Chapter 49: What the Northen winds brought
Three months had flown by.
The massive construction projects I had ordered were finally complete. Standardized, fireproof stone residential blocks replaced the wooden slums used to rot. Beneath the paved cement streets, the newly installed aqueducts and sewer lines flushed away the waste and filth Near the river, the Golem Factory was fully built, its iron frames and sturdy cement walls holding the massive machinery we needed to forge. The Royal Hospital, which will be the headquarters of the Ministry and the Guild, is also finished.
My new government departments were finally taking shape, though I knew it would take much more time to fully cover the entire Principality.
Especially the transition in our healthcare system . Currently, we have fifteen highly experienced royal physicians, including our Vice Minister of Health, Dr. Medicus, working temporarily at the newly built Royal Hospital. They were holding the line, though they wouldn't be there forever. We were training a brand-new generation of medical professionals.
Most of the student herbalists were elves, because their natural connection to nature and their innate botanical wisdom made them incredibly fast learners when it came to understanding the delicate properties of plants. On the other hand, the students training pharmacists were mostly humans, who seemed to have a natural knack for the precise, structured chemistry of mixing compounds. Together, they were being trained into the realm's very first true doctors.
I had tasked our Minister of Health, the Elven High Priestess Sylwen, with drawing up a complete medical curriculum. She and Dr. Medicus were managing the training program entirely. When Elias playfully asked if I was going to supervise the classes, I simply laughed.
"I am not lazy, Elias,"
"I am just letting the true professionals do their jobs. That is what good rulers do... maybe."
In truth, delegating the work gave me more time to focus on the big picture.
Meanwhile, the Royal Pharmacy Guild was also finding its footing under the steady guidance of the Vice Guild Master, Willian. He had established a strict system of registration fees and rigorous qualification tests to weed out the old, corrupt quacks who used to sell poisoned chalk as medicine. The hard work was already paying off. Three private pharmacies in the capital had officially passed their examinations and received their royal licenses, with another five currently under close consideration. Applications were even starting to pour in from apothecaries living far outside the capital, eager to join the state-backed guild. It is a given that the corrupted Church, which once monopolized the health sector, is now completely out of the picture.
But domestic progress was only half of the story. The geopolitical situation on the continent was shifting rapidly.
Word had just reached us from the eastern front in the Federation of Libertas. Our elite vanguard, led by Captain Fidus and Grand Mage Solon, had won a decisive victory against the massive orc horde. They had shattered the rising threat of the Sin, proving the absolute lethality of our modernized army.
However, the Federation was still nervous. At their urgent request, and to ensure the border remained absolutely secure, I had agreed to station one thousand of our trained riflemen and four of our heavy "Earth Shaker" cannons at a strategic border fortress right next to the Sea of Forests. I didn't mind the deployment at all—mostly because the wealthy Federation had agreed to pay for every single coin of the logistics, rations, and ammunition. It was a free training exercise for my men on someone else's coin.
Of course, the joint victory had made the Federation greedy. Their emissaries were already dropping heavy hints, practically begging to negotiate for our secret weapon technology.
I delayed them on purpose. I was obviously not ready to sell them our current military technology. Behind closed doors, Thorgar Ironhand and his finest dwarven smiths were working day and night in the Royal Foundry, researching and developing even better, more advanced firearm designs. My plan was simple: once we perfected the next generation of weapons to suppress and outclass our current rifles, I would happily sell our older models to the Federation—at an astronomical, eye-watering price that would drain their gold reserves straight into Viscountess Linnea's, Governor-General of the Royal Bank of Leo, vaults,.
I had also delivered a very polite, but incredibly firm warning to the Federation's Foreign Minister: "If anyone from your nation dares to steal our technology or smuggle a single rifle blueprint out of our foundries, I will instantly sever all diplomatic ties and retaliate." I said it with a warm diplomatic smile, of course, the cold look in my eyes made him sweat.
Even with the Sin of Orcs defeated, the threat of monsters was far from over. In this world, as long as dense mana exists in the atmosphere, wild creatures will continue to spawn.
Worse, our scouts reported a highly disturbing phenomenon from the battlefield. The bodies of the slain Sin and its elite commanders did not simply rot away. Instead, they had melted into a strange, bubbling dark sludge, twisting into corrupted, grotesque structures that poisoned the surrounding earth. This foul miasma killed every plant and animal nearby, rendering the entire region completely uninhabitable. It was a terrifying, unnatural corruption that no civilized nation in the current era had ever witnessed before. Even the mighty Kalian Empire was reportedly facing extreme difficulties dealing with similar corrupted, green-eyed "husks" in the frozen northern wastes.
This was not normal mana toxification. This was something else.
Just in case, I had ordered my vanguard to bring several preserved samples of the slain monsters' bodies back to the capital. I demanded they be transported with extreme care, sealed in lead-lined, magically warded iron boxes. Once they arrived in the East Wing laboratory, I planned to use my System's [Inspect] skill to analyze their molecular and magical structures myself. I needed to understand what we were truly fighting.
I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of gratitude for my people. Captain Fidus, Grand Mage Solon, and our ten thousand soldiers had worked themselves to the bone for me. They had marched into a brutal, depressing war in a foreign land and executed my demanding strategies without a single word of complaint.
"They deserve a hero's welcome," I murmured, rubbing my tired eyes. "I will reward them generously the moment they set foot in the capital."
I had already instructed Elias to prepare a massive royal banquet, along with promotions and heavy purses of gold Leos for every veteran returning from the front. Furthermore, I had to organize a fresh rotation of troops here in the capital to march out and relieve the garrison left behind at the border fortress. Those brave men had spent months staring into the dark, terrifying trees of the Sea of Forests; they deserved to come home and rest.
There was just so much work to do.
By the time the midnight bells began to toll across Arthenburg, my desk was still buried under a mountain of signed decrees and provincial reports. I stood up from my chair, stretching my stiff arms and back until my joints popped. My body was much stronger now thanks to my physical training and my advanced Rank 7 Sword Path, but endless paperwork was a beast that even a Sovereign's Aura couldn't defeat.
The door to my study opened quietly.
My personal elven maid, Aelrue Silverwind, stepped into the warm lamplight. She was carrying a small silver tray with a cup of warm, steamed milk—a quiet daily routine she insisted on maintaining before I went to sleep.
Following closely behind her was Rosy Revalis, dressed in her Lady-in-Waiting attire. She was carrying a neat stack of finished documents, placing them carefully into the filing cabinets near the hearth.
"You are still awake, Your Highness," Aelrue said.
She set the cup of milk down on my desk, her long, pointed ears twitching slightly.
"You push yourself too hard. The Construction projects in the capital are already finished, and the capital's treasury is also full. You should take it easy."
"I was just finalizing the shift schedules for the border garrison," I replied, offering her a tired smile as I picked up the warm cup.
Rosy puffed out her chest defensively, her amber eyes narrowing as she slid a heavy drawer shut. "I told her the exact same thing, Your Highness! But she insisted on hovering over you like a mother hen. Honestly, she acts as if the entire palace would collapse if she didn't tuck you in at night."
Aelrue turned slowly,giving a freezing-cold maid smile plastered on her beautiful face. "I am his personal attendant, Lady Rosy. Ensuring his immediate physical health and dietary routine is my solemn duty. Perhaps if you spent less time organizing papers and more time understanding the delicate balance of his schedule, you would see the necessity of my presence."
"Hmph! I am his Lady-in-Waiting! My family literally surrendered our entire military force to prove our loyalty to his crown! I think that gives me more than enough right to care for his well-being!" Rosy cheeks flushing a bright, angry pink.
I took a slow sip of the warm milk, watching them trade sharp, elegant insults across the desk. It was their usual cat-and-dog routine. Ever since we had returned from the West, their cold war had become a permanent fixture of my daily life. But beneath the bickering, I knew the truth. They had spent months working together in the ruined kitchens of Avarus City, cooking meals for thousands of starving refugees. They were the only true friends each other had in this massive, lonely Royal palace, even if they would both rather die than admit it out loud.
Suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere of the study was shattered.
BANG!
The doors of my office swung open with a resounding, violent crash.
I tensed instantly, my hand dropping toward the hilt of my sword as my newly awakened Rank 7 mana core flared defensively. Aelrue's hand went straight to the twin curved blades at her hip, her elven ears pinning back in a dangerous, hunting stance. Rosy stepped back, sparks of bright red fire magic already crackling around her fingertips.
Elias stepped into the room.
The old butler, whose perfect, impeccably calm posture had survived decades of royal court intrigues, looked completely disheveled, breathing rapid, chest heaving under his black coat, and usually neat cravat was slightly crooked. He had run up the stairs, completely forgetting to knock, entirely throwing out the sacred etiquette of the royal house.
I felt a cold dread pool in my stomach. In my experience, the only times Elias ever forgot his perfect manners were during a catastrophic emergency or when terrible news had breached our gates. I hated when he did this. Though, I had taught him long ago that survival and speed of information were infinitely more important than bowing and waiting for permission to speak. In emergencies that require my attention, there should be no unnecessary etiquette.
"Elias," I said.
"Report. What has happened?"
Elias clutched the edge of the doorframe to steady his shaking hands.
"Your Highness..." Elias gasped, struggling to find his breath.
"Please... forgive my intrusion. But... there is a group of travelers at the outer palace gates."
"Travelers?" I frowned. "At this hour? Who are they?"
"They are... they are elves, my Lord,"
"A massive group of them. They have traveled from the deepest regions of the Sea of Forests. They look exhausted, half-starved, and terrified. They are begging for an immediate audience with the Crown."
My mind raced. Elves from the Elven Kingdom, traveling all this way to Arthenburg?
"But that is not all, Your Highness," Elias continued, his gaze shifting slowly toward the tall, porcelain-skinned maid standing by my desk. He swallowed hard. "The guards at the gate... they asked for the name of their leader. The one leading the refugees."
"And?" I pressed.
Elias looked directly into Aelrue's eyes. "Their leader... she identified herself as a survivor of the Silverwind Clan."
The room fell into silence.
Aelrue froze. The small silver tray in her hands slipped from her fingers, clattering loudly against the wooden floor. The cup of milk I had been holding suddenly felt incredibly heavy.
Her pale face turned completely white.
The Silverwind Clan. Her family. Her village, which had been brutally slaughtered in the dead of night by the Imperial warmonger, Baron Zhestokiy. She had spent years believing she was the only last survivor of her bloodline, carrying the heavy weight of survivor's guilt.
She stared at Elias, trembling, unable to form a single word. She looked at me, her brilliant green eyes suddenly filling with a desperate, wild hope mixed with terrifying fear.
I did not hesitate.
"Elias," I commanded, my Sovereign's Aura flaring slightly to steady the room.
"Order the Royal Guards to open the gates immediately. Treat them with the utmost hospitality. Bring them into the warm guest chambers, wrap them in our finest wool blankets, and open the royal larders to feed them. They are to receive the full Royal Treatment. No exceptions."
"Yes, Grand Prince!" Elias bowed deeply.
"And bring their leader to my private study immediately," I added.
"Do not make her wait a single second in the cold."
"At once, Your Highness," Elias said, turning on his heel and sprinting back down the corridor.
As the doors closed, Aelrue's knees buckled slightly. She clutched the edge of my desk, her knuckles turning white as she tried to keep herself from collapsing onto the floor. She looked up at me, trembling.
"Your Highness... May I...?"
"Yes, Aelrue," stepping around the desk and placing my warm hand on her trembling shoulder. "You may go to the gates. Go find your people."
She gave a small nod, turning toward the door.
"Wait," I turned to the young girl in the crimson dress.
"Rosy. You go with her."
Rosy blinked in surprise.
"Me? But Your Highness, she and I... we always..."
"I know," I said, looking at them both. "But Aelrue is on the verge of breaking. She needs someone strong beside her. You are the only one in this palace who truly understands the pain of losing your home and finding survivors in the dark. Go with her. If she starts to fall, you catch her."
Rosy stepped forward, gently reaching out to grip Aelrue's wrist.
"Come on, elf," Rosy said.
"Let's go bring your family home."
Aelrue looked at Rosy, a tear finally slipping down her porcelain cheek, and gave a tight, grateful nod. Together, the two of them hurried out of the study.
I walked back to the window, looking out into the dark July night. The board was changing once again. New guests had arrived at my gates, carrying the secrets of the Sea of Forests.
"Let's see what the Northen winds have brought us," I whispered into the quiet room.
(Continue…..)