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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The vast territory of the Nord Duchy was so immense that it encompassed the entire northern region.
The Nord Duchy was a nation that, while subordinate to the Esgelant Empire, was granted nearly unlimited autonomy in order to guard the Great Wall in the frozen lands and wage endless wars against the barbarians and beasts beyond the wall.
The Great Wall was both the reason for the Nord Duchy’s existence and the empire’s frontline that the Nord Grand Duchess’s had staunchly defended for generations.
Therefore, even if she hadn’t received any reports of suspicious movements from the rangers on patrol, it wasn’t unusual for Eileen Nord, the Grand Duchess herself, to personally inspect the wall like this.
“……”
With the black hair characteristic of northerners, her hair as black and glossy as ebony flowing naturally, Eileen, dressed in her uniform, directed her gaze towards the endless snow fields beyond the wall.
It had already been several months since any significant armed conflict had occurred. The eternal snow of the north, which never melted all year round, had been dyed red with blood on the white snow countless times, at least from what she had seen.
“The timing is impeccable.”
“Pardon?”
Eileen muttered softly. The aide standing at attention beside her asked with a puzzled expression, but Eileen inquired with her usual stoic face.
“Aide, approximately how long does it take for the nearby outposts to arrive when the beacon is lit?”
“…It takes about 30 minutes if they start moving immediately upon the beacon being lit.”
“It takes quite a while.”
“As you are well aware, Your Grace, the wall is too vast, so it takes a long time for the troops to move. Unless it’s a major stronghold where mages are stationed…”
“I understand.”
Eileen, who had cut off her aide’s rambling excuses midway, gave a cynical smile.
Clank.
With the sound of metal, the sword locked in its sheath at her waist was drawn.
“Light the beacon so that the signal reaches all 16 nearby outposts. If it takes 30 minutes for them to arrive, it’s better to move quickly.”
“…Yes!”
Her aide was not foolish. Immediately understanding Eileen’s words, the aide saluted and moved swiftly.
On the other hand, the corners of Eileen’s lips curved up, forming an arc.
The timing was truly impeccable.
Just as she was thinking of taking a trip to the capital, an incident had to occur right when she was out on this inspection.
Since it wasn’t unusual for barbarians to invade, it was inevitable to face them at some point, so if she had to take a blow, now was the most preferable timing.
The barbarian tribes had been quiet for the past few months. They had probably selected a point of attack on the wall, stockpiled supplies, and prepared more troops than usual before invading. If they had been caught off guard, it might have been a bit dangerous, but…
“The timing is impeccable. No, in this case, should I say they were unlucky?”
Muttering to herself, Eileen leaped over the wall after a light running start.
“Your Grace!”
“Are you alright? Your Grace!”
Naturally, the soldiers who had been standing guard nearby with great tension shouted out in alarm with anxious faces.
However, the retainers who had served Eileen for a long time showed no sign of surprise. Rather, they began their respective tasks with a nonchalant demeanor, as if they had expected Eileen to act this way.
“Enemy attack! Everyone, assume combat formation!”
“Close the gates and boil the oil! Supply troops, distribute the supplies! Move, quickly!”
The soldiers and lower-ranking officers were even more bewildered by the sight of the retainers calmly starting their assigned tasks, despite the fact that the Grand Duchess of a nation had leaped over the wall without even donning armor.
“Didn’t Her Grace the Grand Duchess just jump over the wall?”
“Her Grace enjoys wielding her sword personally. You’ll get used to it after experiencing it a few more times.”
“…Even so, going out without even wearing armor and a helmet…”
“Who’s worrying about whom?”
One of the retainers scoffed at the cautious question from a soldier on guard duty.
“Her Grace wouldn’t be called the Black Lion for nothing.”
As soon as the retainer finished speaking…
From beyond the vastly stretching snow field, a group of troops began approaching, shaking the earth.
It wasn’t a new occurrence.
Although the Nord Duchy was fundamentally cold and barren, it was at least habitable for people. On the other hand, the lands beyond the Great Wall were so harsh that people couldn’t live there at all, with severe weather raging all year round.
Naturally, the barbarians had no choice but to invade, coveting the fertile lands of the Esgelant Empire, and the invasion of barbarians was an annual event in the Nord Duchy.
It was a common occurrence. The only difference this time was that the scale was a bit larger.
And Eileen, who had leaped over the wall, had gracefully landed on the snow field and was slowly catching her breath with her sword drawn.
The barbarian army numbered well over several thousand, but as if that wasn’t a problem…
“…They’ve been quiet for a while, but their numbers are quite substantial.”
That was the extent of her impression.
The troops on the wall numbered only a few hundred.
If they held out for a bit, reinforcements would arrive from the nearby outposts that were organically deployed, and once that happened, the barbarians, losing their numerical advantage, would repeatedly make futile attacks and retreat, leaving only corpses behind.
That had always been the case in the past.
Then, if she, one of the empire’s strongest swordswomen who had been granted the name “Black Lion,” stood at the front of the gate and bought time until the reinforcements arrived, it was a problem that could be easily resolved.
Even she, as a human, couldn’t fight and win against an army of several thousand alone, but if it was just a matter of buying time in a narrow passage, she could easily handle it for not just thirty minutes, but even three hours.
‘…I miss Rudrick.’
Picturing Rudrick’s face in her mind, Eileen steeled herself.
Since the barbarian tribes had conveniently invaded at the perfect timing, after repelling them, she would leave the post-battle handling to her staff and slip away to the capital, a wicked plan that was gradually taking shape in her mind.
Her staff would shed tears of blood if they heard about it, but what did it matter?
Practical matters could be left to the working-level staff, and she just had to focus on the role she could do best.
And also, didn’t people often say that men usually feel excited when they see a woman’s feminine side?
Glance.
Eileen cast a sideways glance towards the top of the wall.
The aides and staff members busily running around up there were her witnesses.
After the last runaway incident, the staff members had earnestly pleaded with her to at least inform them before going to the capital, so after repelling this invasion, she planned to take a few of them with her when she went to the capital.
And, as Eileen intended, they would faithfully serve as her trumpeters.
They would go around talking in detail about how heroically Eileen had fought against the barbarian invasion, and that story would eventually reach Rudrick’s ears.
If that happened…
Eileen’s ears turned slightly red as she inadvertently imagined something embarrassing to reveal to others.
“…Ahem.”
Eileen forcibly cleared her throat to change the atmosphere.
It was good to anticipate and imagine a potentially pleasant future, but the situation she was currently facing was the thousands of barbarians rushing towards her.
Looking at the barbarians, who were roaring and charging, Eileen wore a twisted smile.
The grip of the sword in her hand felt heavy. As if foretelling the impending massacre.
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One advantage of coming to the capital was that I could comfortably read the newspaper from the morning.
Of course, it wasn’t something I had subscribed to with expensive money, but the newspaper my mentor had subscribed to.
I wasn’t sure if he was diligently paying the subscription fee, but every morning, a pigeon would perch on the window sill with a newspaper tied to its leg, and I would start my day by retrieving the newspaper from the pigeon’s leg.
I didn’t know what pigeons ate, but when I gave them nuts obtained from the cafeteria, they seemed to like it.
It strangely reminded me of the owls that appeared in the magician movies I had seen in my previous life.
And since my mentor didn’t read the expensive newspaper he had subscribed to anyway, I had developed the habit of reading it first.
In today’s newspaper that I received, a familiar name appeared right from the front page headline.
“Grand Duchess Eileen.”
The article written as the front page headline contained the news that Grand Duchess Eileen had repelled thousands of barbarians who had invaded the wall after several months.
This invasion, where they had stealthily attacked after identifying the scouting routes of the rangers to avoid being detected…
Unfortunately for those barbarians, Grand Duchess Eileen happened to be there on an inspection, and until reinforcements arrived from nearby outposts, she single-handedly defended the gate and took the heads of hundreds of barbarians.
That was the gist of it.
“…Wow, she’s not even Xiang Yu.”
In a world where mana existed, it wasn’t unusual for a powerful superhuman to go on a rampage alone, but Grand Duchess Eileen was indeed stronger than I had thought…
If I provoked her carelessly, I wouldn’t even be able to collect my bones.
I clicked my tongue while reading the newspaper.
And I was the one who had contacted this human weapon through an artifact, complaining, “Ugh, I got scammed into this job, it’s tough, scold them for me.” Thinking about it again, it felt a bit ominous.
In fact, I wasn’t sure if the regressors were the main heroines or whatever, but they were treating me kindly and comfortably because they had favorable feelings towards me for that reason.
If it were under normal circumstances, they would be individuals of such high status that it would be difficult to even look at them.
A princess, a grand duchess, an admiral, and even a dragon and a True Ancestor… Their name value was too high for a rural noble to handle.
Especially in this world where the roles of men and women were mysteriously reversed.
“Good morning, Rudrick. It’s a fine morning.”
“Hello, mentor. Don’t tell me you’ve been researching until now?”
And while I was enjoying a leisurely morning tea time and reading the newspaper, the door to the inner room opened, and my mentor walked out of the research lab with a haggard face, greeting me.
Judging by his appearance, he had undoubtedly been researching all night.
As I had expected, my mentor yawned and nodded.
“That’s right. I was working on the inverse calculation of the technique to find dimensional coordinates. I made some progress and got absorbed in it, and before I knew it, it was already morning.”
“Then go in and get some sleep now. Don’t even think about going out for a walk just because it’s morning.”
“Going out for a walk? This is all for the sake of refreshing my mind to concentrate better. Don’t misinterpret it.”
“Ordinary people don’t call it a walk when they meet various people and chat for hours, poking their noses into all sorts of incidents here and there.”
“Haha, then let’s just say I’m the only one who calls it that. Anyway, I’m quite tired today, so I should go in and get some shut-eye for a bit.”
My mentor picked up his staff and muttered the activation word.
The appearance of someone who had stayed up all night was restored to a neat state again by a cleansing spell.
Even if it couldn’t do anything about the deep dark circles and haggard face, at least his outer appearance was clean again.
“Unfortunately, Her Grace the Grand Duchess is scheduled to visit the research lab today. I’ll have to go and rest my eyes for just an hour or two and come back.”
“Huh? Her Grace the Grand Duchess?”
I reflexively asked.
No, this was the first time I was hearing about it.
The person who was just beating up barbarians in the newspaper was suddenly visiting the research lab?
“I received a notification that she would be visiting sometime this morning. This old man doesn’t know the reason either… Anyway, I’ll go and rest my eyes for a bit and come back, so please inform Sylphia as well.”
“I’ll tell Sylphia, but this is a bit sudden. Normally, these things are discussed a few days in advance before coming.”
“How would I know? Her Grace the Grand Duchess must have her own reasons. And the amount she has decided to sponsor the research lab this time is not small.”
“…Ah.”
I realized.
Even though he was the Imperial Court Mage, such a sudden visit was a rude act.
Yet, the reason my strict mentor was keeping quiet about it was clear…
The circumstances of a science and engineering research lab and a mage’s research lab were quite similar.
Well, the person providing the money was the superior one.
It was a natural principle of the world.
Realizing that obvious fact, I nodded my head.
If it was a research lab sponsor, it couldn’t be helped.
If they were willing to provide funding, what did it matter if they notified the research lab on the same morning and came?
As if reading my expression, my mentor waved his hand with a chuckle.
“Anyway, I’ll sleep for just an hour and come back, so I’ll see you later. If Her Grace the Grand Duchess happens to arrive earlier than expected, send someone to get me.”
“Yes, then have a good rest.”
“I’m counting on you.”
My mentor waved his hand and left, and the door of the research lab closed.
Left alone, I took another sip of the teacup I had been drinking from and thought.
It was almost certain that the reason Grand Duchess Eileen had suddenly decided to sponsor the research lab was because of me…
Thinking about it, I needed to be careful.
What if, as usual, Arwen suddenly transformed into a cat and came to the research lab, and Grand Duchess Eileen happened to be there at that moment?
…I didn’t know for sure, but it seemed like Sylphia and Arwen had some kind of incident.
Even if Grand Duchess Eileen didn’t know Arwen’s true identity, she would likely notice since she was a regressor.
Then, wouldn’t the two of them meet and fight again?
Ugh.
Imagining the worst-case scenario, I couldn’t help but shudder…
Somehow, I had a bad feeling about today. I shouldn’t be like this in the morning.
Hoping that this ominous premonition that suddenly came to mind was just my unfounded worry, I also finished preparing to start the day.
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