A few days later.
On the only road from the Corrupted Marsh to Sunset Fortress, a miracle had risen from the ground.
A brand new city wall, five stories tall and as thick as ten men, completely blocked the exit of the marsh.
Over a dozen large arrow towers stood in a staggered arrangement, forming a despair-inducing defensive line.
The soldiers of Sunset Fortress looked up at this near-divine construction, their faces full of awe.
Just a few days ago, when they were carrying out those incredible orders from Prince Wendy, every single one of them was filled with confusion and silent complaints.
But given their previous successes, no one dared question anything—they just buried their heads and got the job done.
Yet being sent into the marsh to dig up foul, rotten black mud, mixing it with ground stone powder and pitch-black dust, stirring it all into cauldrons of nauseating gray paste—this felt more like child’s play than real work.
Even more absurd, Prince Wendy had abandoned the age-old method of hauling giant stones to build fortifications, and instead poured this gray paste into molds stuffed with rice husks and weeds, all framed with wooden boards.
The scene looked less like constructing defenses and more like some grand-scale game of mud pies.
And those round earthen kilns built on open ground, belching black smoke day and night, made them even more nervous, as if a man-eating fire demon might crawl out at any moment.
But when the wooden molds were finally removed, what was revealed was a bluish-gray wall, harder than granite.
A warhammer left only a shallow white mark; even a small amount of Alchemic Explosives barely chipped away a bit of the surface!
This completely overturned everything they knew!
In the past, building a castle meant hauling and shaping giant stones—a backbreaking, dangerous job with a high rate of injury and death.
One careless moment, and you could be crushed, bones broken.
But now… they’d just played with mud for a few days, and created a fortress as solid as iron!
The soldiers looked up to the slender, greenish figure atop the wall, their initial awe transformed into a near-mad worship.
“I declare, from today on, Prince Wendy is my one true god! What Light Goddess? Can she build the Great Wall out of mud pies?!”
“Haha, just a few days ago I was complaining to my sisters, wondering if His Highness wanted to stink the Orcs to death with all this muck. Now, I just want to slap myself—how blind was I to not recognize Sunset Mountain!”
“You don’t get it, this is what they call a dimensional strike! Prince Wendy’s using technology from another era! I bet he’s a god come down to experience mortal life!”
“I’m doomed, I think I’ve fallen for him. He can fight, invent things, and he’s so handsome… What woman could resist a man like that? Your Highness, do you need a leg-hugging accessory? I’m good at warming beds!”
“I used to think ‘a feast for the eyes’ was an exaggeration, but looking at His Highness Wendy, I believe it now—just gazing at him makes me want to eat three extra bowls of rice!”
Yet, at this moment, the Prince at the center of all this worship simply patted the parapet and sighed.
He was not at all satisfied with the result.
After all, with the limits of this era, the kilns couldn’t reach proper temperatures, so the cement clinker’s quality was questionable.
The raw materials were ground and mixed by hand, the proportions wildly imprecise.
Worst of all, not a single proper steel bar in the whole structure; he had to use weeds and rice husks as the framework.
This wall, which to others seemed impenetrable, was in Wendy’s slightly obsessive eyes nothing but a shoddy project—its every inch shouting “make-do.”
“Wendy, you’re amazing!”
A delighted voice interrupted his thoughts.
Astreia had appeared by his side without him noticing, and was enthusiastically poking the wall with her massive war lance.
“Clang!”
Sparks flew as the lance tip struck the wall, leaving only a small, finger-deep dent.
The defensive effect left her overjoyed—it far surpassed the main wall of Sunset Fortress.
Even with the Orcs’ monstrous strength, breaking through this line would cost them dearly.
“Mm…” Wendy nodded absentmindedly, saying nothing.
These past days, aside from overseeing the cement defenses, he’d also tried to discreetly ask Astreia about that mysterious Priest.
But the Princess Royal’s answer had left his heart heavy.
Priests were an incredibly rare profession in the Valoran Kingdom; little Sunset Fortress could never have one stationed here.
It was only by chance—after he’d twisted his ankle in the bath—that a wandering Priest, upon hearing of the coming Orc invasion, had chosen to stay and help. As for their name or background, she knew nothing.
As expected… Is this the work of the World Correction Force?
Wendy sighed inwardly. It seemed that mysterious power would stop at nothing to pull the story back on track.
At that moment, General Sera finished supervising the last stretch of wall and approached with a squad of soldiers.
“How magnificent…”
The iron-blooded veteran gazed at the miracle before her, her single eye showing rare gratitude and respect.
Behind her, the soldiers saw Wendy and Astreia standing together and instantly burst into a loud uproar.
“Princess Astreia! Prince Wendy can mix explosives, make cement, and he’s so good-looking—such an outstanding man, you should just marry him already!”
This bold declaration set off the crowd.
“That’s right! Your Highness, hurry up and make it official! What if some blind idiot steals our perfect Prince Wendy away?”
“I can testify! Just last night, I saw His Highness burning the midnight oil, drawing blueprints! A man who works this hard for Sunset Fortress—good luck finding another like him! Your Highness, you’d better seize your chance!”
“You fools! This is a power couple! Our Princess’s strength is unmatched, and His Highness is a genius—if they had a daughter, she’d be unstoppable!”
“Exactly! Prince Wendy, just accept our Princess! We promise you’ll live a life of luxury, and if anyone dares bully you, the tens of thousands of Northern Region soldiers will never allow it!”
“Please! Get married right here! I’ve already got my wedding money ready!”
Amid the roar of voices, Astreia’s handsome face turned bright red, the blush spreading from her cheeks to her ears.
She nervously lowered her head, heart pounding, hands twisting her skirt, daring only to sneak glances at the Prince beside her.
The usually mighty “Northern Lioness” now looked as meek as a kitten, making even General Sera smile.
Sera stepped forward and said in a deep voice to Wendy, “Kid, our Princess might not be the brightest at times, but she’s a good person. You’re a smart man—if you stay at Sunset Fortress and marry our Princess, it’s the best choice for you and for the Valoran Kingdom.”
For a moment, all eyes were on Wendy.
He was silent for a while. Under the gaze of the crowd, he didn’t shyly refuse as they expected, but forced out a helpless, doting smile.
“You’re all too impatient. At the very least… let’s wait until we’ve driven off the Orcs before talking about this.”
At his words, the crowd went silent—then erupted in cheers ten times louder than before!
He didn’t refuse!
Prince Wendy didn’t refuse!
Wasn’t that as good as agreeing?!
Astreia felt a wave of happiness surge through her, her anxious heart finally settling, her head spinning a little, a silly smile on her face.
General Sera nodded with a satisfied “auntie’s smile.”
Very good.
As long as the little Prince is willing, that’s enough.
A strategic talent who can develop Alchemic Explosives and cement is too important—he must be kept in Valoran at all costs.
Now that their silly Princess has claimed him, everyone could be happy.
Otherwise, if he ever tried to leave Sunset Fortress, they’d have to resort to less-than-honorable means…
On top of the wall, the atmosphere was a sea of joy.
The soldiers cheered, hugged, and dreamed of the great victory and bright future ahead.
But no one noticed.
Amidst the noise and euphoria, Wendy’s hand, hidden in his sleeve, slowly tightened around the Protective Amulet.
The defenses were complete. Once the cement fully set, this place would be as solid as iron.
I’m sorry, Astreia.
To keep you from becoming a witch, I’ll have to… leave for a while.