I BEGAN MAKING CARRIAGES the next morning and finished them in three days.

People poked fun at my absurd speed and made all sorts of comments, but I brushed them all off.

Ha ha ha! Do not underestimate little Van. He’ll do anything necessary to stay safe! Self-restraint? I laugh in your face!

In total, there were ten silver carriages each capable of holding ten people, plus fifty horses to pull them. That was as many war wagons and horses as I could prepare ahead of the battle, and quite frankly, it still wasn’t enough. But, at the very least, we resembled a proper Chivalric Order.

I did a few final checks to be sure everything was ready. “It’ll supposedly take about two weeks to reach our destination. We’ve got food, backup weapons and shields… I’m done readying the secret weapon… Okay, we’re good to take off!”

“We leave now!” Dee shouted from atop his steed. “All squads besides the fifth, take your positions! Fifth squad, prepare the ballistae in the war wagons!”

“Yes, sir!” Everyone was quick to respond, and they soon moved into a neat marching formation.

Wonderful. This pleases little Van.

Inside the sixth carriage, Till stammered, “Um, i-is it really okay for me to ride in a carriage?” That particular vehicle boasted the most lavish interior design of all of the carriages I’d made.

“Of course. You’re one of my caretakers. That alone requires more work than just walking outside,” I replied, and Till bashfully smiled.

The troops would take turns resting in the carriages, but since I was the lord and all, I got to ride the whole way to our destination. Also with me were Khamsin, decked out in light gear and ready to don heavy armor at any time, and Arte, whose stamina was a concern. Oh, and I’d be remiss not to mention that the super-strong and awesome machine bow squad was also riding in carriages.

“Let’s take it easy for now,” I said. “Once we get to Scudet, we’ll do some recon. If the enemy has retreated, then great. I suspect they’re probably still fighting, though.”

Even though magic existed in this world, castle sieges apparently still took a long time. No mages could easily blast through castles or fortress walls. It would be a different story if someone had ten or twenty first-rate elemental mages at their disposal, but acquiring so many was a difficult task. Talented mages were required to protect the nation, and the enemy had mages for the same purpose. Supposedly.

“If Scudet is a cornerstone of this country’s defenses, then there’ll be mages positioned there, right?” I asked Dee.

“But of course! And that territory also belongs to Lord Fertio! I am certain he’ll bring his Chivalric Order as reinforcements!”

I grunted. “Makes sense, I guess.”

Pops was amazing, no matter how you looked at it. I understood that. His obsession with meritocracy meant he wasn’t right in the head as far as I was concerned, but there was no denying his immense skill. And then there was his Chivalric Order, the one he built up from nothing by gathering people with serious talent and training them to hell and back. Whenever I had a break from Dee’s training, I used to sneak a peek at their sessions; the fact that those knights were able to keep up with that regimen meant they were crazy good.

For the record, my regimen was the same as the soldiers-in-training, so I didn’t participate in that particular brand of hell.

“Well, as long as there isn’t an overwhelming difference in numbers, I suppose things should be fine,” I mused aloud, and settled back to enjoy the journey.

 

When we arrived at the scene, things were not as we expected. The battle

was already over, and Scudet’s collapse was on full display.

A massive cloud of dark smoke rose from the ground. Beneath it lay the collapsed walls and scarred remains of buildings. Soldiers fled in chaotic groups from the fortress city, and if I were a betting man, I’d say they belonged to either the borderlands or the marquis. A large group of knights in black armor stood near one ruined wall.

“I cannot believe Scudet fell in only a month or two,” Dee’s underling Arb whispered in shock.

Dee’s brow wrinkled. “I assume that was the cause,” he said, pointing to some wyverns perching on a wall in the distance. There weren’t just one or two wyverns—over a dozen of the beasts lurked atop one corner. It was an unnatural sight, to be sure, and I had no trouble believing they’d destroyed the fortress city. A burst of flame and wind erupted from within the walls as angry roars reached our ears.

“Looks like they’re still fighting,” I said.

Jaw set, Dee nodded. “They are. I assume that the border knights are taking up the rear guard, and the marquis’s men are leading the evacuation.”

“Right. Scudet isn’t just a fortress, it’s a city to boot. There must be lots of civilians there…”

“The marquis’s Chivalric Order has deployed around the city to keep the enemy at bay. They’re not being pursued head-on, but they have completely lost their chance to retreat.”

Once I’d heard grim reports from three different people, I folded my arms and groaned. The enemy was still focused on taking the city and pursuing the forces in front of them, so they hadn’t noticed our presence yet. I didn’t want to do anything crazy, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t provide some backup.

I looked up. “It’s a bit early for this, but I think we need to unveil our secret weapon. Get it ready, but also be prepared to flee at any time,” I told Dee, who agreed and leapt into action. I watched as he and the men quickly prepared themselves, then turned around to look at Arte. “Are you going to be okay? You know, with the secret weapon and all?”

She wrung her hands and nodded. “I can do this.” Her shoulders trembled even as she voiced her resolve.

“I know you can,” I said with a warm smile. “Till, Khamsin—Arte might be defenseless, so I need you guys to cover her.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Of course, my lord!” Their heads bobbed in tandem as they raised their large shields, getting into position.

A quick five minutes, eh?

We lined the war wagons to the right and left, then raised their roofs toward the driver’s seats. Since I’d made them with wood blocks, it only took a handful of strong people to move them. In the blink of an eye, we had turned the wagons into a giant barricade.

I opened the sliding windows I’d put in and had my men place the ballistae there. We were ready to go with our giant wall composed of ten armored wagons and ballistae. Standing behind each wagon was its operator and reloader, and farther back were the machine bow squad and the shield squad to protect them.

We were an iron wall.

“Right then,” I said. “Begin the attack! The louder and wilder we are, the more people we’ll help escape, so go all out! Arte, if you would?”

Arte nodded and looked through the holes in the wall at the city covered in smoke. “Here I go… Automaton, Uno!” At her shout, the wood block puppets sitting in each carriage rose to their feet.

After half a day of fine-tuning, I’d finally completed Arte’s very own puppets. The attire of each was slightly different, but they all wore dresses and suits of armor. Each slender warrior stood three meters in height, and they wielded long swords and massive shields. And since I had made their armaments with wood blocks, the stress on Arte would be kept to a minimum.

The automatons rose to their feet atop the carriages and lightly leapt into the air. The members of the Seatoh Chivalric Order raised voices of admiration as they watched them move with grace and beauty. The puppets soon landed beyond the wall and, just as Arte envisioned, they broke into a run toward the fortress city. They moved like the wind.

Some of the enemy forces noticed them, but by then it was too late. Using the enemy’s carriages as footholds, the automatons leapt into the air and cut off the heads of the wyverns so artfully that it

looked as though they were cleaving through the sky.

“All right! While they’re confused, shoot as many wyverns as you can!” I shouted. My troops began to fire bolt after bolt from the ballistae.

“Wyverns controlled by marionette mages are slow to react! Take your time and aim carefully!” Dee said.

All right, everyone. It’s time for war. Fitting that my first act on the battlefield is a surprise attack.

 

Jalpa

“SCUDET IS UNDER ATTACK.”

When I heard the report, my mind immediately went to Yelenetta’s yearly harassment. They knew that a head-to-head conflict was ill-advised, but the fact that we were amassing power made them sweat. Consequently, they’d taken to haranguing us every year to chip away at our defenses. That was the main reason behind their actions, but every time they attacked, they prepared enough soldiers to assault the fortress city. If the city were surrounded, food supply problems would eventually surface.

“I suppose I have no choice. Deploy only the first Chivalric Order and the mage squad,” I said. “Send an envoy to the nearby lords and tell them to dispatch soldiers, too.”

My butler, Silhouette, spoke up. “Your son’s village is out in that area. Shall I

—”

“Are you a fool? There is no way such an insignificant village could afford to send out soldiers. In all likelihood, they barely have enough food to eat.”

Silhouette wore a complex look on his face. “But according to the merchants who came from the capital the other day, Lord Van has slain a dragon and received the title of baron…”

I heaved a sigh. The man was Esparda’s successor, and he knew all too well what his duties were as a butler. Capable as he was, he did not have Esparda’s knowledge or experience. He lacked tact.

“Utter nonsense if you think about it for more than a few seconds. What value is there in rumors communicated through who knows how many people? If a young dragon or demihuman were slain, the report would come straight to me, and I have heard no such thing.”

“Th-that is true. However…Lord Van is no ordinary child. He is capable of unpredictable feats of—”

“Silence. Keep quiet and hurry with the preparations.”

Silhouette nodded, visibly frustrated, and left the room.

“Van is most certainly a genius.”

For many years I heard those words uttered by servants in the manor— especially the maids. There was a time when I’d taken them seriously and focused all my energy on the child, but as far as I could tell, he simply had a knack for learning. Time seemed to bear that out: Esparda and Dee trained and educated him, but his results were no more impressive than those of any other child.

He could not produce results. Was there some sort of potential the others sensed that I could not? I thought as much for a time, but when his magical aptitude was appraised, I was faced with the worst-case scenario. My high expectations for him only compounded my disappointment, and my feelings toward the boy cooled rapidly.

“Hmph!” I snorted, gazing out the window. “Slew a dragon and became a hero, did he? How could a child in a village like that possibly defeat a dragon?

Even with Esparda and Dee there, it’s impossible.”

The city’s main street stretched northward. It was the very same street by which Van had left when he departed for the nameless village. Before his departure, many of my maids and soldiers asked for permission to go with him, but—unable to afford to sacrifice useful manpower to a region that would undoubtedly fail—I denied them all. Even now, I did not comprehend their adoration for him.

When word first reached me that Van had been given a peerage, I suspected it was a ploy by Lord Ferdinatto. That territory had originally belonged to him, so he could put the boy in his debt by lending him a helping hand, perhaps improving his chances of reclaiming his land. However, I quickly banished the thought. Not only was it far too convoluted, but it was also risky. The count was unlikely to attempt such a maneuver when he was already so wary of me.

“Utter foolishness… Though once Yelenetta’s forces are chased off, I suppose I shall pay the village a visit.”

Should the boy have made some kind of progress, I would not be averse to providing a measure of aid.

Having come to that conclusion, I put my thoughts of Van aside for the time being.

 

We arrived in the largest town outside of Scudet and gathered the Chivalric

Orders and mercenaries from the nearby settlements before marching toward

Scudet proper. I had made this journey and fought this fight so many times that I knew the route like the back of my hand; we would arrive at Scudet in a mere three weeks. I would argue that the journey had never been so fast.

But when we arrived, a good portion of Scudet’s walls was already destroyed, and the city was surrounded.

“Impossible,” I muttered. “Scudet’s powerful fortress wall has crumbled?”

Just then, something small and dark fell from the sky and onto the wall. The ground shook and flames erupted, followed by billowing black smoke.

“Magic from the sky?!”

Clearly as confused as I was, a private said, “I can’t be sure, my lord! There are countless wyverns in the sky. Do you think there are mages, too?!”

Stradale, the man with the deep-blue hair beside me, narrowed his eyes. “It would appear as though that attack caused irreparable damage to the wall. I imagine it is now on the verge of collapse. I surmise something was dropped from the wyverns. Casting fire spells to destroy them while they’re in the air or taking out the remaining infantry would be most effective.”

I acknowledged his suggestion with a curt nod. “Understood. That mage’s attack is deadly and, unfortunately, the caster is too far away for me to accurately hit from this angle. Same goes for the wyverns themselves.” “Then we’ll take care of the soldiers on the ground.”

“Right.”

Stradale rattled off orders, initiating our strategy. Watching him from behind, I smiled at the way he moved without pause or question. He was a tremendously reliable man, and rich with ingenuity—the perfect commander for my Chivalric Order. He continued to issue concise instructions as he led his men out on horseback. “Be careful of attacks from the wyverns! Keep moving, and be swift about it!”

The enemy had no formation to speak of, but they would surround us if we simply rushed forward. To prevent that from happening, we had to expand in both directions, taking over one side of the city. If we managed that, all we needed to do was chase off the enemy like we always had in the past.

The wyverns are our primary threat, I thought as I surveyed the scene from our temporary base camp.

Yet the situation did not progress as we anticipated. Several areas on the battlefield exploded, making both the air and the ground shake and sending my troops flying. I initially thought it was some new form of magic, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Regardless, I could not afford to ignore what was happening. “Split the vanguard to the left and right. I’m heading out.”

This startled the young private, who said “As you wish!” before riding out to execute my commands.

After a brief delay, the Order made its way through the troops, and a gap opened in the forces ahead of me. It revealed the Yelenetta soldiers with their backs to the wall, looking my way. Once I confirmed that, I began to chant. “Belt of hellfire… Flare.”

The spell worked immediately. My gauntlet, made from mithril and the hide of a fire dragon, was enveloped in flames that flickered and swayed as though alive. The flames grew in both size and power and launched at the enemy soldiers. The stream of fire traversed the ground, burning the living and dead alike and turning more than a hundred people to ash before it collided with the wall. With nowhere else for it to go, it set the wall ablaze.

This one attack was enough to strike fear into the hearts of nearby enemy soldiers, who froze in place. Having anticipated this, my own troops did not hesitate to charge the enemy. The tide of the battle turned in an instant, and my Chivalric Order chased our fleeing enemy and took back the area around Scudet.

We should be fine.

No sooner had this thought entered my mind than I saw something black falling from high up in the sky. “That’s not good,” I said. The ground quaked, jolting our men on both sides of the battlefield. “It would appear as though our battle ends here.” Exhaling sharply, I began another incantation.

 

Yelenetta’s Army

THE RAMPAGING FLAMES TORCHED THE WALL and our troops. Rallying behind them, our enemies went on the offensive. The speed with which they shifted from defense to offense was tremendous, suggesting that the fire magic had been part of their strategy. As the third-eldest prince of Yelenetta and commander of the Chivalric Order’s second squad, I had to turn things around.

“So, Scuderia’s guard dog has appeared at last? Just as planned,” I said. Then I raised my voice to issue orders. “Hurry and give the command. Tell them to stay calm when they’re throwing the onyx spheres.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

My orders traveled briskly to the front lines. After a brief delay, explosions broke out here and there. The corners of my mouth tipped into a smile.

The onyx spheres.

Our new, almost excessively powerful weapon had upended the lives of the smaller northern countries that had been exploited up until now. We didn’t have many, but they could be a menace when we applied them during key battles. Getting our hands on this new weapon had enabled us to finally invade Scudet. Our long years of being mocked and underestimated were at an end.

The onyx spheres allowed those without magic to produce even more impressive results. Our men put distance between themselves and the enemies before throwing the volatile projectiles. It was more than enough to cut down the marquis’s numbers. With no other options, the enemy soldiers stopped in their tracks.

“This is our chance! Give the signal. Do not let this opportunity go to waste!”

My adjutant did as I instructed, shooting three small pillars of fire into the sky. When they saw our signal, the wyverns descended rapidly, dropping onyx spheres onto the battlefield below. The enemy had no recourse. I watched as they were blown away, each blast reverberating through the air. Before long, their formation was in ruins.

My shoulders shook as I laughed, delighted by the results before me. “Wonderful! Even better than expected! I never thought things would go this well for us.” Pleased, I brushed a hand through my green hair.

The key to this battle was taking the fortress city of Scudet. We had intended to cut off the city’s supply chain by occupying the two towns and three villages nearby, but that would no longer be necessary. Especially now that the city’s defense force was moving to procure a retreat path.

A portion of the wall had been blown away, and our Chivalric Order took the opportunity to flood into the city. After all these years, it was time for us to take Scudet. I had been belittled ever since I was put in charge of the Order’s second squad, but this victory would allow me to prove my worth.

“I’m not inclined to strike down fleeing knights and citizens, but follow-up attacks are part of the splendor of war. Have the wyverns drop onyx spheres ahead of where they’re fleeing, then strike them down from behind with your swords,” I commanded. “Show them what crushing defeat looks like.” I watched the citizens and soldiers spill out of the city, cackling all the while.

My messenger ran off to deliver the new orders. Our vanguard was in the process of tossing onyx spheres and pulling back. It would take some time to reorganize the formation for our follow-up attack, but our enemy couldn’t move quickly because they had to evacuate civilians.

Leashing my impatience, I surveyed the combat situation. “Let us take our time and regroup. We will not have another chance like this. I will take Lord

Fertio’s head in this battle!”

Once I confirmed the presence of fire magic on the field, I put the wyverns on standby atop the wall. When our attack began anew, they would circle around in front of the enemy and use their onyx spheres to annihilate them. While we had cut through half of our supply, we still had more than enough left to get the job done.

“Checkmate. By taking Scudet, we have effectively captured this entire region. Over the next three months, we can strengthen the defenses here and take another enemy stronghold…” Feasting on the joy of a bright future, I checked on my Chivalric Order’s formation and nodded in satisfaction. With a triumphant cry, I issued my final command: “It is time to annihilate our enemy!

Our follow-up attack begins now! Soldier, citizen, I care not! Kill them all!”

Sensing that this battle was already won, our men roared triumphantly, raising their swords aloft as they began their forward march. I smiled and gestured my palm toward the wyverns perched on the edge of the wall.

“Tell the marionette mages the wyvern squad must get ahead of the enemy and drop the onyx spheres onto them. Be wary of fire magic and maintain a high altitude!”

This is the end.

I eyed the wyverns, anticipating our final strike…but it never came.

A spray of blood exploded from the creature closest to me, which tumbled down from the wall. Its head had popped off its body as easily as a doll’s, and I watched in shock as it plummeted. Immediately, there came some sort of heavy, booming noise, followed by something whistling through the air. One wyvern, then two, fell from the wall.

This wasn’t a case of the creatures losing their balance, especially not given the way they smashed into the ground. “Wh-what happened?” I whispered just as another wyvern lost its head and dropped dead.

Since wyverns under the control of marionette mages could not dodge of their own volition, the mage in control had to issue a command before it could move. This made instantaneous reactions impossible.

“What’s happening?! What is taking the wyverns’ heads?!” I shouted at my nearby adjutant, but all he could do was shake his head, pale-faced.

Curses! Everyone is so useless!

I gritted my teeth with such rage that it threatened to boil my insides. “Have the wyverns take off at once! They should be safe in the—”

I once again heard the sound of whistling, followed by a loud boom. Another wyvern fell from the wall. At this point, it was almost comical: a third of our wyverns had been massacred.

It’s all happening so fast. What fresh hell is this?!

Yet another wyvern was decapitated. This terrible spectacle made me want to cover my eyes, but I made sure to watch carefully—and this time, I saw it. A slender figure zipped forward and swung a sword.

“It’s the enemy! The enemy is on the wall with a sword! Evacuate the fortress!”

The figure was wearing feminine attire, but that was of no consequence. Master of the blade or first-rate adventurer, they wouldn’t be able to take out our wyverns once they took flight. My prayers were answered as the beasts lifted off, one after another.

“There we go! That’s it! The sky! Attack the wall from the sky! Whoever this is, they’re a much bigger threat than Lord Fertio!” I shouted.

But almost as if my cries were themselves a signal, that nightmarish series of sounds filled the air once more. This time, four wyverns were slain and plummeted to the ground.

“No! What the hell is happening?! Where is the enemy?!”

My adjutant panicked. “T-to the right! They were not on the battlefield at the start!”

I spun to where he pointed and saw something in the distance—some sort of giant wall. “Change targets! We are not retreating! Lord Fertio’s Chivalric Order is already running, so there’s no way they can get us in a pincer attack! We will crush this new enemy with all our might!”

I yanked my horse around. Though I had no idea what the strange wall was, our new enemy was in a tight, small formation of fewer than a thousand.

“We will crush them!” I bellowed with everything I had, raising my sword skyward.

 

Van

AFTER LOSING OVER HALF OF THEIR WYVERNS, Yelenetta’s soldiers turned around and headed toward us.

“Okay, time to retreat!” I cried. “Retract the carriage shields! We can still use the ballistae, so we’ll aim for the wyverns while we pull back!”

“We’re running?!” Ortho replied. “If we finish off the wyverns, we can win!” He wasn’t the only one looking at me in disbelief; the villagers-turned-knights were as well. Till, Dee, and Dee’s men seemed to understand what I was thinking, however, so they kept quiet.

“Remember what I said at the start? Our main objective is to make sure no one here dies. Make sure we all get to go home together. If we go up against an army of that size, we’re done for. Even if we do somehow win, we’ll be left in tatters. Anyone who wants to die can stay, but I’m going home, okay? So, who wants to die?”

Not a single person nodded. In fact, their response was so earnest that I couldn’t help but smile as I raised a hand.

“Retreat it is, then! The road is wide, so we can line the carriages up side-byside and have the Chivalric Order guard us from both sides. Adventurers, we’re counting on you for hit-and-run attacks! Oh, and we’ll be attacking with the ballistae and rapid-fire bows from the carriages, too, so try not to move around too much!”

Everyone moved with great haste, returning the war wagons to their proper forms and bringing the ballistae out to aim to the rear. Stationed on the carriages were the machine bow squad members on standby; their task was to aim at incoming enemies from the windows. Just to be on the safe side, some of the calvary also had machine bowmen riding with them, and Arte had already called back her puppets from the wall.

“Our main objective here is to not let the enemy get close,” I said as our carriages raced down the road in retreat.

Khamsin poked his head out the window. “The enemy is closing in, and the ballistae can’t seem to hit the wyverns!”

“Are they flying in zigzags? Hmm, in that case, tell the ballista operators to predict where the wyverns are flying and shoot ahead of them. Arte, do you mind if I ask you to handle the enemies closest to us?”

Arte looked outside and declared, “Understood. I’ll protect the rear.” She drew upon her magical energy, her lips moving with a silent chant. Moments later, one of her puppets descended from the carriage and ran like the wind to the rear. The moment after it kicked off the ground, it was already far away. Arte watched with a fierce look on her face as it hurtled toward the enemy like a humanoid wrecking ball. Then it quickly swung its sword.

It was a simple horizontal slash, but the soldier who tried to take the blow with his shield was sent flying, bringing a few others with him. A handful of nearby enemy troops erupted with fresh blood before collapsing to the ground.

The doll rushed into the center of their formation, too fast for our eyes to make out. Even without seeing the fight, we heard the bloodcurdling screams and clanging of combat coming from the group.

The enemies were slowing down, so I rattled off fresh orders. “Great! All ballistae and machine bows, fire at once! Now that they’ve stopped, this is our chance!”

A gigantic wave of bolts soared overhead. Since our machine bows could fire ten bolts without stopping, they rained down on the enemy like a horrible tempest.

“Okay, guys! We’re splitting! Retreat with everything you’ve got! Machine bow squad, reload!”

My people shouted in affirmation. That’s what I like to hear. Mm-hmm! Now run!

“The enemy calvary is coming!” Till told me.

“Let’s leave them to Dee.”

“Oh, they’ve been annihilated,” Khamsin said.

“I figured.”

Till and Khamsin were acting as real-time relays, providing me with the latest information while Dee, his men, and the adventurers formed a nighimpenetrable iron wall around us. Meanwhile, my people finished reloading their weapons, reversing positions rapidly.

“Arte, can you cut down the trees on the left side of the road so they collapse inward?”

“I shall try!”

She reacted swiftly, her puppet running back from the rear. Looking at the automaton, Arte pointed the palm of her hand toward the side of the road, and the puppet leapt toward the spot where the road ended and the forest of trees began. It proceeded to cut down the trees as if they were bamboo being sliced apart with a nata. The trees then fell into the road, becoming obstacles for our pursuers.

After that, we put space between ourselves and the enemy forces. They attempted to pursue us a few times, but in the end we managed to avoid danger thanks to Arte’s puppet, our ballistae, and our machine bows. We spent a day going down the road, rested for five hours, and then made a break for the village. We spent each subsequent day traveling for some twelve hours, then resting and camping out for another twelve overnight.

Eventually, we found ourselves back at my second home, Seatoh.

“We did it. We’re finally home,” someone said.

I smiled and nodded. Then I made my way to the coach of the carriage and stood up, pumping a fist into the air. “We’re home! It’s time for a feast! Who wants a barbecue?!”

The whole group erupted in cheers.

Someone on top of Seatoh’s wall must’ve seen us, because they raised both arms and yelled something, and the gate opened with even more cheers. The folks who had stayed behind in the village rushed out of the gate, waving at us. Esparda was in the very front to greet us.

“We’re back!” I announced in front of the gate while the crowd rushed over.

Surrounded by smiles, I let them know the most important thing of all: “Everyone’s okay! No casualties!”

They broke out in applause, joy and relief washing over them in equal measure.

“Welcome home, my lord. It is good to see you safe and well,” Esparda said, bowing his head deeply.

I beamed at him. “Thanks a bunch, and thanks for holding down the fort too.

Did anything happen while we were out?”

“Yes, well, more people from the count’s territory arrived. Our population has increased by some three hundred individuals.”

“Huh. Then Seatoh has finally joined the 1k club? What’s the living situation like?”

“I currently have them staying at the Order’s barracks. They’re in the middle of learning how to do their new jobs, so it would be a great help if you checked in on them.”

“Right, right. Okay. Well, let’s have ourselves a barbecue first! It’ll double as a welcome party.” I grinned at Esparda, and the young woman working under him —who was his apprentice of sorts—spoke up.

“Um, wh-what about the war?” she asked hesitantly.

My smile went crooked. “We lost! I mean, having a whole fortress city taken from us definitely stings, but we came back in one piece, so it’s all good! Ha ha ha!”

Everyone looked pretty concerned about it, but c’est la vie!