Chapter 26

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on February 6, 2025

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Chapter 26

#26. The Trend of the North (3)

It’s unheard of, even in the pragmatic Northern Region, to receive strange men into one’s bedroom.

Ariana and Arad met in a space used as both an audience chamber and a reception room.

In the audience chamber, the duke’s attending maidservants and knights, temporarily assigned to guard the incapacitated duke, sparsely filled the surroundings.

“To His Grace the Duke.”

Arad, looking slightly fatigued as if he hadn’t slept all night, pays his respects to the Lord of the Snowy Plains.

‘Could it be… Is Arad also suffering from similar worries that kept him awake?’

The duke, upon observing Arad’s weary complexion, felt a sinking feeling in her chest.

‘No! We must not grow closer! For your safety, we must not!’

Ariana felt like she had inadvertently become the protagonist of some tragic romance novel as she dealt with Arad.

“What is the matter? And you look… tired. Is there a problem with your sleeping quarters?”

She clenched her fists tightly in both hands.

“Aah… I was just up making something all night.”

“Geez. What did you make?”

“This.”

Unaware of the duke’s inner turmoil, Arad calmly extended a bag he had spent the entire night crafting.

‘It’s beautiful…’

Without realizing it, Ariana thought this upon seeing the bag.

A bag of a form she had never seen before. Its alien design was refreshingly new, drawing her gaze repeatedly.

Even though she had spent her life wielding a sword and traversing battlefields, this bag instinctively triggered her possessive instincts.

‘I’ve never seen a bag like this. Is it from the Golden Age?’

Particularly eye-catching was the unattributed magic stone embedded in the center of the bag.

At first glance, it appeared to be a top-tier magic stone, but upon closer inspection, intricate engravings resembling a magic circle adorned the stone.

“This bag is no ordinary bag. It’s a bag enchanted with a total of four spells.”

But the bag’s impressive exterior was only the beginning.

“Magic? Enchantments?”

As Arad continued explaining, Ariana recalled the golden chariot he had traveled in.

“Yes. I shall have to demonstrate the details directly.”

Arad opened the bag he had worked on all night and showcased various demonstrations.

“The first enchantment is spatial storage magic. You can store items in this small bag equivalent to the size of a large storage chest. To retrieve an item, simply picture the object in your mind.”

Enchanted by Arad’s explanation, Ariana listened intently.

Arad continued inserting objects far too large to fit inside the seemingly small bag.

“Goodness…”

“He’s truly a magician!”

“A spatial case?! That’s an artifact from the Golden Age! Did you recreate it?!”

Both the maidservants who attended Ariana and the knights assigned to her guard watched in astonishment, their mouths agape as they listened to the explanation.

The bag that Arad had crafted overnight was truly extraordinary.

With the conclusion of the first demonstration of the spatial function…

“Could I possibly borrow a dagger?”

“That… yes. Lend Arad a dagger.”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

Arad then proceeded to showcase the bag’s minor features.

“Even if I scratch it…”

Upon receiving a dagger from the knight, Arad slashed the bag without hesitation.

“Aaah!”

“!!”

The maidservants involuntarily cried out in dismay at the sight. Ariana herself widened her eyes in surprise.

Meanwhile, the knights focused solely on the dagger in Arad’s hand.

However, their concentration didn’t last long.

“It will automatically repair itself over time. Though it requires repair materials and tools stored within the bag.”

“!!”

Even the knights, who had been fixated on the dagger in Arad’s hand, lost focus when the self-repair magic activated.

“There’s also a cleanliness enchantment, so any dirt will immediately be washed away. It doesn’t stain either.”

Next came the demonstration of the bag’s cleaning feature.

Arad poured ink from the audience chamber onto the bag.

Perhaps due to the prior demonstration of self-repair magic, no cries of dismay were heard from the maidservants this time.

“Wow…”

“It really cleaned up.”

Instead of cries of dismay, only sounds of admiration filled the air.

“One more thing – the owner of the bag can also be registered. Once engraved, no one other than the owner can open this bag.”

With that final engraving feature demonstration, Arad concluded the presentation of the bag he had crafted overnight.

As soon as the demonstration ended, a shadow of greed flickered across everyone present in the audience chamber—maidservants and guarding knights alike.

Of course, among them was undoubtedly Ariana herself.

‘Truly, a bag comparable to artifacts from the Golden Age. Priceless.’

In fact, Ariana thought that even relics from the Golden Age wouldn’t match this level.

“Is this bag perhaps… the next item after Arad’s salt that you plan to sell?”

She asked with a trembling voice.

Following the desire for ownership came a second emotion: curiosity about how it might benefit the northern finances as a ruler.

How much could such a bag fetch if sold to the empire?

If put up for auction, all the gold coins on the continent would surely flood in.

“Unfortunately, it’s not something easily producible. First off, the magic stone embedded here is none other than a top-tier magic stone.”

“That… is true. Embedding a top-tier magic stone into just a bag does seem excessive.”

Ariana’s happiness circuits, which had been soaring with golden imaginations, ground to a halt with Arad’s response.

“But there will certainly be demand. The nobles dripping with wealth and the imperial family of the empire will undoubtedly purchase it. Moreover, this is the north where the most magic stones are produced on the continent. Even High City has a few top-tier magic stones in storage.”

Ariana cautiously encouraged Arad once more.

“Well… the conditions aren’t always favorable for me to produce these. It consumes an immense amount of mental energy, and such energy isn’t easily recoverable.”

Even to Ariana’s plea, Arad shook his head seriously.

“Moreover, luck plays a big role. This time, thanks to beginner’s luck, I managed to complete it in one night.”

“Ah… is that so? Then there’s nothing we can do.”

Ariana understood what Arad meant.

Recalling the great blacksmiths of the north who had created masterpieces in their lifetime, they often looked a decade older after just one night’s work.

“On the other hand, I can mass-produce bags with lower performance. Bags enchanted with spatial magic using mid-to-low tier magic stones should be fairly producible.”

Arad continued speaking towards Ariana, who seemed slightly disappointed.

“Is that so? Whatever support you need, I’ll provide it. What materials do you require?”

Her face brightened instantly upon hearing this.

“However, I’d prefer to involve witches and northern artisans rather than doing it alone. Creating these takes too much time, and I can’t spend the whole year focusing solely on this.”

“Hmm… Are you suggesting to impart your knowledge to them?”

But Ariana’s expression turned somewhat serious at Arad’s following words.

“…? Yes, that’s correct.”

Arad answered, sensing the oddity in Ariana’s expression.

“Now that I think about it, there are quite a few complications. There are too many rats in High City and the north. Also, there’s the witches’ situation.”

“Aah… I understand.”

Arad nodded, having roughly grasped the reasons.

Currently, the only thing the north leads the empire in is Arad and magical engineering.

If information leaks out, even partially, to the empire, it could truly become dangerous.

‘But what exactly is the witches’ situation? It seems more complex than mere pride issues.’

However, Arad’s curiosity didn’t linger long. Ariana continued speaking.

“So… for now, we’ll only have this one bag, right?”

“That’s correct. I don’t intend to create bags requiring this much effort again.”

“I see. So, what will happen to this bag? Hmm, even with just one, it’s quite expensive…”

“No, Your Highness. I won’t be selling this one.”

“What…? Ah, is it because of reverse engineering concerns? Thinking about it, even if mass production were possible, selling it might not be feasible.”

“Reverse engineering isn’t a concern. If anyone unauthorized attempts to disassemble it, all the magic circuits will destroy themselves.”

“…?”

If he wasn’t planning to sell it, why show it?

Ariana silently wondered while gazing intently at Arad.

Her doubts would be resolved after listening to Arad’s full explanation.

“All right then, Your Highness, let’s proceed with the engraving?”

Arad smiled as he extended the bag to Ariana.

“Simply place your finger on the white magic stone here.”

“Me…?”

Finally catching on to Arad’s intention, Ariana’s eyes widened.

Actually, she had suspected it from the moment Arad first presented the bag.

But fearing disappointment if her hopes weren’t realized, she had pushed the thought aside deep within her heart.

“Does it belong to me?”

“Yes. It’s a gift, Your Highness.”

“Gift…? Why suddenly…?”

As the beautiful, fascinating, and wondrous bag became a reality before her eyes, Ariana felt joy mingled with confusion and embarrassment.

“There’s no reason. I just wanted to do it. Now, please place your hand.”

“That, th, that… just because you wanted to…?”

“Yes. May I have your hand for a moment?”

Thud.

“Ugh… ugh….”

Embarrassed, Ariana allowed Arad to take her right wrist and placed her index finger on the magic stone of the bag.

“By the way, the name of this bag is… ‘Arad’s Sincerity.'”

“Sinc… sincerity?!”

Holding Ariana’s wrist and hearing the bag’s name whispered softly, Ariana’s face flushed red all the way to her ears.

‘Mother, mother… is this a dream? Am I awake?’

‘I must tell Lady Isabel about this story immediately!’

‘Spring has come… spring has truly arrived in the north.’

Even if the benefactor of the north, a man taking a woman’s wrist was a bold move.

Yet neither the watching maidservants nor the knights, nor Ariana herself,

could bring themselves to interrupt this fateful (?) moment.

* * *

Commonly referred to as “High City,” Lenslet Castle stood as the guardian of the northern region at the heart of the Great Northern Wall.

Originally, the term “Northern Duchy” referred specifically to this High City.

This was the distinction between the north and the Northern Duchy.

From beyond icebergs and glaciers came the savage Orcs of the Far North; from the edge of the Manuus Mountain Range descended various monsters and barbarian tribes.

Always, High City and the Great Northern Wall served as steadfast shields against these barbaric foes.

Lenslet Castle and its wall stretching outward were the lifeline of the northerners, the roof of the empire, and the helmet of the Arcadia Continent.

“The winter hawk has delivered a message.”

Atop one of the towering spires of the Great Northern Wall,

Ariana spoke as she cradled a white winter hawk perched on her left shoulder.

Attached to the hawk’s leg was a brief report from Sun, stationed in the frozen barrier, and his Frost Shield Legion actively combating the northern Orcs.

“The color of the message tied to the winter hawk is white, indicating good news.”

Nearby high-ranking knights and bureaucrats showed interest as Ariana read the letter.

“He says it looks like we’ll be spared from their invasions for the next three years.”

Upon finishing the letter, Ariana nodded with a somewhat gentle smile.

“Phew!”

“Hahaha, truly fortunate!”

The mood around the nearby spires and walls brightened significantly with those words.

“Paper and pen.”

Having finished reading, Ariana requested writing supplies to draft a reply after lighting the scroll aflame with the tower’s torch.

“I’ll write it for you, Your Highness, since I’m the administrator.”

“No. Sun knows my handwriting.”

“Understood.”

Administrator Haytai promptly handed over an ink-stained quill and a small board with white paper attached.

Taking it, Ariana quickly penned a short reply.

– Both I and the north are safe, so focus on returning. But absolutely do not overexert yourself and minimize soldier casualties. Praying for your safe return, I’ll prepare a grand banquet.

Incidentally, Sun knew nothing of Ariana’s recent ordeal.

If he found out, given his character, he’d likely try to rush back to High City despite the strain.

“Go!”

Attaching the letter to its leg, the trained winter hawk screeched and soared powerfully into the vast sky.

With the correspondence exchange complete, Ariana resumed her inspection tour.

“It feels good to be out inspecting after such a long time.”

“But please don’t overdo it.”

“Of course. Let’s head down gradually. We must also observe the lives of the common people.”

Strapped to Ariana’s waist during her walk along the wall was a bag with an unfamiliar design.

Despite her attire of northern-style coats and armor, the palm-sized bag never failed to command attention.

While walking, she habitually stroked the texture of the bag strapped to her waist with her fingertips.

‘The duke clearly treasures the bag gifted by Arad.’