Chapter 16

Chapter 16

#16. The Northern Region’s Enemy (1)

“Long time no see, everyone.”

“Arad… Professor Arad Jin! How in the world did you end up here? And what’s with that ridiculous golden carriage?”

Before I could answer, the old Valkyrie Knight, Balzak, whose white beard had grown down to his collarbone, asked me with a trembling voice.

His eyes were shaking even more violently than his voice.

I could sense his desperate hope that this wasn’t a dream, an illusion, or a mirage.

“I was doing some new business in the Magic Realm when I ended up drifting here.”

“New business…?”

“Yeah, selling food in the Magic Realm.”

“Is that… even possible…?”

“Hahaha! If it wasn’t possible, would I be standing here?”

“…”

When I mentioned food, the same message started appearing in everyone’s gaze who was looking at me.

Even though they had thick fur hoods on due to the cold, those looks couldn’t be hidden.

This was true for Grand Duke Ariana as well.

“Professor Arad Jin, future Baronet, I am Dominic, knight of the Lenslet family…”

Finally, Balzak spoke up.

“A! Is anyone hungry? Please wait just a moment. I’ll prepare some stew. As you know, one bowl per day is free, right?”

I cut him off to save the knights’ pride and dignity.

* * *

Steam rising…

To them, it must have been the smell of real food they hadn’t smelled in months.

In front of their bowls of Arad Stew, Ariana and the knights looked like they’d almost lost their grip on sanity.

Slurp, gulp, crunch

Clatter clatter

Around the campfire, all you could hear was the sound of spoons scraping against bowls.

“Everyone, please eat slowly. It’s not good to eat too fast after being hungry for so long.”

Though I tried to calm them down, it obviously didn’t work at all.

“That’s…gulp! For commoners! We’re superhumans so we’re fine! Do you happen to have another bowl available?”

“Yes…of course.”

While serving more stew, I glanced around.

Similarly, the knights were instinctively scanning their surroundings while eating.

Since we were in the Magic Realm, monster attacks or hostile adventurers could come at any moment.

Roar-roar!

Just as they were finishing their second bowl of stew, a monster roar echoed.

“Let’s digest now that our stomachs are full.”

“Those monster bastards are gonna die.”

The knights drew their swords as if they’d been waiting for this moment.

Creak creak

However, the state of their swords wasn’t good.

“Would you allow me to sharpen your weapons?”

Unable to bear it, I took out specially made whetstones and sharpeners from the carriage and asked.

“There’s a monster right in front of us. Let’s ask after the battle ends. Besides, these aren’t undead this time. They’re moving much faster.”

Balzak shook his head while wiping stew off his white beard with the back of his hand, still glaring in the direction the roar came from.

As expected, another wave of monsters was coming in a group. This was definitely an artificial monster wave.

“…”

And watching this scene, my anxiety only grew stronger.

The knights haven’t fully recovered their condition yet. Moreover, their weapons’ durability is almost at zero.

If their weapons break, they’ll have to fight with their bare hands. And if they get killed or severely injured fighting with their fists, that would be problematic for me.

“What choice do we have?”

Balzak shrugged at my worried expression.

“These rusted swords will take a long time to repair. We can only fight while protecting them with aura as much as possible.”

“The swords will probably break after swinging them five times or so?”

“These look bad, but they’re made of Northern Cold Iron, so they won’t break easily.”

The elderly knight gave me a forced smile.

“Still, why don’t you trust me once and let me handle it?”

“Professor Arad Jin, future Baronet, it’s not that we don’t trust you. But we also know how to use whetstones and sharpeners as well as any decent blacksmith. I know better about the condition of these swords and armor.”

Balzak and the knights stroked their swords and armor with determination.

“Besides, these swords and armor are made of Northern Cold Iron. The repair methods are different from ordinary equipment.”

“True. Ordinary whetstones and sharpeners wouldn’t work on these swords and armor. But do I look ordinary to you?”

Seeing this, I sighed quietly and set up the materials I took out from the carriage.

A little later…

Swoosh swoosh crack crack

Centered around the forge fire created through magic stones, the sounds of sharpening swords and armor were in full swing.

Scritch scritch clang clang

The edges glowed red from the sacred heat created by magic.

Various monster bone powder and crushed magic stone powder were sprinkled on top.

Whoosh boom

Then a pyrotechnic effect of flames appeared.

Afterwards, they were sharpened again.

Chain fragments were bunched together like steel sponges and rubbed vigorously.

The surfaces of the swords and armor, which were rusted and corroded to the point of breaking, quickly hardened and became clean.

The swords and axes, which smelled like they’d give tetanus just from breathing near them, began to shine with cold sharpness.

The armors, wiped with oil and mineral powder-soaked cloths, gleamed like new.

“…”

“…”

The knights stared blankly at my work.

Being knights themselves, they knew how to maintain their equipment.

But seeing someone repair with such possessed-like hand movements and innovative methods must be a first for them.

“Northern Cold Iron really is good! Thanks to it, the repairs were easier and faster. Next!”

After finishing Balzak’s armor, sword, and axe first, I took the sword of another waiting knight.

Roar-roar-roar!!

Meanwhile, the monster group had approached to about 300 meters away.

Neigh-neigh!

Truly, these abyssal monsters. When they got this close, the horses tied to the golden carriage finally started having seizures.

“I’ll buy some time first. Join in when the repairs are done.”

“Understood!”

The first to finish equipment repairs, Balzak ran bravely toward the monster group.

“Here you go. Did a quick emergency repair since we’re short on time. Come back after the battle.”

“Thanks!”

6 minutes later, another knight with urgently repaired sword and armor ran toward where Balzak was.

“Here you go.”

“I won’t forget this favor!”

Again 7 minutes later, the third knight equipped their hurriedly repaired gear and headed to the battlefield.

“Did a quick repair. Don’t use it too roughly.”

“Of course.”

Once again 5 minutes later, the fourth knight ran off to slaughter monsters with a poker face after receiving their gear.

“The iron has some meteorite mixed in, so the repair went well.”

“I’ll fight without disgracing your skills or this sword.”

And again 4 minutes later, the fifth knight named Doyle disappeared ahead with a light step.

“Kill them!”

“Absolutely don’t let them reach the golden carriage!”

“Renslett! Rune Renslett!”

“Hahahahaha! That’s it! That’s it! Kukukukukuk!”

The knights who finished repairs and filled their bellies and stamina began mercilessly slaughtering monsters.

‘This is the martial prowess of Northern knights!’

While repairing the sixth knight’s equipment, I watched the Northern knights’ combat skills, involuntarily exclaiming in admiration.

The monsters approaching now were ones you’d only see in the abyss –

Snow Basilisks, Frost Ogres, White Drakes, Ice Worms, etc…

Each one a monster that even an upper-mid level adventurer party wouldn’t dare to challenge.

Crunch-crunch!

Roar-roar!

Even those monsters were being hunted smoothly by the Northern High Knights.

‘This…is even more incredible than what I heard through oral tradition in Silver Era 1?’

Now I understood why the Empire feared the military power of the North so much.

Peek peek

Chomp chomp

Flash flash

Even while my eyes were glancing around the battlefield, my hands never stopped with the final emergency repairs.

“Here you go, Sir Ilia. By the way, the battle seems to be almost over.”

Just as I was about to hand over the last piece of hastily repaired equipment,

“Who exactly are you?”

The last person in line, Northern Grand Duchess Ariana Rune Renslett, currently using the alias Ilia, asked.

The questioner had already taken off the hood she always wore.

“….!”

The face of the Northern Grand Duchess with her hood completely off was incredibly beautiful.

Her beauty was incomparable to any celebrity I had seen on Earth.

Her silver hair and blue eyes perfectly matched her snow-white skin in a way that sent shivers down my spine.

She was so beautiful, divine, and pure that I wondered if she was even human, maybe a goddess or fairy instead.

“My identity, you mean?”

“Yeah.”

I snapped out of staring at the Grand Duchess’s beautiful face.

Regardless of her beauty, Ariana’s eyes watching me were filled with caution.

Enough caution that my head might be sliced off by the sword I repaired for her if I made a wrong move.

“Didn’t you already know my identity, Sir Ilia?”

“….An D-class adventurer with noble roots in the Eastern Continent?”

“That’s right.”

“Should I believe that?”

Ariana glared at the golden carriage behind me.

Probably because they weren’t hungry anymore and the situation improved somewhat after being hungry earlier, questions arose.

“….”

Honestly, if I were in her position, I understand her feelings. Rather, my answers seem even more lacking in sincerity.

What kind of D-class adventurer could personally make and drive a carriage capable of reaching the depths of the Magic Realm?

Whoosh-whoosh!

Roar-roar!

At that moment, the monster attack ended.

It was quite a large monster wave, but for the recovered Northern High Knights, it seemed to be nothing more than post-meal exercise.

“Other knights likely share similar thoughts with me. We’re just letting it slide for now because we’re busy.”

Watching the knights wrap up the battle, Ariana spoke.

“Speak, Professor Arad Jin! Your true identity and purpose!”

“….”

Maybe the Grand Duchess in front of me right now is suspecting this.

That I deliberately put them in this situation and am pretending to save them.

* * *

If this world were run by data and AI NPCs, it would have been convenient.

If it were a typical virtual reality game fantasy genre, it would have been nice.

Then, ‘Wow! What class are you, sir? Legendary class? Incredible!’ While receiving treatment like the Full Bamboo Sect Leader from some moonlight game.

But here, there’s not even a status window in this cold hard reality.

Some random max-level production crafting side character who fell from the sky one day is both extraordinary and suspicious, and frightening irregularity.

‘I completely understand Lady Ariana’s position.’

To her, I’m a complete mystery.

One day, I suddenly appeared in the North and made Arad Salt out of nowhere.

Not only that, I persistently wanted to join the party consisting of Northern High Knights.

Now, I’ve shown up in the middle of the Magic Realm with a golden carriage.

And what’s more, this D-class adventurer supposedly.

‘Can’t say I’m a user playing a character from a game set a hundred years in the future of this world who traveled back a hundred years with that character, right?’

Just thinking about it feels complicated.

Even if this were the truth, it would be much harder to explain and believe.

‘How about saying I’m a magical engineer from a hundred years in the future?’

Another idea came to mind, but it’s uncertain if they’d believe it. They might even get angry claiming it’s deceitful?

“….Wandering around the continent, I settled in the North because I liked it…I’m an adventurer with many stories.”

In the end, I could only repeat the background I’d already introduced, like a parrot.

Click

Then I saw Ariana half-draw her sword. Damn!

“….”

“….”

A cold silence flowed between me and her.

“Hmm…”

“….”

Looking around, I noticed the knights who had completely finished hunting monsters were surrounding me.

About 10 seconds passed?

Click

“….Alright. I’ll let this slide for now.”

Ariana returned the sword she had half-drawn and said.

“In any case, we owe you our lives.”

Thus, the situation rather subtly and awkwardly came to a conclusion.

“Northerners repay debts of gratitude. I’ll certainly thank you when we return.”

“Eh, debt of gratitude? I merely did what was natural. Hahaha…”

“Of course, we repay grudges tenfold. I hope you’re not involved in the background of this incident.”

“….”

Correction. It wasn’t awkward, it was creepy how it ended.

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