Chapter 19.1

The icy wind of the labyrinth sharpened, becoming a blade that cut through everything in its path—a deadly dance of wind.

Whooooosh.

The once-exhausted and despairing old knight had transformed back into the Frostblade of the North in an instant.

“I need to hurry.”

With Balzac on the move, I quickly began pulling various items from my bag. Having promised to save Arina, I knew failure would bring that same blade against my neck.

“I’m going to put some powder in your nose. It’ll dull the pain, but you must not fall asleep.”

To alleviate Arina’s pain, I ground up an herb with anesthetic properties into a fine powder and placed it near her nostrils.

Though called an “anesthetic,” it was actually something far more… potent.

“If you save my life, Arad Jin…” Arina murmured in a dazed voice, her eyelids heavy from the drug’s effects. “I will grant you a wish. Whatever it may be… if it is within my power.”

“Anything?”

“Anything…”

“For now, don’t fall asleep, Your Highness.”

“So… sleepy…”

“You must fight it.”

Even with the anesthetic dulling her pain, I couldn’t let her sleep—lest she drift into eternal slumber.

“Stay awake!”

“But…”

I realized I had to keep her awake, engaging her in conversation to distract her.

“Your Highness hasn’t married yet, has she?”

“That is correct.”

“Is there no one you have in mind?”

“I… am married to the North.”

“I see. But surely you must consider an heir?”

“Someday… but not now…”

Her voice was growing weaker, her words trailing off.

“This is bad—she’s on the verge of falling asleep!”

Desperate, I shook her and even splashed cold water on her face, but nothing seemed to work.

“Earlier, you said you’d grant any wish, didn’t you?”

I needed something shocking, something that would jolt her awake.

“Yes… anything I can grant…”

“Then, how about making me your consort?”

It was a ridiculous request, even by my standards—but it had the desired effect.

“?!”

Her half-closed eyes snapped open in an instant.

“You… dare say such nonsense? Were I not in this state, I would have slapped you!”

Her voice, though weak, was now tinged with indignation and effort as she struggled against her drowsiness.

“That’s harsh. You did promise anything, did you not?”

Relieved to see her awake, I decided to prolong the conversation.

“True… but…”

“I’ve saved your life twice now and brought great fortune to the North with Arad Salt. Isn’t that enough?”

“What I would like to know is why you, of all people, would want to become my consort?”

“Because you’re beautiful.”

“…Ask for something else.”

“There’s nothing else I want.”

“Fine. I’ll think about it until my recovery or the ennoblement ceremony—whichever comes first.”

“Very well. I accept.”

“And I still don’t know who you truly are…” she murmured, her voice tinged with both curiosity and apprehension.

“So, if I reveal my identity, you’ll consider it?”

“……!”

“Silence is consent, Your Highness.”

I wasn’t entirely sure what I was saying at this point—just spouting whatever came to mind to keep her engaged.

“What am I even talking about? I’m supposed to return to Earth after this mission.”

Maybe it was her beauty that had momentarily scrambled my thoughts.

Arina seemed thoroughly flustered, her sapphire-like eyes betraying her inner turmoil.

Meanwhile, my hands worked diligently. I had set up a small forge I’d retrieved from the golden carriage and was carving mana circuits into Magicstones with a silver etching knife.

“Do you see this?” I asked, shifting the topic to prevent her from succumbing to sleep again.

“Magicstones.”

“Yes, Magicstones. With these, I will save not only your life but also restore your core.”

“……Is that so?”

The materials I used included seven mid-grade Magicstones—earth, wood, metal, ice, water, light, and darkness attributes. These would form the foundation to save Arina and allow her to wield her sword again.

“Where… Did you learn all this?”

Curiosity sparkled in her eyes as she watched me etch intricate circuits into the stones.

“Isn’t that a little forward, Your Highness? For someone who claims to have no interest in marriage, you’re quite curious about me.”

My teasing remark caught her off guard, her face flushing as she stammered, “Th-that’s not what I meant…!”

‘Good, she’s definitely awake now.’

Relieved, I gave her a half-truth as an answer.

“A long time ago, in an age when humanity sought to rival the gods.”

“The Golden Age?”

“Precisely. These techniques date back to that time.”

Though the explanation was fabricated, it wasn’t entirely incorrect. The origins of magitechnology lay in the ancient Golden Age. The Empire’s Golden Tower had long been researching lost technology from that era, eventually stumbling upon mana circuit theory—a breakthrough often likened to a fantasy-world semiconductor.

“That’s all I’ll reveal about myself for now.”

“I see…”

Her face, still painted with curiosity and unease, settled into a more neutral expression.

“One thing is certain.” she said, her voice steady now. “You are no ordinary man.”

“…The Golden Age?”

“Yes, this is a secret technique used during that Golden Age.”

“…….”

Though it was a half-made-up story, it wasn’t entirely false.

The origins of magical engineering, utilizing magic stones and mana circuits, could indeed be traced back to the Golden Age.

The Empire’s Golden Tower had long been researching the restoration of lost technology from that ancient Golden Age.

Through this research, they had stumbled upon the study of mana circuitry—considered the fantasy world’s equivalent of semiconductors—which led to the birth of magical engineering.

“For now, I’ll leave the introduction about myself at this.”

“Is that so…?”

The Grand Duke’s face, which had been painted with curiosity and confusion, shifted to a subtle expression.

“There’s something I want to clarify.”

Her eyes slowly filled with determination and a hint of fear.

“Go ahead.”

“Arad Jin, will you… do anything that would harm the North… or the Renslet family?”

“Of course not.”

“And… will you… betray the North… and me?”