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The next day, the real restoration of Roelgreen Castle began.

To fortify the castle, a key stronghold of the Northern Garden, the collapsed walls were repaired.

In the original story, it took about two weeks after the demons invaded for them to reach the castle. To finish all preparations before then, soldiers were generously deployed for the restoration work.

Given the number of troops, they also prepared to collect the remains of the fallen and send them back to the capital. Surprisingly, not as many remains were found as expected, likely because many were devoured by monstrous beasts. It’s still early, so who knows what will happen, but for now, there are no major obstacles.

The time before the demons arrive… should be enough.

On the other hand, the time I have is tight.

While the restoration is underway, I must subjugate the demons to prevent any clashes with the human side. Even now, I’m anxious about whether some aggressive demons might attack the castle we’re in.

Stopping them is easy, but if they attack even once, the Expedition Army won’t stay idle. Commanders like Leon or Laura would surely go berserk, demanding to exterminate the demons. To prevent that, I need to become the Demon Lord quickly.

But I’m too busy.

Actually, there’s one more thing I need to do at Roelgreen Castle before becoming the Demon Lord.

I looked at the towering central tower of the castle. The main keep, where the Duke once resided, looked relatively intact, aside from the blackened soot from the fire.

From where I stood, I could see the faded painting on the tower.

It was a blue dragon. The faint, bluish figure of the dragon coiled around the tower.

The dragon, revered as the guardian deity of the north and the symbol of the Roelgreen family.

The Roelgreen family, said to be descendants of the dragon, had produced many brave heroes and warriors despite their short history. Much like the Izakhel family.

Especially Kyle Roelgreen, the former Duke, was a renowned hero. Comparable to Bella… no, even to Alonso Izakhel, hailed as the greatest swordsman in the empire’s history.

And in that main keep lies ‘Prandecker,’ the sword Kyle once wielded.

Prandecker is a legendary sword made from the spine of a dragon, a treasure of the Roelgreen family. Its white blade resembles jade, and its sharpness is unmatched. In game terms, it’s a legendary weapon, but that’s not the only reason I covet it.

In the original story, this sword is only recovered during the second northern expedition and later becomes the protagonist Peter’s main weapon.

In other words, it’s a golden opportunity to get the protagonist’s sword. I can’t let this go.

Since Peter, the protagonist, is still missing, no one will complain if I take it. Even if I can’t wield it, I can give it to Bella or Wendy.

The entrance to the Duke’s castle is blocked by debris, making it inaccessible. I’ve ordered the soldiers to clear the entrance, so I should be able to enter in a few days.

While restoring the castle is important, honestly, I’m more interested in this.

Not just Prandecker, but there are likely other valuable items here too.

Some might criticize me for selfishly seeking personal gain from a place of tragedy. But that’s their business. To prevent future tragedies, it’s only natural to prepare by taking what I can in this world.

Honestly, as a human, I do feel a bit guilty about looting the home of the deceased. Ah, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do it.

“Count.”

I turned around to see a noblewoman in a fur coat, exuding an air of dignity. Her sharp features were accompanied by an extremely businesslike expression.

As I was about to say her name, someone else stepped between us.

“Count, tea, have some tea… hehe…”

It was Wendy, pushing a small tray with tea. Smiling brightly as if she’d appeared from a flower field, Wendy froze when she saw the woman standing in front of me.

“Ah, Professor Ariel?”

“Wendy… student?”

Thud.

At that moment, the tray Wendy was pushing hit a small rock in front of me. Due to inertia, the items on the tray spilled onto the ground.

Clang!

The sound of shattering plates and teacups.

It was a disaster.

“……Ahhh! What do I do?!”

Wendy, too shocked, froze for about two seconds before letting out a shrill scream.

This isn’t even surprising anymore. The number of plates this girl has broken due to her misfortune would easily surpass twice my height.

But this must be the first time Ariel has seen such a scene. Even she, with her businesslike expression, couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

“Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine, but the cups… they’re all broken… sob… what do I do… they were expensive…”

“It’s fine.”

I spoke calmly to Wendy, who was sitting on the verge of tears.

“My tea is safe, as you can see.”

In my hand was a tray with a teapot and teacup. I had caught the top tray as it fell. It was possible because I had anticipated it.

Ariel looked at me, dumbfounded.

I shrugged.

“I’d offer you tea, but the only intact cup is mine.”

“No… who do you think came here to drink tea?”

Suit yourself.

I sipped my tea. Thankfully, the tea Wendy made was unaffected by her misfortune and tasted good.

Seeing me satisfied with a sip, Wendy sighed in relief.

“Th-thank goodness… Count, you saved me…”

“I’ll bill you for the broken plates.”

“Eek?! Then this month… no, next month’s salary will be gone…”

It was a joke, but Wendy took it seriously. It’s so endearing that I want to pat her head.

But unfortunately, there’s an outsider here today. And one who’s hostile toward me.

“First, you bring a child like this to the battlefield, and now you’re trying to take her salary too?”

“N-no, the Count is-”

“Wendy. Step back for now.”

“Huh? B-but…”

“Step back.”

“Yes…”

I sent Wendy away, sensing that nothing good would come from this conversation with Ariel. As she walked away with the tray, Wendy kept looking back anxiously.

Even Wendy knows that the relationship between me and Ariel isn’t great.

Ariel spoke up.

“…I’ve heard from Her Majesty. Thank you for lending us the bathhouse. And thank you for allowing us to continue using it.”

Last night, after Wendy’s silent plea, I allowed Luna to use the bathhouse. Even so, Luna hadn’t said a word of thanks.

Honestly, I didn’t expect it, but it seems she sent Ariel, her close aide, to express her gratitude.

Really, Luna should be thanking Wendy, not me. If it weren’t for Wendy, I wouldn’t have shown Luna any kindness, let alone mercy.

“Did you come all this way just to say thanks?”

“No. I came to deliver some unpleasant news.”

Unpleasant news? That’s unsettling…

“Go on.”

“The castle’s defense magic formula has been completely destroyed. We’ll need to rebuild it from scratch.”

Ariel and the mages of the Cremont family have been dedicated to constructing the castle’s defense magic formula. The formula she mentioned is a large-scale barrier used in cities or fortresses. The presence or absence of this barrier significantly affects the castle’s defensive capabilities.

Seeing Ariel’s serious expression, it seems this will take quite some time.

“How long do you think it’ll take?”

“Even working day and night, it’ll likely take over a week…”

What? I thought it would take that long anyway.

But Ariel, as the person in charge of the defense magic formula, bowed her head apologetically.

“That’s fine.”

“Huh?”

“According to the scouts, the demons are deep in the forest. Fortunately, they haven’t noticed us yet, so we have time.”

“Then…”

“Just finish it within two weeks.”

Actually, two weeks is the timeframe from the original story… but to avoid suspicion, I explained it this way.

“So don’t worry and complete the formula carefully. You can do it in two weeks, right?”

“Ah, yes. Two weeks should be enough.”

“Then it’s settled.”

The defense magic formula should be completed within two weeks without issue. While it might be a big problem for Ariel, it’s not a big deal for me, who knows the future.

But Ariel didn’t leave. She seemed to have something else to say.

“Do you have more to say?”

“There’s one more thing…”

Ariel spoke with an awkward expression.

“Since we’re rebuilding the defense formula from scratch, I can’t possibly leave. Right now, aside from you, no one knows Her Majesty is here. Could you… look after her until the formula is complete?”

I frowned as I listened.

Honestly, it’s a hassle. Especially after the friction caused by Luna’s authoritative personality yesterday.

Wait. Come to think of it, during the day when Ariel is away, it’s not Luna but Lucy, right? Compared to Luna, Lucy is just a normal girl…

Hmm… but still…

“…I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you for considering it.”

Ariel bowed her head once.

At that moment, I saw her take a deep breath. Her trembling eyes and expression conveyed a faint emotion.

It wasn’t directed at me.

What she was looking at was probably… no, definitely the Duke’s castle behind me.

Seeing that, I forgot for a moment that I was Tristan and simply blurted out my thoughts as a reader.

“It’s a painful place…”

Ariel’s shoulders twitched at those words.

I immediately regretted it, but it was too late.

“Count. You have no right to say that.”

“……”

“Do you know something?”

Her sharp eyes glared at me.

“I despise you to the point of disgust. Just hearing your name makes me feel like I’ll go mad.”

“……”

Ariel bit her lip. Blood was forming on her lips.

I couldn’t say anything. Her hatred was justified. This is something Tristan must endure, so I kept my mouth shut.

“Even now, when I think about what happened, the ones I resent the most are the demons. They turned the land I loved into a wasteland, and I hate them for it. But the next ones I resent are your father and grandfather. Yes. I know. You, Count, didn’t do anything wrong…”

Ariel added, her voice trembling as if she were about to collapse.

“But I can’t help but think… if the Ruelberta family had just acted a little sooner…! If they had sent reinforcements just one day earlier…! My husband… Kyle might have lived…! No, maybe Kyle and I…”

By then, I had to close my eyes.

I couldn’t bear to look at her face.

“Our little son might still be alive…”

 

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