Chapter 106

Chapter 106

#106. Two People’s Birthdays (2)

In this world, birthdays are usually only celebrated by monarchs and high-ranking nobles. Commoners rarely celebrate their birthdays.

Due to the extremely high infant mortality rate, people don’t bother recording or remembering the day they were born.

However, things were different in the Northern Region, specifically within the Arad Group.

They had started caring about their employees’ birthdays.

Even if they didn’t know the exact birthdates, they at least knew which season someone was born in, so they held a collective birthday celebration for everyone born in that season.

“Here you go, everyone.”

Today was the celebration for Rune Renslett’s birthday, Ariana the Duchess of Lenslet, as well as the winter-born employees of the Arad Group.

“Thank you so much!”

“I’ve never experienced having my birthday celebrated like this before…”

“This must be the grace of our Chairman and Duke-sama, right?”

“You mean Gongwang-sama.”

“A! Yes, Gongwang-sama!”

The Northern Region and the Lenslet Duchy had officially merged into one Grand Duchy.

Thus, the Northern Region of the Empire was now called the Lenslet Grand Duchy, and Ariana had become the Princess of the North.

But after calling her “Duke” for nearly 200 years, the title “Gongwang” still didn’t feel natural to say. So lately, people have been using both terms interchangeably.

Of course, Arad was an exception. A businessman always has to cater to politicians’ moods.

“Celebrating birthdays feels kinda awkward.”

“But it does make you happy.”

“Wow, the world really has changed! Even commoners’ birthdays are being celebrated now.”

Anyway, the employees who had never received a birthday gift before opened the presents prepared by Arad with gratitude and bewilderment.

As birthday gifts go, it wasn’t anything extravagant.

They gathered together to enjoy some fancy bread and snacks they normally wouldn’t get to eat, and each received two silver coins as a gift.

Cash is always the best present.

“I need to head to the High City, so everyone enjoy the food and finish work early today. Mary, let’s go.”

“Yes!”

After quickly wrapping up the employees’ birthday celebrations like roasting beans under lightning, Arad prepared to leave the workshop with Mary.

He had to attend Ariana’s birthday party being held in the High City starting in the early evening.

“Is the Gongwang-sama’s birthday present going to be a chair?”

“That’s right. It’s a chair enchanted with levitation magic.”

“Gongwang-sama will surely like it.”

“She definitely will. Oh, and…”

Arad, who had carefully wrapped the levitating chair as a present for Ariana, then handed over a separate present he had prepared for Mary.

“Here, take it.”

“What…?!”

It was a sword that Arad had prepared as a present for Mary.

Until now, Mary had expected something modest like a pipe tobacco at most, so she couldn’t help but be shocked.

“Why a sword all of a sudden…?”

Until now, Arad had never made a single sword.

At most, he had only made armor.

A sword crafted by him…

Not even given to Gongwang Ariana herself, ended up in the hands of Mary, whose face Ariana was wearing.

“When I saw you use a sword last time, you were quite skilled, so I decided to try making one.”

“Last time you mean?”

“You know, when Sigma and the Dark Wizards attacked our factory.”

“Oh…”

Mary hesitantly spoke while feeling flustered.

“Rather than giving this sword to Gongwang-sama, shouldn’t we…?”

“That won’t do.”

“Why not?”

“If someone receives a shiny new sword, they’d want to use it. They might even want to go hunting or something. If Gongwang-sama ends up in danger again, that would be problematic. As you know, Her Majesty hasn’t fully regained her skills yet, right?”

It was such a valid point that Ariana, disguised as Mary, couldn’t refute it.

“To be honest, I was uneasy even when I gave Her Majesty the magical armor before. I was worried she might go on some dangerous hunt wearing it.”

“…”

“Fortunately, Her Majesty refrained from doing anything dangerous after receiving the magical armor. She used it strictly for protection. It seems the experience in the depths of the Magic Realm left a significant impact.”

No. It was because Her Majesty was busy alternating between company affairs, Gongwang duties, and training, leaving no time or energy for anything else.

Subtly criticizing himself, Arad’s words were ignored by Ariana as she continued her questioning.

“Still, even though Her Majesty might want to wield a sword, why not give one to Valkyrie or the High Knights…?”

“If I give swords to everyone except Her Majesty, that would also be a problem.”

“I see… That makes sense.”

Mary finally understood why Arad had avoided making weapons like swords until now.

“Besides, isn’t Cold Iron from the North commonly used these days?”

“No matter how common Cold Iron weapons may be nowadays, a magical sword personally crafted by the Chairman is incredibly rare. To the point where it’s practically unobtainable.”

“That’s why I made it as a birthday gift for our employees. If it were something common, I wouldn’t have bothered making it.”

With Arad’s straightforward answer, her doubts were resolved, but new questions arose.

“Still… Why did you make me a sword?”

“Don’t you have to protect me? Use that sword to guard me. Starting now, you’ll also take on the role of Head of the Secretariat and Chief of Security.”

Saying this, Arad gave Mary one more reminder.

“Also! Try not to show this sword in front of Her Majesty whenever possible.”

“O-of course!”

“And what’s the name of this sword?”

“Hmm… I named it ‘Howl of the Snowfield.'”

“That’s an unusual name.”

“You’ll understand why I chose it eventually after using it.”

Mary drew the sword gifted by Arad from its scabbard.

The ‘Howl of the Snowfield’ proudly displayed beauty, sturdiness, and sharpness, proving it was not just any ordinary creation of a northern wizard.

“To be honest, I made it, but it doesn’t sit well with me. So don’t go around telling people I made this sword.”

“How could you not like it? This is truly the finest sword. Not just in the North, but even among famous swords across the continent, none can match the ‘Howl of the Snowfield.'”

“No, no. It’s embarrassing to call it a legendary sword since it’s made from half-baked Adamantium and Mithril, and only in minuscule amounts.”

“Still…”

“I’ll make you a better one when the conditions allow.”

“Understood. Anyway… Thank you very much. Truly.”

That day, Ariana received a sword as Mary and a floating chair as Ariana.

“By the way…”

“Hm?”

“When is Chairman’s birthday?”

“I was born in summer.”

“Do you not know the exact date?”

“I do, but I’ll keep it a secret.”

“Why…?”

“Just seems more efficient to celebrate with the employees born in summer?”

On another note, Ariana silently anticipated next summer.

* * *

Let’s rewind slightly from the birthday gift event to the Imperial Palace of the Ragolte Empire.

“…”

Emperor Khanbraman of the Ragolte Empire felt as if he were facing a silent challenge.

All the bold decisions and arrangements he had recently made seemed to be put to the test.

“Banknotes… Banknotes in the North…”

This wasn’t a feeling of mere discomfort, irritation, or anger—it belonged to a completely different realm of emotions.

“Only these banknotes can buy magic stones from the North…”

The concept of a magic stone standard quickly crossed his mind.

“The issuance rights aren’t with the Grand Duke of the North but with a committee composed of scholars…”

If it had been a clumsy provocation, he would have been furious. But this countermove from the North was fresh, shocking, and filled with fear.

“…”

“…”

Below the golden throne, the envoys who had returned from the North knelt, waiting for the Emperor’s contemplation to end.

Entaire was also among them.

‘When will this end… I need to hurry back and start comprehensive financial services.’

Since Entaire had led the envoy mission, he had no choice but to attend this audience.

“You’ve thought this through well.”

After some time, the Emperor’s contemplation came to an end.

“And you’ve done an excellent job creating it.”

In Khanbraman’s hand was a 200-lens gold-colored banknote brought back by the envoy from the North.

Worth one gold coin, this banknote could be exchanged for a gold coin at the Arad Bank in the North or for an equivalent value of magic stones at the mineral company Arad Energy.

“Can we produce banknotes this sophisticated? And in large quantities, cheaply?”

His gaze shifted not to the center but to the right.

There stood a sorcerer from the Golden Mage Tower.

Named Ron, his primary role was to act as a liaison mage between Mage Tower Master Yulkaneis and the Emperor.

“Well… We need to conduct further research on this…”

Carefully examining the 50-lens banknote in response to the Emperor’s question, the liaison mage Ron cautiously replied.

“Further research?”

Khanbramman’s eyebrows twitched. Unlike his usual confident assertions, this time the Mage Tower’s response was rather passive.

“Yes… This isn’t something that can be made with just mage engineering alone.”

The proud mage of the Golden Mage Tower unexpectedly admitted uncertainty.

“Special ink produced by alchemy, printing techniques and machinery that assist in applying low-cost enchantments, papermaking technology that enables mass production… All sorts of academic disciplines and industries are condensed into this banknote.”

“…”

Khanbraman remained silent for a while. Seated on the throne, he appeared to be deeply contemplating something.

“Magic stone standard, huh! The magic stones from the North can only be purchased with Lens money, you say! Your Majesty, this cannot stand! We must raise the army immediately!”

Unable to bear this any longer, Richard, the Emperor’s champion, palace knight, and leader of Sigma, spoke up.

“?!?”

Among those kneeling in the main hall with the envoy delegation was Entaire, who involuntarily raised his head upon hearing those words.

“If we raise the army, can we win?”

Deep in thought, Khanbraman turned his gaze toward Richard and asked.

“It’s not enough to merely win. We need a decisive victory without major casualties.”

At the Emperor’s condition, Richard tightly shut his mouth.

Not just Richard, but all the ministers belonging to the military wore uncertain expressions.

‘In the past, we could have easily taken advantage of the North’s poverty and internal strife to conquer them with minimal losses.’

‘But not the current North. It possesses formidable combat strength and prosperity.’

‘Their internal unity centered around the Grand Duke is stronger than ever.’

Though the ministers didn’t open their mouths, their eyes communicated with each other as if they were speaking.

‘Of course, we could still launch a massive army and invade the North.’

‘But there would be tremendous casualties.’

‘That would destabilize the rear lines.’

‘Worse still, it might lead to civil war splitting the empire.’

‘What’s worse, the empire has completely lost intelligence on the North.’

‘Our reconstruction efforts were thwarted by the recent epidemic operation.’

Some ministers’ gazes turned toward Entaire and the aristocratic council behind him.

Even though the North had grown rapidly recently, its size still paled compared to the empire. Especially in population, the empire outnumbered the North by nearly twenty times.

Yet, everyone instinctively realized that attacking the North now would place the fractured empire in grave danger.

To draw a parallel with Earth’s history, it would be similar to the war between Goguryeo and the Sui Dynasty.

“Lord Entaire.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You must exert some effort for the empire and the imperial family.”

“How exactly should I proceed, Your Majesty?”

“We will also issue our own currency in the empire, so please convey to the High City that this currency can also be used to purchase magic stones from the North.”

Ultimately, Khanbraman chose patience.

“That… I will endeavor to achieve it.”

“Your assistance is greatly appreciated.”

“…Yes.”

Understandably, the Emperor’s request was scarier than an imperial decree, causing Entaire to nod despite breaking out in cold sweat.

‘Damn…’

Right now, not a single ounce of hatred or disgust towards Khanbraman existed.

The urgent desire to return to the company and emulate Arad Bank’s comprehensive financial services vanished completely.

The only thing rising sharply was the tension that his neck might be on the line.

“And, Sir Ron.”

“Your orders, Your Majesty.”

“We will provide additional funding to the Mage Tower Master for researching magic circuits, so please relay the message to create currency at the same level as these banknotes.”

“!! I will deliver the message immediately.”

“However, make sure to clarify that the additional research funding will only begin once the mass production of the empire’s currency becomes possible.”

The Emperor’s decision was rational enough that all the ministers followed without significant complaints.

Not just the pro-establishment faction, even the ministers affiliated with the aristocratic council didn’t object.

For them, as long as the initial insane decision to advance northward didn’t happen, anything else was fine.

“Ah! Speaking of which, isn’t Lord Professor Arad supposed to come?”

Just as it seemed the audience and meeting were coming to an end, Khanbraman suddenly remembered and asked.

“Yes, but since the North is currently busy with an expedition to the far north, they said they would come after the expedition is over.”

In response to the Emperor’s question, Duke Sedes, who had gone on the diplomatic mission, eagerly answered.

“After the far north expedition ends? Wasn’t Professor Arad good at fighting too?”

“According to the Grand Duke of the North, they have to regularly supply weapons and food to the expedition force during the expedition, so there’s nothing they can do about it.”

“Isn’t this just a scheme to buy at least two years of time?”

“That seems to be the case.”

Khanbraman smirked while interpreting the words of the Grand Duke of the North.

‘Expedition to the far north…’

On one hand, he felt an urge to revoke the decision he had just made.

‘Maybe we should advance north when they set off on the far north expedition?’

Perhaps this was the last chance.

‘We can justify it by saying the imperial army will protect the North while their expedition force is away.’

The decision to ‘be patient’ wavered.

The more he thought about it, the sooner he felt the need to deal with the North.

‘The North has a small population. But if that small population is fully armed with Cold Iron…’

Steam engines were first created in the North.

There was no reason not to use them to mass-produce Cold Iron.

Naturally, that iron would be used to make armor and weapons.

And with steam engines and factories, they could produce armor and weapons in bulk as if cooking stew.

‘Once the expedition force departs, the North’s combat strength will significantly decrease. At least one of Valkyrie or Sun will be absent from the High City. In that case, wouldn’t deploying just four legions to the North be enough?’

Compared to gambling on abstract and uncertain sunshine, war seemed like a better, more tangible gamble.

‘If we give a decent portion of the North to the aristocratic council and the church, the empire might unite over the lucrative opportunity that is the North!’

There was only one condition—Emperor himself would have to abandon greed.

Khanbraman strongly felt the urge to revoke his decision.

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