The butler, Sebas, headed outside of the campsite... toward the large log he had just dropped. The two ladies saw it and, naturally, were confused by the presence of such a massive log near their campsite.
"Hold on... where did that giant log come from...?" Martha inquired, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
"I got it from the nearby forest, Miss Knight~," he shouted back, still walking casually toward the hefty log.
"Such size... I've never seen such a thick log before..." Anastasia commented...
"Lady Ana~, I'd be careful using that phrasing so casually~," Sebas teased, his playful tone unmistakable.
"Hmm? Why is that?"
"Oi, you idiot butler! Stop messing with Lady Anastasia!" the loyal knight barked, a bit flustered as she fully grasped the unintended innuendo.
"M-Martha...? What's wrong? Did I say something weird...?"
"H-huh? O-oh, no, my lady! There's nothing wrong with what you said, ahaha..."
"Hmm?"
Anastasia could only tilt her head in confusion over her flustered knight.
The mistress's gaze then shifted back to the figure of Sebas... just in time to see him lift the humongous tree onto his shoulder with relative ease...!
"Truly... his strength never fails to impress me," she muttered under her breath, intrigued by his show of strength. "I'm quite sure that even the strongest man in the capital would not be able to lift something that heavy with just one arm."
"I-indeed, my lady," Martha agreed, her flustered expression shifting to a more serious one. "I could even attest not only to his strength... but also to his skill, especially with his swordsmanship."
"That's right...!" Anastasia suddenly recalled as her gaze flickered toward her knight's bandaged form. "You had a sparring session with Sir Sebas last night, correct? What kind of training was it? How exactly did you end up this badly injured, Martha...?"
"W-well, it's a bit shameful of me to admit, but... it was quite the one-sided spar..." Martha confessed, her expression wavering. "...Sir Butler basically hammered every mistake I made during our bout... while also giving me quite the beating of my life..."
"M-Martha..."
The mistress couldn't help but pity her knight... but Martha quickly shook her head, brushing away her concern.
"D-don't worry, Lady Anastasia. As I told you before, this is what I wanted, and... while his training was indeed quite harsh, it was truly beneficial for me!" Her knight forced a smile, trying her best to reassure Anastasia.
"If you insist..."
Anastasia's gaze shifted back to her butler—the latter still carrying the log as he casually walked with it... before eventually stopping at a certain spot and raising it sideways, holding it horizontally.
"What is he doing...?" she wondered aloud, furrowing her brows. But her question would soon be answered... as he slammed the massive log into the ground!
THUD!
The impact sent a tremor through the earth—so sudden that even Anastasia and Martha felt the ground shake beneath them...!
"W-what...?!" Anastasia gasped, trying to steady herself as the small quake disrupted her balance.
"What is he trying to do...?!" Martha muttered, furrowing her brows as she tried to maintain her footing. But, upon seeing the satisfaction evident on Sebas's face, realization struck her...! "... Is he trying to build a makeshift wall with logs?!"
The knight's deduction was spot on, as the butler firmly secured the log deep into the ground... before dashing off toward the forest in the blink of an eye. In mere seconds, his figure vanished into the thick foliage...!
But just as quickly—he returned!
Emerging from the woods, Sebas carried yet another massive tree log on his shoulder...!
Without slowing his pace, he brought it to the edge of the first log, carefully positioning himself and the log horizontally like the first... before slamming it into the ground!
THUD!
Another earth-shaking impact! The second log was planted as securely as the first, creating a long line of a "wall" made purely of tree logs!
"L-lady Anastasia...!! Miss Martha...!!"
A frantic voice called out.
Bella, the maid, came sprinting toward them, her face pale with alarm.
"A-an earthquake! There's an earthquake incoming, my lady—w-wait... what?!"
She skidded to a halt, eyes widening in disbelief as she witnessed the true cause of the "earthquake."
The campsite, once open to the vast wilderness, was now partially walled off by an imposing barrier of logs—standing firm like the foundation of a fortress.
And yet—the wall was not finished.
Once more, Sebas darted into the forest, only to reappear moments later with a third log in tow. He sprinted toward another edge of the campsite, found his designated spot... and drove the log into the earth!
THUD!
The ground quaked again from the sheer force of his action. But this time, the pattern was different—rather than aligning it with the previous two, he positioned it perpendicularly! Creating a corner at the edge of the wall!
One after another, Sebas continued his relentless work—hauling log after log from the forest, slamming them into the ground with both inhuman strength and precision.
The result was undeniable...!
A boundary.
A structure.
A wall.
Each new log reinforced the formation, enclosing their campsite into a square, until—
THUD!
The final log was planted... sealing them within an unbreakable perimeter.
The three ladies stood frozen, their gazes flickering between the completed wall and the butler who had built it in mere moments—his wide smile purely expressed the complete satisfaction of his work...!
A sense of awe washed over them as they basked in the glory of this newly constructed "wall."
"W-wait... how are we supposed to get out now...?!" Bella blurted, her voice laced with growing concern. The worry in the maid's voice was mirrored by both her mistress and her fellow aide.
But before their concern could grow—Sebas stepped forward.
Without a word, he pulled out the lumberjack axe he had brought earlier.
He stood in front of the "wall," gripping the handle of the axe firmly.
He exhaled... his stance readied...
And then—
SWOOSH!
With a single practiced swing—
CRACK!
He cleaved clean through one of the massive logs!
The sheer ease of his action left them stunned, especially Martha, who witnessed yet another feat of "sword"manship from the butler.
But, of course, he wasn't done yet.
Taking a few steps to the side, he raised his axe once more...
SWOOSH! CRACK!
Another clean cut.
Now, with both strikes aligned, Sebas effortlessly lifted the severed section of the log—creating an opening large enough for passage.