Chapter 151 – Why Didn’t You Improve It

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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As soon as we entered the mountains, I had plenty of complaints.

First of all, the mountain road was terribly uneven. We advanced along a road that was only a step above a beast trail, and there were even places where we had to pass right beside a cliff. The road itself was narrow too, with almost every section barely the width of a wagon.

Up to now, since it was a mountain road full of magic beasts, there had been very few occasions for knight orders to move through it, so if you say it couldn’t be helped, then it couldn’t be helped.

I had been silently enduring the pain in my backside, but after an hour or two, it suddenly struck me.

“…Does this mean I have to go through this again on the way back too?”

The moment I muttered that, Till, Kamushin, and Arte, who were riding in the wagon with me, gave ambiguous, wry smiles.

“It really makes you feel just how valuable highways are…”

“It’s troubling that the march slows down because of the uneven road.”

“My butt hurts…”

Listening to the opinions of the three of them, I gave a deep nod.

“All right. Let’s build a road. At minimum, one wide enough for two wagons to pass side by side.”

“Eh? Starting now?”

The moment I declared that, Till blinked repeatedly. Kamushin furrowed his brow in worry.

“I-Is that really all right? His Majesty specifically sent a fast horse to say he wanted Lord Van to come…”

“Even as it is, it feels like it’ll take another two or three days, doesn’t it?”

Arte showed agreement with Kamushin’s words as well.

However, my backside had reached its limit.

“It’s fine! I’ll make it in a hurry so it won’t take any longer than it does now!”

Saying that, I stood up and stuck my face out of the wagon.

“Stop for a second!”

“Y-Yes!”

“Whole column, halt!”

The moment I gave the order, the knight order’s advance stopped at once. I can feel some confusion, but the fact that they still move according to orders immediately makes me think they’re becoming a very good knight order. It’s movement you wouldn’t think came mostly from former villagers and hunters.

While nodding in deep feeling at that, Dee from the wagon just ahead came over right away.

“What is the matter, Lord Van?”

Keeping watch on the surroundings, Dee checked why I had stopped the march. Nodding to him, I climbed down from the wagon.

“The road is just too bad, so I thought I’d pave the mountain road from here and make a clean one.”

“Eh? Starting now?”

Dee too made a surprised face. Till and the others were peeking anxiously out from the wagon.

“It’s fine! I’ll make it in a huge hurry so it won’t slow us down! Sorry, but could you split up and cut down the trees growing on the left and right sides of the mountain road?”

“Mmm! I do not understand what is what, but understood! Let us carry out the task at once!”

“Thanks. Then, starting from the place ahead where the front row is, have the trees cut down. Everyone not cutting trees, please keep watch on the surroundings.”

“Understood! I shall go at once!”

After seeing off Dee’s back as he ran away saying that, I looked at Kamushin.

“Kamushin, let’s go together. Till and Arte, wait in the wagon. Arte, I’m sorry, but if something happens, I may have you use your dolls.”

“Yes!”

“Please leave it to me.”

The two of them also accepted the instructions obediently. Arte too seems to have gained confidence in her magic, and she looked right back into my eyes and nodded.

Smiling without thinking at all of them, I headed toward the very front.

“Lord Van, what are you doing?”

“Did something happen?”

Now and then such voices called out to me, and I passed by giving light answers like, “I’m making a road.” Everyone looked blank, but when I reached the front line, I could already see people felling trees. It seems they selected men from the knight order who had once been lumberjacks or stonecutters. Sturdy men were cutting down trees and lining them along the side of the road.

“How is it, Lord Van! Is this sort of thing good enough!?”

At some point he had apparently prepared himself, and Dee, now bare-chested, cut down a large tree with a greatsword and looked at me. It’s not meant for cutting trees, of course, but with a Van-kun brand greatsword, felling should be easy.

That said, not every member of the knight order is equipped with gear suited to cutting trees. After confirming that, I immediately gathered materials.

“There’s nothing wrong with the method, but let’s prepare tools for it. Everyone, lend me your shields for a second.”

“Y-Yes!”

The moment I asked, the knights nearby hurriedly placed their shields at my feet. Most of the weapons and armor are Van-kun custom-made, but only some of the knights have special shields; the rest were bought ready-made from the Bell-Rango Company. After all, the number of knights has suddenly increased. We haven’t been able to outfit everyone completely.

“These are pretty high-grade, but we can just remake them into even better shields later.”

Making that excuse, I kept turning shields into axes one after another. A sharply honed edge and a peculiar balance with the weight centered high up. Since they’re for cutting unmoving trees, what’s needed is simply a blade that’s easy to swing with force behind it. After that, a width suitable for felling trees, sturdiness, and an overly ornate design that satisfies Van-kun.

“Maybe I overdid it a little.”

Saying that, I prepared twenty axes. Kamushin applauded honestly, but Dee had furrows between his brows.

“…Hmm. A splendid design again this time as well. However, it feels slightly sinister.”

“It’s a little scary…”

Those two gave me somewhat mixed impressions. Sure, I kind of couldn’t think of anything and ended up making a burly axe that looks like it ought to be called something like a Minotaur Axe, but they don’t have to be that afraid.

“Oho, it’s lighter than it looks.”

“Eh? Is it?”

Grinning, Dee swung the axe one-handed and immediately went to fell a tree. Somehow everyone stopped moving and watched what Dee would do.

“Ngh!”

With a sound of slicing wind, Dee cut the tree. Or rather, he slashed it. It was truly a keen blow worthy of being called a cutting strike. The axe passed through the tree trunk as though cutting empty air.

After a moment’s pause, the tree shifted as though sliding and then toppled. Even from a distance, the cross-section looked like a perfectly straight line.

“A splendid edge! Though in the end, the greatsword is still easier to handle!”

“No, no, in Dee’s case, against humans I feel like even a log would be enough. I’m starting to think the quality of the weapon doesn’t matter.”

I said that, but Dee was laughing heartily with the axe slung over his shoulder and didn’t hear me.

Still, the cutting ability of the axes seems to have been quite good, and the other knights were also able to cut through trees with only two or three swings.

After praising the knight order members who were felling trees in the blink of an eye, I immediately set about making the road.