Chapter 194: The Port Town Present

Ryu was now astride Axel, racing along the highway that led to the port town.

“Feels kind of nostalgic, Axel.”

“Brrr.”

It had been over two years since the port town project first began.

At its root, it was a maritime trade venture Ryu had proposed in order to mobilize the forces of Marquis Grace’s frontier army, all stemming from a request made by the Empress. It wasn’t just about fulfilling her request—Ryu had also sought to deepen ties with Marquis Grace, the Empire’s breadbasket, and to ensure that the endeavor would benefit Arden in the long run.

Even now, he couldn’t help but admire himself a little for having come up with such a plan.

The road that had once been hemmed in by dense forest two years ago had since been cleared for the sake of merchants and trading partners, transformed into a wide, open thoroughfare with excellent visibility.

After about thirty minutes of riding, an impressively grand port came into view.

“This place has developed far beyond anything I imagined.”

As Axel thundered forward at incredible speed, the guards at the entrance were caught off guard.

“Halt right there! Present identification immediately!”

“Idiot! That’s the lord himself!” thwack

“Ow!”

“My deepest apologies, Ryu-sama. He’s a new recruit.”

“Don’t worry about it. Good work on security this early in the day.”

“Yes, sir!”

Thanks to the success of trade, Arden’s finances had been hitting record highs. Combined with Ryu’s promotion from baron to viscount, a major expansion of the Arden Knight Order had been approved, doubling its previous size.

Which meant that more than half of them were new recruits who didn’t even recognize Ryu’s face.

“Well… I guess that’s partly my fault.”

After all, he hardly ever showed himself in Arden.

“Oh, it’s expanded sideways too.”

The port town had evolved to the point where it resembled something out of Edo.

Imperial ships, Hinomaru vessels, and cargo ships from allied nations lined the harbor in neat rows. Areas once covered in thick forest had been fully developed, now hosting a commercial guild branch, residential quarters for fishermen, lodging facilities for merchants, and barracks for the guards.

It was no longer just a project—

It was a fully functioning town.

At that moment, Silva, the commander of the Arden Knight Order, approached.

“Ryu-sama, it’s been a while.”

“Yeah, it has. Your daughter’s been taking good care of me.”

“I heard quite a lot yesterday. I never imagined my daughter would be chosen by none other than you, Ryu-sama. It may be presumptuous of me to say this, but I humbly ask for your continued favor toward her.”

“Yeah. Leave it to me.”

After that, Ryu quickly got down to business.

“…So, when you have time, come by the estate.”

“I see… a Dungeon Master, is it? Understood. Honestly, you truly do seem to live in a world of your own, Ryu-sama.”

“If that were true, I wouldn’t have struggled so much as a kid.”

“Let’s go with that.”

“By the way, I guess that makes you my father-in-law now. Honestly, I really don’t like that.”

“Hahaha! I couldn’t be happier.”

“Anyway, let your wife in on the matter as well.”

“Is that alright? It seems like classified information.”

“She’s technically my mother-in-law now.”

“Understood. Thank you very much.”

“…By the way, hasn’t this town developed a bit too much?”

“With Iris-sama’s leadership, the cooperation of Marquis Grace, and the support of Her Majesty the Empress, everything has come together. The town is still continuing to grow at an incredible pace. I’ve also heard that after further expansion, there are plans to construct a naval base here for Marquis Grace.”

“Wait, I never heard about that.”

“Well, knowing Marquis Grace, he likely avoided sending any letters to the second estate in the capital on purpose. It’s still in the planning stages, after all.”

“Does my mother know?”

“Yes, of course.”

“That damn marquis…”

“Hey Ryu-kun, surprised? You’re surprised, right? Surprise success!”

He could practically hear it.

“And she’s as sharp as the Empress on top of that… what a pain.”

“A navy from Marquis Grace, huh…”

“In a dozen years or so, a fleet rivaling that of Duke Mondo’s house might be anchored here.”

“That’s nothing but benefits for us. Grace’s knights protect us on land, their navy protects us at sea, and the money will flow even better. For the next few hundred years, Arden could practically live like a freeloader off Grace.”

“That hardly sounds like something a viscount would say. Hahaha.”

“But…”

Ryu’s expression sharpened.

“We have to remain Grace’s hidden blade, sharpening ourselves day and night.”

“Yes. Exactly so.”

“I’ll leave the Arden Knight Order and the port town in your hands for now, Silva.”

“Yes, sir! Leave it to me!”

Ryu mounted Axel once more and rode off briskly toward the estate.

Silva watched him until he disappeared from sight, then gave a final bow.

“Marquis Grace and even the imperial family are fortunate… If they’ve formed ties with Ryu-sama, they’ll be safe for quite some time.

…Because no matter what happens, in the worst case, Ryu-sama will somehow handle it.”

Muttering that to himself, Silva returned to his duties.

◇◇◇

When Ryu returned, his mother Iris—her skin glowing with satisfaction—handed him a completely drained Estelle.

“Take care. I’ll be looking forward to the dungeon opening.”

“Yeah. I’m off.”

He climbed into the magic carriage pulled by Axel.

“Alright, we’re heading out! Axel!”

“Brrr!”

And just like that, they set off toward the capital.

Inside the carriage—

“…I’ve never felt so close to death in my life.”

“That’s just the beginning. Whenever she has time, my mom will probably teleport to the second estate.”

“Nghhh…”

Their group had grown much smaller; now only Ryu, Lena, and Estelle remained inside, along with Homura and Daifuku-kun.

Even Homura looked utterly exhausted.

“Gyau…”

(…I went through something terrible.)

“My mom can’t resist cute things. You’ve got my sympathy.”

“Gyau…”

(…That helps a little… honestly…)

“And I’ll be counting on you from now on too.”

“Wha—!?”

To make matters worse, Iris was the one who had passed on the greatest share of her traits to Ryu—brilliant mind, stunning looks, and absurd physical ability.

There was no way Estelle or the others could stand against her.

At the moment, Estelle lay on Lena’s lap, munching happily on sweets.

“So good… it really seeps into the body…”

Lena smiled gently at her, though there was a trace of hesitation in her expression.

“What’s wrong, Lena?”

“Well… since it’s just the three of us right now, I can say this…”

She hesitated briefly, then continued.

“My fifteenth birthday is coming up soon.”

“The little kid Lena is already an adult, huh… time really flies. We’ll have to celebrate properly.”

Ryu spoke with quiet nostalgia.

“Which is why, Estelle…”

Lena’s tone suddenly carried an overwhelming pressure.

“Could you share some of your night potion with me?”

“…!”

The intensity in her voice was almost identical to Iris’s.

Ryu swallowed hard.

“…Sure thing. Thanks to the Federation dungeon, I’ve got plenty in stock…”

Estelle grinned wickedly.

“Next, it’s your turn to get drained… heh heh heh…”