“HOW CAN THIS BE?” HIS MAJESTY WHISPERED. HE WAS climbing to the top of the fortress, gazing at the tower in the building’s center and looking thoroughly astonished. “It’s incredible that you were able to build a fortress like this while fending off a concentrated magic attack. If the enemy did something like this, I would be horrified. After all, this structure is equipped with your ballistae—if this isn’t a terrifying threat, I don’t know what is.”

He turned around to look at Count Ferdinatto, who nodded. “Indeed, Your Majesty. I truly am grateful that Baron Van is on our side. With this fortress, we can save soldiers who otherwise would have perished in combat.”

Ventury and Panamera both nodded at Ferdinatto’s words, but Jalpa and a handful of the other nobles grimaced. I watched them out of the corner of my eye, then turned to face the king. “All right, Your Majesty, I think I’ll be going…”

The king raised a hand, stopping me in my tracks, and smiled. “Now, now. What’s the hurry, Baron Van? If you leave now, you will have to travel through the mountains at night. Why not rest here under the Chivalric Orders’ protection and set out tomorrow?”

“Um. Well, it seems like the war is about to break out this very second…?”

Getting involved in the battle was the last thing I wanted. I knew how rude it was to reject the king’s offer, but I just didn’t want to go to war. I figured I could smile, bow considerately, and decline his offer in a reserved fashion, but the king was having none of it.

“Fear not. No one is telling you to go to war. I would, however, greatly appreciate it if you made a few more buildings to the rear of the fortress.”

“Understood. I am deeply grateful for your consideration. I will get to work at once.” This wasn’t an order from His Majesty, but rather a request, so I wouldn’t feel right turning him down in front of the other nobles. I could only bow my head and do as he asked.

His Majesty, for his part, looked pleased as punch. “I knew I could count on you! You always put the kingdom first!”

Yeah. I really, really had no choice but to obey. Still, I could at least build the place the way I wanted. Architectural design and construction, what a great summer vacation!

I dragged Dee, Khamsin, the Seatoh Chivalric Order, and the adventurers with me down the steps of the fortress. As if we’d timed it that way, a loud explosion sounded then from the other side of the building, shaking the very ground. The fighting had started in earnest.

I’d installed ballistae, but given the size of their fortress, the battle would still be long and drawn out. They had mages, too. It was possible our ballistae could be destroyed in the fight. Granted, they would have to be very powerful mages to make that happen.

I checked out the rear of the fortress, silently patting myself on the back. Before me lay the freshly paved road and an abundance of trees that grew out of the uneven terrain. I couldn’t construct anything too big, but other than that, my skill was the only limit. What should I build?

It was then that Till and Arte descended from my carriage. With a relieved expression, Till exclaimed, “Thank goodness you’re okay, Lord Van!”

“Till was very worried about you,” Arte said. Till nodded tearfully.

I smiled at Arte. “So does that mean you weren’t all that worried?” I teased.

Arte blinked. Her cheeks turned bright red, and she looked down. “I-I was. But

I know all about your magic, so I was sure you would be okay.”

I offered her a nod. “All thanks to Dee, Khamsin, and the Seatoh Chivalric Order. Ortho and his people also worked their butts off. We were successful because the construction process went so well.” I looked around. “Now then, I’m going to build out the rear of the fortress some more. Everyone—” I cut myself off, watching the knights and adventurers going up and down the stairs carrying wood blocks. “Actually, how about we take a rest first?”

Giving them even more work might be overkill right now. Only a predatory company would force this kind of work on their employees. If I were one of those employees, I’d be filing complaints and advocating for my rights.

But Khamsin, still holding a wood block, shook his head fiercely. “If you’re working, then there’s no way I can take a break.”

“Come on, everyone’s probably exhausted. Right, guys?”

Ortho and the others turned around, standing there with wood blocks slung over their shoulders. Ortho said, “Did you say something? And where should we put these?”

“I’ll do anything ya want!” Kusala chimed in. “I’m countin’ on you when it comes time to build my second hotel!”

They were both grinning. Sure, they had ulterior motives, but they were doing such good work this time around, I decided to forgive them. If they wanted rewards, I wouldn’t mind crafting some mithril weapons for them afterward.

While I thought it over, the captain of my super-powerful rapid-fire machine bow squad looked over at me. She was holding a wood block too. “Lord Van, the Chivalric Order will help as well! We’re up for anything!” Paula said excitedly.

“Whoa, you guys are really giving me corporate slave vibes. You’d do great at a predatory company,” I joked, trying to cover up how embarrassed and pleased I was. “In that case, everyone, I’m counting on you to help expand the fortress!”

 

“Incredible! Little Van transformed the cool fortress into something truly spectacular!”

“Hm? Did you say something, Lord Van?” Khamsin asked.

This earnest reply to my joke was the most embarrassing counterattack he could possibly have hit me with. I nodded vaguely and averted my gaze. “I was, uh, just saying that I’m glad we finished the fortress.”

Khamsin nodded, beaming. “Yes! The fortress is incredible! I knew you could do it, Lord Van!”

Because we had so many people who needed to be accommodated, I made all the rooms massive, and the fortress wound up a tad bigger than I’d initially anticipated. I didn’t regret it, though. This was the most fascinating building I’d made yet.

I gazed up at my creation, utterly satisfied.

The first problem I had to confront was the narrow road and the mountain slopes to either side of it. If I didn’t handle those properly, I’d never have been able to construct a structure large enough to provide lodgings to the royal army. I made the first floor the same width as the road, then built the second floor a little wider. Only the second floor was connected to the fortress I’d constructed earlier, making it easier to protect. This was key.

I made each subsequent floor wider yet. When all was said and done, the second, third, and fourth floors looked like an umbrella eclipsing the mountain road. The third and fourth floors followed the slope of the mountain to either side, so I shaped them to hug those slopes. Building the base along the road made it long and visually striking—a rather avant-garde design, if I did say so myself. It would have been even classier as a high-rise, but that was impossible with only wood blocks on hand.

As it was, the first floor functioned as both a lobby and a hallway, and it was stupidly long. I separated several sections of it into rooms. At the entrance, the center of the first floor, and the back were stairs leading to the second floor, which had rooms for resting, eating, and bathing. All the lodgings were on the third floor, while the fourth held individual rooms designated for royalty and nobles, places to hold meetings, and a storage area for important items.

“A fair number of people can rest here. Oh, right—His Majesty told us to stay the night. Sorry guys, guess we’ll be heading home tomorrow.”

I turned around to find Arte and Till looking relieved.

“Is that so?” asked Arte. “The evening is almost upon us, so it would be a relief to be able to rest here tonight.”

“It worries me a little to be right on the front lines, but I know we can trust your work,” said Till. “Will we be staying on the third floor?”

I held up a hand and quickly corrected them. “No, no. Staying in the same place as the other Chivalric Orders would be far too dangerous. Remember, we were attacked not too long ago. I’ll be building our accommodations some distance away.”

“…You mean right now?” Till asked, wide-eyed.

I folded my arms. “Yeah. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t take me more than an hour.” Just take a look at how thick my trusty biceps are getting! Pretty macho for a nine-year-old, right? Okay, yes, Till’s sweets are so good that I may have a little bit of a belly, but let’s just call that part of my charm! “Now then, one final push.”

 

Panamera

“FLAME JAVELIN!”

I cast my spell, destroying another portion of the enemy fortress walls. At this point, a number of mages had landed magical attacks on the structure, but it was still holding up. Well, that was to be expected of a fortification built to defend a strategic point. Our enemies had proven themselves plenty capable of defending against our mages’ attacks, even going so far as to strike back.

“I’m almost out of magical energy,” I groaned. I took two steps back,

prompting Count Ventury to pat my shoulder and swap places with me.

“Go and rest.”

“Understood.” As I turned my back to the battlefield, climbing to the fortress’s second floor, the sounds of the battle followed me.

I clicked my tongue slightly and asked myself, “Have I been too hasty in pursuit of glory? I didn’t expect their defenses to hold after more than half a day’s fight alongside veteran mages. It appears that we underestimated our enemy. Our fortress is made of stronger stuff than theirs, though, so as long as we stay alert during the night, it will only be a matter of time before… Hmm?”

As I reached the second floor, I sensed that something was off. Had the interior of the fortress always looked like this? I’d been in this spot so recently, and yet…I was confused. It was different from what I remembered.

For one thing, there’d been no doors there before. I knew I was in a heightened mental state from the combat, but even so, I wouldn’t forget something like this.

I put a hand on the double doors and pushed them open. Beyond it was a hall that was comically long.

“What? What is going on?” I asked aloud. There was, of course, no one present to answer. I had ordered my people to support the other Chivalric Orders on the third floor, so none of them were around.

The hall was wide enough for two or three people to walk abreast, with evenly spaced doors going down either side. These rooms went all the way down the hall. The hall itself curved gradually to the right. It must’ve been built along the road itself.

Only one person could have thought this up and built it. “He’s made yet another strange thing,” I whispered with a sigh, then put a hand on my hip and shook my head. “Fascinating. I must find and complain to him directly.”

Knowing Van, he’d prioritized practical considerations when designing this structure. As one of the people on the receiving end of his surprises, though, I had to complain regardless. Moreover, if I did not locate him posthaste and have him provide a guide for His Majesty, this could turn into an actual problem.

“Everything he makes is impressive, but his way of thinking is certainly childish,” I said, smiling to myself as I proceeded down the long hallway.

So he had come up with a long building that followed the length of the mountain road… A fascinating concept that nobody would ever think to implement on a battlefield. Still, even the most massive castles I’d been in had never had a hallway as long as this one. The fact that it was mapped to the shape of the road, hugging the mountain’s slopes, made it all the more interesting.

On the way, I noticed stairs leading upward. I passed by the first set, but when I reached the second, my curiosity got the best of me. I ascended to the next floor, only to find yet another hallway. Behind the door closest to me was a large room, similar to the soldiers’ lodgings in the bases we had used on our journey here. The biggest differences were the sheer quantity and size of these ones.

The fourth floor had a number of private rooms, but they were unfurnished.

“I suppose he wouldn’t have had time for that. Still, even this much is impressive.”

My ability to judge these things had been impaired ever since I met that boy. I smiled at the thought, then exited the room and headed back down the stairs. Plenty of the Chivalric Orders had yet to enter the fortress, and they wouldn’t come through this area unless ordered to. That explained why I seemed to be the only person present.

I made my way back to the first floor and opened the conspicuously large double doors leading outside. My eyes widened as I took in the sight before me.

 

I spotted Panamera walking out of the fortress and waved a hand at her. “Panamera!”

She made a beeline toward me and placed a strong hand on my shoulder. It actually kind of hurt. “Boy, what is this?”

“Huh?” I tilted my head.

She seemed not to like that response, pointing up with a serious look on her face. “This. What is this building?”

I looked up at the new structure in front of us. I’d left the road itself open, constructing the building to either side and connecting both halves with an arch. The design resembled a Shinto shrine, although I’d given it an exorbitant series of embellishments and a unique roof. It was artistic and beautiful.

“Um, so this is the Yomeimon Gate—I mean, it’s a type of castle gate. Since this was the last thing I worked on today, I kind of went all out. It’s about forty meters tall, and I paid a lot of attention to its exterior design—”

“Hold on. I am struggling to follow you. A castle gate? Why would you build something like that here?”

It was rare to see Panamera so confused. The truth was that I hadn’t put all that much thought into this, but there was no way I could tell her that. I glanced up at Yomeimon, then set my gaze back on Panamera. “I know for a fact that His Majesty will win this battle, so I wanted to build a spectacular gate that he could enjoy once he returned. By the way, the second floor and everything above it are lodgings, so I plan on staying there for the evening.” I smiled.

Panamera looked up at Yomeimon with an exasperated expression and sighed. “You certainly have a vivid imagination. The decorations and carvings lend the structure a kind of divine aura. May I go inside?”

“Huh? Ah, um, actually…”

Panamera narrowed her eyes. “You made something else, didn’t you? I’m going to go have a look.”

“W-wait, that’s—Panamera!” This felt a lot like having the cops suddenly appear to search your house. I panicked. I’d never expected her to just barge into my home without permission. Actually, my home was in Seatoh Village, so this was more like a villa.

A villa, huh? I like the sound of that. Makes me feel like a celebrity… Wait, no!

I have to stop her before she goes in!

“P-Panamera! Please wait!” I hurried after her, but she climbed the stairs with such vigor that she was already on the second floor. That was where she stopped.

“Boy… This…”

I felt her judging eyes on me. The secret was out, so I sighed and gave up. “… Yes. This is going to be my room.” I began to explain, starting with the sofa nearby. “This sofa is made from a rare monster hide. I also put a lot of effort into the table and shelving. The windows are double layered and capable of holding up against most enemy attacks while still allowing light into the room. There is a toilet, bath, and a bedroom large enough for ten people to comfortably sleep in. On the third floor is an even more extravagant bedroom and living room. The modeling, walls, pillars, and ceilings here are spectacular enough, but the third floor is even more magnificent…”

The more I explained, the more I sensed my excitement taking over, so when Panamera began to speak in a low tone, I shut my trap.

“So His Majesty will be staying in this building, yes?” she asked.

“Uh, actually, this is for me and my—”

“So His Majesty will be staying here, yes?”

“…Yes, that is correct,” I said reluctantly. Only then did she let out a satisfied sigh.

“You truly are a terrifying boy, you know that? It’s like you lack any concept of fear. If you were a normal child, this could be dismissed as foolishness, but in your case, no one could do that.” She was looking over the room, sounding slightly upset.

I understood what she was saying. Staying in a better room than His Majesty would cause all kinds of political problems. Even if His Majesty had no issues with it, he would still have to punish me because we were in the presence of other nobles.

Panamera was sticking her neck out for me by telling me to hand this building over to the king. That said, it still made me pretty sad; I’d put a lot of effort into it.

“Oh well. I guess I’ll make something else,” I whispered as I departed Yomeimon Gate.

 

Jalpa

I FELT IN MY BONES THAT MAGIC WOULD NOT PUT AN END to this battle—not for us and not for the enemy. After all, even if we destroyed a part of their fortress wall with magic, they would quickly repair it with dirt and strike back with magic of their own.

Thanks to our new fortress, we were able to fight on equal footing against Yelenetta despite our hill being lower than their fortress wall. Our situations had been equalized in terms of terrain—and when it came to the durability of our respective structures, we had an advantage.

But there was one other key element of this battle. Our fortress was on a narrow mountain road; theirs was a massive complex spread across flat land. Their battlements were wide, and they could focus their attacks on us in a way we couldn’t on them. In other words, while we could only attack in small numbers, they could attack us with their full forces.

“I am sure His Majesty has already realized this, but if we cannot spread our infantry and cavalrymen out, a castle siege will prove difficult,” I said.

The members of our Chivalric Orders had been swapping in and out as they ran out of magical energy, allowing us to keep up the attack, but few of our mages could actually strike the wall of the enemy’s fortress. Much to my irritation, Van’s ballistae were effective, but we only had so many bolts. His Majesty appraised them carefully, but his matter-of-fact conclusion was that they were ill-suited to taking down a fortress wall. In other words, he’d opted to save them for striking down Yelenetta’s formidable mage squad.

This was undoubtedly a difficult decision. Normally, speed was of the essence during any engagements in hostile territory, because the enemy could easily resupply and summon reinforcements. By that logic, the goal should have been to take down the enemy’s fortress as quickly as possible. From Yelenetta’s perspective, their full-force invasion attempt had failed, and now one of their defense points was under attack. An unexpected attack, at that. If things went poorly here, they might be able to request help from a foreign nation.

Did His Majesty have information on Yelenetta’s internal workings? Was he certain that a third party wouldn’t step in? One way or another, it was clear he had something in mind.

I had used too much magic and couldn’t think straight. “Stradale! I leave the rest to you!”

“Yessir!”

I retreated from the front lines. When I reached the rear, I stumbled into His Majesty, who was descending from the roof, accompanied by dozens of royal guards. Quite honestly, it would be more efficient for us if His Majesty stepped back so that we could have access to his men.

“Marquis Fertio, will you be taking a rest as well?” he asked. “Yelenetta may yet deploy dragons, so we will remain split into four groups and swap in and out to continue the attack. While the fortress can only provide lodgings for about two Orders, there is still plenty of space outside to rest. Besides, Baron Van might be expanding the fortress for us.”

He said this last part with a meaningful smile. It felt almost like a threat. Either he’d heard what happened from Van or he’d come up with his own hypothesis.

Whichever it was, I could afford no mistakes. Baron Nouveau and Viscount Tron were behind what happened, and they were directly connected to me. I had been forced to give them strict orders to make no further moves for the time being. If His Majesty discovered that they were the culprits, he would trace it back to me.

“…Are you listening, Marquis Fertio?”

His Majesty was frowning, turning to look at me. I had let myself go too deep in thought. “Yes! My deepest apologies!”

He sighed lightly and continued down the stairs. I trailed him until he stopped before the doors. The royal guards stopped as well. Hoping to learn what was going on, I pushed past His Majesty’s guards—and froze in place.

Before my eyes was a long corridor that had not been there the first time I came through.

“Did he build an annex to some barracks? How very like Baron Van. He always surprises me with his workmanship.” His Majesty smirked and proceeded down the corridor. Clearly curious, he opened multiple doors along the way, but quickly turned his attention to the other floors when he realized they were all the same kind of room. “I saw a few sets of stairs along the way. I imagine there are personal rooms above. Does that mean he has set up an open bath below us? I wonder…”

He descended the stairs.

That made sense. All of Van’s previous buildings had personal rooms on the upper floors for high-ranking officers. In light of that, I understood His Majesty’s interest in the lower floors. I followed him, only to be greeted by another shocking sight.

We had descended the stairs furthest back in the building, but there were no rooms to be found. In fact, we found ourselves outside, faced with a mysterious gate.

“This is…spectacular…” Even His Majesty could not find the words to describe the structure in front of us. The royal guards were all speechless.

How could they not be, faced with a gate that grand?

“What style of building is this?” asked the king. “From what culture did it originate? It seems so refined. Marquis, do you know?”

“I-I do not. I have never seen decorations like this, much less the form.”

We went back and forth, and I found myself incapable of tearing my eyes from the astonishing gate. It was heavily engraved and decorated in a way that arrested the gaze, and yet the elements all came together in such a way that it felt like the most natural thing in the world. All I could say was that it was truly beautiful.

“Having seen his swords and now this, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Baron Van is an artist of surpassing skill. To think he would create so magnificent a gate… But why here? Does he plan to protect against attacks from the opposite side by closing the gate? There are no walls to either side…”

“It is spectacular, but I do not think it is designed for combat. There also appear to be no doors.” Unable to answer His Majesty’s questions, all I could do was ask the same ones in a different way.

Before long, Panamera appeared from within the gate and walked toward us. “Your Majesty, will you be taking a break?” she asked like there was nothing out of the ordinary.

His Majesty, unable to answer, pointed at the gate. “Viscount Panamera, what is this? Is Baron Van here?”

Panamera grinned and nodded. “He was until a moment ago, but now he has left to build his own lodgings. This gate is a special facility he made for you to rest in. What do you think? Would you like to take a look inside?”

Still looking somewhat perplexed, His Majesty nodded, and Panamera guided us both into the fascinating building. We climbed the stairs and passed through the first door. Immediately it was as if we had stepped into another world. The room was spectacularly bright and beautiful.

“Ooh, this is…” Even His Majesty, who lived in an extravagant castle, could only express words of wonder. As for me, I was dumbstruck, helpless to do anything but cast my unblinking gaze around the room.

The walls were painting in calming colors, while some sort of beautiful red carpet was laid over the floor. The wooden ceiling was covered in small embellishments, and though the pillars and ceiling beams were visible, their beautiful symmetry made the space feel balanced.

I touched one of the pillars. “How mysterious. They are merely carved wood, but they have such presence.” It wasn’t normal wood, though. Perhaps that was why?

The king hummed. “Indeed. But more impressive is the lighting. This does not seem to be a window…”

I looked up to see that multiple square pieces of glass were lodged into the ceiling, emitting light. “Oh, yes, you are right. It is…” I trailed off. How did this even work?

“Both the bed and sofa are made from the highest-quality materials. There is an office and a shower room, too, and the floor above this one features an equally luxurious bedroom and shower.”

“How wonderful. I did not expect to be able to rest in such luxury this close to enemy territory,” His Majesty said happily.

Curse you, Van. You’re still trying to get in His Majesty’s good graces. You are wiser to the inner workings of the world than I gave you credit for, I thought, furious at my own inability to do what Van could do.