Chapter 12

Chapter 12

#12. The Golden Carriage of the Magic Realm (1)

“Hmm, he wasn’t a magician, was he?”

Ariana murmured, recalling Arad who cooked at Jack’s Inn.

“Yeah, he was definitely not a magician.”

“That’s right. He had some mana in his body, but nowhere near enough to be called a magician.”

“Even if he studied magic, he could barely manage to create a tiny fireball the size of a finger.”

“With that level of mana, it’d be much better to combine it with swordsmanship and train as a warrior.”

At this, the knights surrounding them chimed in unanimously, evaluating Arad’s potential.

“Old man, can I see the list of items he purchased?”

Out of idle curiosity, Ariana requested the list.

“It’s right here.”

Valkyrie immediately handed over the paper.

The paper filled with the items Arad had bought from the merchant guild and adventurer guild in Haven came into Ariana’s view.

“…”

As she skimmed through the paper, Ariana furrowed her brow.

‘There are a few items marked as contraband. According to the law, no individual should be able to purchase this amount of magic stones.’

There were parts that irked her principles.

It seemed like Haven’s guards and bureaucrats had been paying quite a bit of attention.

‘Could they have done this deliberately because of the free stew?’

After staring at the paper for a few more seconds, Ariana put it down.

‘I’ll let it slide.’

She decided to overlook it, showing a rare bit of flexibility.

It wasn’t anything too problematic, and most importantly, she highly valued Arad’s loyalty for creating Arad Salt and offering to serve her.

“What on earth is he up to?”

“I don’t know, but I hope he creates something amazing after the Arad Salt.”

“So, you’re just going to leave him be?”

“For now. Right now, the necromancer appearing in the Magic Realm is more important.”

And so, an unseen crisis for Arad passed by without him even knowing.

The meeting at the inn was slowly reaching its conclusion.

“Just in case, gather reserve forces from High City and Haven. Have the weapons silver-plated as well.”

The main decisions were already made.

Now, the Duke was merely reconfirming the smaller details.

“Understood.”

“Good. We’ll check Haven’s defensive preparations and leave when reinforcements are ready.”

The armies organized from High City and Haven were mainly reserve forces in case of emergencies.

“Of all times, this happens while Sun’s army is out on a campaign.”

One knight muttered regretfully, hearing Ariana’s orders.

That was because Lenslet’s main force was currently out eradicating northern orcs and barbarians.

“Even if Te’s and Frost Shield’s armies were here, it wouldn’t have changed our strategy, Sir Roji.”

Shaking her head at Sir Roji’s muttering, Ariana replied,

“Numbers mean little against a necromancer.”

The real people capable of dealing with a necromancer were the Duke and knights present here.

A necromancer is a black wizard who controls corpses.

Thus, it needed to be handled swiftly with a small elite team. Rushing in with a large army would only end up gifting troops to the enemy.

“Wouldn’t it be better if Your Majesty stayed in Haven with the reinforcements?”

At that moment, old knight Valkyrie cautiously suggested to Ariana.

“This isn’t your average Magic Realm hunt. It’s very dangerous.”

Of course, Ariana rejected this careful suggestion from Valkyrie.

“If we start avoiding for one reason or another, there’ll be no end. Courage fades quickly, and the spirit and unity of the Northern Region will crumble.”

“But… If anything were to happen to Your Majesty, Lenslet would be wiped out. The Northern Region would fall straight into the Empire’s hands.”

Especially since there was no clear successor. Even the previous Duke Bykal died in battle.

Though it may be a tradition in the North for rulers to lead from the front, he felt this time was different and required caution.

“The more dangerous it is, the more I must go. Before being Duke, I’m a knight, and more specifically, a Sword Master. My presence increases the chances of success.”

But such advice fell on deaf ears for the knightly spirit-infused Northern Lady Duke.

“Ugh…”

“That does make sense.”

“With two Sword Masters, there’s almost no impossible mission.”

Even Ariana’s words carried weight, especially since her skills had already surpassed her late father’s.

“Anyway, I was feeling cooped up and disappointed for not joining the recent Arctic expedition, so I’m glad I can replace it this way.”

Additionally, there was a duty that had been nagging at Ariana recently.

“…”

“…”

Ultimately failing to persuade the Duke, Valkyrie and the other knights silently shrugged their shoulders.

“Uh… Then…”

“Speak, Sir Eopte.”

Since Valkyrie’s suggestion was rejected, another high knight named Eopte voiced his opinion.

“How about bringing along some witches from High City? Their spirit arts could help in the Magic Realm. Also, if the opponent is a black wizard skilled in necromancy, we might need curse removal rituals.”

“I think borrowing the witches’ hands during spring isn’t a good idea, Sir Eopte.”

Then Doil, who had been quietly listening, expressed his concern.

“That’s right. The Coven is busy right now. Moreover, most witches aren’t familiar with combat magic. Ordinary witches wouldn’t even survive in the Magic Realm.”

Ariana supported Doil’s concerns.

“The Great Witch of Spring could assist in battle.”

Persistently, Knight Eopte offered his opinion once more.

“If we summoned the old woman here… It would cause major disruptions to the greenhouse farms. At least ten thousand citizens of High City would starve.”

However, Ariana firmly shook her head.

“…”

“Everyone, stop worrying. I won’t die. Neither will you.”

The overly rigid noblesse oblige of Lenslet.

“We’ve been able to protect the North from savages and monsters because everyone, from the lowliest soldier to the ruler, fought together on the battlefield.”

Ironically, this example was what allowed the North to endure massive battles against barbarians.

“Even if I die, the North won’t falter. Because my people are Lenslet itself.”

Thanks to the tradition of rulers leading from the front, the morale of the North remained strong despite constant hardships.

Despite countless husbands, fathers, and sons dying daily, the loyalty of the people towards Lenslet never wavered.

Of course, if Arad, who knew the original history, saw this, he would have probably shaken his head repeatedly.

* * *

While modifying the carriage and creating various magical devices to put inside, I kept my ear to the ground for news outside.

“They haven’t left Haven yet?”

My top priority was still the Duke and knights staying at Polly’s Inn.

Despite acting like they were about to leave any moment, they were still in Haven.

In Haven, they were busy inspecting the city’s defenses and guard posts.

“Something’s happening in the Magic Realm… But it’s quiet?”

My second priority was the Magic Realm.

But it was quiet. Information from Haven’s Adventurer Guild said the same, and there were no unusual signs from the recent adventurers returning from the Magic Realm.

“The history of the North has been mostly erased by the Empire, which is frustrating. Especially the records of Lady Duke Ariana of Lenslet are almost non-existent beyond oral traditions.”

Knowing the settings of the future 100 years later was almost useless.

I didn’t know what was happening in the Magic Realm during this period.

While gathering bits of information whenever possible,

I continued working on creating magical tools and modifying the carriage within my current abilities.

One day, when I happened to be at Jack’s Inn instead of the warehouse,

“There you are.”

The Duke and knights, disguised in robes and hoods, visited the inn.

“It’s been a while. I thought you’d already left Haven.”

Pretending to know nothing, I greeted the knights.

“We remembered your food before leaving.”

Through Valkyrie, they explained their purpose for coming.

“Will this be your last visit to Haven?”

“We might drop by again after completing our mission, but by then, you’ll probably be gone.”

Apparently, they were aware of what I’d been doing recently.

“At least come to High City in spring. You should accept a title, even if it’s a minor one. It’s better than having nothing.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Bowing while being conscious of Ariana standing quietly behind Valkyrie,

“Please allow me to prepare your meal.”

I hurriedly tied my apron and went to the kitchen.

Silently, I prepared what might be my last omakase banquet in Haven.

Unlike before, I didn’t express any desire to join their journey.

‘It’s too late. I’ve done too much already.’

Because in the carriage storage area, a project that consumed a significant portion of my assets was nearing completion.

‘Besides, their current party composition emphasizes mobility and combat power. And I don’t have any top-tier mounts capable of traversing the Magic Realm.’

Even if I joined, it would likely hinder rather than help them at this moment.

After finishing the meal,

Valkyrie, representing the knights, bid me farewell.

“That was truly delicious! It’ll stay with us for a long time.”

“Thank you.”

I intended to treat them to a free K-omakase on their last day, but Valkyrie insisted on paying with silver coins.

“This is my humble gift.”

I gave Valkyrie a leather pouch.

“What’s this?”

The leather pouch I personally crafted looked luxurious and caught everyone’s attention.

“It contains Arad Salt.”

“Wow… Thank you!”

As the saying goes, there’s no one who dislikes gifts. Valkyrie and the knights happily accepted the pouches I handed them with bright expressions.

“By the way, where did you get this leather pouch?”

However, the knights’ attention shifted from the salt inside the pouch to the pouch itself.

“I made it myself.”

“You’ve got incredible craftsmanship, not just in cooking.”

And thus, I finished my time at Jack’s Inn on a nearly perfect note.

“We’ve troubled you a lot.”

“???”

At that moment,

The deeply hooded Ariana suddenly extended her hand towards me, expressing gratitude for all the favors.

“…!”

Startled, I initially just stared blankly at her hand and concealed face.

The surrounding knights also seemed slightly surprised.

“I’m Irina, a plain knight from High City.”

Ignoring these reactions, Ariana introduced herself under an alias.

“My name is Arad Jin.”

Carefully taking her calloused hand, I bowed my head.

The Northern Lady Duke’s hand was rough and hard, but warm.

That afternoon, Ariana and the knights departed from Haven.

I watched the direction they disappeared in from the city gates for a while before heading to the warehouse.

Three days later,

I also left Haven, pulling my carriage.