Chapter 7: Yelenetta Approaches

THE INVADING FORCES WERE MADE UP OF THREE hundred men loaned from a count on Yelenetta’s border. But more shocking was the fact that Unimog Yelenetta, one of the princes, was leading the charge with his own private force.

Once I heard that the wyvern was controlled by a marionette mage, I hoped I would be able to ask him all kinds of questions. Unfortunately for me, he got smashed into the wall and died.

Anyhow, according to the prince, this little invasion had been in the works for years. Three months ago, they’d put the plan into action. This was only a small part of a bigger plot.

I was holding a discussion in my manor with King Dino, Aperta, and Panamera. The king was oddly irritated about the whole thing; the enemy had apparently been clever about keeping it all under wraps. He said, “I received no reports about the enemy purchasing weapons or mobilizing their soldiers. In fact, their capital was supposed to be in the middle of large-scale anti-flooding construction. I never suspected they would spend that kind of money just to pull the wool over our eyes… They’re serious this time.”

I could only nod. “I see… I know he kind of sucks and all, but I’m surprised Unimog gave everything up so easily.” Would the prince of a nation really offer up significant national secrets without any resistance?

The king shrugged, and Aperta stepped in to explain: “He was more of a coward than any of us could have predicted. The moment I asked whether he would prefer to have his nails ripped off or his eyes gouged out, he caved.”

“Normally I would welcome an enemy soldier who speaks with such honesty, but this man was so weak-willed, he actually made me angry.” Panamera’s exasperated tone rivaled Aperta’s.

“Ha ha ha… Well, I’m sure he just hates being in pain. So, what are the

specifics of the full invasion?” I asked.

“The operation is primarily designed around infiltrating Lord Fertio’s recently expanded territory,” the king replied with a frown.

“Wait, what?”

The king narrowed his eyes at my reaction, a complex look crossing his face. “I was not sure whether to tell you about the marquis’s situation, but now that you’re a baron, I want you to steel yourself and listen carefully,” he said. This was a show of great consideration for my mental well-being. “As you are aware, Lord Fertio’s territory has grown by about 50 percent in the last ten years. The problem is that he has not been able to match that growth in personnel or training. This means that he has had to put off arranging protections for the newer additions to his territory. Regrettably, Yelenetta caught wind of this. I dispatched border security from the capital, but I do not have enough men, and those I do have are lacking in geographical knowledge.”

“Then they’re about to be invaded?”

The king nodded. “Correct. Both in terms of location and strategy, the first place they will invade is the fortress city of Scudet. To make sure they can act decisively against Scudet, they will also attack the marquis’s second fortress city. Finally, they will take Seatoh.” He raised his head and continued, “Do not panic. The first move has been made, so now we are in a battle against time. Running around in a fluster will not change the results. What we need now is a proper understanding of the situation so we may take countermeasures against it.”

Aperta cleared his throat and looked over the room. “Let us coordinate our response. First, the king and I will take a small convoy with us back to the capital, where we will assemble a royal Chivalric Order to march toward Scudet. Next, Lady Panamera will report to Lord Ferdinatto, put together a supply squad and Chivalric Order, and also march to Scudet.” He turned to me. “Normally, we would only ask village lords to supply us with food. However, in your case, Lord Van, we request your participation in the battle. We have judged that you are more than adequate for the task.”

The all-too-serious look on his face made my mask of nobility slip. “Blegh…”

“Are you rejecting our offer?” Aperta asked, raising an eyebrow.

The air around us froze as the king and Panamera stared daggers at me. Normally, I couldn’t say “no” in this kind of environment, but I wasn’t backing down this time. I wanted to be a shut-in; I wouldn’t leave the village unless it was absolutely necessary.

I need to choose my words very carefully.

In the most serious tone I could muster, I said, “I am honored that you would make such a request of me, but it is my responsibility to protect this village. If I left while it was still under development, that would be akin to abandonment.

As a lord, I want to protect my territory.”

Aperta wasn’t having it. “You developed a weapon that riddled a wyvern with holes in one strike, designed and built devices that could take down armored lizards and dragons… Yet you would claim that this place is ‘under development’?”

I nodded promptly, ignoring his dubious glare. “One hundred percent. Quite frankly, it’s only about a tenth of the way there. There’re still lots of things I want to make and do.”

I made it clear that I was serious about this place being in​complete, which apparently came as a surprise to him. The king reacted similarly, but Panamera wore a knowing grin on her face; she was clearly enjoying herself. “You are endlessly fascinating. I do not think I will ever grow tired of seeing the madness you create, but I would suggest accepting this request. When the country is in danger, all nobles must cooperate even at the cost of their own profits. Becoming a noble is akin to taking an oath—oh, right. I acted on your behalf when you were given your peerage, so you don’t know how noble obligations work.”

Actually, Esparda taught me all about that stuff, but if pretending I don’t know will get me out of trouble, then pretend I shall! But, uh…this isn’t going to work, is it? No, it’s not.

I sighed and nodded. “I understand. If this is my obligation as a noble, then I will participate. However, I still have my responsibilities as a lord, so I would like to be the one to decide how many people I take with me.”

“Mm, that is fine,” the king agreed. “I must ask that you bring those terrifying ballistae with you if at all possible.”

“Of course. I’ll bring Prototype #28 with me. It’s mobile and tough compared to the other models. The only problem is that it takes time to build and requires a lot of materials, so I’ve only made three units thus far.”

The king looked exasperated. “It sounds like you’ve done more due diligence than my royal researchers. It is incredible how you think of such things.”

“I mean, they’re all just modified versions of existing weapons and devices. Anyway, when I finally get my hands on the thing I’m looking for, I’ll whip up something pretty fun.”

“Is that so?” The corner of the king’s mouth rose in an intrigued smile, and he leaned back in his chair.

“If there are no other issues,” Aperta cut in, “let us proceed.”

No objections were raised, so the king stood up and said, “Nothing? Then let us begin. It will take three weeks to a month for the viscount and me to prepare. En route, I shall send envoys from the towns we pass to the neighboring nobility, but I suspect their troops will arrive around the same time.” He looked down at me. “I doubt Scudet will fall easily, but I suspect that there are tens of thousands of troops in the area. Do not attempt the impossible. Wait for us to arrive so we can storm the city together.”

“Understood!” I said earnestly. I really did intend on following his orders. It would’ve been a real pain in the neck if he told me to rush in all by myself.

“Then let us do what needs to be done.”

The king quickly finished his preparations and left the village, leaving me to my own prep work. I was pretty agitated about it. We’d only just gotten the village’s defenses in working order, and now I was being told to go fight in a war. If this was unavoidable, I wanted to at least go with a group that I knew could handle it.

First and foremost, to protect our home, I would leave Esparda behind as the acting lord, along with any villagers who were good ballista operators. I would also leave the entirety of the Esparda Chivalric Order.

“Are you certain you do not need me to accompany you?” Esparda asked.

“You’re the only person who can run this place, Esparda.”

He scanned the faces around him, then nodded. “I understand. Well thought out, Lord Van.”

My butler had read between the lines. Well thought out, Esparda.

That was the village in safe hands. The next issue was figuring out who would come with me. “First, I’ll take Dee and half of his men as my own Chivalric Order.”

“Aye, sir!”

“It’d be too dangerous for Till and Khamsin to tag along, so—” “I’m coming with you, no matter what!” Khamsin cut in.

“As am I!” Till said.

“Oh, all right. Got it.” Talk about peer pressure. Well, I figured they’d come.

“Lady Arte, you’re our guest, so I’m going to have you stay here.” “I-I’m coming too!” Arte protested.

“Say what now?” I was so surprised that my response made me sound like a goober. But Arte looked like her resolve was as strong as ever. “It’s going to be dangerou—”

“I know.” This was the first time Arte had interrupted me to state her will.

I sighed and crossed my arms. “In that case, you need to be with me at all times, okay? That’s the only way I’ll allow you to come.”

“Of course!” she answered happily. I flashed her a pained smile. I sensed the cheery faces of those around us, but I chose to ignore them. Truth be told, Arte coming was a huge load off my shoulders. If we brought her custom puppet to the battlefield, it could serve as a powerful shield against enemy attacks.

I surveyed the lineup of large carriages, equipment, and knights in the open space within the village walls. “This should be good, right? Nobody is going to say the new baron is short on manpower, are they?”

Dee folded his arms and looked everything over. “If they knew how powerful we really are, they’d understand this is more than enough. Even considering your age, this should be fine.”

I nodded repeatedly. Ortho, watching from afar, spoke up. “Want us to escort you guys? We wouldn’t normally involve ourselves in a war, but we’d be happy to protect you, little lord.”

What a spectacular idea! This’ll make it a lot easier to boost our numbers. I raised both hands in the air. “Oooh! That’s awesome! In that case, let’s spread the word among the adventurers and see who else wants in! By the way, you have to come, Kusala.”

Kusula jumped. “Why do I always get treated like this?!” You’re still surprised by it?

“I don’t have any full-blown scouts in my Chivalric Order,” I explained. “I have a hunter, but it’s not exactly the same, y’know?”

Kusala frowned. “I mean, yeah, sure… But if this is a job offer, I do have the right to say no, don’t I?”

“Excuse me? Didn’t you know? If you don’t take the job, I’ll sentence you to death.”

“Death?! Fine, I’ll take it! Of course I will!” As usual, my joke resulted in exactly the reaction I wanted from Kusala. I assumed that his sobbing was part of the bit.

“All right. Ortho, can you pass this on to the adventurers? Anyone who accepts gets a down payment of five gold. Then, after completing the job, they’ll each get one large gold.”

“Everyone’s gonna end up coming, pal. You okay with that?”

“How many people are we talking?”

Ortho groaned. His expression was stern. “Um… Including the guys who showed up recently, probably, like, 150 adventurers in total? Maybe a few more?”

“A hundred fifty?! When did we get so many adventurers?” My surprise was genuine. We’d started with sixty people, give or take. How had that changed so much in such a short amount of time?

“Ah, the Adventurers’ Guild publicized everything, so even folks in the nearby towns know about the dungeon. And then there are the people who recently arrived from the capital. Remember, the guild wants to investigate this dungeon as soon as possible, and the more people there are, the faster the mapping goes and the better a grasp they get on the monster population.”

“Isn’t this all moving a little fast? Is the base by the dungeon able to accommodate that many people?”

“It’s totally fine. Folks normally spend one or two days dungeon running, so it should all work out as long as they swap places with the ones who are resting. And once people finish their dungeon dive, they head back to the village to sell off their findings anyway.”

Ah, right. That makes sense. “Either way, we’re talking about heading to the front lines of a real war, so please tell them that they’ll each be receiving five gold plus one large gold. They deserve at least that much if they’re going to risk their lives.”

Ortho laughed and nodded. “You got it. Just saying, though, being an adventurer means constantly putting your life on the line, so most of them aside from the real veterans would be glad to participate for just the five gold.

Granted, the bigger the reward, the better the result.”

I felt like I was learning something important about the extreme lifestyle that adventurers led. Then again, even the residents of Seatoh had frequently gone through life-or-death struggles before I arrived. Maybe this was just how the world worked.

“Okay, then let’s give everyone a better chance of survival! I’ll sell weapons and armor to Bell’s place wholesale. I’m pretty sure the Seatoh Chivalric Order is all good to go, but I bet the adventurers only ever buy weapons for themselves.”

Ortho lit up. “Wait, really?! There’s a constant shortage of goods there. Once I let everyone know, I’ll be first in line!”

“But isn’t your party fully decked out already?”

“See you later!”

He ran off, eyes blazing. I couldn’t tell if he hadn’t heard my question or just chose to ignore it.

Most of the knights of the Seatoh Chivalric Order wore armor made from wood blocks, but Ortho’s party was decked out in iron equipment. There were exceptions, of course: Pluriel went with wood block armor because it would be lighter for her, but even she had just bought a new mithril staff.

Eh, they’re important customers. Nothing wrong with giving them special treatment.

“Hm, maybe I’ll go check in on the Bell & Rango Company,” I thought aloud.

“Excellent idea!” Dee shouted.

Together, we went to check on the equipment. This was a great chance to see Rango, since it had been a while since we last spoke. I brought Till and the others with me as well. I poked my head into the store only to see Rango enveloped in an aura of exhaustion.

As soon as he noticed my presence, he ran over with tears in his eyes. “L-Lord

Vaaan!”

“’Sup?” I shot him a questioning glance, and he raised both hands in the air.

“Nothing! Everything! Ortho and his guys bring monster materials here every day. There are adventurers complaining about the lack of equipment. And now that we have more villagers, we don’t have enough food or seasonings! On top of all that, I taught the former slaves who work here the prices of individual items, but now the workers get into fights among themselves, and I have to be the one who steps in!”

“Wow. Uh, yeah. Sounds tough.” I nodded at Rango, attempting to soothe him in the face of this shower of complaints. They sounded like the kind you’d expect to hear from the stressed-out manager of a newly opened department store.

Honestly, he really was suffering like some sort of middle manager. You got this, Rango! Being able to manage your employees is a vital skill!

“Wait, what about that former merchant, or that one girl who had business acumen?” I asked. “You know, the beautiful one.”

“Ah, Medici. She’s the only reason things are still functioning around here, but she’s probably just as exhausted as I am—she’s been doing half of the employee training. She’s literally an angel, man,” he said, bringing his hands together in front of his chest. He stared off into the distance. “An angel.”

His mood swings were intense. “Okay…how about I help you sell some equipment?”

Abruptly, Rango started bawling. “If she’s an angel, you’re a god!”

I grimaced at the joyously tearful man in front of me. “Nope, I’m just Van.”

 

Medici’s branch of the Bell & Rango Company in Espar Town had all the same goods as the Seatoh location, though buying and selling materials in particular was exclusive to the latter. Honestly, being positioned so close to the road, it might have been even busier than the main store. And right now, the place was abuzz with activity.

I peeked inside. I’d made the building fairly large to accommodate a lot of people, but it was full to bursting with customers. Yeah, there are definitely more of them here than at the main store. Is this the draw of having a beautiful manager?

“Any more spears?” a customer asked.

“My apologies,” replied a young employee who was trying to deal with customers right by the entrance. “We sold our last spears just the other day…”

“I’d like a shield.”

“Ah, we still have small shields in stock!”

“Actually, I need one about this big.”

“I’m sorry, but we don’t have any of those left…”

The employee noticed me and tearfully shouted, “M-Manager! It’s Lord Van!

Lord Van’s here!”

This prompted the adventurers and villagers to look my way, and Medici emerged from the back. She looked genuinely exhausted. “Oh, Lord Van! Thank you for coming all this way. Um, are you here to restock our weapons and armor?” she asked in tones both hopeful and cautious.

Unthinking, I blurted out, “No, actually—”

“Ugh… Waaaaah!” She collapsed on the spot and openly sobbed. It was beyond pitiful.

“D-don’t worry! I’ll make some soon! Go on, get me the materials! I’ll whip up a bunch right now!” I said in a panicked attempt to follow up my initial answer with something positive.

Medici looked up at me, her eyes still full of tears, and clasped her hands in a gesture akin to prayer. “Th-thank you so much, Lord Van!”

“You’re quite welcome.”

She rose to her feet and called out to the other employees, “Bring us materials! Wood, iron, mithril—all of it!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Watching her desperately issuing orders, I worried that I was in for the fight of my life.

Mere moments later, I found myself whipping up weapons and armor with everything I had for the first time in ages. The adventurers eagerly lined up in front of me, so I made a price list and a box for them to throw their coins into.

“A short sword, if ya please! Iron!”

“Straight? Curved? Single edged?”

“Oh, um… Double-edged and straight, please!”

“Okay, how’s this look?”

“What the hoozie?! That was so fast! Amazing! Thank you so much!”

I handed out goodies to people, one after the other, intending to take less than five minutes per person. After two hours, I had handled everyone present.

“I’m about to keel over… Aren’t I supposed to be a baron, not a line worker?

Is ‘baron’ just another way of saying ‘factory manager’?”

“I-I’m sorry, I don’t think I follow…”

I was exhausted, so I teased Till for a bit. But I guess God was watching, because he decided to inflict some divine punishment upon me.

“Hey, little lord, I’ve brought some more customers!” Ortho declared, waltzing in with adventurers behind him.

“I’d like a long sword and a set of armor! Oh, and I’d like a large, slightly round shield too, thanks!”

The happy face. The cheerful voice. It was enough to make a man (child) collapse in despair.

Ashes. I had become ashes. I’d burned out completely. From now on, I shall be Van of the Ash.

And so young Van paid for his deeds by spending the entire day producing equipment for people. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to go to war, so at least making equipment was better than that. But no matter how I sliced it, it also wasn’t the job of a baron.

Grumblings aside, my next two days involved meetings with the Seatoh Chivalric Order. I gathered everyone in an open area of the village and stood on a platform. The Chivalric Order had grown since its inception thanks to the addition of new villagers and the slaves, putting their numbers over a hundred. It was still relatively small, but it was more than enough considering our population.

As everyone shifted their focus to me, I began to speak. “Uh, good day, members of the Chivalric Order. This will be your first military campaign. Our destination is Scudet, the largest fortress city in the area. It is under siege even as we speak.”

I could see my audience’s expressions grow serious, especially those of the villagers and slaves who had no combat experience. I get it, guys. I don’t wanna do this, and I’m sure you don’t want to either.

“Most likely, the aggressors are Yelenetta’s Chivalric Order. They’ve had

scuffles with our nation over and over again—and unlike us, they have a lot of experience.” My soldiers held their collective breath. Looking them over, I smiled. “But there is nothing to fear.”

The crowd stirred as they glanced at one another. Dee eyed me with particularly great interest.

Keenly aware of their gazes, I smiled wider and brought my right index finger up to my face. “There’s no way we’ll be deployed to the front lines.”

More murmurs in the crowd. This time, someone raised a hand: Paula, the captain of my super-strong machine bow squad.

I pointed to her. “Yes, you!”

“Um, haven’t you just been promoted to baron, Lord Van? Isn’t it more likely that you will be put on the front lines?”

“Excellent question! An absolutely fantastic one, my dear Paula!” Paula flinched in surprise at my over-the-top reaction. I was hyped because she’d given me the perfect chance to explain things. “You see, the king himself is very interested in my weapons and this fortified city! And since sending a brand-new Chivalric Order of two or three hundred soldiers to the front lines comes with a high risk of annihilation, we’ll probably be placed in the rear. Probably!”

Ortho, who was spec’d out in fresh gear, spoke up next. “It’d be great if things played out that way, but I’d argue our current group would fare well on the front lines. Hell, we got more than fifty of those machine bows you made, right?”

“You’re right, but if we go to the front lines, casualties will be unavoidable. My goal is for everyone to come home in one piece.”

I gestured to Till and Khamsin, who opened the wooden boxes lined up in front of us. The folks standing in the front got up on their tiptoes to see inside. I grinned at the childish sight, looked at Khamsin, and pointed at the box to my right. He nodded, lifting up its contents to show the crowd.

“With that in mind, I’ve prepared new equipment to keep you all safe and sound. These shields are big, lightweight, and sturdy. If you stand them on the ground and lean into the back, you can completely hide yourself.” On cue, Khamsin and company handed out shields to the people directly in front of me. “I even included a barred window toward the top so you can see what’s ahead while you’re protecting yourself.”

“Whoa, it’s so light!”

I watched my knights gush over the shields for a moment, then continued my explanation. “They’re made from the same materials as your armor, so they’re tough as iron and weigh very little. By the way, I attached thin mithril plates to their surfaces, so they should be able to withstand one or two fire magic attacks!”

“Wow, incredible!”

“No guarantees, though,” I added under my breath. I didn’t want to cause a fuss, but my ultimate plan was to have people fire bolts and provide support from afar, so I wasn’t all that worried about direct attacks. “All that’s left are the carriages, so I guess I’ll whip some up,” I muttered. “Considering King Dino and Panamera’s travel plans, we still have a bit of time…”

After that, I dismissed the Order so Dee could train them.