Chapter 63.1

The Mirror Therapy Project (4)

It was obvious that Entir didn’t genuinely expect us to transfer our technology to him.

He was just testing the waters — after all, there was no cost to trying.

“We have no intention of sharing our technology. Even if I were to approve it, the High Tower wouldn’t allow it.”

“I see. That’s a real shame.”

Entir and I spoke to each other with the utmost courtesy.

After all, I was a hereditary count of the North, and Entir was the husband of a marchioness and the leader of a massive Imperial merchant company.

“So, why did you ask to meet me?”

“The North and the Empire do not have good relations.”

“That’s true.”

“And you, too, have a strained relationship with the Imperial family.”

“…….”

Entir’s eyes flickered with understanding. He had fully grasped my intentions.

“What do you plan to offer me?”

“Everything except for technology.”

“Could you be more specific?”

“Unlike Arad Salt, Mary’s Blessing and Northern Porcelain are distributed exclusively through the Rune Trading Company.”

In Renslet, there are two official merchant guilds. One is the Arad Company, and the other is the Rune Trading Company, which existed before the Arad Company was established.

“The problem is that the Rune Trading Company is too small. It can’t handle the growing demand on its own.”

“So, you’re saying…!”

“The Arad Company will sell Mary’s Blessing and Northern Porcelain not just to the Rune Trading Company, but also to Bishop Company.”

“!!”

Entir’s eyes sparkled with unrestrained joy.

“And there’s more.”

“There’s more!?”

The word “more” made Entir’s eyes burn with sheer greed and madness.

“As the production volume of porcelain increases, several issues have arisen.”

“Issues, you say?”

“The North lacks skilled craftsmen and proper guilds. As a result, securing raw materials is a constant struggle.”

“What do you need, exactly?”

“Food, fabric, bricks, lumber, ingots, and glass. For now, those are the essentials.”

“But don’t Imperial merchants already supply those goods to the North?”

“We need more of them, and cheaper too.”

“More and cheaper, huh…”

Entir’s eyes grew sharper as he pondered my words.

“On your way here, you glimpsed our factory-style division of labor. We’ll share that knowledge with you. With that, you’ll be able to produce more, at a lower cost, with less-skilled workers.”

“You really mean it — everything but the technology, huh?”

“Correct. And if you wish, we’ll even provide prosthetic arms and legs crafted with black magic.”

“You’re serious?”

“On the condition that the patients are sent here to be fitted.”

In a world where hunting, war, and duels were commonplace, amputees were everywhere.

Even in the Empire and Kingdoms, many nobles bore injuries that left them disabled.

Adventurers, mercenaries, and knights with fully intact bodies were the exception, not the rule.

To those people, the words “black magic” meant little. They wouldn’t hesitate to bring sacks of gold and silver to the High Tower if it meant getting a functioning limb.

“Use this to extend your influence within the Empire.”

My offer was so overwhelmingly generous that Entir’s face shifted from joy to doubt.

“But… Do you trust me?”

Ah, there it is. I was wondering when he’d ask that question.

“I trust your situation, not you.”

“Perfect answer.”

Entir extended his right hand.

We clasped hands firmly, exchanging a long handshake.

“There is… one more favor I’d like to ask.”

While still shaking my hand, Entir confidently made his request.

“My life is in constant danger. My enemies are… well, you understand.”

His gaze shifted toward Balzac, who stood nearby.

“…….”

It was a bold request, but an understandable one.

After all, he had just declared war on Crown Prince Canbraman and his wife, Swordmaster Havana.

He was right to feel uneasy.

To protect himself from those two, Entir would need a guardian on par with a Swordmaster.

However, hiring such a guardian wasn’t easy. No matter how much wealth or status a person had, the world’s top-tier experts didn’t move for money alone.

“I’m afraid that’s difficult. I can’t station Sir Balzac in the Empire. It would cause an uproar.”

Balzac was the Swordmaster of the North, a man of legend.

If he were to stay in the Empire, it would be seen as a de facto declaration of war.

“Then at least assign me some of your senior knights! No matter how much wealth and influence I build, if I die, it’s all for nothing.”

Entir’s voice was filled with genuine desperation.

“I understand.”

I truly did.

In the original story, Entir was betrayed, robbed of his wealth and his merchant guild, and ultimately killed by his own wife, Havana.

I couldn’t turn a blind eye to his desperate plea.

“Does that mean you’ll send some of your senior knights?”

“When you return, a few senior knights from the Frost Knights will join your company as Bishop Company employees. This will also ensure smoother communication with the High Tower.”

“That puts my mind at ease. Northern knights are the strongest on the continent, after all.”

Entir recalled his first encounter with Balzac and nodded in agreement.

But I shook my head.

“No, I’m still not at ease. Even if they’re senior knights of the North, they’re no match for a Swordmaster.”

This time, I was the one expressing concern, not Entir.

“……?”

Entir tilted his head, puzzled by my words.

“That’s why I came up with another solution. Sir Balzac mentioned he had a certain ‘connection’ with someone.”

“Someone…?”

Entir turned to Balzac, his gaze filled with curiosity.

“She should be arriving soon.”

At those words, Balzac smiled knowingly.

On the continent, there were official Swordmasters and unofficial Swordmasters.

The official Swordmasters were:

Archduke Doom, also known as the “Dark Grand Duke” (Empire)

Blazing Havana (Empire)

Frostblade Balzac (Northern Renslet)

Caron, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Gargant (United Kingdoms)

Unofficial Swordmasters were those with skills on par with a Swordmaster but who did not wield swords in the traditional sense:

Archbishop Teresia (Empire)

Yulkanes, Master of the Golden Magic Tower (Empire)

Ricard, Champion of the Emperor and leader of the Royal Guard (Empire)

Falcon, a divine archer from the Republic of Feze (United Kingdoms)

Longos, an inquisitor from the Papal Court (Holy See)

Additionally, in the North, there were two unofficial masters:

Sun, the “Northern Ice Wall”

Isabelle, the “Great Witch of Spring”

It’s also worth noting that Her Highness Grand Duchess Arina was herself a Swordmaster, though she deliberately kept it a secret.

At this point, it’s clear why the Empire is so wary of the North.

This frozen wasteland with its sparse population somehow produced three Swordmasters.

Some scholars even theorized that it was the harsh environment and the presence of magic stones in the North that created these “miracles.”

***

There was one more superhuman of the North.

She wasn’t part of the Renslet faction, but she had strength equivalent to a Swordmaster.

BEEEEEEEEP!

“Huh?”

Hearing the sharp, familiar sound, Carpe stopped what he was doing and looked up at the sky.

“Is that… the Winter Hawk?”

It had been so long since he’d heard it that he thought it might be a hallucination.

The sound echoed from the sky.

BEEEEEEEEP!!

It drew closer and closer.

Her body was covered in countless scars from her long years as a mercenary.

Her red hair, tied in a loose ponytail, swayed in the wind.