What is the Rise in Rank?

Ryu has turned nine.

At the same time, his father, Farza, had to go to the capital for the promotion ceremony.

This was an unusual story.

To put it bluntly, for a rise to the rank of Viscount, a messenger from the capital would usually come, deliver the certificate, and it would be a simple procedure.

However, if Farza was summoned to the capital, there might be something more to it.

Ryu wanted to go along, but this time, Sugoella, the border count and a close friend, was also accompanying them on a three-week one-way journey. So, a few guards and the captain, Sugo, were assigned to accompany them.

If Sugo is going, then why not me too!?

He’d like to say that, but it couldn’t be helped.

So, Ryu and Jiro were left behind again.

During their absence, their grandfather, Kamiza, decided to train them in martial arts.

Surprisingly, he had never trained them before, so it was exciting. But unlike Farza and Sugo, Kamiza’s sword techniques were unconventional and challenging.

“Farza had more formal training after becoming a noble than his adventures. Sugo also had extensive formal training. My self-taught swordsmanship may be difficult.”

As Kamiza said, his swordsmanship was versatile and unconventional.

However, with these sword techniques, he climbed to the rank of A-class (superior) adventurer, showing movements that were efficient, rational, and unpredictable.

During the training with his grandfather, Ryu felt that he might be more suited to this style.

When he tried to imitate it, it felt natural.

Jiro, on the other hand, showed versatility by smoothly switching from Farza’s sword technique to his grandfather’s.

Jiro may have been the best among the brothers if it was just his talent with the sword.

But Ryu wasn’t lagging behind. After defeating the Orc King the previous year (technically mostly with the help of his grandfather and father), he gained a significant amount of experience, and his basic stats had improved dramatically.

Thanks to that, he could now hold his own against Jiro in swordplay.

In addition, Ryu’s proficiency in earth magic increased, allowing him to use intermediate-level magic.

He could now transmute iron.

His magical attack power had significantly increased.

Simultaneously, he utilized this magic in building the city walls of the Landmark town.

He mimicked the ancient technique of reinforcing walls by inserting iron cores into the interior.

The walls couldn’t be very high, but with this sturdy construction, they were less likely to be breached.

Of course, the construction of city walls had the approval of Count Sugoella, so Ryu began building them gradually.

In the process of building the walls, Ryu and his father had initially decided to focus on the gate.

Farza seemed to have a preference for the gate, and they discussed it thoroughly.

They debated whether to have a drawbridge-style gate with a moat or a solid stone bridge. However, they eventually settled on something simple.

This was because this was just a town at the level of a knight’s domain.

Building something too grand would only invite resentment from elsewhere, confronting them with a practical problem.

But Ryu also had a point where he wouldn’t back down— the scale of the walls.

Initially, Farza suggested a smaller area to lighten Ryu’s burden, but Ryu stubbornly refused.

He wanted to build it wider, thinking about future development.

There was a clash of opinions, but with the arrival of the news of Farza’s ascension, Ryu gained momentum and finally convinced them to build it wider.

Since then, building the city walls became part of Ryu’s daily routine.

Consulting with his grandfather Kamiza, they worked on utilizing the terrain and gradually made progress.

In the midst of these fulfilling days, there was a visitor.

It was the Baron of the neighboring territory, Elanza.

On that day, Ryu, along with his grandfather Kamiza, was spreading out the map of Landmark territory, confirming the position of the city walls.

As usual, there was no messenger to announce the visit. Ryu couldn’t help but be amazed at Elanza’s arrival when his father Farza was away.

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