The atmosphere afterward was, unsurprisingly, awkward.

Not only Arina but also the knights looked at me with gazes that were far from warm.

‘This is seriously annoying.’

Part of me felt wronged and irritated.

I’d risked my life and spent my entire fortune to come here, only to be met with outright suspicion and near-accusations. It would be stranger not to feel hurt.

Even if their suspicions carried some justification.

‘And who’s the reason I went through all this trouble, practically bankrupting myself to get here?!’

Setting my rationality aside, regret over the sheer hardship I’d endured to make it this far started creeping in.

‘They’re all doubting me. But both sides still need each other, like a crocodile and its bird. That’s probably why the Grand Duchess hasn’t pressed further or killed me—because she still needs me.’

That said, it was too late to back out now.

To escape the barrier and the Abyss, I needed their military strength, and the Grand Duchess and her knights needed my supplies.

Whether we liked it or not, we were bound by a shared fate—for now.

Please… save the North!

The voice of the entity that had brought me to this world echoed in my mind again.

‘Given this situation, it’s clear I’ll continue to face suspicion even after leaving the Abyss. I’d be better off finding a way to save the North on my own.’

Saving the North was my mission, so I would fulfill it.

But it was becoming increasingly clear that I wouldn’t be able to do so alongside Arina Rune Renslet, the Grand Duchess.

‘Come to think of it, I still need to tell them about those ten individuals I saw before entering the barrier…’

I recalled the group that had approached me with hostility right before I entered the barrier.

The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that they were behind this incident.

‘But with the mood being what it is…’

I opened my mouth to speak but closed it again.

No matter what I said now, I would only be met with more doubt.

As I mulled over these thoughts, time passed until suddenly—

“We’ve found it! The gap in the barrier!”

Balzac, the Frostblade Ghost of the North, let out a triumphant cry. His experience and intuition were clearly not for show.

The previously tense atmosphere softened noticeably.

Hummmm.

Not far away, the elderly knight Balzac was widening the gap in the barrier he had discovered.

Standing with his eyes closed and both hands gripping his sword, he manipulated the mana within his body to reveal the dissonance between the barrier and the outside world.

‘A day… He said it would take about a day…’

Balzac explained that if they rotated shifts without rest, they could continue this process.

Once Balzac finished his shift, the other knights would take turns for a few hours each. Arina, as the most skilled, had decided to go last.

‘In the original timeline, did they fail to find the gap in the barrier? Or did they find it but get ambushed before they could escape?’

Considering how close to annihilation they had been when I arrived, it was possible they had been unable to fight effectively even if they had found the gap.

‘Anyway, I’ve saved the Grand Duchess. That alone extends the North’s survival.’

Though the process and results left a bitter aftertaste, the mission was technically a success.

‘Still… this might only make their suspicions worse.’

I felt awkward about the discovery of the gap, caught between relief and unease.

‘Are they going to interrogate me the moment we step out of the Abyss?’

While it was good news that we could escape the barrier sooner than expected, the timing was suspiciously convenient—right after I joined them.

Even though Balzac, whom the knights trusted, was the one who found the gap, it was hard to ignore the coincidence.

“When we leave the barrier, you’ll need to be careful.”

Deciding I might as well address it, I casually mentioned the matter to the Grand Duchess, as if in passing.

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t have the chance to say this earlier, but I saw a hostile party waiting outside the barrier.”

“A party?”

“Yes, an adventurer party of considerable skill. I estimate their number at ten, four of whom appeared to be mages.”

“Were they outside the Abyss?”

“They appeared within the Abyss. As soon as I approached its depths, they exuded killing intent and charged at me.”

Thankfully, the Grand Duchess listened intently, her expression serious.

“They might be the ones orchestrating this incident.”

“They’re Imperial adventurers, no doubt about it.”

The other knights chimed in, sharing similar sentiments.

“...We’ll keep that in mind.”

Instead of doubting me, Arina nodded thoughtfully, which was more than I’d expected.

Perhaps my offhand remark had set the tone for a smoother interaction.

“For two months? No wonder everyone looks so haggard, with those overgrown beards and all.”

“So it’s only been about two weeks outside?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“They really went all out preparing this barrier.”

The conversation shifted to details about the outside world, and I found myself speaking more casually with Arina.

Maybe she was using this opportunity to probe my intentions and identity.

“What’s it like outside?”

“It wouldn’t be accurate to call it peaceful, but it’s business as usual. Adventurers roam the Abyss, hunting and gathering. As a result, monsters are kept from overwhelming Haven. That cycle remains intact.”

“That’s reassuring.”

From what I gathered, Arina and the knights had been trapped in the barrier for about two months.

‘No wonder they’re all so on edge.’

This revelation helped me calculate that time within the barrier moved about four times faster than outside.

With their ordeal of starvation, cold, and sleeplessness, it was no wonder they were irritable and aggressive.

Whistle of icy wind.

In the early hours of dawn, braving the frigid gray frost, I sat on the driver’s bench of the golden carriage.

I wanted nothing more than to retreat inside the carriage, but I couldn’t.

With everyone suspicious of each other, there was no telling what might happen next. Lying back comfortably was not an option.

“Get ready, everyone!”

“This wretched barrier is about to be undone.”

Balzac’s low voice carried from the distance.

I lifted my gaze toward Arina.

It was her turn. She concentrated intently, working to tear the gap in the barrier wide open.

‘Roughly five hours must have passed outside by now.’

Preparing for what lay ahead, I loaded the magic crossbow.

Hummmm.
Crackle!

The dull gray sky began to spark and shatter like glass.

Cold, barren sunlight filtered through the Abyss’s darkened sky.

When I had entered the barrier, it had been morning. Now, outside, it was likely somewhere between noon and evening.

Whoosh!

At last, the barrier was broken.

What had been a single unpleasant day for me had been a harrowing, nightmarish two-month imprisonment for Arina and the knights.

“Just as I thought…”

As reality returned, Balzac, still using the alias Dominic, raised his sword, his eyes burning with fury.

Shing!

Clink, clink.

One by one, the other knights followed his lead, unsheathing their swords.

I loaded and aimed my magic crossbow.

Hummm.

To activate the mana-stone bolts, I ignited the second circle of magic in my heart, like lighting a match.

Arina, having just finished breaking the barrier, also pointed her sword forward.

“The Imperial intelligence organization… Sigma. So it was you.”

Her voice was colder and sharper than the northern winds.

The Imperial knights and mages, disguised as adventurers, were already waiting to ambush us as we emerged from the barrier.

‘So, those ten adventurers were actually Imperial agents in disguise?’

If Renslet has the Frostblade Ghosts, the Empire has Sigma—a colossal intelligence organization directly under the Emperor, far surpassing any northern force.

“And now… they’ve stooped to joining hands with the warlocks of the Abyss?”

Arina’s voice was cold as frost.

“The Imperial Court and the Golden Tower have rotted to the core!”

Behind the Imperial agents stood Abyss warlocks, exuding a sinister presence. Further back, undead monsters, controlled by necromancers, awaited orders.

“...”

“...”

Of course, no one in front of us introduced themselves as Imperial agents.

In fact, they didn’t speak at all.

They wore adventurer outfits, the kind that could be seen anywhere on the continent.

Yet the Grand Duchess and her knights were certain of their true identities.

‘The resources and talent needed to create such a barrier, and the group that benefits the most if the Grand Duchess and her knights disappear… It’s clearly the Empire.’

I couldn’t help but agree with their assessment.

Clink!

At the forefront of the enemy formation stood a high-ranking mage from Sigma, presumably their leader.

Dressed in refined adventurer’s gear with a mage’s robe, they held a staff adorned with high-grade mana stones that glimmered with authority.

Though their face was hidden by a deeply pulled hood, the mage exuded a commanding presence, signaling orders with a simple motion of their staff.

Roar!
Flash!

The undead monsters roared and charged first.

Imperial knights, part of Sigma’s force, joined the assault, weaving through the gaps.

Hummmm.
Zap!

Imperial mages chanted attack spells of various elements.

Murmur, murmur.

The warlocks of the Abyss muttered curses meant to immobilize the knights.

“Wipe them all out!”

“Renslet! Rune Renslet!”

“For the North! Forever!”

“Ancestors, grant me strength!”

In response, the Grand Duchess and her knights infused their freshly repaired weapons with aura and counterattacked.

‘I can’t just stand back. This is my chance to prove myself and dispel some of their doubts.’

I aimed my crossbow at the warlocks chanting curses in the distance.

I loaded my most expensive and powerful mana-stone arrow.

Click.

This arrow was a masterpiece, combining fire, light, lightning, earth, and wind attributes in a precisely calibrated mix.

It was the most meticulously crafted of all the mana-stone arrows I had in my possession.

Whiz!

With the mana in my heart fueling the crossbow, I pulled the trigger, releasing the arrow into the enemy ranks.

It struck the ground amidst the warlocks.

BOOOOOM!

The explosion was massive, surpassing the destructive power of most attack spells.

Caught off guard, the warlocks suffered heavy casualties.

Half of them were obliterated in the blast, as no defensive barrier had been prepared to intercept my attack.

“...?”

“!!”

Both the Grand Duchess and the Renslet knights, just about to charge into battle, froze and turned their shocked gazes toward me.

“?!”

“...”

Likewise, the Imperial agents hesitated, momentarily stunned, before their eyes fixed on me and my crossbow.

It seemed I had drawn far more attention than I intended.

“...Damn it.”

My already conspicuous golden carriage now became the center of even more scrutiny.

Roar!
Screech!

Fortunately, the chaos worked to our advantage. With the warlocks incapacitated, many of the monsters under their control went berserk, attacking indiscriminately.

Now, the Imperial forces had to contend not only with us but also with the rampaging monsters in their rear.

“This is our chance! Attack!”

The first to recover their composure were the Grand Duchess and the knights of High Castle.

Though initially surprised, they quickly resumed their charge, their expressions now saying, ‘Well, of course.’

“Destroy that golden carriage too!”

The Empire, caught off guard, reacted three seconds too late.

They redirected part of their forces toward me.

‘Damn it!’

I cursed inwardly and pulled out more mana-stone arrows from my bag, loading them swiftly.

‘How far did Arad’s Weapon Mastery skill go again?’

A crafting character like me, focused on making weapons and armor, should at least know how to use their creations. That’s what Weapon Mastery was for.

It was a passive skill every character inherently possessed.

At MAX level, even a non-combat crafting character could hold their own in basic combat.

‘It must have been MAX. Plus, it seems my Dexterity skill is helping as well.’

In the intense, fast-paced chaos of the battlefield, my Weapon Mastery skill truly shone.

I reloaded and fired my crossbow with near-machine-gun speed, thanks to the skill’s MAX level.

Boom!
Bang!
Crash!

Explosions erupted all around, creating a spectacular display.

In the rear, berserk monsters rampaged.

In the front, the monstrous knights of Renslet fought relentlessly.

For the Sigma agents, even with the warlocks, necromancers, and undead monsters, the situation was grim.

Their total force barely numbered thirty.

“That damn golden carriage!”

“Kill the one in the golden carriage first!”

“Protect Arad! Guard the carriage!”

“Sir Doyle, secure the carriage and defend Arad!”

“Yes, understood!”

Before I knew it, the battle had shifted its focus entirely around me and the golden carriage.