The reconstruction work on the Landmark Mansion began.
The temporary move to the guesthouse was quickly completed.
The design was discussed between Ryu, who was in charge of the leveling and foundation, and local carpenters.
It was decided to make it a symbol of the Landmark Territory so that there would be no need to rebuild it in the future.
Ryu personally wanted to go for a traditional Japanese architectural style, but he had to give up as many things, like tiled roofs, couldn’t be made with earth magic.
“I was dreaming of a compound-style residence…”
Initially, Ryu was building it entirely based on his personal taste, but realizing it wasn’t practical, he incorporated Farza’s opinion and decided to build a small castle.
That way, Ryu could easily build it with his earth magic.
With Leanne’s help, they completed extensive leveling. After a month, they had an impressive cylindrical tower on all four sides, connected by corridors and buildings. In the center, there was an aerial garden. They literally built a castle with two basement levels and three above-ground floors.
“Ryu… Isn’t this going a bit too far…?”
Farza felt a mixture of anticipation and unease as the mansion grew larger during construction, but when it was completed, he was astonished by its unexpected scale.
“We made it as a symbol of the Landmark family, to be passed down through generations of Landmark family heads. With this, there shouldn’t be any need for reconstruction for a while, right?”
“But it’s too large…!”
“It’s okay, Dad. Except for the interior, it’s all done with earth magic, so we’ve managed to keep it within budget.”
Ryu reassured with a bright smile.
“True, but there’s still the matter of reputation…”
“Marquis Sugoella said we’re an independent baronial family, so we can do as we please.”
“That’s true…”
“Your reputation in society should be fine now. The previous mansion was too modest, even our peers from the days of being retainers were amazed.”
Ryu brought up Tauro’s engagement commotion.
Indeed, Farza remembered how their spending on the mansion was ridiculed as peculiar compared to the grandeur of the main roads.
“I see… Yes! Ryu’s right! Let’s make this mansion the symbol of the Landmark family from now on.”
Finally, Farza nodded in agreement with Ryu’s persuasion.
A few days later, during the winter break, Ryu’s brothers Tauro and Jiro, along with their servant Sima, returned home. However, instead of the familiar modest mansion, they were greeted by a sprawling mansion resembling a small castle.
“Welcome back!”
Ryu and Leanne welcomed the brothers at the entrance, expecting their surprised expressions.
Or rather, one of the purposes of rushing the construction was to surprise them upon their return.
“What… What’s going on here?”
“Didn’t we have a house… like, just last summer?”
“I thought we took a wrong turn…”
The three of them stood in front of the mansion, still in a daze after getting off the carriage. But when Ryu ushered them into the new home, they were once again surprised by the grand hall with a towering staircase.
“Oh, and the maids and servants aren’t used to this home yet, so don’t get lost.”
Ryu said this as he guided his brothers to their new rooms.
Each of them was given a room on the second floor, with a spiral staircase in the mansion to access the upper floors.
Both of them, having previously shared a room, felt uneasy suddenly being in such spacious surroundings.
Sima was delighted to have been given a private room on the first floor.
Previously, he had shared a room with other servants, so he felt a bit overwhelmed by the space and ended up unnecessarily spreading out his belongings to fill the space.
Ryu’s room wasn’t as spacious as Tauro and Jiro’s.
As the third son, he understood his place.
Besides, he had magic storage, so he didn’t need much space.
He had planned to give Leanne a spacious room, but she scolded him.
“There’s no way a servant can live in a bigger room than the master!”
It made sense, so Ryu moved to a slightly larger room, and Leanne took the one next to it.
