Chapter 175
dq3With the injection of enormous funds, the once quiet House Armian began to bustle with activity.FgE
dBoOqvDuke Ferdicas Armian, head of the family, made a swift decision.eadZ
qxxxxt“No matter how much we develop the current lands or seek more resources, we’ll never be able to repay this debt.”JYX
KCwZBcThe money Aint had borrowed amounted to several times the value of all of Armian’s current territories.aPM5
J3POf course, a fief couldn’t be measured by money alone, but even so, it had its limits.taQI
iVngEven with low interest rates, the amount borrowed was so large that repaying it would be difficult.XKlR
RKNcyxm“Anyway, what you need, Aint, is not vast territory, but an army to back you.”d9y
Yvm5So he decided to allocate everything—except for minimal land development—to organizing and maintaining troops.1mKj
0kef2t9“Becoming emperor, reclaiming all of Armian’s lands, and using the spoils of war against the demons—that alone can repay this debt.”oJeIj
LGlHad Gismond heard him, he would’ve said.J2ELCq
Hkqy4“Repay the debt? Wow, the duke has the heart of a beast.”czI3ok5
zHLjxRBut from the moment Aint agreed to borrow money he could never repay on his own, this was the only viable solution.Hs8
paguC“For now, the goal is to expand to three knightly orders and three mage corps, totaling three thousand men.”FosC4at
VGAHCThen, grow step by step until, militarily, they were not inferior to the other prince-electors.LVZ
8sZOThat was, ultimately, the duke’s wish.4kBv3k
EVnw“Thank you.”ZoeK
BLCq“Thank me? It’s only natural.”cHqL
7BnVsAint assisted his father in selecting knights, recruiting soldiers, and learning how to manage the territory and handle the troops.73XPB1
u2ZXThe duke wanted to teach him everything he knew.JpJjWh
w9FG“Being emperor and managing a fragmented territory like ours are very different things, but it will still help you.”v4C
4DbI“Of course.”Ct8bJB
l3DmCjWhile he learned everything from his father except swordsmanship, he also received guidance from Gardner Alfenparsen.BiWCdP
Y2P9— You should’ve responded more calmly there.6rmBt
982U— Relax your strength. You’re too stiff—the sword doesn’t flow and becomes rough.wsyS
CP8YG55At the same time, he sparred with knights from the Saintbird Order.3dU8wc
9MNT5“Master Aint wins again!”yzTvhdy
FkakRz“Master Aint even beat Appen!”jMSOR
Is7u“He’s completely different from a year and a half ago.”i4vj
2jz“No wonder they call him a hero for defeating the corrupt.”goMzTB
AdpO“Only the captain could beat him now!”khBk
pnRVThanks to these practices, his swordsmanship sharpened even further.f84LXnQ
H9teeUc“I want to be friends with Silver too!”eBp0h4
7YkQWq“The Saintbird has returned to the Saintbird Order!”FaPDtgw
4Acy83H“He’s too adorable!”3k1Q
fallB2pIt was an extremely productive summer.FoZPKy
5Ehyrx***I74iP
kYxnI76Clop, clop—J8F
U66XSxA white horse galloped across the snowy steppe, followed by dozens of knights.2GP5rHu
WjVnLuina pulled on the reins, and the mount halted, snorting.UE7Zzz
LKJIn the vast frozen plain, with no trace of monsters, a smile appeared on her lips.hBj1hC
cRm“Let’s head back for today.”RvVcrDv
phcyW“Yes!”joDgy
0052Following her order, the knights turned their horses.mQoonx
5GZUThroughout the dawn patrol, they hadn’t encountered a single monster.jroZ
FCiOSince the death of rank-66 demon Kimaris, northern Bercheff had changed drastically.AVzSZio
XmASnow still fell for nearly half the year, but the monsters that once plagued the cursed land had vanished.Jfd7K5
KJt4jThe demons themselves had wiped out most of them, and now an unprecedented peace reigned.Nwx
v0YMSmiles bloomed on people’s faces.AQX
aStVCfLuina owed that peace to Fernan.wtFhdE
xhJUW9c‘If it hadn’t been for Fernan…’LZnGl
nK1If he hadn’t found Kimaris’s egg, if he hadn’t hired the Mercenary King, this peace wouldn’t exist.3kKtK
l6qzRo6More likely, Bercheff would’ve fallen and the Empire would be in chaos.4jkNWI
vN6B52‘When this break ends, I should give him a gift…’mc3f1
XK2Whatever it was, it would be a small token for Fernan, but she still wanted to show her gratitude.n0t9S
Q3ybClop, clop.9Bc
Bs3At that moment, the patrol reentered the city and passed the street of the forges.Gwo
VbymZkr‘A weapon? No… he’s a mage, that wouldn’t help.’MUIat
czo0hAs she pondered what to gift him, Luina was surprised.wzdr
yRUVaRClang, clang—! Ssshhh! Fwoosh!fdQn68q
DdMbXt“Careful, it’s hot!”xHss
MIuMThe sound of hammers, metal cooling, smiths shouting, and scorching heat.mvDmi
MbYQPEvery forge was working at full capacity, their fires never extinguished.pjPhLAx
p160G9HIt was normal for Bercheff, amid reconstruction, to have active forges—but what was being piled outside was unexpected.3o5
U5vx‘Weapons and armor?’iQZLgH
21HPgAll the forges were producing the same thing.zQJbz
4TqRNmk‘Didn’t Father say they wouldn’t be producing anything in large quantities for now?’KNB9ioF
m96kBWith Pellenberg’s massive investment, new cities and workshops were being built on the wastelands, and production was centered on the forge street.3sR
CzJDShe remembered her father saying there wouldn’t be room to produce weapons right away because of that.H0WK8
U0P49i“His Excellency awaits you.”MV8T2
5t1JlzBack at the castle, Luina entered the border marquis’s office and gave a brief report.NB0KjcT
KSNEBFNothing out of the ordinary, just routine.CMvEHT
0uLD“Well done.”nacL
viB“I only did my duty.”ThI
yRGWbShe bowed and asked.hXGfO
yv3c“On the way back, I saw the workshops and forges busy making weapons. Is something happening?”rYgIC
M66mj“Pellenberg made a massive order.”PJC
WwUrU“Pellenberg?”313ws
5gG“It’s today’s headline. Read it.”HVHqdB
TcwThe marquis handed her a newspaper.1dNVTsB
Q6flpw【King of Esrin, Dener Esrin, Gravely Ill…】jVn
PDt16Qa“So Esrin is in turmoil.”Kjtv
AQC0qV“A king’s illness being in the paper?”onPS
00xBFukA monarch’s health was usually strictly controlled—and even more so for a king.XgaI
PVG“Read the next article.”0Ba
5Bmytg【Crown Prince Balve Esrin declares, ‘The rumors about His Majesty’s health are exaggerated. It was just mild anemia.’】5tEL1
I1S0snw“Anemia?”MrwGa
rB7JD“Two days ago was Esrin’s founding anniversary. The king collapsed during the ceremony.”UX52
sBkt“Ah…”UzR
iSZhWith such a public scandal, it didn’t matter what the royal family tried to control.0TS2yHL
OyUM“They can deny it all they want—no one believes it. That king is so old, it’s no surprise he might die soon.”OiMc
JLuARumors about King Esrin’s poor health weren’t new.sTyUEd
Y3gNEighty-eight years old. For a common man—not a knight or mage—that was already a long life, and his health was frail.tSyzKM
XOJ“It feels like the inevitable has finally come.”zUVE
ECf“But doesn’t Esrin already have a designated heir?”HtkhWc1
FC6LSF1“That’s what I thought—but apparently, Pellenberg thinks otherwise.”qU7
fxtym4Otherwise, they wouldn’t have made such an order.kfNE2U
3IjPI“The demons are already appearing, and they’re still unprepared.”qJj
rIKQThe marquis clicked his tongue. Esrin had been naïve, feeling safe because the corrupt hadn’t yet acted there.L9CDY
RdR8Most humans didn’t understand danger until it stared them in the face.yRHD
zXwpe“Well, it works out for me…”Xp7c
b849JHe wasn’t a greedy man, but he owed a great debt to Pellenberg.WzKLM0
GeLEven if their relationship had shifted now, a debt was still a debt.B0EjH
oVfAnd he had no intention of wasting this chance to repay it.Ex32rUW
h35***HtOWA
9HKTTGClang, clang, clang—w6SGvv
5MepJRumble, rumble—nrVTTa
Denv“Reinforce those supports!”9YLy
CNYaL“We’ve hit a hard rock layer!”gWzXq0
cWTVf“What, you think it ends here? Bring the gear and smash through it right now!”ELs
4DZ7olThe dwarven underground city.WCkw
P48MWyThey accepted the new proposal Fernan had brought, and since the city’s founding, no public project of such scale had ever been undertaken.Xwn
6ejMKzo“Hmm.”nvxCQx
duGIgThe mayor, reviewing the materials Fernan had submitted, was puzzled by two additional conditions.22N
D11s3wJ“Taking Ahgrot to the Academy, I can accept that.”dCSJVKC
9WhZAhgrot also wanted to go, and besides, he would serve as a fitting symbol of a new beginning for the dwarves.V0ljj
7UcIn fact, the mayor even wanted Fernan to take him.pZWxYO
id1“But this makes no sense to me.”S3j0L66
D10He moved the pen as he looked over the blueprint Fernan had handed him.y7m
NB72V“A shield made from a Turhel’s shell?”sZxrrim
0dVWLWkEven he acknowledged that the shell of the rank-2 monster Turhel was so hard it could crush almost any metal.ntR3wK5
46OKxMelting it down and forging it into weapons or equipment made sense.ftVrIv
ogqOUMost dwarves agreed it could be put to use.yich
TWFYZBut—mrmj
fSnbbUp“You want to turn it into a shield without modifying its original shape?”zWKhC
NteZzsThe Turhel was a massive monster, over five meters on average.GdjX4a
NRL5aIf the shell covered its entire body, the diameter would easily exceed five meters.X3z
7uT8B“Frankly, it’s not easy, but not impossible either. What I don’t understand are two things.”0ZdHf
uyBI“What are they?”VDLzja
BQ5B“First—though the amount is small—you’re asking to mix the Three Great Metals.”eH7qe
lqcVigMThe mayor glanced again at the blueprint.rnXW5C
1bHyThe Turhel’s shell had to be processed and combined with an alloy of mithril, adamantium, and orichalcum. Then, multiple runes were to be engraved to further reinforce it.PsIg
7jlzx5“I know you have the Three Great Metals, but don’t you think it’s a waste?”3ON0jRq
Nmtg“It’s not.”CQVK
6ST3Fernan firmly shook his head.OPRGE
3asFHe knew this would provide greater security.khpVXJ4
7OO“With adamantium, I’ll gain hardness, and with orichalcum, it will be lighter.”LzsbCwo
fN6AwOrichalcum, also known as floating stone, when mixed, reduced the weight of any object.DNJhsAV
xbBEv“And the mithril?”rDK
KXG“That I can’t tell you.”xPZ
olNvOf course, it was to allow size alteration. Since the shield was for Wooden, it needed to shrink when he did.BnsG
qSdyVpS“Fine, fine. It’s yours—if you want to do it that way, go ahead. But to waste the Three Great Metals like that…”gjRk
nyWoWBZThe mayor sighed with obvious nostalgia.OEgCQ
ANuIx“But tell me—why the hell do you want a giant shield of this size? Will it even be useful?”QCbJJi
XYpk9“Yes, it will.”Ok0A
I0tvs“A golem, maybe?”0zzcKHU
ZAN1wKt“Something like that.”rLADb
6JhUComparing it to other golems was an insult, but in the end, Wooden was also one.7mxqJJ
BMmOI2M“Interesting. I thought golem magic was nearly extinct on the surface.”qgR
x2Q“It still survives.”aVLrCtw
uPVr“But the problem is that it leaves the mage defenseless, right?”ejzhT1f
xtQDf9“There’s a way to avoid that.”DNWZB
1VWCe“…Well, if you say so.”htSi3
7IuThe mayor nodded with resignation.hUF
F11H“In any case, you understand you’ll have to intervene, right? We dwarves are the best in the world at forging equipment, but these magical inscriptions you’re asking for are impossible for us.”Pag
OglXxM“I know.”005jhy
q4yVIda“Then, the fees…”RVp
Q00Xod“Aren’t you receiving lands and titles from us?”NbG0D5t
ypmhH77“Don’t give me that! That’s a completely different matter!”Yvhi
xcEhUZtThe mayor roared, though he then asked cautiously.3n5
6AkUj0C“Do you have any of the Three Great Metals left?”AFrTP
NYH6LL“As far as I know, Ahgrot already took everything we gave him. This, I’d say, could be done out of camaraderie.”NGN75Uv
iyN“Ahem, that loudmouth told you everything, huh?”ePO9iy
eKskuEThe mayor laughed awkwardly.V2WNiZ
GPB“Fine, I’ll do it for free.”yUxsocH
WaRj“I appreciate it.”xgV2
VLny“Then you’ll see why dwarven skill is recognized as the best in the world.”tm6
pse— Kyuu!AAJ
Eembi‘Thanks. Nice.’pL63TF
hxbqThe little golem bowed happily at the thought of receiving a huge and durable shield, though no one understood what he said.cSf
8nb4L***5PAu
wLyYA sunny afternoon.sFpf
zgsmELudger sipped tea while flipping through the newspaper.hVV4e
Qy2u【Golden Turtle Company obtains development rights in Fridian…!
First time entering their territory!】lhWCdR
Gef【Where did the Company get those rights? A land of pure rock, long deemed unprofitable…】VJ9
GxOAQEL“Development rights in Fridian?”vYC
jylVSince when? Ludger gave a disbelieving chuckle.HhQTRqz
5N4That the area was just rocky mountains didn’t matter.EAI0kJ
3QRy9iWhat mattered was that, for the first time, Fridian had ceded part of its territory.MNPEn7
lTZThat meant Pellenberg had reached some kind of agreement with them.iX8lCEj
7aVeGb“…Fernan. Do you really plan to make Aint Armian emperor?”v8Vf
yanDid he truly believe that was possible?hY5
8petyiBeyond his demon-fighting bloodline and inherited swordsmanship, that kid had nothing.z4avt
haZjRNo matter how much Ludger thought about it, it seemed absurd.dv0XHP
um3US68At that moment—GVPmWX
lyxnvrz“Your Highness, the First Prince has arrived.”vRJzLub
D8LacwTLudger’s expression hardened.HLjz4
fvNu“Let him in.”rwN1vLY
D8U51qA moment later, a man with golden hair similar to Ludger’s, intense green eyes, and softer features entered the garden, accompanied by guards.u3Kh
w8AmV0N“Been a while, Ludger.”eZdHO
XGwNRIt was the First Prince of the Empire, Ruben Schwaben.0vuwiKN
poHRdDi“I’ve wanted to see you, but I’ve been busier than expected. How’s life at the Academy?”9pZsOg
126PqPAnd now he says this, after nearly a month of vacation at the palace?phOAAC
jIhRlYTLudger responded calmly.QTRsLsi
wdBkOR“It’s fine. I already knew you were busy.”1Q5daG
TKvaHq“You sound a bit sharp.”pVM
JwIoF“That’s not it.”HxPoJzq
uHY7JX“Are you annoyed?”tSDZpn
nXOu9TThe prince sat across from him.IEb1C66
3VgRa“I want to speak with my brother alone.”ABt
JrRQLudger’s guards looked at him. With a nod, he signaled them to leave.s8nVue8
UZj“I only recently learned that the secret swordsmanship of Armian was here in our house. I was shocked when His Majesty told us.”buGBB
zVDSvEThe First Prince gently patted his brother’s shoulder.vqdHJC
Y9q7z64“I didn’t tell you because you were at the Academy.”nSe
KZZb8“That’s not what bothers me.”GTuQm1
QxmVWell, it did, but there was something more important.KL2LAa
96ZuvAd“Why did you attack Aint Armian? That was the worst possible decision.”aKx
NTXXLudger had predicted it would fail—and it did.Wci
XCA2uThanks to Fernan.sar
OxgytjHad they at least consulted him more thoroughly about the relationship between Fernan and Aint, they might’ve planned better.7tUz
AyTyyg“All it did was make him more distrustful.”7A8ZVPg
DqU5“I agree. Touching Aint now was a mistake. Especially since we didn’t know Fernan Pellenberg supported him.”iYrr2
BuudBut—h7XLg
LXs6sZX“It doesn’t matter what relationship he has with Aint. If he had stayed hidden in his diminished lands, fine. But not anymore. We cannot coexist with Armian.”QSoF
FDa0TyVThere were many powerful people in the Empire, but only one throne.nfiyNy
Tr2nW“That’s why I want you to do something.”tZI
NspN“…Me?”iPeZ
QGn76Aq“Yes.”ZGHEwy
H3uWIf they couldn’t be allies, they had to be victors.RaSbHl
14q8b0f“His Majesty and I both want that boy to stop shining. At least until the time is right.”JwjVOJ3
rHOj“Until he fully masters the Armian swordsmanship?”I9zVPu
L2Sp“It’s not Armian’s. It’s Schwaben’s—refined over a thousand years to fight demons.”RmEbXhF
MDxq“No one will believe that.”V40
A3At“You’re still young. Whether they believe it or not doesn’t matter.”v5kRhO
fUIKGSooner or later, Armian would disappear, and the one remaining would be the real one.MT9klzr
6y4CtSU“Then, what exactly do you expect from me?”RSH6pXY
DnGJP9y“There’s an old saying: keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”hiK6uqP
cml“…Are you asking me to befriend that bastard?”AO8U
kuT“You’re not the same age, so not friends. But companions—teacher and student—something like that.”bxGgijk
dw0ZThe First Prince smiled.2zxJVz
BHY1U“Isn’t it perfect? The new rising hero and the imperial prince showing camaraderie. Everyone will love the story.”qCawtU
1s0“Then why not do it yourself? It would look much better coming from you.”Eno
fUOVV“Not a bad idea, but I have no contact with him.”2Ei
YoNThe prince poured tea into an empty cup.lmFyI6c
bBcz“What’s wrong? Can’t do it?”fTyVb
fV87Though his smile was warm, the unsettling pressure he radiated made Ludger’s fingers tremble involuntarily.LmIN
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