The study in Gray Castle.
Only the soft scratching of a pen echoed through the room.
And how much time had passed?
—TAP.
At last, I set down my pen.
—CREAK.
I rose from my seat and looked toward the window.
—RUSTLE.......
Beyond the window, the sun was slowly setting over the Ashfall Mountain Range.
After replying to the letters that had piled up and processing the accumulated paperwork, it was already this late.
I thought that as I quietly looked outside.
"......."
I reflected on the events of fifteen days ago.
We had finally reclaimed the North Road, which we had longed for since my father's time.
I had been acknowledged as the king of the wyverns, and the knights of the North were spending their days busy laying the groundwork for the North Road.
On top of that, Northmedi continued to perform well as the North's flagship product, and mine development was proceeding without issue.
Once the groundwork for the North Road was established as well, things would improve even further.
The Ashfall Mountain Range beyond the window looked exactly the same as it had before my regression.
But everything except that was changing from how it had been before my regression.
I gave a faint smile, not displeased by this wave of change.
That was when it happened.
—KNOCK, KNOCK.
A knock sounded from beyond the study door.
"Come in."
I murmured softly.
"Excuse me, Lord Walter."
The one who entered the study was Lenin.
Just as I had expected.
After stepping inside, Lenin bowed her head.
But only for a moment.
She glanced at the pen and papers on my desk, and her brow twitched.
"Were you working?"
"Yes. I just finished."
I nodded as I answered.
At the same time, taut tension filled the study.
Lenin narrowed her eyes and asked.
"Then surely you did not stay up all night......."
"I didn't."
Before she could even finish speaking, I answered firmly.
I knew this would happen.
"That is a relief."
Only then did Lenin relax her hand and smile.
That bastard had clearly been planning to knock me unconscious with a chop to the back of the neck if I said I had stayed up all night.
Lenin looked back and forth between her hand and my face.
".......Did you notice?"
"Yes, you punk."
"As expected of Your Grace."
I had worked late almost every day.
And almost every day, Lenin had forced me to sleep.
It had practically been part of our daily routine before my regression, so there was no way I would fail to notice.
"There wasn't much work backed up in the first place. You know that too, don't you?"
"Yes, that is certainly true."
Lenin glanced at the letters and documents on my desk and nodded.
In truth, even when we had returned after finishing matters in the southern cliff region, there had not been much paperwork piled on the desk.
Most of it had consisted of letters about Northmedi, so there was virtually no overdue work at all.
It was a very different sight from not long ago, when a mountain of work would pile up whenever I stepped away for even a short while.
'Yeah, this is how a fucking human being is supposed to live.'
I held back tears as I recalled the past, when the dark circles beneath my eyes had never disappeared.
Having evenings to myself was far more moving than I had imagined.
Naturally, Northmedi had played a major role in reducing my workload so dramatically.
The majority of my work until now had consisted of payment demands.
Every single document was nothing more than someone here demanding money and someone there demanding money.
Because of that, Walter had desperately searched for anything he could sell in a hurry.
He had scoured every possible source of money as though hunting down a rat, and when even that failed, he had sent letters begging for the repayment deadlines to be extended.
But how were things now?
There was the initial investment from Northmedi, along with the profits from completing the first round of sales.
On top of that, the Magic Tower had secured a sales channel for mana ore in the meantime and was gradually generating revenue.
—Take it.
—What is it?
—The money from selling the mana ore this time.
On the day I returned after finishing matters in the southern cliff region, Raphael had coolly handed me a bundle of money as though he had merely picked it up on his way over.
I nodded as I recalled that moment.
That old man really does get things done when he puts his mind to it.
In any case, thanks to that, the North was rapidly paying off its debts.
Even now, aside from one portion, almost none of the debt remained.
And that "one portion" was, of course—
"House Selbirot sent a letter in the meantime."
It was the debt the North owed to House Selbirot.
Rupel of the Grand Merchant Guild had evidently delivered my message properly.
I said that as I picked up a letter from the desk and waved it.
".......!"
Lenin flinched slightly at those words.
House Selbirot, a ducal house of the royal capital.
How could she possibly forget that name?
—Have Crepin Selbirot himself show his face and bring an official invitation, not the likes of you.
—That is the law of the North.
Lenin recalled the time, several months ago, when her lord had boldly torn up the letter in front of Rupel.
She had already thought it was about time for them to come.
Muttering that inwardly, she clenched her fist without realizing it.
"Would you like to read it yourself?"
I handed the letter to Lenin.
She slowly accepted it and read what was written inside.
The ducal house formally recognizes the North's right of review.
Accordingly, we will make an official visit to the North.
We demand repayment of the outstanding debt.
And the date of that visit was—
".......One week from now."
"Yes."
—FLAP.
I put on my black fur coat and spoke.
"From this moment on, thoroughly determine the exact amount of debt owed to the ducal house and how much money is currently available for use. Of course, I will personally inspect and oversee every step of the process."
"Yes, understood."
One week from now.
At last, it was time to sever the knot that had bound us so viciously to the ducal house before my regression and, at the same time, come face-to-face with that bastard Crepin Selbirot, whose arrival I had awaited for so long.
***
Lately, unsettling rumors had been spreading among the nobles of the royal capital.
<There is Lilith's blessing, which no one can resist once night falls.>
Naturally, at first, they regarded them as nothing more than absurd rumors.
However, as living proof of those miracles began appearing one after another, the situation gradually changed.
Middle-aged mages from the various Magic Towers were resolving all kinds of commissions as their abilities rose to a suspicious degree.
The marital relationships of the royal capital's nobles with ties to the Magic Towers had also grown suspiciously harmonious.
According to the rumors whispered in secret, it had already been an entire month.
The lights in their bedrooms had supposedly not gone out for a single night.
And so, the Masters of the Magic Towers across the continents and the mages beneath them had recently become more active than anyone else, preaching the gospel of the blue crystals known as a blessing from the gods.
Its name was Northmedi.
As their curiosity about the rumors grew, the nobles ordered their subordinates to gather information about it.
And, if possible, to obtain Northmedi itself.
However, no matter how thoroughly they investigated, they always received the same answer.
Northmedi was distributed solely through an unknown great noble called Winter White.
And it was produced only in the North.
They could obtain no information beyond that.
However, one thing was clearer than anything else.
There were those who had never used it, but no one who had experienced Northmedi even once could ever escape its hold.
Sometimes, the rumors were discussed in the royal capital's banquet halls.
Sometimes, at the nobles' secret social gatherings.
Sometimes, at the Magic Towers' demonstrations.
In that way, the rumors about Northmedi spread not only among the nobles, but even reached the lips of royalty, swelling ever larger.
And the same was true of House Selbirot, a ducal house of the royal capital.
"So you are saying that is all?"
Inside a carriage belonging to the Grand Merchant Guild, a man with vivid crimson hair asked the question.
Rupel, who sat opposite him, lowered his head and answered.
"Y-Yes, that is correct."
As he spoke, Rupel furtively watched the man's expression.
His name was Crepin Selbirot.
He was the eldest son of House Selbirot and a leading candidate to become the next head of the ducal house.
—TAP.
At Rupel's answer, Crepin clicked his tongue and lowered his hand with a displeased expression.
He repeated the name of the man said to be Northmedi's sole supplier.
Winter White. Winter White.......
'It's a name I've never heard before.......'
Crepin Selbirot. Who was he?
He was the proprietor of the royal capital's finest pleasure district and the owner of the Grand Merchant Guild.
On top of that, he had the immense backing of a ducal house in the royal capital.
He knew the names of nearly every noble by heart.
And not merely their names.
He knew all the secret weaknesses and rumors they concealed as well.
Every story told by the nobles who frequented the pleasure district ultimately reached its owner, Crepin.
At least within the royal capital, there was no rumor he did not know.
However, no matter where he searched, he had never once heard the name Winter White.
'Of course, since its source is said to be the North, I wondered whether it might be connected to the North.'
Naturally, there was no noble named Winter White in the North.
And no one knew the North's circumstances better than he did.
The debt between the Grand Duke of the North and House Selbirot.
The North was currently struggling because it could not even repay that money.
There was no way such a luxury product could be produced in the North.
It would be more believable to claim that Walter, the Grand Duke of the North, was actually Winter White.
'In all likelihood, one of the great nobles or royals is using an alias.'
In that respect, choosing the North as the place of production was rather clever.
The North could not be approached easily, and it was so closed off that verifying whether the claim was true would be difficult.
'But that secret ends today.'
The carriage he was riding in was currently headed for none other than the North.
While verifying the truth of the rumors, he also intended to collect the debt owed by the Grand Duke of the North.
And as stated before, the North had no ability whatsoever to repay the debt, so Crepin planned to use that as a pretext to seize the entire North.
Once he ordered a thorough investigation into every rumor about Winter White as well, everything would proceed smoothly.
'If the rumors are true, they could not have escaped the notice of the Grand Duke of the North.'
It was something no one else could even imagine.
He intended to swallow the North, where the Grand Duke of the North—known as a human weapon—resided.
However, as long as their debtor-creditor relationship existed, Crepin held the leash of the North's sole ruler.
If the resistance proved too fierce, all he had to do was threaten him into selling even Gray Castle.
Crepin recalled the message Rupel had delivered from the North several months ago and let out a hollow laugh.
'.......The right of review invoked due to wartime conditions.'
It had been a fairly clever answer.
However, in the end, it was nothing more than a crude delaying tactic.
Nothing had changed.
"Lord Crepin, we will arrive in the North shortly."
".......Is that so?"
"Yes. But are you certain this will be all right?"
Rupel fidgeted continuously, visibly anxious.
"In the unlikely event that the North truly has the ability to repay the debt......."
Wouldn't the entire plan fall apart?
Rupel recalled Walter's imposing presence when he had torn the letter to shreds before his eyes several months ago.
Even now, merely thinking about that moment was enough to make him wake with a start in the middle of the night.
"Hmph. I guarantee it. There is no chance of that."
Crepin snorted dismissively as he answered.
The North? Those bastards knew nothing but digging up weeds and fighting barbarians. What possible skill could they have to earn money?
On top of that, strangely enough for a man like him, the bastard called the Grand Duke of the North treasured the North more than his own life.
Rather than coming out aggressively, he would have no choice but to bow his head first.
Crepin looked through the window at the North, which had begun to appear faintly in the distance, and sneered.
"So look forward to it. Before long, that bastard called the Grand Duke of the North will be bowing his head beneath my feet."
Crepin spoke with complete confidence as he smoothed his hair.
And at that moment, he had no idea.
That shortly afterward, it would not be the Grand Duke of the North who bowed his head, but Crepin himself.
—CREEEAK.......
And how much time had passed?
"Whoa, whoa."
The carriage came to a stop as the coachman reined in the horses.
"We have arrived."
Crepin's guard personally opened the door and bowed his head.
"Good. Then we will head straight to Gray Castle......."
But that was when it happened.
"L-Lord Crepin, you must evacuate at once!"
The moment Crepin stepped down from the carriage, another knight came running from behind, his face deathly pale.
Crepin frowned at the sight and asked.
"What is all this commotion?"
"T-This is not the time! R-Right now!"
The man was already so terrified that he could not even speak properly.
And before Crepin could ask again, screams erupted from the knights and the other people behind him.
"A-A wyvern!!"
"Aaaaaagh!!"
A black shadow spread over Crepin's head from the open sky.
Its source was none other than a gigantic wyvern.
".......!"
Crepin hurriedly shoved himself back into the carriage.
"G-Get moving again! Now!"
"Pardon? But......."
"Shut up and move this instant!"
He shouted urgently, his face drained of color.
However, the wyvern had already opened its trap wide and was charging straight toward him.
I-I'm fucked.
"Aaaaaagh!!"
Across the middle of the pure-white snowfield, Crepin's desperate screams rang out.
Fuck! Stop it! Stop it right now!
[GRAAAAAARGH!!]
At the same time, the wyvern's guttural roar shook the snowfield.
The wyvern came to a stop directly in front of Crepin.
No, more accurately, someone had brought it to a stop.
—FWOOSH—!
Amid the dazzling backlight—
Good. Well done.
Someone leaped down from the wyvern's back.
"Surprised?"
He grinned at Crepin as he asked.
Then he shouted toward the silver-haired woman seated on the wyvern.
"Hey, you punk. Can't you drive properly? These are honored guests, and look how startled they all are."
"Yes, I apologize, Your Grace."
The silver-haired woman, Lenin, bowed her head as she answered.
The man in the black fur coat pulled a pair of sunglasses from inside his coat with a flourish.
He then held out his hand toward Crepin, who had lost the strength in his legs and collapsed where he stood.
"Sorry about that."
"W-Who the hell are you?!"
Crepin narrowed his eyes against the dazzling backlight and backed away.
Damn it. Is he one of those northern barbarians?
The man let out a quiet sneer and put on the sunglasses.
"The Grand Duke of the North."
".......What?"
"The Grand Duke of the North. Walter Levior."
"It's me, you fucking bastard."