Raising the Northern Grand Duchy as a Max-Level All-Master

127. War with Money (1)

The news that Arad had almost been “kidnapped” spread instantly to the High Tower through magical communication devices.

What’s more, the attempted kidnapper turned out to be none other than Yulkanes, a mage of the Empire’s Golden Tower.

Upon hearing this, Arina felt a wave of dizziness overtake her.

“Arad, are you… are you hurt anywhere?”

Arina calmed her pounding heart as she studied Arad’s image in the communication device.

[No, I am unscathed.]

“Return to the High Tower immediately, at once.”

[No, Your Highness. Time is of the essence. Because of my mistake, the Empire’s Golden Tower has intensified its research on magical engines. We must create a lead at any cost.]

Arad’s location and destination were as significant a national secret as Arina’s physical condition.

Only the upper echelons of the High Tower and the executives of the Arad Group were privy to his movements.

Yet, Yulkanes had anticipated that Arad would come to the Magic Realm and had arrived there first to wait.

Even though he claimed to have learned this through the familiars of an 8th-circle mage, Arina didn’t believe that alone could explain how Arad’s movements had been exposed.

“Arad Jin, you are Renslet’s future. Your crisis is Renslet’s crisis! So return to the High Tower at once!”

Was it because of the recent turmoil they’d endured together? Arina felt a deep unease—about everything.

Perhaps that was why she felt as though the man she relied on more than anyone else, Arad, might disappear at any moment.

[Your Highness, I am overwhelmed by your care and do not know how to express my gratitude. I, too, wish to return to the High Tower immediately.]

But it seemed Arad didn’t fully grasp her feelings.

[However, Your Highness, please reconsider. Right now, Renslet’s peace and prosperity take precedence over my own safety.]

“Does the shipyard really have to be built in Count Jin’s territory?”

[It’s the least populated and most secluded, making it highly secure. Plus, being adjacent to the Great Forest makes material procurement much easier.]

Arad’s cheerful expression filled the magical communication device as he continued.

[And I am officially known to be in seclusion for research right now, am I not? This location seems perfect for such a cover. Hahaha!]

“……”

With Arad speaking so firmly, Arina found herself at a loss for words.

No, it wasn’t that she couldn’t argue; there were ways to compel him.

She could use her regular checkups as an excuse to tie him down.

Or she could order old Balzac, who was always near Arad, to drag him back by force.

“Fine… very well. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

But Arina didn’t do any of that.

[Yes, Your Highness. I will repay your trust with the best possible results.]

Click.

With that, the magical communication ended.

“……”

After the call, Arina stared blankly at the communication device for a while.

“My lady?”

“Your Highness?”

Isabelle and Sun, standing nearby, looked at Arina with concern.

Is this… what it is?

Arina gave a bitter smile and placed her hand on her lower abdomen.

Arad’s behavior just now had been unusual.

The Arad she knew would usually follow her words without much resistance.

But this time, it was different.

I’m so worried… I even gave a direct order….

Most of all, she was in pain.

Has he truly fallen out of love with me?

Normally, she would have brushed it off with, Arad must really be obsessed with airships, and thought nothing more of it.

He had been this absorbed in projects before, like when he’d worked on that portrait in the past.

Well, it’s not like someone like me would ever be loved. No, of course not.

But the current Arina was both physically and emotionally unstable.

He must have found someone else. Someone healthy, gentle… unlike me.

These differences bred misunderstandings, which spiraled into various imaginings.

Yes, it’s time to let him go.

It would be better for Arad to be with a healthy Renslet woman.

He should build a family quickly… that way, he won’t leave Renslet….

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Tears began to flow down Arina’s cheeks.

“M-My lady?”

“Her Highness is… crying?”

Even when her father passed away, she didn’t shed a single tear?!

The sight of her tears caused an uproar among those around her.

Strange rumors began to circulate, starting from the High Tower’s Palace of Glory.

The rumor was that there was discord between Arad and Arina.

The origins of this rumor were multifaceted.

Officially, Arad was said to be in secluded research for his studies.

Amid this, the story of Arina shedding tears during a magical communication with him spread discreetly.

Naturally, the maids couldn’t possibly eavesdrop on their ruler’s magical communication.

However, Isabelle and Sun, who were present at the time, looked visibly flustered, and Arina’s reddened eyes were noticed by the maids.

On top of that, Arad’s months-long isolation under the guise of research added fuel to the fire.

The Empire, too, was engaged in a battle against the few remaining barbarians on the Eastern Wall.

These were the Mongar Orcs, sworn enemies of the Empire—no, of humanity itself.

While they no longer wielded the vast power they had in the Age of Savagery, when they ruled over the entirety of the Arcadian Continent, they still posed a formidable threat.

Thousands of Mongar Orcs rode their tamed monsters across the plains, charging toward the Great Wall.

The Empire stood its ground on the magical wall, ready to face the invaders.

A nationwide conscription order was issued, and for once, factions like the Loyalists, the Nobles’ Council, and even the Church set aside their differences to send soldiers and knights to the wall.

Even the Alliance of Kingdoms temporarily halted their skirmishes and provocations, standing united as members of humanity.

Thus, a full-scale war began.

Despite the Empire’s standing army of 100,000 central troops, they couldn’t commit their entire force to the wall.

This was because the Imperial Family and the Loyalists had many enemies both within and outside the Empire.

“Send only 30,000 of the central army to the wall. The rest will be supplemented by retired soldiers from the royal domain, militias, and… local troops.”

This decision implied that the maintenance cost of the standing army would see a significant increase.

Even if the supplementary forces consisted of retirees, militiamen, and local troops, they still needed minimum provisions like weapons, armor, and rations.

Managing the additional forces and the continuous supply of military goods consumed at the wall would be no small burden.

After all, the outcome of a war is determined by logistics.

“Provide the supplementary forces with uniforms made of cloth and arm them with Imperial Steel weapons. We can no longer be ashamed of the shoddy armor and weapons that the Imperial Family has been supplying.”

The Emperor, Canbraman, was confident in this war.

He was confident he could provide ample supplies to the newly conscripted soldiers and knights.

“Let’s use this opportunity to show the full dignity of the Imperial Family!”

Regardless of whether they were from the royal domain or the Loyalist nobles, he decided to demonstrate the Imperial Family’s authority through superior supplies.

When these soldiers returned home, they would spread favorable tales of the Emperor, fostering loyalty among the populace.

“Y-Your Majesty! Your compassion for even the lowest-ranked soldiers is truly noble, but this plan is simply unrealistic!”

“The additional conscripts are not to be overly worried about, Your Majesty! Most of them are retired veterans or militiamen from the royal domain. While they may not match the central army, they have sufficient training and experience.”

“Indeed! Many of these soldiers even purchase high-quality weapons and armor at their own expense. Providing them with simple linen surcoats would suffice!”

“Wouldn’t it be better to use those funds to hire more mercenaries instead?”

Naturally, the ministers voiced their concerns and opposition.

They had not yet grasped industrialization to the extent the Emperor had.

“This time, things will be different.”

The Emperor ignored their worries, letting their words pass through one ear and out the other.

And just as he had predicted, this war was not like the ones before.

“Summon Entir Bishop. We will purchase urgent military supplies from him. If he’s smart, he’ll sell them to us at a lower price than he charges the Nobles’ Council’s troops.”

The first thing the Emperor did was approach Entir Bishop to procure military goods at a discounted rate.

“Your Majesty, even the Bishop Company cannot meet such a massive demand.”

Entir Bishop, faced with a near-extortionate price, diplomatically refused.

“This is the quantity we can provide immediately. Please have mercy!”

By this, Bishop meant that selling at such prices would bankrupt his company. He was essentially offering a fraction of the requested goods as a symbolic gesture to save face.

“Is that so? Then expedite the construction of factories in the royal domain!”

Canbraman had been waiting for this moment.

Using this as justification, he began advancing the industrialization of the Loyalists, which had been sluggish until now.

“With a war underway and an urgent need for military supplies, there’s no need to worry about the Guilds’ opposition.”

Even before the war, the Loyalist nobles and the Imperial Family had been quietly building and operating factories.

However, their numbers and momentum had been limited by resistance from the Guilds.

“It’s time to sever ties. The information networks and funding we used to receive from the Guilds aren’t what they used to be.”

The Empire’s Imperial Steel had long been renowned.

Within the Empire, the power of artisans and their guilds was unmatched, far surpassing that of any other country on the continent.

But their glory snuffed out in an instant, like a candle in the wind.

Even the Emperor, who had protected them to the very end, abandoned them as if he had been waiting for the opportunity.

When the Emperor, riding the winds of industrialization, issued a conscription order across the Empire, an enormous quantity of supplies was required.

Under normal circumstances, the Empire’s workshops would have been alive with the sounds of artisans shouting and hammering steel.

But this time, it was different.

The workshops were dark, and instead, factory chimneys could be seen belching smoke throughout the cities, day after day.

Bang, bang, bang!

Chuff, chuff, chuff, chuff!

Creak, clank, clatter!

Inside the factories, steam engines—reverse-engineered copies—roared ceaselessly, churning out Imperial steel, weapons, and cotton cloth. Not even for a single moment did they rest.

The only beings allowed to rest were the humans working in the factories.

Under the strict supervision of Inspector Julian, Imperial workers were limited to a maximum of 15 working hours per day.

The factories operated in two shifts, producing military supplies around the clock without a single hour of downtime.

“My goodness….”

“If we were still producing these in workshops…?”

“We wouldn’t be able to make even one-hundredth of that output. And the cost in time and money would be tenfold.”

“Honestly, haven’t we produced too much already?”

“They won’t rust or collect dust if we store them in magical warehouses, but….”

“Rather than storing them, we should sell them somewhere else.”

“To the United Kingdoms? That might be tricky.”

“If we sell directly, it could become an issue.”

“Then?”

“Why not sell them to mercenary groups or war merchants?”

“That’s a good idea. How about trying to export to the East as well?”

“Excellent thought! Imperial steel is famous even in the Eastern Continent.”

The overwhelming quantity of weapons and cloth being churned out of the factories was enough to equip the Empire’s soldiers and still leave a surplus, prompting serious discussions about exports.

Despite this, the Empire hadn’t spent an exorbitant amount.

The budget used for this war was comparable to or only slightly greater than what had been spent during the Mongar Invasion.

However, the factory-based mass production provided the Empire with far greater quantities of weapons in a much shorter time, all for the same cost.

“More iron ore! Bring more iron ore!”

“And magic stones and coal, too!”

The factories consumed nothing but raw materials and modest labor costs.

The greatest beneficiaries of this system were the northern regions, which produced the raw materials, and the Bishop Company, which distributed them throughout the Empire.

It was the practical application of the old saying: If gold is discovered, sell pickaxes and jeans.

“Our Imperial soldiers fighting with such soulless weapons? This is an insult!”

“You’re bringing that up again? The world has changed. It’s time to accept it.”

“This cannot be! Do you know how loyal we artisans and guilds have been to the Empire…?”

“Sir Pieton, Master Smith of the Imperial Forge, your skills and reputation are unparalleled. Are you not still forging swords for the knights?”

Where there is light, there is also shadow.

The guilds, which had long advocated for honoring artisans and rejecting machinery and steam engines, had completely lost their influence, even within the Loyalist faction.

Factories and smokestacks were now regarded as common sense across the Empire, irrespective of the Loyalists, the Church, or the Nobles’ Council.

“I’m fine, of course. But what about my apprentices…?”

“That is unavoidable. Out of respect for your dedication to the Imperial Family, your apprentices will be employed as factory managers. I trust that will suffice.”

“But…”

“Shh! That’s as far as it goes. His Majesty has declared that the Empire can no longer rely on purchasing military supplies from the Bishop Company indefinitely.”

“…Understood.”

The artisans, however, had to count themselves fortunate.

The Emperor, mindful of his dignity, had shown them the bare minimum of loyalty.

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