NOVGO.NET Chapter 218 : Chapter 218
Chapter 218. That’s Enough, Isn’t It? (1)
The expedition army had somehow arrived at their destination.
But this wasn’t the end.
Rather, the real part started now.
“5th Sage. I’ll be counting on you then.”
“Mm, understood. Everyone, begin!”
And as the 5th Sage gave the command, 100 mages each took something out from their robes, placed it on the ground, and began to chant.
In truth, the mages hadn’t been of much help on the way here, except for during the Quicaros extermination operation.
But there was a reason for carefully bringing these unhelpful freeloaders along as if they were precious treasures that might break.
“Cancel.”
As the mages waved their hands and said something, something in front of them grew rapidly.
And what revealed itself were stone materials, trimmed for building a castle wall.
They had compressed the stone materials with reduction and weight-lightening magic and brought them all the way here.
With all 100 mages mobilized, an immense number of stone materials were quickly piled up.
“Convenient, as expected.”
“This magic isn’t originally used like this.”
“No, why wouldn’t you use something this good?”
“This magic was originally created for mages to store their personal research materials. It’s not for carrying civil engineering materials.”
Riman Ciera said as if complaining.
As mages who would risk their lives for their research results, they always carried important research results on their person.
The magic that was developed to efficiently store that vast amount was precisely that.
And as soon as Patrick learned of the existence of that magic, he was using it like this.
“Whatever its original purpose, as long as it’s used well, it’s fine.”
“……”
“If it were me, I would have set up a moving agency with that and made a fortune.”
Riman Ciera just sighed.
It was his mistake to expect that man to be reasoned with.
Anyway, they had stone materials.
So now….
“Alright, it’s your turn. Knightly Order & Greenies, go.”
At that, the burly, muscular Orc warriors and the knights of the Double Dragon Knightly Order began to carry the stone materials and stack them in the designated places.
Each stone material was bigger than a person’s torso, but the knightly order and the Orc warriors lifted and moved the stones with ease.
“Commander.”
“What is it?”
“We are knights, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then why are we doing manual labor even after becoming knights?”
At the remark of Oliver, no, now officially Knight A, Sanson smiled contentedly and said.
“Do you have a complaint?”
“No, it’s not that I have one, but…”
“Then go tell the Young Master, not me.”
“……”
Oliver realized.
Of course, in other fiefs, knights were not made to do such manual labor.
Common sense dictates that forcing a knight of at least 4-star level to do construction labor would mean risking resignation or rebellion.
But in the Schneider fief….
“These bastards have gotten slack. You’re walking? Are you walking now? Run! From now on, any bastard whose feet I see, I’ll twist your ankles 690 degrees!”
There was a demon.
A demon that one couldn’t even dream of defying.
“Run! Move it, quickly!”
“Hurry up and move!”
“Uwooooh!”
Just working hard was the answer.
The knights diligently moved the stone materials.
Orc and human, knight and laborer.
What was there to distinguish?
Before a demon, all were equal….
The effect of working the high-end workforce was absolute.
“Wow….”
“The wall is going up.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen a wall go up in real-time.”
The mages watched this scene with looks of wonder.
They weren’t using magic, just moving things with pure strength, yet something resembling a wall began to form in less than an hour.
Although its height was still only about 1 meter, that couldn’t be helped.
Because….
“Young Master. We have run out of stone materials.”
“What? Already?”
“Yes. That is correct. We have run out of stone materials.”
“Didn’t you say the mages brought quite a lot?”
“We used all of it.”
“……”
“It seems we will have to stop the construction until additional stone materials arrive.”
Sanson said with a contented smile on his lips.
Come to think of it, this was actually for the best.
Instead of dragging it out, they had worked hard for a short time and the job was finished.
“Uuuuhm….”
As happy as Sanson was, Patrick was dissatisfied.
The completion of the wall was not even at 10 percent, yet they had already run out of stone materials.
This was a problem.
And Patrick was a man who could solve most of the world’s problems by smashing them.
Patrick looked around and then fixed his gaze on one side.
“Wait a moment.”
Where his gaze landed, there was a giant rock mountain.
The rock mountain, which looked to be about 20 meters high, boasted a firmness that had clearly endured for thousands of years.
“I was thinking from a while ago that it was ruining the scenery anyway.”
And Patrick drew his twin swords.
The moment Aura Blades over 3 meters long formed at the tips of his swords, Sanson felt more anxiety than wonder.
Patrick soared upwards.
And….
[ Twin Dragons Eight Sword Forms: Fourth Form: Twin Dragons Wild Dance: Modified Form: Diced Cubes. ]
chwaa-aa-aak!
The Aura Blades flashed with precise intervals.
And the moment Patrick landed on the ground….
Urrrr.
The rock mountain crumbled down.
Sliced into perfectly-sized squares.
And Patrick smiled and said.
“See, here are the stone materials.”
“……”
“Then continue. I’ll keep making the stone materials for you.”
Thank you to the point of tears, you Young Master bastard!
That day, the expedition army created a semicircular wall foundation along the Moana River.
They succeeded in raising the height of that outer wall to a whopping 3 meters.
At this point, if not a wall, it was at least a sturdy fence.
It was an amazing progress for something raised in just one day.
* * *
The sun had set.
The knights and Orcs, who had carried stone materials to their limits, were completely exhausted.
Sanson, who came to report, also had a face that looked like he had lost several kilograms in one day.
“Young Master. For today, at least…”
“Yeah, sure, rest.”
Hearing Patrick’s permission, Sanson turned back without even answering.
As if he didn’t even have the energy to answer.
Sanson, who had returned, thought about pitching a tent, but then, as if it were too much trouble, he just wrapped his cloak around himself and lay down near the bonfire.
Patrick chuckled at the sight.
‘Being tired is better than being dead, you bastards.’
Right now, Patrick was on the still-incomplete wall, sipping liquor from a canteen.
And in the pitch-black darkness, he was shooting his aura towards the demonic beasts that were glaring this way.
This is my territory.
At Patrick’s aura, which carried that meaning, the demonic beasts that were no match for him growled a few times and then quietly turned tail and left.
But among them, there were also some who were subtly testing the waters, engaging in a war of nerves.
Patrick chuckled, feeling the aura of such creatures.
“A demonic realm is a demonic realm, after all.”
He took another sip of the liquor in the canteen.
The feeling of the hot, strong liquor flowing down his esophagus into his stomach felt pleasant.
But Patrick pushed away the intoxication and coolly analyzed the situation in his head.
‘In the end, is securing the sphere of influence the important thing?’
To establish a foothold in the Great Forest, it wasn’t enough to just build high walls.
No matter how high and sturdy a wall one builds, it won’t be of much help if a national-disaster-level monster attacks.
The Anacondict and Manticore he had encountered on the way here were all monsters of that level.
Once the wall was built and the city’s development began to accelerate, he had to take care of the big shots in this area one by one.
And he would engrave it into the instincts of the demonic beasts around here.
That this land was no longer their territory.
* * *
Building a city isn’t just about putting up a wall.
They needed to build houses inside, construct warehouses to store logistics, and above all, they needed people to live in this city.
The very next day, Patrick used the mages’ communication magic to send news to the fief.
“April. Can you hear me?”
-Yes. Young Master.
“We’ve arrived at the designated destination. We’ve roughly secured the site. Now send the laborers and supplies.”
-Understood. We will depart immediately.
* * *
Schneider Fief.
April, who had been contacted by Patrick, took off her maid uniform, put on armor, and picked up her sword.
Then she went to Matthew and said.
“Matthew. The Young Master’s orders have been given.”
“I understand. Then, let’s depart immediately.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Matthew prepared to lead the second expeditionary force with the supplies prepared through the Elbador Merchant Guild and the laborers and experts needed for city construction.
And Ava, who was watching the process from the side, said with a worried expression.
“Will you really be alright? I can’t help but worry.”
At the news that April, whom she had raised like a daughter, was going into the Great Forest, Ava wore a worried expression.
But April said calmly.
“It will be fine. The escort forces, including myself, are moving only to prepare for a one-in-a-million situation, so you do not need to worry.”
“I know that, but…”
Ava was still worried.
She had been worried when her son left to pioneer the Great Forest, but on the other hand, she was also relieved.
She believed her son was the strongest swordsman in the world, and around him, hundreds of knights and Orc warriors.
And even mages and elves were lending their strength.
With that much military power, she was relieved.
But the second expeditionary force departing now was composed of over 90 percent ordinary people.
She didn’t know what would happen if they entered the Great Forest with ordinary people who had no combat ability.
Even if Patrick led them himself, 80 percent would die in the process of getting to the destination.
At the very least….
“Matthew. Everyone has boarded.”
“Good. We are departing. Maintain sufficient distance from the front and move forward.”
That is, if they were moving by land.
The second expeditionary force led by Matthew was divided among 50 small ships and began to head north up the Moana River.
The first expeditionary force had already confirmed during their journey that the river’s width and depth were sufficient for small ships to navigate.
So, they were departing with supplies and personnel divided among the small ships.
And to prepare for a one-in-a-million situation, April was on board, and two squads of the Elven Warrior Corps, led by 10 mages and two Elven Knights, were deployed.
The wide-area reconnaissance of the elves using spirits would greatly reduce the risk to the expeditionary force.
Especially now, among the elves, there was someone who wanted to get to the pioneer city quickly.
“Mother, don’t worry.”
“Elione.”
“I will go and help him. So don’t worry, Mother.”
Elione, who was leading the Elven Warrior Corps in the second expedition and was about to board, spoke affectionately to Ava.
She didn’t know what had happened, but Elione’s attitude towards Ava was extremely polite.
And Ava smiled brightly and said.
“Miss Elione.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Do you remember what I said?”
At that, Elione said.
“Yes. You said he might run away if I push too hard.”
“That’s right. Then you should be careful from now on.”
“Even now?”
She had a shocked expression.
At that, Ava sighed and thought.
‘I don’t know if my son’s luck with women is good or bad.’
She sighed and said.
“Remember your first strength. Got it?”
“Yes, Mother.”
And a short while later.
The ships carrying the second expeditionary force departed for the pioneer city, seen off by the people of the fief.
It was the beginning of full-scale pioneering activities.
* * *
Patrick’s idea of pioneering the Great Forest using the waterway was exquisite.
Perhaps this was a way of thinking that could only be had by someone from the Central Plains.
Having actively utilized the great rivers of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River for agriculture and commerce, the people of the Central Plains naturally viewed rivers as roads.
Although the first expeditionary force had thoroughly scoured the area around the river and eliminated risk factors in advance, the second expeditionary force moved much more smoothly than expected.
They arrived safely at the pioneer city without a single monster attack.
This was a greater triumph than imagined.
It was proof that they could transport supplies using the waterway if they continued to manage it consistently in the future.
As soon as the ships arrived….
“Patrick!”
“Oh, she came too.”
Even though a beauty of nation-toppling beauty was running towards him, Patrick felt a sense of apprehension first.
And just as Elione was about to arrive in front of Patrick….
“Just a moment.”
April intervened and whispered something in her ear.
At that….
“Ugh…”
Elione made a face as if she were holding something back tightly, and then her expression changed.
Erasing the smile from her face and regaining her composure, she walked up to Patrick and said.
“We have arrived with the second expeditionary force you mentioned.”
She suddenly gave a business-like report.
“Uh… uh uh…. Right. Good work.”
Patrick was flustered by this sudden change.
What?
Why is she like this?
There was almost no smile or expression of emotion on her face.
The vortex swirling in her eyes had also disappeared.
In front of him was, what should I say.
A cool and beautiful elf beauty.
She even looked capable and smart.
‘What? She’s much prettier like this.’
Come to think of it, this was her first impression.
Not the silly look of clinging to him saying, “Patrick,” but a cool and beautiful elf beauty with a somewhat mysterious feel.
That was Elione’s original appearance.
Elione said in a blunt and cool voice.
“Then I will go meet my tribe and hear their report for the time being.”
“Uh. Right. Good work.”
And Elione bowed her head lightly and moved away from Patrick.
And she thought to herself.
‘I’ll endure it for now. Someday…. Someday…. Someday…. Someday…. Someday…. Someday…. Someday…. Someday…. Someday…. Someday….’
Hidden madness is scarier than revealed madness.