Chapter 78

"Hmm, this brings back memories..."

The castle was finally taking shape.

However, in reality, it was mostly just a facade.

From the outside, it looked like a sturdy castle surrounded by walls with tall towers on all four sides, but inside, there were only a few inn-like buildings that I had constructed.

Some people might not even consider such a place a castle.

In fact, Gran felt the same way.

He insisted that the interior should be properly developed as well.

I couldn't really blame him.

After all, I also wanted to build something of high quality.

However, a new problem had arisen.

It was the issue of food.

The number of people had increased from around 100 to 300.

As a result, the amount of food consumed daily had also increased.

While it was natural for the food supply to decrease as the population grew, it was alarming to see the stock in the warehouse dwindling at a terrifying rate.

I had never realized that 300 people could consume so much until I saw it with my own eyes.

This scene reminded me of the time when I started mass-producing servitor beasts.

I had to start cultivating the land to feed the increasing number of Valkyries.

I never imagined that this would lead to such a battle and that I would face the food problem again.

This food issue, however, was not one that would lead to immediate starvation.

There was enough food to sustain us if we could transport it from the village.

Balka Village had more than enough wheat left, as the battle had escalated before the annual tax collection.

So, what was the problem? It was the transportation.

I had built the castle between Balka Village to the north and the town to the south.

However, the existing path was only a minimal trail for people to walk on, not a route for efficient transportation.

While it was still possible to transport food, I thought it would be better to improve the path.

After some consideration, I decided to work on the road.

The Fontana family's movements seemed slow, and it didn't seem like they would attack immediately.

If so, I should create a supply line to prepare for a prolonged battle.

With this in mind, I decided to take action.

I also decided to improve the neighboring village.

Thanks to the people who had gathered from the neighboring village, we were receiving additional food supplies.

However, the neighboring village had only a wooden fence for defense.

There was a possibility that the neighboring village, rather than the castle or Balka Village, could be the first target.

So, I thought it would be better to strengthen its defenses.

I left about 200 people at the castle and took about 100 with me to start the improvements.

First, I and those who could use the "Wall Construction" spell went to the neighboring village.

In the neighboring village, I first built two towers using the "Memory Storage" spell.

Then, I used "Wall Construction" to connect these towers and surround the village.

The purpose here was more for a refuge and surveillance of the surroundings in case of an emergency, rather than a stronghold.

Therefore, I didn't make any improvements to the walls, such as adding platforms for defense.

I also built one building with hardened bricks.

I decided to use this building as a barracks.

I placed a serious young man recommended by Balgas there.

His role was to keep watch from the towers every day and, if anything happened, to report to me on a Valkyrie.

With the "Body Enhancement" spell, he should be able to cling to the Valkyrie and move.

This way, even if an army bypassed the castle and targeted the village, we could detect it in advance.

Even if not, it would be possible to evacuate the villagers in an emergency.

After improving the neighboring village's defenses, I rejoined the members who had split off earlier.

They were people who couldn't use "Wall Construction."

Basically, those who couldn't use "Wall Construction" lacked the necessary mana, and thus couldn't use "Road Laying" either.

However, they could use "Land Leveling."

So, I had instructed them to level the road while I was working on the neighboring village.

By leveling the existing narrow path, the travel speed increased several times.

However, "Land Leveling" was not a perfect solution.

I had experience with the land becoming uneven due to the wheels of carts on leveled ground.

Therefore, I decided to use "Road Laying" on the leveled land.

The road was 6 meters wide, made of hardened bricks, and even had sidewalks on both sides.

This would further increase travel speed compared to just leveling the land.

However, "Road Laying" had a drawback.

It could only be laid in a straight line.

With my presence, I could use mental imagery to create curves and intersections, but I wanted to minimize my involvement.

There were others who could use the "Road Laying" spell, even if not everyone.

However, creating a straight road to a distant destination was more difficult than I thought.

The lack of surveying technology was the issue.

So, how could I solve this?

I tackled this problem with brute force.

I built several towers at key corners and at appropriate intervals.

I then had the workers lay the road from tower to tower.

Despite some minor deviations, we managed to connect the roads successfully.

Thus, a new road connecting the castle at the northern camp, Balka Village, and the neighboring village was completed.

Naturally, the transportation speed increased, but unexpectedly, people could now return to their villages at night.

Originally, it took a day and a half to walk from Balka Village to the castle, but with the improved road and Valkyries pulling carts, it became possible to make a round trip in a day.

This allowed villagers to return to their homes on a rotational basis, making my work feel more like a temporary job.

As a result, a few more people joined my cause.

Thank you for reading.

I would appreciate it if you could bookmark and rate this.