of you.”

At that, they pumped their fists in tandem.

Ortho made a sour face. “Whaaa…? We’ve been doing a lot for this place too, y’know. We’d love complete sets…”

With his fierce mug, Ortho’s pleading just made him even scarier.

“Nope, not happening,” I replied with a smile. “I plan on doing whatever I can for the villagers, and I welcome subordinates with open arms. But you guys are going to leave eventually, so I need you to spend money here for all our sakes.”

“Gaaah! Why do you have such a good head on your shoulders at the age of eight?!”

Ortho and his people shook their heads rapidly, beyond shocked.

Esparda approached with his ever-composed expression. “This is the result of my education. Lord Van has a fundamental knowledge not just of the world, but also of governance, economics, and politics.”

“It’s all your fault…” Ortho lamented to the sky above.

I smiled at their banter, then looked at each adventurer in turn. “When this place gets its own guild, I’ll be happy to make you guys equipment…if you become our village’s exclusive adventurers.”

The party members looked at one another, then formed a huddle to talk it over. I doubted they’d come to a decision here, and if they did rush one out, it’d probably be a “no” anyway. Adventurers were all about freedom, so trying to tie them down in the first place was a mistake.

I turned my gaze on the bandits, never letting my smile drop. “Now then, what should we do with these guys?”

They immediately blanched and begged for mercy.

“I-I swear we’ll change our ways!”

“If you hand us over, it’s the gallows for us!”

“Let us work here!”

They were a pitiable bunch, but I didn’t know what sort of crimes they’d committed. I couldn’t take them at their word, so I figured I’d ask Ronda for his opinion; he’d been here long enough to judge. “What do you think?”

His face hardened as he scowled at the bandits. “We have lost so much to these bastards, including our own people. At least ten, I believe.”

“Guilty as charged, then!”

My decision was swift. There was no way I’d put the villagers in danger or cause them grief by bringing in bandits. Not only was it risky, but I’d lose their trust.

“Sorry, but when the merchant comes, we’ll turn them over.”

“No, please!”

“Don’t do this!”

The bandits whined and whimpered, but I ignored them. That is, until I thought of the perfect job for them.

“All right, my good bandits. Until the merchant comes, I’m going to have you

cut up the armored lizards for materials and parts! Hide, bones, and meat, if you would.” I turned to Ortho. “Does that sound about right?”

He nodded. “The eyes, claws, and teeth should also be preserved. We can’t sell their organs, but we can sell their magic cores.”

“Right, right. Okay. I’ll lend them all my custom wooden swords. They should be able to cut with those if they give it all they’ve got.” In their despair, the bandits went white as ghosts.

Armored lizards had extremely hard hides, hence their name. Even cutting through it with my amazing wooden swords was no simple feat. The blades were about as big as a large knife, and they were sharp as all get-out. If they were used on the lizards’ soft bellies or inner legs, they’d cut through immediately. Even the bandits could manage it.

Square in the sights of the ballistae, the bandits hurriedly got to work on the corpses. But even with thirty of them going at it, they were only able to take apart four or five lizards in total.

“They ain’t gonna make it in time,” Ortho said. He stood atop the wall, scratching his head. “We’ll have to jump in or else all those parts’ll go to waste.” He was right; we had no other choice.

On the second day, Ortho’s party, Dee and his men, Khamsin, and villagers with some time to spare took turns dismantling the corpses outside. With the larger workforce and excellent Van-made knives, we managed to wrap things up in just three days.

That night, we held a festival in the village—the first in a very long time, and a massive one at that. After all, the several dozen tons of armored lizard meat would go bad in just a few days. We couldn’t smoke the meat, and there was a limit to making jerky. I figured we should eat as much of it as we could.

On the main street in front of my residence, we set up campfires at regular intervals, distributed long skewers I made on the spot, and dished out meat for people to put on them. We then grilled the meat over the fires. By the way, it wasn’t just my people and the villagers; I also handed meat out to the bandits whom I’d worked to the bone for three days straight.

Amid the crackling flames, everyone was abuzz with excitement. Ronda called me over, so I climbed the several-meter-tall platform and addressed the crowd.

“Um, hello, everyone. I believe that our village has become a stronger, better place thanks to all of your efforts. It’s not much, but I’d like to use all this meat for our festival. Tonight, I’m not worrying about expenses. I used plenty of salt and spices so we can have a delicious meal together. As for booze, there is a limit. Two drinks for every person, okay? Please stick to that, and have a good time. All right, everyone. To our victory… Cheers!”

I raised my cup of delicious water, and everyone in the crowd raised their drinks and cheered.

“Cheers, Lord Van!”

“We did it!”

“Hey, grill the meat! The meat, I said!”

“I haven’t had booze in ages!”

After the toast, the village square turned into an outdoor pub, almost like a beer garden. We only had some campfires and torches, but this was the villagers’ first real festival in ages, and their faces were lit up with joy.

The adventurers got to cooking, conflicted looks on their faces.

“I can’t believe we get to eat so much armored lizard meat.”

“It’s so expensive that we always end up selling it.”

“Even if we stuff ourselves silly, some of it’ll still go rotten. Man, that sucks.”

The meat underneath the lizards’ tough armor was fatty and delicious, apparently. I wondered if it had something to do with the plating.

During one of my shifts butchering lizards with Ortho, I’d asked him, “We got quite a lot of lizard materials out of this. How much are we looking at if we sell it all?”

He’d laughed dryly, wagging a finger in the air. “The Adventurers’ Guild

usually buys a single armored lizard for ten gold. The merchants then get their stock from the guild, so that’s a retail price of twenty gold or so?”

“Uh, we took down forty of these things.”

At that, Ortho had snorted out a laugh—the laugh of someone who’d given up on seeking logic. “This horde would’ve normally required a small army of Chivalric Order knights to take down. Then you would’ve had to worry about the cost of treating the injured, fixing equipment, and consolation money for families of the dead. You wouldn’t come out the other side with much to show for it, but you and this village are just plain weird.”

“Zero casualties on our side, yep. Ah, but one of the bandits did get hurt while butchering a lizard.”

My joke apparently went over poorly, because Ortho just stared at me. “Most of the meat is going to spoil, but even then, one corpse won’t get you less than six gold. If you sell to a merchant, you’ll still get about eight gold even with shipping charges.”

Whoa, that means we’re looking at over three hundred gold. That’s seriously amazing. In Japan, that would definitely be over three hundred million yen.

After that, I’d encouraged Ortho to keep up the good work, then headed back to my manor to enjoy Till’s home cooking. It was the first time I’d tried lizard meat, and I was pretty worried about it. I asked Till to thoroughly sear the surface. On the inside, the meat was tender and overflowing with juices; it was pure delight. As good as any high-class beef, even. Its flavor was reminiscent of hanger steak, but I assumed it varied based on what part of the body you ate.

I ended up devouring five hundred grams of meat, knowing all the while that the villagers would be pleased as punch.

A grin rose to my face as I relished in the memory. It was then that Esparda came over. He glanced at Khamsin, who was grilling meat for the two of us, then stood next to me.

“Congratulations on your handling of those monsters and defending the village.”

“Thanks. You were instrumental, what with your work on the wall. C’mon,

have some meat.”

As soon as I spoke, Till started grilling two skewers of meat alongside Khamsin. I looked on happily, but Esparda’s mood seemed to turn apologetic— despite zero change in his expression.

“These are terrific spoils, Lord Van, but in the event a town or village makes more than a hundred gold, they must pay half the sum to the marquis as tax.” “Hrk!” I accidentally spit out my water.

I totally forgot about the special taxation!

“Is there no way we can keep this quiet?”

“Sadly, no. If we were talking about a single lizard, that might work. But this many will be discovered eventually. And depending on who we sell the corpses to, the nearby count or even the neighboring country could find out,” he said, voice low. “On average, one armored lizard corpse is in circulation every month. If forty suddenly appear, people will catch on to the fact that a huge group was hunted down.”

I slumped in defeat. Just when I thought we’d made three million yen, we were down to half that. Yes, this was easy money, but we’d have big problems if the outside world knew what we were hiding.

“So they’re going to figure out everything that’s happening here, huh?” I asked, but Esparda furrowed his brow and looked away.

“Keeping the village’s secrets will be difficult, but not impossible.”

I was genuinely surprised. Esparda had served our house for decades; no one was as proactive as him when it came to devotion to our house. Yet this very same man was recommending we pull the wool over my father’s eyes. I couldn’t believe it.

This was different than the dungeon. We hadn’t actually located that yet, so I was content with the idea that we couldn’t report unconfirmed information. But now Esparda was trying to conceal the truth of what had transpired here. Perhaps this angle seemed a bit dramatic, but he was essentially betraying Father and choosing my peaceful life over his.

It wasn’t the time to get all emotional over this, so I coughed to clear my throat and switched gears. “What do you mean?”

Brow still furrowed, he replied, “We must get in touch with your older brother, Lord Murcia.”

“But why?”

I tilted my head as Esparda turned his gaze back toward me, stroking his chin.

The fact that he wasn’t answering meant this was also a way of testing me. With no other choice, I crossed my arms and started mumbling to myself.

“The village… My brother…” After a few moments’ contemplation, I nodded.

“I get it. We make this whole armored lizard ​situation his achievement. The Chivalric Order wouldn’t work here, but we could say he used mercs and adventurers. We could say the lizards were spotted in the woods, which was why they managed to defeat the beasts. Brother has been yearning to add some accomplishments to his name as well. This works out perfectly for both of us.”

I was no longer in the running for marquis, but my three ​brothers were in the midst of a fierce battle to become the next lord. I wanted Murcia to win, so this was perfect.

“A wonderful idea, Esparda.”

He simply smiled and dipped his head my way.

The festival was a hit.

In fact, people got so crazy that the villagers taking shifts on security detail wound up pushing us to keep going. One hundred and fifty people participated in the meat gauntlet that night, yet somehow we’d barely made a dent in the full stash.

“Man, this is so good! Just delicious!”

“Urgh… I can’t take another bite…”

“I wonder if we’ll be able to have some tomorrow too…”

Even after the festival had wrapped up, villagers appeared one after the other to snack on the meat. Apparently, feeding them was the right idea; people continually stopped to say hello while I was doing the rounds the next morning.

“Good morning, Lord Van! Boy, that meat was phenomenal!”

“Thank you for patrolling the village!”

“Can I marry Till, Lord Van?”

“Huh?!”

I was tremendously happy to be greeted so amicably every time I walked somewhere, but I had issues with that last guy. He had to get through Dee before he earned the right to utter those words. I didn’t want anyone to take Till away from me, so I held her hand as we walked.

“It’s been quite some time since you last held my hand, my lord… Hee hee. Looking to be doted on, are we?” she asked, overflowing with affection.

Well, I was eight years old. I had the right to act like a little kid. The only problem was that everyone showered us with warm smiles as we walked down the main road. It was embarrassing.

“Oh, you’re letting go?” She seemed saddened by this, but her master was in fact the lord of the land. Being cute was important, but so was maintaining a sense of dignity.

“Hey, Till? I’m going to find you the nicest fiancé imaginable, okay?”

She offered me a gentle smile, the sort an older sister might offer her grumpy little brother. “Taking care of you is my duty, Lord Van. I’ve yet to give any thought to marriage.”

I frowned. “Yeah, but if you keep putting it off, it might be too late.” “Hrk! Er, d-don’t worry about that!” she said, her smile twitching.

At the end of the day, Till was eighteen years old; it wouldn’t have been unusual for her to be married already. Then again, it was common in this world to delay marriage until as late as age twenty-five, even if it was more typical to get married between fifteen and twenty.

Fine. If she’s unwed by the time she hits twenty-five, I’ll marry her myself.

As I thought about such things, we finally arrived at the village’s entrance. I looked left and right, then made for the observation tower. A slacker was on shift up there, and I needed to check in on him. I climbed up the steps to the roof, where Lowe was leaning on the thick railing. I stood next to him and gazed out onto the road.

“Anything new?”

“Nope. Super boring up here,” he said with a pained smile. “Working the fields and drawing water is way more of a pain than this, though, so I can’t complain.”

He turned and came face-to-face with Till—who was his height—and then looked down to see Khamsin and myself. When our eyes locked, he froze. Our stare-off lasted a few moments before he shrank back in terror.

“Gah! Lord Van?! I-I-I’m so sorry! I swear, I wasn’t goofin’ off or anything!”

He rattled off excuses as sweat rolled down his face. I simply smiled and looked over at the village. “You’re supposed to be keeping an eye on things outside of the village. It’s not ‘goofing off’ at all. Just make sure to look at areas other than just the road.” As my smile widened, he stood ramrod straight and whirled back to the outskirts.

“W-wait, look!” Lowe cried, pointing at the far end of the road.

I strained my eyes, but all I could see was a shadowy dot on the horizon. I stared as hard as I could until one of the observers in the tower opposite ours called out.

“Merchants! It’s Bell and Rango!”

He knows who they are from this far away?!

Astonished, I glanced at Till and Khamsin, but they were both squinting at the road with the same expression as me.

Oh, good. It’s not that my eyesight is bad.

Relief washed over me. Shortly after, I was able to make out the merchants

and their two carriages. There were more people than I’d expected—five or six in addition to the two merchants themselves. Needless to say, they weren’t close enough for me to identify them in any meaningful way.

“Guess we should raise the bridge and get the ballistae ready.”

“What?! They’re not bandits, Lord Van!”

Lowe was stunned, but just because there were two recognizable faces didn’t mean we were in the clear. “It’s entirely possible that there are bandits huddled inside those carriages. Heck, the guards and the other merchants could be bandits too. It’s also possible they’re being threatened,” I said, and he fell silent in his agitation.

He probably still didn’t get it, but that was fine. I was okay with being overly cautious if it kept the village safe.

“Till, call Dee and Ortho!”

“Okay!” Till replied, then ran off.

“Now then, this is our chance,” I said, looking down at my short sword. The behemoth relief—our house crest—shone in the light.

I’d been waiting for this moment. There was so much I needed to do: sell the lizard parts and meat to make money, purchase spices and food we didn’t have, and collect information on other towns and villages as well as Ferdinatto County next door. I also needed to advertise our amazing local specialty. Whether this opportunity went to waste relied entirely on my abilities.

A smile grew on my face as the merchants’ features finally came into view.