Fun Territory Defense of the Easy-Going Lord

I MADE MY WAY TO THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE MANOR with Till in tow, stepped out onto the balcony, and unfurled my speech. Crowded outside the manor were Esparda, Dee and his knights, the villagers, the adventurers, Bell, Arte, and Panamera’s soldiers. There were only about two hundred people, but seeing them all in one place made them seem more plentiful.

Acutely feeling everyone’s eyes on me, I began reading from the paper. “Um… The forest dragon, lord of the woodland, has been slain! We will now commend those who contributed the most to this victory! This ceremony will be led by the head of House Cayenne, Lady Panamera Carrera Cayenne!”

This was an entirely informal ceremony, but Panamera nonetheless appeared on the balcony alongside me. She was as dashing as ever. The atmosphere changed, and the villagers looked nervous.

Have I not distinguished myself enough to earn that kind of reaction? I wondered.

Panamera took a moment to scan the audience before speaking. “The forest dragon you’ve all joined hands to defeat would normally have been slain by the Chivalric Order and court mages. A town or small village such as yours would have ordinarily been wiped out. Even a fortified city would have suffered great losses.”

The villagers stirred.

“However, this small village survived. Not only that, but there were no casualties, and the only damaged items were the in-progress wall and two ballistae. This is an unbelievable achievement.”

Astonished gasps and whispers sounded in the audience.

I get it, guys, but please keep it down.

Panamera’s face relaxed a little at their reaction. “I will now name those who contributed most to this remarkable deed. First is Dee, deputy commander of Lord Fertio’s Chivalric Order. He took off the head of a fifteen-meter forest dragon in one slash, bringing a decisive end to this conflict. As such, the first commendation goes to Deputy Commander Dee. We honor him for his distinguished service!”

The crowd whooped and hollered, and Panamera waited for the applause to die down.

“Next is Esparda, an exceptional elemental mage. Not once but twice did he stop the dragon in its tracks with his magic, which I must say is beyond compare. As such, we honor him for his distinguished service.”

Another commotion as the villagers expressed their awe and astonishment. It made sense, considering how hard it was to get them to understand what made a mage so amazing.

Then Panamera glanced at me. “And finally, Van Nei Fertio, fourth son of Lord Fertio. Possessing remarkable knowledge, drive, and tact for an eight-year-old, he made use of unknown magic to strengthen the defenses of this village in a short period of time. His accomplishments proved crucial during this forest dragon attack, and he also served as commander of the battle. Therefore, we honor Van Nei Fertio for his distinguished service!” The villagers erupted into cheers.

The sounds of people calling out my name left me a bit rattled, so I waved at the crowd. The resulting cacophony would’ve made a first-rate idol blush.

I am Van the idol. Charging one silver for a handshake!

Just like that, the ceremony came to an end.

Afterward, it was time to harvest materials from the dragon. We had Panamera’s elite soldiers, so the work went by quickly.

Panamera sliced one of the dragon’s fangs, dumbfounded at the clean cutting ability of a Van-made blade. “What?! What is this sword?! Don’t tell me you made it!”

“Yep, and the blade is sharpened for collecting materials. It’s perfectly usable in combat, though.”

“You gave them out to all the soldiers, didn’t you?! That’s over a hundred of them! Aren’t they special?!”

“I can make one for five gold.”

Panamera merely gaped at me in disbelief.