130. The North’s Armored Might
At the time, I wasn’t told exactly how severe Arina’s condition was, nor the specifics of what happened.
All I knew was what Isabelle and Sun had conveyed—that it had been serious.
“Did she throw a fit about wanting to come to Count Jin’s territory?”
Instead of returning to the High Tower after nearly being kidnapped, I had started a business on the outskirts of Renslet. It must have made Arina deeply uneasy.
Still, with Sir Balzac by my side, her reaction felt excessive.
Honestly, it made me wonder who should be worrying about whom.
“In the end, she used my birthday as an excuse to come here in disguise.”
It seemed no one could break Arina’s stubbornness.
With the condition that Sun would accompany her, our precious sovereign was once again indulging in her undercover boss routine.“She’s changed—especially in how she’s consciously keeping her distance from me.”
Her current behavior was distinctly different from before.
“Her Highness was deeply hurt when you didn’t return. Severely so.”
“And… Lady Mary was just as upset as Her Highness. Just so you know.”
“Oh, by the way, you’re not seeing any other women, are you?”
If Sun hadn’t whispered this to me privately when he brought Arina here, I might’ve been completely blindsided by her mood.
For the record, after escorting Arina to my estate, Sun immediately returned to the High Tower.
The High Tower’s security had to remain tight—if Yulkanes ever teleported there, Isabelle alone wouldn’t be able to stop him.
“Speaking of which, where’s Sir Balzac?”
“He went hunting along the coast.”
“He still hasn’t given up, has he?”
“No… He insists on capturing a sea monster suitable for your birthday celebration.”
“That’s just an excuse. He just wants to test out the sword I made for him.”
“Most likely.”
If Sun had seen Balzac’s antics, would he have turned his back on the High Tower so decisively? I doubted it.
The brief chat about Balzac quickly shifted to something more serious.
“This recent Mongar War…”
“Hmm?”
“You’ve heard about the Imperial Army, haven’t you?”
From Mary’s—Arina’s—mouth came a question that was likely the main reason she’d stayed behind.
“She wanted to ask this. The birthday gift was just a convenient pretext.”
For someone who had been avoiding being alone with me lately, this sudden conversation made her intent clear.
“Of course. That’s the Empire for you. With so many resources and people, whatever they do is on a massive scale.”
I nodded calmly at her question, which was tinged with concern.
“...”
Mary’s face showed that she wanted to confirm many things with me.
“Shall we step outside? The staff cleaning the cafeteria might feel uncomfortable with us here.”
“Yes.”
Considering the eavesdroppers, we moved outside.
The Arad Shipyard on my estate was vast.
On the sprawling flatland lay countless stacks of timber, steel plates, iron bars, and stones. At the center of it all were three airships in the early stages of keel assembly.
The scales of the White Serpent and the magic engines, being highly classified materials, were being processed at a separate temporary facility.
“We shouldn’t have given the Bishop Company steam engines.”
“And you still think that after seeing these magic engines and airships?”
Mary and I continued our conversation while observing the secretive airship construction.
“Even with magic engines and airships, we can’t ignore sheer numbers.”
“Thanks to the Empire’s massive supply production, inflation has been easy to control. If anything, overproduction is becoming a concern.”
“...”
Mary stared at me intently in response to my nonchalant attitude.
“Imagine if only Renslet had industrialized. Food, cotton, paper, bricks, iron bars—could we have handled it?”
Even with Mary’s Blessing allowing agriculture to thrive across Renslet, and with industrialization producing an avalanche of iron and cotton, there were clear limits.
“Potato yields have increased thanks to Mary’s Blessing, but it’s still nowhere near enough. You know how refined Renslet’s palate has become.”
The North’s harsh environment meant that even with this world’s equivalent of chemical fertilizers, agricultural output was limited, and crop variety was lacking.
“And what about the needs of our rapidly growing population?”
The duchy’s population had ballooned to 1.6 million. As prosperity in the North grew, many Northerners returned from the Empire to escape discrimination. Meanwhile, the Medikit and the Church’s divine power had drastically reduced mortality rates, further accelerating population growth.
“Currently, the majority of Renslet’s population isn’t part of the workforce.”
The real issue was that over 60% of the recent population surge consisted of children.
The number of people able to contribute to production was severely limited.
“If we couldn’t import affordable food and cotton from the industrialized Bishop Company, the thought alone gives me a headache.”
Even when today’s children grow up and join the workforce, Renslet would still pale in comparison to the Empire in terms of scale.
“Renslet has no choice but to focus on cutting-edge industries.”
Both now and in the distant future, labor-intensive industries would be inefficient for Renslet.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the duchy’s destiny lay solely in Arcane-Punk advancements.
“Price stability is important, of course. Economics is a matter of national security. But the overwhelming scale of the Imperial Army is a much bigger issue.”
Despite my explanation, Mary’s expression remained tense.
“I’ve been asked this kind of question before…”
When I sold the Four Artifacts to Entir in the past, I had a similar experience. Back then, I was summoned to the palace and had a conversation with Arina that closely mirrored this one.
And yet, seeing her—or rather, Mary—ask again in this way showed just how uneasy she felt.
“Mary, the Empire’s industry has certainly grown stronger. But that doesn’t mean the Emperor or the Imperial Household has become stronger. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.”
I had to repeat the same words I’d said back then.
‘Instead of focusing on economics and inflation, I’ll need to explain this through strategy and schemes—something easier for her to grasp in this era.’
If she still wasn’t convinced, I’d keep repeating it until she was—essentially implanting confidence in her, even if it bordered on brainwashing.
“The growth of industry and economy also means they have more to lose. If a civil war were to break out in such a prosperous Empire, the damage would be far greater.”
“...!”
“And conversely, the benefits we could reap from such a civil war would be immense.”
A grim plan—one that aimed to profit from bloodshed and death, earning both time and resources through chaos.
Yet Mary showed no reaction typical of a humanist.
She wasn’t just a person—she was Rensletian.
If it ensured the prosperity and safety of her small nation and its people, she wouldn’t flinch even if the entire Empire fell into war and famine.
“Chairman, do you truly believe a civil war will break out in the Empire?”
Instead, what weighed on her mind was something else.
“Of course.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Because I believe in the desires I’ve sown throughout the Empire.”
I patted her on the shoulder.
Flinch.
She visibly stiffened, a reaction I’d become familiar with since meeting her again in Count Jin’s territory.
She hadn’t reacted like this in the past, and at first, it had been a bit shocking.
‘It made me feel like a real piece of trash.’
It was clear she seemed to dislike it, but I didn’t stop.
‘I don’t have a choice.’
Patting her shoulder like this allowed me to examine her condition subtly.
‘Her body seems to have stabilized quite a bit.’
Using the enchanted markings hidden in the transformation necklace she wore, I could discreetly check her physical state every time I touched her.
Ever since Arina came here disguised as Mary, I’d been doing this three or four times a day. It was an odd method, but it worked.
“What if a civil war doesn’t happen in the Empire?”
Mary asked, continuing as if her earlier reaction hadn’t happened.
“Then we’ll make it happen.”
I answered with a chilling smile.
“!!”
I was confident.
That confidence came from the absence of the Empire’s strongest superhuman: Dark Grand Duke Doom.
“In this Great Wall battle, Doom didn’t become a Grand Swordmaster.”
Despite the news of him killing the Mongar Orc chieftain appearing in the papers, there was no mention of him reaching a new level of mastery.
In the original history, the Emperor had widely publicized Doom’s breakthrough to bolster his authority. The silence now meant Doom hadn’t achieved enlightenment through a life-or-death struggle.
“The Empire has gained industrialization but lost its Grandmaster.”
In the original timeline, Doom had fought desperately with limited forces at the Great Wall against the Mongar Orcs.
Back then, the Noble Assembly and the Church had sent almost no support to the Great Wall.
The official reason was Doom’s execution of high-ranking knights and cavalry associated with the Noble Assembly, but the real motive was to check the Emperor and his Reformist faction, who had absorbed the North.
Regardless, without support, Doom had fought a life-or-death battle at the Great Wall.
In the process, he achieved enlightenment, ascending to a level beyond Sword Master—becoming the Empire’s first Grandmaster.
This Grandmaster’s loyalty tipped the balance of power entirely in favor of the Emperor, neutralizing the master-class superhumans the Noble Assembly and the Church had been secretly fostering.
Thus, without a proper civil war, the Emperor established absolute authority in the Empire.
“A delicate or marginally superior balance of power is bound to collapse eventually.”
But now, things are completely different.
By now, the Emperor, the Noble Assembly, and the Church were all likely entertaining the same thought: ‘We might actually stand a chance.’
‘For the North to be fully liberated, the Empire must fall.’
My project to dismantle the Empire was already underway, with plans A through E prepared as a comprehensive package.
‘And let’s not forget the steam engine blueprints our auto-piloted instigator, Entir, leaked to Bardenheim.’
Seeds of external pressure had also been sown beyond the Empire’s borders.
“Even if a civil war doesn’t break out in the Empire, it doesn’t matter.”
I couldn’t fully explain the backdrop of the original history or the current altered situation to her, which was unfortunate.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Follow me. I was planning to unveil it on Her Highness’s birthday, but I guess there’s no choice now.”
To put Mary’s—or rather, Arina’s—worries to rest, I decided to show her that a little earlier than planned.
With a bewildered expression, she followed as I led her somewhere.
***
The airships and magic engines were being built at the center of Count Jin’s territory, which would someday become Jin State.
Calling it the “center” was almost laughable—it was only nominally the capital of my estate.
In reality, this was a remote backwater village, bordered by a frozen coastline and dense forests.
Its population and size were minuscule, barely worth mentioning.
Why would I choose such a place for a project that held the fate of Renslet in its hands?
Sure, I had personal motives—like regional development and loyalty to my land. But the primary reason was security.
“It’s like how the U.S. conducts critical research out in the Nevada desert.”
The High Tower was too visible.
Other major cities were just as exposed, and someone like Yulkanes could teleport in at any moment.
In a remote area like this, at least I could rest easier.
“Should the Empire try to overwhelm us with sheer numbers, we’ll respond with armored might.”
The place I brought Mary to was a massive hangar within the shipyard, built for a specific purpose.
Groooan.
The enchanted iron doors opened with a heavy rumble, revealing the vast interior of the storage facility.
“This is…!”
Mary’s eyes widened in shock at the sight inside.
“Allow me to introduce… the Colossal Automaton.”
There stood an 11-meter-tall steel giant.
“When… when did you build this?!”
Her astonishment was palpable.
“I made it as a side project while developing the magic engines for the airships.”
“A… side project?!”
Her disbelief was written all over her face.
‘Honestly, even I didn’t expect it to be completed this quickly.’
The airships were much larger in scale and required complex anti-gravity enchantments and spatial magic circuits, which made them labor- and time-intensive to build.
By comparison, the Colossal Automaton had been far less demanding, allowing for a prototype to be completed relatively quickly.
But even that alone didn’t explain the speed at which this one had been finished.
‘I was wondering why I hadn’t had critical success in my recent projects. Turns out I was stacking luck for this…’
Who could’ve guessed? The “first builder’s fortune” that I’d nearly forgotten about came into play, chaining together 24 critical successes while building this automaton.
“Who else knows about this Colossal Automaton?”
“You’re the first. No one else has set foot in this hangar—not even Balzac.”
“To think you made this alone, in such a short time…”
“Well, luck played its part.”
I downplayed the miraculous streak as I casually addressed Arina.
“What will you name it? Are you just going to keep calling it the Colossal Automaton?”
Perhaps choosing to give her mind a rest, Mary stopped trying to fully grasp the situation and shifted the topic.
“Of course not. Many models of automatons will follow, so this one deserves its own name.”
While “Colossal Automaton” was a common noun like “sword,” it still needed a proper name, much like swords often have their own titles.
“‘Eva’… doesn’t fit. ‘Gundam’… too random. Hmm… Pluto. Yes, Pluto sounds perfect.”
“Pluto! The name of the underworld’s gatekeeper in ancient mythology. A fitting name—it matches its appearance well.”
The automaton had pristine white armor. Its design resembled the knightly robots from Earth’s anime Escaflowne.
On its back was a colossal greatsword, proportionate to its 11-meter height, while its forearms were equipped with massive enchanted ballistae meant for siege warfare.
This was the pinnacle of fantasy-world firepower and armor: the prototype Colossal Automaton, Pluto-01.
“How complete is it?”
“It’s fully operational—capable of basic mobility and combat.”
“!!”
Arina, wearing Mary’s face, looked utterly mesmerized.
Her wide-eyed expression reminded me of how I must’ve looked earlier when I first saw the natural Ether.
It seemed the allure of such grand creations transcended age, status, and gender.
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