Chapter 94

"Alright, let's build a castle town."

After thinking for a moment, I decided not to limit myself to just building the castle, which Gran mentioned as a symbol of power, but to also build a castle town that would accompany it.

In the past, when I was clearing the forest to expand my land, I had a strong sense of ownership, thinking, "This is my land," and I didn't actively encourage others to live here.

But now, the situation is different. The land I've cleared is indeed mine, but a much larger area has been recognized as the territory of the Valka Knights, which I govern. If that's the case, there's no need to focus solely on the land I've cleared.

Instead, I thought I should actively encourage people to live here. I would improve the walls we built to deal with the large boars coming out of the forest, create a town within the walls, and have people live there. I would use the residents as a force to protect the land of Valka. If protecting the residents also means protecting the land, there would be no greater benefit.

With that decision made, I immediately began to take action.

***

In the center of the land surrounded by a 4 km wall, there is a 1 km wall made of hardened bricks, known as the inner wall. Inside the inner wall, my house is located, and I have been primarily hatching Valkyries and cultivating magic mushrooms. I plan to eventually build a castle that will demonstrate Gran's power here.

However, first, I will redevelop the land between the inner and outer walls. Along the road extending south from the central area, there are Gran's house, the part-time brother's house, the old merchant's shop, and other places. There is also a space for licensed shops, which functions as a free market. Incidentally, there are also cold storage facilities here. However, there is still a lot of empty land. I will allow people who wish to live here to occupy this empty space. Since time is precious, I will set up a grid-like road system and divide the land into plots of a certain size to sell. I could even build the houses myself, and with just the addition of doors, people could move in immediately.

Unlike the southern area, the northeastern area will be dedicated to people involved in the wood industry. Originally, this area was set up as a storage place for wood from the northeastern forest, which was designated as a protected area. There are houses for loggers, and there are also charcoal makers and blacksmiths. I will also set up paper-making and magic mushroom cultivation facilities here. It will be more efficient to gather all the wood-related workplaces and the people who work there in one place.

The western area is currently a vast field where Hatsuca, the main food for Valkyries, is grown. However, I will convert part of this field into a ground. Eventually, I want to gather people related to the military here. The west gate will be used exclusively by the military to allow for quick deployment. However, we are not yet at a stage where we can maintain a standing army. So, I will gather a security team led by my father. They will be responsible for maintaining order and dealing with villagers who have become overconfident with their magic. Therefore, I will also build a detention center and perhaps a courthouse here. Whether trials should be held in the castle or the courthouse is a bit ambiguous, but for minor crimes, it would be fine to leave it to Madock and the others in the courthouse we build here.

There is still a lot of empty land, but for now, I will proceed with this blueprint. Eventually, I could also tax Hatsuca and reduce the fields to increase housing. However, I will create regulations for this land. All buildings will be constructed using hardened bricks.

If an army were to invade beyond the outer wall, the buildings in the town could also serve to slow their advance. If these buildings are made of strong hardened bricks, they could further delay the enemy's progress. With this in mind, I immediately began to rebuild the part-time brother's house and started placing buildings in the southern area.

***

"Wow, kid. I've never seen a town like this."

"How about it? It's worth the effort, right, old man?"

"No, I mean, isn't this even better than the town of Fontana?"

I had built a lot of hardened brick houses in the southern area. To check the results, I climbed up to the top of the inner wall and looked down at the town from a slightly higher position. An old man who happened to be nearby accompanied me and gazed at the scene. As I looked at the castle town I was building, nodding in approval, the old man looked amazed.

Well, it's only natural. I used magic like [Land Leveling] to create a perfect grid pattern along the straight road running from the central area to the southern area. Moreover, the land divided by this grid pattern is lined with houses of the same shape at equal intervals. The houses are the same as mine. I had stored the design of a house with an arched structure and glass windows using [Memory Storage] and mass-produced it. The sight of identical prefabricated houses lined up, which I had seen in my previous life, is rare in this world. Given that they are made of beautiful hardened bricks that look like marble, it's no wonder he was amazed.

"With this, merchants from other places will be surprised, old man."

"...Yeah, if there's anyone who isn't surprised, I'll be the one surprised."

And so, the town-building project steadily progressed.

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