After they began developing the mine in earnest—
Roughly a month and fifteen days had passed.
Walter’s office in Gray Castle had always been oppressively dreary.
Until recently, it had been impossible to tell whether the place was a prison or a land of exile.
But these days, Walter’s humming never ceased.
“Money, money, money, money. The money is here.”
Even now, he was doing exactly that.
Using the crackling sound of burning firewood as ASMR, he leaned comfortably back in his chair.
Letters from all over the kingdom lay scattered across his desk.
Although each letter differed slightly, every last one bore a luxurious seal and ornate decorations.
Most had come from Magic Towers throughout the kingdom or from the nobles who had attended the first Northmedi presentation.
These bastards really lost their minds after feeling the medicine work once.
“Now, let’s see. Let’s see what we have here.”
Still humming, Walter picked up the first letter his hand landed on and unfolded it.
Ah, to reach out and find a letter instead of a payment demand.
Considering that every document on his desk until recently had been either a payment demand or work-related paperwork, this was nothing short of remarkable progress.
―RUSTLE.
The letter was filled with all manner of flowery language, but its message was simple.
The sender had received this batch of Northmedi without issue and eagerly awaited the next.
It also said that they had recommended the product to other nobles and members of high society, so they hoped Walter would treat them favorably.
The other letters contained much the same.
At this rate, there would not only be a second and third batch of orders, but perhaps even a fifth.
The money earned from Northmedi was steadily piling up in the North’s storehouses.
“Sniiiiff.”
Walter pressed the letter against his nose.
Then he deeply inhaled the fragrance of the paper.
Oh, fuck. I’m getting high.
Yes, yes. This is the stuff.
Then there was the wooden box sitting on his desk.
Inside it rested the inner core he had obtained after killing the Mine Centipede Queen.
The Mine Centipede Queen’s inner core.
It was an accumulation of exceptionally pure energy, useful for breaking through the walls of one’s realm regardless of whether one was a swordsman or a mage.
In any case, he had been lucky.
Who would have thought that the Mine Centipede Queen carried an inner core inside her body?
It had been an unexpectedly tremendous harvest.
―CLICK…!
Walter held the letter in one hand and the Mine Centipede Queen’s inner core in the other, then took another deep breath.
The sight was rather bizarre.
“Lord Walter. You must not take drugs.”
Lenin, who had been standing in the office the entire time, spoke firmly.
Walter answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“Yeah. This is my drug.”
Then he asked her—
“So, how much Northmedi have we sold?”
As though she had been waiting for the question, Lenin bowed and unfolded a document.
“As you instructed, the first batch of orders has been completely sold, and every payment was received without issue. We are currently adjusting production to meet the second batch of orders. The Magic Tower’s supply facilities and workflow have also become fully established, so production is now quite stable.”
“…….”
“And the total payment came to approximately……”
Lenin raised all five fingers.
Walter smiled in satisfaction and applauded.
Very good.
Perfect.
If the first batch alone had earned that much, the results were even better than expected.
Considering how few customers they currently had, the premium strategy Walter had planned from the beginning had worked perfectly.
“The number of orders will continue to increase. Make sure our supply has as much breathing room as possible.”
As Walter had said, sales had only just begun, and rumors were now starting to spread throughout the royal capital.
Considering the Magic Towers’ connections and influence, it would not take long for those rumors to spread.
There was no telling when the number of orders might suddenly explode.
To ensure the entire operation did not collapse halfway through, they needed to prepare for as many variables as possible.
Otherwise, they might chase two rabbits and end up losing both.
In that sense, I should probably visit the royal capital soon.
‘It would be best to personally confirm, even roughly, how widely and how far Northmedi has spread.’
Walter put down the letter and glanced toward the Ashfall Mountain Range behind the castle.
“The mine development is proceeding without any problems, correct?”
“Yes. According to Foreman Luciel, development of Mine No. 1 is approximately halfway complete. The iron ore and mana ore are being gathered in the village as soon as they are mined. Some of it was also sent to the Magic Tower at Miss Rubia’s request.”
Walter nodded.
“Good. Have there been any other attacks from Mine Centipedes or monsters?”
“Of course not. Ever since Your Grace personally broke the queen’s back, not a single monster has shown its face.”
In fact, the workers asked whether there were any more Mine Centipedes because they wanted to brew more infused liquor.
Lenin reported the matter calmly.
The Blue Magic Tower had also welcomed the mana ore with open arms.
According to Raphael, the Ashfall Mountain Range had remained untouched by human hands for a very long time, and its environment was naturally ideal.
As a result, the mana ore’s purity was higher than that of ore extracted from mines near the royal capital or in the western regions.
Walter quietly scoffed at that.
‘This is where the Grand Alchemist Alkein established his base. Of course the quality would be exceptional.’
There was a reason Walter and the other Northerners had focused so heavily on digging before his regression.
Northern mana ore had been renowned for its quality even then.
‘……The problem was that it belonged to the kingdom.’
Even now, merely remembering it made his guts twist beyond simple resentment.
One day, they would work their fucking asses off gathering Kolheim.
The next, they would mine mana ore until their backs nearly snapped.
After struggling so hard to transport everything they harvested to the village—
‘The royal capital would arrive with nothing but empty wagons and sweep it all away.’
It took a month to gather the herbs and ore.
It took only an instant for everything to disappear.
Each time, it felt like tearfully sending away children he had raised as precious jewels.
―Good God! Fuck, how much would all of that be worth?!
With that money, he could have covered Gray Castle in gold and still had enough left over to rename it Golden Castle.
The memories had been enough to give him nightmares every night.
But now?
‘It’s all mine.’
The Kolheim and the mana ore all belonged to the North.
Damn it, North. Is it you again?
Dad, when I grow up, I want to become the Grand Duke of the North.
“Hahahahahaha!!”
Walter threw his head back and burst into crazed laughter.
Ah, what am I supposed to do with all this boundless ability?
He abruptly stopped laughing.
“Lenin, I love money.”
“Yes. It certainly appears that way.”
Lenin answered immediately without changing her expression.
He was completely different from the man who had once lived with permanent dark circles beneath his eyes and lifelessly processed documents every day.
Now, he visited the storehouse daily and gazed at the accumulated gold coins with a gentle smile.
“That’s why I love the North.”
“…….”
Lenin stared blankly at Walter for a moment.
A soft smile without the slightest trace of falsehood rested on her lord’s lips.
Deep affection filled his golden eyes.
“I love it too.”
The North where she had been born and raised.
The North where His Grace lived.
Lenin answered in a very quiet voice, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
A moment later—
“Ah, Lord Walter. Come to think of it, Miss Rubia said she had something she wanted to show you today.”
Lenin recalled Rubia arriving at Gray Castle not long ago with an intensely excited expression.
Had she not said that she had completed a prototype based on the blueprint Walter had given her?
Judging by the deep dark circles beneath Rubia’s eyes at the time, she had invested considerable time and effort into it, even working through the night.
“Really? The timing is perfect.”
It was faster than expected, but that did not matter.
Walter rose sharply from his seat and left the room with Lenin.
Naturally, their next destination was the Blue Magic Tower.
***
The place they arrived at was the Blue Magic Tower.
Or rather, it was somewhere in the snowy mountains near the Ashfall Mountain Range.
Nearby—
―STAND….
Something enormous stood completely covered by a black cloth.
This was the prototype of the magical weapon Rubia had mentioned.
The reason they had come all the way to the snowy mountains was that they could not possibly test its power inside the Magic Tower.
―You brat! The marble table you destroyed last time is still broken!
―I told you that was an accident!
―Either way, you are doing this outside! Get out!
Raphael’s voice still rang in Walter’s ears from when the man had driven them out with fire in his eyes.
Nevertheless, as everyone could see, they had successfully transported the magical weapon into the snowy mountains.
Now it was time to proudly reveal it to the world.
“Ahem. Then allow me to introduce it! Behold……!”
FLAP!
Rubia pulled away the black cloth.
What appeared beneath it was a body made from a suitable mixture of black and silver, along with a long barrel stretching outward.
It was quite literally the Grand Duke Cannon itself.
Rubia proudly puffed out her chest.
“The North’s proud magical weapon! Hitler MK―2!!”
“……Wait. What did you just say?”
Three seconds of silence followed.
Then Walter hurriedly clutched his brow and stopped Rubia.
No.
That name was not allowed.
Why did she have to choose that name of all things?
“What? HIT, because it hits the target, and BEETLE, because it looks exactly like a beetle. Put them together and you get Hitle—!”
“No. That’s not it. Do not say it. Please change the name.”
Walter pressed down firmly on his throbbing head and vehemently objected.
Rubia still looked as though she had no idea what the problem was.
But only for a moment.
“It’s unfortunate, but since Your Grace feels that strongly, I’ll use my second choice.”
“Good idea.”
“……You don’t even want to hear my second choice?”
Walter dismissively waved his hand.
“Anything is fine as long as it isn’t Hitle—whatever that was.”
“Very well.”
Rubia cleared her throat again.
Then she pointed sharply toward the Grand Duke Cannon behind her and shouted once more.
“Then allow me to introduce it again! Walter MK―2!!”
“…….”
“Your naming sense is outstanding.”
Walter looked half resigned, as though he no longer cared.
Lenin, in contrast, clapped and nodded with a satisfied expression.
Fine.
Do whatever you want.
“What do you think? Isn’t it magnificent?”
With her cheeks flushed, Rubia gently caressed the Grand Duke Cannon’s barrel.
“Especially this big, beautiful barrel! I knew it from the moment I saw the blueprint. This magnificent Walter, which makes my heart pound just by looking at it, will bring a revolution to the North—no, to the entire world.”
“…….”
“Just imagine it! A big, beautiful Walter! This Walter! Mercilessly ravaging our enemies!”
Rubia fired off Walter’s name over and over as she passionately explained.
Walter pressed a hand against his forehead, feeling an inexplicable sense of humiliation.
I understand.
Please stop caressing it.
Could it be that I awakened something inside Rubia that should never have been awakened?
Walter thought of the alias she had carried before his regression.
Perhaps the North’s warmonger had always been destined to be born, sooner or later.
“A revolution……”
Lenin nodded and muttered from beside him.
“It has a pleasant ring to it. To think it will bring a revolution to the world.”
More importantly, she was holding a pickaxe in one hand and a shovel in the other.
She had used them earlier while leveling the ground to secure the Grand Duke Cannon.
Walter let out a hollow chuckle and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Lenin. Other people may use that word, but you should refrain from saying ‘revolution.’ Especially while holding a pickaxe and shovel.”
“Pardon? Is there some sort of problem?”
“…….”
Walter silently stared at her.
No, I just have a feeling you’d be suspiciously fond of the color red.
But he could not bring himself to say it aloud.
“Never mind… Just do whatever you want…….”
Fuck.
I don’t even know anymore.
Walter muttered with a resigned expression.
Meanwhile, Rubia finished preparing the Grand Duke Cannon to fire.
“As you can see, the fuel is loaded through the mana ore like this, and once the angle is adjusted…… There! Now all that remains is to fire it.”
Rubia tightly grasped Walter’s hand and smiled.
“Your Grace. Will you do it with me?”
“Hmm? Me?”
“Yes. More than anything else, I wanted to do this together with you.”
Rubia answered with a bashful giggle.
When she acts like this, it’s difficult to believe she’ll grow into that warmonger.
Walter placed his hand on the Grand Duke Cannon’s body alongside hers.
“Then here we go!”
They pressed the firing mechanism simultaneously.
―CRAAAAASH!!!
A blue magical cannon blast fired with an explosion that literally shook the earth.
The sound alone was enough to leave their ears ringing.
At the sight, Rubia squeezed Walter’s hand tightly, shut her eyes in embarrassment, and shouted.
“C-Come with me, Your Grace!!”
“Rubia. Shut your trap.”
This crazy bitch actually went through with it.
Walter stared at her with cold, dead eyes.
But Rubia’s eyes had already rolled halfway back.
“Haaah, f-finally…! My specialty is…… Haaah!!”
Before long—
―THOOM… RUMBLERUMBLERUMBLE!!!
The blue magical projectile struck a distant snowy mountain.
The echo reached all the way back to them.
RUMBLE—
White snow poured down like a waterfall, triggering an avalanche.
It looked like a disaster created by human hands.
It was truly a man-made disaster (a human calamity) itself.
Its power was terrifying.
Faced with firepower on the level of overtechnology appearing in the Middle Ages, Rubia panted heavily and muttered at machine-gun speed.
“A single-piece barrel with thirty-two right-hand grooves and a twist rate of 1/40 to 1/35, an 88 mm bore, and a horizontal semi-automatic sliding-block breech! A mana projectile boasting a muzzle velocity of 450 m/s, adjustable from an elevation of –3° to +85°, firing fifteen rounds per minute! This is truly a blessing from the gods and a miracle! Oh, merciful Goddess of the North! Is this truly the invention I created?!”
Someone stop that crazy bitch.
Goddess of the North, I believe I have awakened something that absolutely should never have been awakened.
Walter moved to stop her.
Or rather, he tried to.
Rubia, already lost in literal ecstasy, dropped to her knees in the snow.
Her back arched like a bow as she screamed.
“THE NORTH’S TECHNOLOGY IS NUMBER OOOOOONE IN THE WORLD!!”
One… one… oooone….
Her voice echoed throughout the Ashfall Mountain Range.
It was the moment Rubia, the genius engineering mage once known as the Iron-Blooded Empress, spectacularly unveiled her first magical weapon to the world.