Volume 1 Chapter 45 Let's Create a Path VI
After parting ways with Randolph, who was going to return to the mansion and bring back the person in charge after some adjustments, Cain and the others decided to head toward the castle gate.
On the way, Alice would always introduce Cain to the townspeople whenever they spoke to her, bragging about him without hesitation.
As they got about one-third of the way to the castle gate, the houses started getting smaller, and they began to see farmland as the single-story houses appeared.
In this world, the land outside the castle walls is filled with dangerous creatures like monsters, so most farmland is located within the walls.
But, at the beginning, it's impossible to build such a large wall right away.
As the population grows, the farmland naturally spreads outside the castle walls, which creates a dilemma for the lord: how to manage the land while protecting it from monster attacks.
The town of Sanroze, where they were now, originally started as a fortress meant to stop the invasion of monsters from the Great Deep Forest.
The lord's mansion was actually a renovated version of that fortress.
That's why the lord's mansion isn't in the center of the town, but rather along the wall.
As a result, the town naturally developed to stretch away from the Great Deep Forest.
In the end, the town ended up taking an oval shape.
So, the castle walls on the side of the lord's mansion are thick and tall, but the wall near the castle gate is only about 5 meters high and much thinner.
Sanroze's town had a slightly odd shape.
"Finally made it... I wasn't walking all the way to the castle gate, so I'm a little tired."
Cain sat down on a large stone nearby to rest.
"You're so lazy. Haven't you been working on your stamina at all?"
Alice, looking confident in her own physical strength, teased Cain.
"Elder Sister Alice, I'm so thirsty. Can I have something to drink?"
With a cute look up at Alice, Cain asked, looking a little shy, glancing around before taking Alice's hand.
"Let's go to the soldier's post at the castle gate and see if we can get something there."
Alice said, then began walking forward.
She seemed really happy to be doting on Cain like that.
'Elder Sister Alice, you've got way too much of the "charming little sister" vibe.'
Cain replied with a bright smile, "Sure thing."
The 3 of them were sipping hot water given out at the gatehouse, when Randolph rolled up in a carriage to get them.
Word came that their contact was waiting at the mansion, so they headed back.
The ride home took only a few minutes.
As soon as they arrived, Alice left──she had a meeting with Lydia.
The rest went to the conference room, where the contact was waiting.
The room could hold around 15 people.
It was where the knights and officials usually reported in to Luke.
"Nice to meet you, Sir Cain. I'm Noel, chief of maintenance."
Standing there, bowing, was a woman in her mid-twenties──slim, a bit on the delicate side.
'Oh, so the contact's a woman. Guess that tracks──this country's got lots of female knights, so why not female officials too?'
"Yes, pleasure to meet you. I'm Cain Sanroze. Look forward to working together."
Randolph gently stopped Cain as he started to return the bow.
"Young Master Cain, even if you don't inherit the house, until you come of age and go independent, you're still a noble's son. Don't bow to your vassals."
Randolph's voice was soft but firm as he corrected him.
"Alright, let's get started. Ms.──Noel, did you bring the map or the measurement results?"
Cain caught himself just before he called her 'Ms. Noel', and managed to keep his tone businesslike.
Noel spread out a handful of pages──barely, technically a map──lining them up like puzzle pieces.
He had no idea what the scale was, but laid out, it was probably the size of a whole tatami mat.
"That's huge. Got anything about half this size?"
Cain voiced his request to Noel.
"I mean, we do, but it's not going to be accurate."
"Hmm... well, guess we can try it. Gardy, is there any way to move this table to the training yard? Or is there a big enough workbench out there already?"
"We have a workbench we use all the time. Would that do?"
"Knew I could count on you, Gardy. Alright, Randolph, I'll go get the workbench ready──can you and Noel bring the map?"
"Understood, Young Master Cain."
They moved everything out to the training yard and spread out the map.
Cain murmured to himself as he measured with his fingers and hands, wandering around the edges.
He clapped his hands, began "Circulation," and gathered [Mana].
Then, with a strong command, he placed his hand on the ground and muttered, "Create Clay."
As usual, the ground began to glow.
The light faded, and with a soft "hummm," the earth started to rise, forming a town or street, about the size of a map, made entirely of dirt.
Character Notes:
Alice - Cain's Elder Sister.
Lydia - Cain's Stepmother.
Luke - Cain's father.
Noel - The chief of maintenance, a slim and delicate woman in her mid-twenties, who is working with Cain. Appeared on v1c45.
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