Fun Territory Defense Chapter 229

Absence of the Head of the Family

"We, well, things will work out as they should... haha."

I responded with a lighthearted remark, imagining my furious mother.

However, I couldn't calm down inside. It's true that the people of Marquis Fertio's and Count Ferdinand's domains have already been taken by Seat Village. Due to the effects of the great war with the Jiernetta Kingdom, there are many people who have fled to Seat Village, which is rumored to be the safest place in the surrounding area.

If I were to recruit people in the city where the Lord's castle is located, it is likely that the outflow of the people of the fiefdom would accelerate.

No, surely it's okay. After all, this town is the biggest city in the northern region. It's not like people would move to the countryside from a city where you can get anything you want to live a slow life.

I looked up at my family home through the carriage window, while mentally following myself. The large castle, with its many tall towers and the color of the stone used left unchanged, gave the surrounding area an intimidating presence.

The front of the main street. You can see the second-floor terrace beyond the main gate. The room with the window at an angle above it was my room. Now, my room is empty and must be left as a simple bedroom. It's the same as the other windows, so no one would pay attention to that window.

"Hmm, as expected, the castle of the Marquis of Fertio is impressive. It's no wonder he was able to secure his position through military force."

As I was lost in my reverie, Panamera casually muttered something like that.

"That's right. As far as I know, this town has never been the site of a battle, but I think it's a robust structure that could withstand a siege."

When I replied, Panamera glanced at me and then scoffed.

"Hmm, I see."

Something didn't sit right with Panamera, who gave a short response, folded her arms, and leaned back against the backrest. Arte opened his mouth, a little concerned by the scene.

"Um, is it okay if I come over without letting them know in advance?"

Panamera shrugged her shoulders in response to his worried question.

"His own son has come home, so there's no need to contact him beforehand."

Panamera's curt reply made Arte and I look at each other. But somehow, the atmosphere made it difficult to ask.

"…Oh, we've already arrived at the main gate! Look, there's Andre-san, the gatekeeper."

Tyll, noticing something was wrong with Panamera, changed the subject with a slightly embarrassed smile. Looking out the window, I could see the familiar figure of the gatekeeper. Roe ran over and talked to the gatekeeper.

It must have only been a few seconds. Roe immediately turned around and ran towards us.

"Van-sama, it seems that Jalpa-sama has led the Order of Knights to the border with the United Republic of Shelbia."

"I have a bad feeling about this. Do you know when they left?"

"I heard it was two weeks ago."

I nod in response to Roe's report.

"Two weeks... then he should be there by now."

"Hmm, is their distance that far? If the Marquis is planning to take on the United Republic of Shelbia with only his own knights, then he must have hired mercenaries and prepared an army of around 10,000 men. In that case, it's possible that they haven't arrived yet."

"That's right. Considering that they didn't come to Seat Village, they probably have more than a month to prepare. Considering the time it takes to gather the neighboring mercenary groups and prepare, it's just about right."

After agreeing with Panamera's guess, I called out to Camsin, who was outside the carriage.

"Can you hurry and get supplies and provisions? If possible, let's leave early tomorrow or the day after."

"Yes!"

When I gave him the instructions, Camsin straightened his back and replied. After hearing his reply, I called out to the coachman.

"Let's go to the castle to gather some information."

"Yes!"

The young man from the young knights' group replied and moved the carriage forward. When we reached the gatekeeper, Andre, a middle-aged man with a beard, looked up at me and called out.

"Oh, Van-sama! It's been a long time!"

"It's been a while. Andre-san looks well, as well."

He smiled and greeted me back, and Andre laughed happily.

"Hahaha! Van-sama hasn't changed at all! When I heard that Van-sama had become a baron, there was a huge commotion in the castle! Well, it appears that it was also a rumor in the town."

Andre said this with a pleasant, grandfatherly air, and I responded with a wave of one hand, a little embarrassed.

"Well, well, I was just lucky. Oh, by the way, if you ever decide to quit your job, Andre-san, you should move to Seat Village. I want you to become a teacher at the Order of the Knights."

When he said this, Andre blinked his eyes in surprise.

"Me? But I'm already an old man who can only do things like being a gatekeeper..."

Andre mutters this with a lack of confidence, but he shakes his head from side to side in a big way to deny it.

"That's not true! When I was two years old, you were the commander of the knights of Marquis Fertio! I want you to be a mentor with confidence, in charge of operations on a scale of a hundred men."

When I told him this with a laugh, Andre gasped, then nodded several times, almost in tears.

"Yes, yes...! I never thought you would remember something like that from when you were so young... Leave it to me! I will rush to Van-sama as soon as possible!"

"Yes, thank you! If Andre-san comes, I'll become a hundred-man force!"

As I thanked Andre for his words, he finally burst into tears. Panamera, who was in the carriage, let out a sigh and laughed.

"…What a great seducer. So now you've managed to recruit one of the experienced members of the Marquis' Knights who've survived fierce battles?"

Panamera muttered as if to say to a silk merchant in a firm, "You're no good either." This was rude. He was just telling a talented person who was feeling down because their abilities were underestimated that there was a place where they could show their abilities. Thinking this, I argued with Panamera.

"I was just voicing my thoughts. In the Marquis of Fertio's family, there is a tendency to leave those over the age of 50 in the town due to their lack of physical strength, as they often go on long expeditions or participate in large-scale battles. They are also left to do things like guard the gates or patrol the town. Isn't that a terrible waste of talent? In other words, the operation of the Marquis of Fertio's Knights is poor, isn't it?"

When I said this, Panamera laughed and patted my back. Ouch.

"That's hilarious! You're finally back on form! That pathetic little boy wasn't very funny, you know? So why don't we just keep on robbing the Marquis's people and his subjects?"

Panamera said such terrible things and started laughing loudly. No, no, I'm not thinking about such a big feat. What a thing to say, this person.

While inwardly criticizing Panamera, on the other hand, I could understand what had irritated Panamera.

If I take her words literally, she is frustrated with my inability to be sentimental about the past, but I can also sense a hint of anger towards Jalpa in her words. In other words, I think she felt the same way when she first came to my territory.

She was angry at about neglecting and making children unhappy. In this case, it was sympathy for me, who was kicked out of the house at the age of eight. Given Panamera's personality, she must not have been able to say that she was feeling sorry for me, considering my pride as a man and a baron.

She was being tsundere.

When I saw Panamera laughing, I looked at Arte and we both laughed.