Chapter 421: This Is… a Castle? (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 421: This Is… a Castle? (2)
Dumbfounded, Alon asked once more to be sure.
“…So, you’re saying that thing over there is Castle No. 4?”
“Yes!”
“And Castles No. 1 through 3 are separate?”
“That is correct. Your Majesty will be residing in Castle No. 1.”
“…….”
Alon fell silent at the cheerful response. He had no idea where to even begin protesting.
…No matter how I look at it, this is overkill.
Of course, he didn't intend to blame Alexion. Alon had ordered him to build the castle as cost-effectively as possible, and Alexion was following that order to the letter. The problem was that Alexion’s abilities were far greater than he had anticipated.
…Wait, in this case, is it even a matter of being capable?
Lost in thought for a moment, Alon eventually snapped out of it and cleared his throat.
“Alexion?”
“Yes.”
“First, bring me the blueprints.”
He could have simply ordered them to downsize, claiming the castle was too much. However, doing so would mean Alexion’s hard work would vanish into thin air with a single word. Alon intended to try and persuade him reasonably first, even if the end result was the same. Being ordered to stop without question felt very different from being convinced by a rational explanation.
“Understood.”
Alexion left for a moment and returned with an armful of papers.
“…Are those all blueprints?”
“Yes, they are.”
“…Whoa.”
There had to be at least fifty pages. Alon stared blankly, and Penia’s jaw dropped.
[……This is a bit much.]
[Kyu—]
Basiliora and Blackie wore similar expressions. Just then—
“Your Majesty. The two Tower Masters are also requesting an audience. How should I proceed?”
“…The two Tower Masters?”
“The Purple Tower Master and the Brown Tower Master, who are currently assisting with the castle’s construction.”
“Send them in.”
Alon nodded absentmindedly at the report.
“Greetings to the sky of the nation.”
“Greetings to the sky of the nation.”
Soon, the two Tower Masters entered the office and bowed their heads in greeting.
…This feels more embarrassing than I expected.
Alon composed himself and replied immediately.
“There’s no need for such formality.”
“But—”
“I mean it. You can relax and speak freely.”
The two Tower Masters glanced at each other.
“Haha, then we shall speak a bit more comfortably.”
“Me too. You certainly have a generous side.”
The heavy atmosphere shifted instantly. Alon exchanged light pleasantries with them once more.
“Actually, we heard you wanted to check the blueprints and thought you might need an explanation.”
“I suppose so, but…”
Alon nodded at the Brown Tower Master’s words and looked at the blueprints. There were so many he wondered if he could even finish reading them all today. Still, he couldn't just ignore them.
“Let’s take a look then.”
Alon picked up the blueprints.
* * *
How much time had passed since Alon first spread out the papers?
He had looked through almost all of them—well, he hadn't looked at the middle section in great detail, but after seeing the bulk of it, Alon had only one thought.
This is insane.
In both a good and a bad way, the blueprints left a deep impression on him. It was truly remarkable in every sense. Perhaps because two Tower Masters had designed it, there wasn't a single spot in the castle without a magic circle. In fact, the entire castle could be considered one giant magic circle.
The five gates leading from the outer castle to the inner castle each used different materials and magic circles. Furthermore, a large-scale illusion magic was prepared to activate across the entire castle whenever the master desired.
That wasn't all. Beyond the magical aspects, it was clear they had put immense effort into the architecture as well. If this weren't being built in Palantia, one might have suspected they were building a Demon King’s Castle.
In short, the castle the two Tower Masters had created was "insane" in a magnificent way.
…But it was also insane in a bad way.
…Can this thing even run properly?
The world operated on the principle of give and take. If you put something in, you got something out. Of course, the two Tower Masters were acting like "The Giving Tree," providing the design, construction, and even the material costs for some reason. But Alon’s concern was different.
Magic circles didn't activate just because they were drawn. They required mana. While most of the circles in these blueprints were efficient and low-consumption… the story changed when there were over a thousand of them. No matter how little mana each one used, if the total number was unmanageable, it was the same as having a mana shortage.
Even if the mana-hungry illusion circles or large-scale offensive magic circles were only for emergencies, keeping a thousand circles running at all times would require an astronomical amount of mana.
In conclusion, this building was a castle that would consume an enormous amount of resources just by existing.
And above all else… Alon didn't need such a massive castle.
Therefore—
“Ahem—”
Just as Alon was about to organize his thoughts and speak up about the blueprints.
“Um, isn't this a bit too much, no matter how you look at it?”
Penia, who had been staring at the blueprints just as intensely as Alon, beat him to it.
“This is overkill. If we operate a castle like this for even a month or two, the territory will go bankrupt just from the magic circles!”
“I agree. Besides—honestly, given the size of the territory, having a castle this ridiculously large seems like a waste,” Evan added immediately, as if he had been waiting for the chance.
Alon smiled inwardly at the two of them, who seemed to have read his mind. He felt their opinions aligned perfectly because they had traveled together for so long.
“Hmm, neither of you is wrong,” the Brown Tower Master nodded slowly.
However.
“But there is a way regarding the magic circles.”
“…A way?”
“Of course. Did you think we would build a structure without considering that? Naturally, we’ve prepared a countermeasure.”
“What is it?”
“This right here.”
The Brown Tower Master confidently pulled out a specific blueprint as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“This is…?”
“A mana circulation circle. It literally draws mana from the atmosphere and converts it into power.”
“…I know about those, but isn't the efficiency usually terrible?”
“The one we’ve made this time is an improved version. Furthermore, the materials used to draw the circles are—”
Penia listened to the Brown Tower Master’s explanation as if possessed. A short while later.
“I see. If you do it that way, mana shouldn't be a major issue.”
“Exactly. It’ll cost more than a normal castle, but it’ll be very cheap to maintain.”
Before she knew it, Penia was enthusiastically examining the blueprints alongside the Brown Tower Master. Then—
“Wow—… Ah.”
She snapped back to her senses and cleared her throat. This time, Evan, who was still maintaining his reason, stepped forward.
“I don't know much about magic circles, but shouldn't the castle still be downsized?”
“Shouldn't a castle possess dignity?”
“I agree with that, but it doesn't need to be unnecessarily large.”
At that point, the Brown Tower Master hummed in thought and looked at Alon.
“Does Your Majesty feel the same?”
“Honestly, I do think it’s excessively large.”
The Brown Tower Master smacked his lips in disappointment.
“If Your Majesty says so, I suppose we’ll have to reduce the scale a bit.”
“It can’t be helped then—”
The Purple Tower Master sighed softly as well. She scratched her head and muttered.
“Goodness, does this mean we have to consolidate everything? I specifically designed Castle No. 3 for the knight order.”
“…The knight order?”
Evan’s eyes widened, and he reacted instantly.
“Right. And I was planning to make Castle No. 2 like a magic tower.”
“A magic tower…?”
This time, Penia reacted to the Brown Tower Master’s words.
“Hmm? Well—yes. Since we have to protect His Majesty, we were going to build quarters for the knight order in the large outer castle, and have you, his guardian knight, manage it. And Castle No. 2 was configured for His Majesty’s magic research.”
“Well, it’s a shame it turned out this way,” the Brown Tower Master said with a shrug, then suddenly let out an exclamation. “Actually, we couldn't have built Castle No. 2 there anyway. Come to think of it, that spot is usually reserved for the Queen’s Castle. Even if we built it, it would have to be somewhere else.”
“!”
Penia’s eyes went wide once more, looking quite startled.
“…Alon-nim?”
“…What is it?”
“Actually, maybe having a large castle isn't such a bad thing?”
“I agree, Alon-nim.”
“…….”
In less than thirty seconds, the two of them had been completely won over by the Tower Masters. They showed a change in attitude as fast as characters Alon used to play long ago. Alon felt a slight sense of betrayal, but there was nothing he could do.
The time it took to review the original plan for Palantia Castle from that point on was—
“……Then we shall proceed without any changes!”
“Very well……”
Only ten minutes.
* * *
The following day.
Having finished the discussions regarding the castle, Alon immediately headed for Divine Land. He had business there to begin with.
Inside the quietly moving carriage.
“Oh, right. Alon-nim. There’s some news I heard yesterday but couldn't tell you right away.”
“What is it? Is it urgent?”
“No, not exactly. But it is a bit strange.”
“…What is it?”
Evan relayed a peculiar rumor Alon hadn't expected.
“Well, didn't I mention recently that the Divine Bloods have been fighting among themselves quite often?”
“You did.”
“It seems those Divine Bloods have recently formed some kind of organization.”
“…The Divine Bloods formed an organization?”
“Yes. From what I’ve heard, the organization is called ‘Star Root.’”
“…Star Root?”
It was, indeed, a very strange rumor.