Chapter 16.2

“Here it is.”

“I won’t forget this favor!”

Seven minutes after that, the third knight donned his armor and hurried to the battlefield.

“Emergency repairs are complete. Please use them with care.”

“Of course.”

Five minutes later, the fourth knight nodded silently and charged into the fray to slaughter monsters.

“The sword’s core contained some star iron, so it was repaired well.”

“I will fight in a manner worthy of both your skill and this blade.”

Four minutes after that, the fifth knight, named Doyle, strode confidently into battle.

“Kill them!”

“Don’t let them get near the golden carriage!”

“Renslet! Rune Renslet!”

“Hahaha! Yes, this is it! This is the thrill! Hahaha!”

With their weapons repaired and their strength replenished, the knights began ruthlessly butchering the monsters.

‘So this is the prowess of Northern knights!’

As I repaired the sixth knight’s equipment, I marveled at the Northern knights’ skill. Their might left me in awe.

The monsters approaching were top-tier creatures from the abyss—Snow Basilisks, Frost Ogres, White Drakes, and Ice Worms.

Each one was a nightmare that even high-level adventurer parties would struggle to defeat.

Thud!

Screech!

Yet, the Northern high-ranking knights hunted these monsters with ease.

‘This… This is even more incredible than what I’d heard in The Silver Age: Part 1!’

Now I understood why the Empire was so wary of the North’s military power.

Glance, scrape, shine.

While I stole glances at the battlefield, my hands continued to work on the emergency repairs.

“Here you are, Lady Iria. It seems the battle is almost over.”

Just as I handed over the last repaired weapon to its owner, I was met with an unexpected question.

“Who are you, truly?”

The final knight—Grand Duke Arina Rune Renslet, currently using the alias Iria—asked, her hood now removed.

“…!”

The unveiled face of the Northern Grand Duke was breathtakingly beautiful.

Her features were so extraordinary that no celebrity from Earth could compare.

Silver-blue hair, sapphire-like eyes, and porcelain skin harmonized so perfectly that I doubted whether she was human or some divine being.

“My true identity?”

“Yes.”

For a moment, I stared at her in a daze before snapping back to reality.

Despite her beauty, her gaze was filled with suspicion, sharp enough to feel like it could slice through me.

One wrong word, and the sword I had just repaired might sever my neck.

“You already know who I am, don’t you, Lady Iria?”

“A former D-rank adventurer with noble roots from the Eastern Continent, is that it?”

“That’s correct.”

“And you expect me to believe that?”

Her gaze shifted to the golden carriage behind me.

When they were starving and desperate, they hadn’t questioned it. But now that they were fed and somewhat recovered, the doubts resurfaced.

“…”

Honestly, I couldn’t blame her. From her perspective, my explanation must have seemed woefully inadequate.

What kind of D-rank adventurer builds and drives a carriage deep into the abyss of the Demonic Realm?

Flash!

Screech!

Meanwhile, the monster wave came to an end.

What had been a significant horde of monsters turned out to be nothing more than a warm-up for the now-revitalized Northern knights.

“Many of the other knights share my thoughts. For now, we’re letting it slide because we’re too busy.”

Arina, watching her knights finish off the last of the monsters, spoke again.

“Speak, Arad Jin. What is your true identity and purpose?”

“…”

Perhaps the Grand Duke suspected me of orchestrating their predicament to play the role of a savior.

If only this world ran on data and NPCs.

If only it were a typical virtual reality fantasy game.

In that case, they’d simply ask, “Whoa, what’s your class? Legendary? Amazing!”

Maybe I’d even be treated like a revered master in a popular MMORPG.

But this world had no status windows—just harsh, unyielding reality.

A maxed-out crafting character suddenly dropped into a real world was both extraordinary and deeply suspicious.

‘I can’t entirely blame Arina for her doubts.’

To her, I was a complete enigma.

One day, I’d suddenly appeared in the North, bringing with me Arad Salt.

Not only that, but I persistently sought to join a party of high-ranking Northern knights.

And now, here I was, driving a golden carriage into the heart of the Demonic Realm.

All while claiming to be a former D-rank adventurer.

‘How could I possibly explain that I’m a player who was transported into this world from 100 years in the future, along with my in-game character?’

Even thinking about it gave me a headache.

It was the truth, yet it sounded utterly unbelievable.

‘Should I just claim to be a magical engineer from 100 years in the future?’

That, too, seemed unlikely to gain their trust. Worse, it might provoke their wrath for deceiving them.

“I’m… a wandering adventurer who found solace in the North and decided to settle here. A person with a complicated past.”

In the end, I had no choice but to repeat the same introduction I had already given, like a parrot.

Click.

At that, Arina partially unsheathed her sword. Damn it!

“…”

“…”

A cold silence fell between us.

“Hmm…”

“…”

I glanced around to find that the other knights, having finished their battle, were now surrounding me.

After about ten seconds of this standoff, Arina finally spoke.

Click.

“…Fine. We’ll leave it at that for now.”

She sheathed her sword and added,

—

“After all, we owe you our lives.”

Thus, the situation ended on a tense and ambiguous note.

“Northerners always repay their debts. Once we return, we’ll ensure you are properly rewarded.”

“D-debts? I merely did what anyone would do. Haha…”

“Of course, we also repay our grudges tenfold. I sincerely hope you aren’t behind this.”

“…”

Correction: it ended not ambiguously, but chillingly.