Chapter 34.1

Today was one of the busiest days in Arina’s life.

Juggling her duties as both the Grand Duchess of the North and an employee of Arad’s trading company left her in complete disarray, especially during this emergency.

Hiiiiing!

After returning her horse to the stables, Arina took a moment to compose herself, checking her appearance carefully.

First, she inspected the enchanted necklace around her neck. The magical necklace emitted a soft glow, altering her appearance, voice, and even body shape.

Next, she checked the spatial bag always strapped to her waist—a meticulously crafted gift from Arad. Over it was a larger bag Isabelle had prepared to help conceal her identity further.

“Haaah…”

She adjusted her clothes, took a deep breath, and swallowed nervously.

Knock, knock, knock.

Like a guilty child, she rapped softly on the door of Arad’s trading company building.

“…?”

But even after knocking several times, there was no response from inside.

“Excuse me, Boss,” she called cautiously before opening the door and stepping in.

The first floor was empty.

However, faint noises from the basement hinted that someone was there.

Arina headed down toward the basement, deliberately making loud footsteps to avoid startling Arad.

“Um… Boss?”

“Ah, you’re here,” came Arad’s voice.

“I’m sorry for leaving so abruptly earlier,” she apologized.

“No need. It’s not like it was your choice.”

The basement workshop was in complete disarray, filled with magitech components of indeterminate purpose. Piles of dark soil, likely from the greenhouse farm, were stacked in a corner.

“You came at the perfect time. From now on, Mary, you’ll be making this.”

Without hesitation, Arad handed her a detection device he had just completed.

“Me? Make this?”

“It’s not as hard as it looks. Once you follow along a few times, you’ll get the hang of it. Now, watch closely.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

And so began her unexpected crash course in assembly line production.

After demonstrating the process a few times, Arad handed her the tools.

Before long, Arina found herself fumbling through the motions of cutting, shaping, and assembling parts made of leather, wood, and bone. Surprisingly, she found the process enjoyable—similar yet different from wielding a sword all day.

Just as Arad had said, the work wasn’t particularly difficult. It was, however, incredibly labor-intensive.

“You’re quite skilled with your hands. Yes, that’s it—just follow the pattern.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The occasional compliments from Arad filled her with an odd sense of joy, and she struggled to hide the smile creeping across her face.

‘What incredible precision.’

Meanwhile, she couldn’t help but marvel at Arad’s extraordinary speed and accuracy as he engraved magical circuits into the components.

Unlike her own clumsy efforts, Arad’s work was intricate and flawless. Watching him etch magical circuits into leather and wood with a silver awl, using magic stones coated onto the materials, was almost a holy experience.

Lost in admiration, Arina was startled when Arad spoke.

“How’s it going? Manageable?”

“Y-Yes!”

“Then pick up the pace. There’s no time to zone out.”

Perhaps because she had been caught staring, Arad gave her a mild scolding.

“A-Ah, yes, sir!”

Unused to being reprimanded, Arina felt her heart flutter in an unfamiliar way.

“We need to make 60 of these by tonight.”

“Sixty? But there are only 26 locations to send them to.”

“We need extras for emergencies—two per team—and to account for defects and failed prototypes.”

“Ah, I see.”

The sheer workload surprised her, and she quickened her pace.

“But… shouldn’t you hire more staff for this?”

As she worked, Arina couldn’t help but wonder why Arad hadn’t hired more employees.

Even after gaining approval to establish an official trading company, he hadn’t recruited anyone beyond herself.

“Of course, I’d like to. But I can’t hire just anyone. Her Highness was clear that my knowledge mustn’t leak to the Empire.”

Arad responded casually, but his answer made Arina internally wince.

‘Ah… right.’

She recalled the conversation they’d had long ago when he’d gifted her the enchanted bag.

“Do you intend to share your knowledge with others?”

“For now, I’ll hold off. The High Tower and the North are still riddled with rats, and there’s also the witches’ situation to consider.”

It struck her that her own words had likely been misunderstood and exaggerated.

‘I didn’t mean for him to take it this far!’

Realizing that she might bear some responsibility for his current predicament, a wave of guilt washed over her.

“And Her Highness is right. Hiring recklessly is dangerous. Industrial espionage is a real risk.”

“Industrial… espionage?”

“Yes, there are people who’ll go to extraordinary lengths to steal critical information.”

Arad spoke with a grim expression, as though recalling bitter experiences from his past.

‘He must be thinking of his time during the Golden Age. He likely ran a trading company or workshop back then.’

Watching his expression, Arina simply nodded in quiet understanding.

“What do you look for in an employee, then?”

“I look for character,” Arad replied matter-of-factly.

“Character?”

“Yes. Things like responsibility, a sense of duty, and loyalty. Skills can be taught over time if the person is willing to learn, but character and trust? No amount of money or time can instill those.”

He continued, “You can’t force someone to be trustworthy. No matter how much you pay them, how long you work with them, or how sincerely you treat them, trust has to come naturally.”

“How can you tell if someone is trustworthy?”

Arina listened intently, captivated by Arad’s philosophy.

This topic of conversation captivated Arina, not just because of her current role, but because her true identity as the Grand Duchess made it profoundly meaningful.

“Over time, you develop a gut instinct,” Arad explained, his tone matter-of-fact. “It’s not perfect, but it works more often than not.”

“Gut… instinct?”

“Yeah. Talk to someone a few times, and you’ll get a sense for them. Some people just give you this cold, prickly feeling. Filtering out those types solves half the problem.”

Pausing her work, Arina gazed at Arad intently.

Though his appearance suggested he wasn’t much older than her, his skills and wisdom seemed far beyond his years.

‘Is it because he’s one of the Ancient People from the Golden Age? Do they age more slowly?’

Even in this world, mastering swordsmanship and magic to a high degree could significantly slow the aging process.

“At first, I thought if I treated people sincerely, they’d reciprocate. But… that’s not how it works.”

As Arad continued, his voice carried a faint bitterness.