“You really are something else. I knew with your loyalty, you’d prioritize Her Highness’s safety,” said Suun, nodding as if Balzac’s reaction was exactly what he expected.

“Would you like to check my core?” Arina suddenly smirked and addressed Suun.

“Well then… I will take the liberty of examining it,” Suun replied, a bit hesitant.

Scanning someone’s core was considered highly disrespectful unless it was for healing or educational purposes. However, with Arina’s consent and the gravity of the situation, Suun couldn’t help but feel deeply curious and concerned. His eyes sharpened as he began to inspect Arina’s lower core.

“This… this can’t be! What in the world…?” Suun exclaimed after completing the scan, his expression filled with shock.

“What’s going on? Why is your core empty?” he demanded.

“Empty? I’ve been working on it recently; I’ve managed to grow it to the size of a seed,” Arina replied casually.

“That’s not the issue here!” Suun’s voice grew more frantic, but it seemed his astonishment was far from over.

“Do you want to check my heart next?” Arina asked, pointing to her chest.

“Your heart…?” Suun felt an indescribable sense of foreboding as he channeled his magic into his eyes once again.

“!!”
What he saw left him utterly speechless.

“This… this is impossible…!” Suun stammered.

“It’s a long story,” Arina said nonchalantly.

“Please, tell me everything! I must know!” Suun implored, his desperation clear.

“Well, it all started with a letter from Haven last winter. You remember Polly, don’t you?” Arina began, her voice steady as she explained.

Over the course of the conversation, Arina, Balzac, Isabelle, and Haitai took turns recounting the events leading up to this point.

From the discovery of Arad Salt, the Abyssal rescue, the Golden Carriage, Mary’s Blessing, and the founding of the Renslet Church to the Empire’s movements, the story was laid out in full.

When the explanation concluded, Suun and the senior knights of the expedition sat dumbfounded, unable to immediately process the barrage of information.

“Just who is this Arad Jin? And where is he now?” one of the knights finally asked after a long silence.

Every pivotal moment they had just heard about seemed to revolve around one man—a genius named Arad Jin.

“Come to think of it, where is Sir Arad? He was here just a moment ago,” Balzac asked, looking around in confusion.

“He said he wanted to oversee the banquet preparations personally and left in a hurry,” Haitai explained.

“He could’ve taken the day off, but I suppose it’s understandable. After all, everything from the dishes served at this banquet to the recipes themselves are his creations,” Balzac said with an approving nod.

“Thanks to him, the banquet budget has been significantly reduced. Count Jin truly is a genius. How he managed to create such delicious dishes from unused cuts of meat is beyond me,” Haitai added with admiration.

“Not just the innards of cows and pigs, but even the feet. It was like discovering an entirely new world of flavor,” Balzac chimed in.

“I particularly enjoyed the fried chicken gizzard dish,” another knight remarked.

Their conversation about Arad was filled with unwavering trust and admiration, their respect for him as solid as etched stone.

‘Arad… Arad… Could it be that young man?’ Suun thought to himself.

The image of a young man with black hair and dark eyes came to mind—a striking figure who exuded an air of refinement. Suun recalled briefly locking eyes with him on the castle walls and noticing him standing beside Her Highness in the banquet hall before he suddenly disappeared.

“By the way, old woman, how’s that coming along?” Suun overheard Arina whispering to Isabelle.

“Don’t worry. No matter how sharp Sir Arad’s eyes may be, he won’t notice a thing. You saw for yourself earlier, didn’t you?”

“It certainly seemed convincing,” Arina replied with a chuckle.

“When it comes to transformation and illusion magic, I am second to none. Hohohohoho!” Isabelle laughed softly, her voice filled with mischievous confidence.

Suun, now even more intrigued by this elusive genius named Arad Jin, felt an irresistible urge to meet him in person.

***

I gazed at the temporary barracks in the distance and muttered to myself.

"There she is."

In my sight was a girl with rare white hair, something uncommon even in this world.

The first time I saw Mary wasn't here but in the banquet hall within the castle.

While standing at the edge of the hall, where Arina and the commander of the expeditionary forces were deep in conversation, I had caught a glimpse of Mary from behind.

Using the excuse of overseeing banquet preparations, I had hurried outside after her.

"Why is she there?"

I followed Mary almost instinctively, puzzled by where she had stopped.

The place she now stood was the temporary barracks serving as a treatment area for the wounded.

The severely injured soldiers from the expeditionary forces were being treated there, and I had given instructions to send banquet food to that location as well.

Why was Mary standing at the entrance to such a place?

"Still, she doesn’t look like someone here for work, does she?"

Eote, a senior knight with better eyesight than me, commented while observing Mary from a distance.

"You're right. She looks like she's out for a leisurely stroll. Does she know someone there?"

"The witches are helping with treatments there."

Indeed, Mary’s outfit seemed quite different from her usual attire.

She was wearing a practical tunic—something a modest lady might don for an outing.

"Ah? Looks like Mary noticed us too."

As I watched, Mary, who had been idly standing at the entrance, suddenly turned and met my gaze.

I waved at her, and she responded with a slight nod before disappearing into the barracks.

"Let’s head over."

"Understood."

Almost as if enchanted, Eote and I naturally made our way toward the barracks.

Upon entering, we were greeted by the witches’ scolding, the groans of the injured soldiers, and the clatter of those eating in the back.

"Sir Loji?"

"Master? And Sir Eote?"

To my surprise, the person who greeted us inside was neither Mary nor a healer, but Loji.

"What are you doing here? I thought today was your day off?" Eote asked on my behalf.

"I felt too stiff staying home."

"Then why not enjoy the festival?"

Just as the banquet was being held within the castle, a grand festival was taking place throughout High Castle.

"It doesn’t sit right with me to celebrate while these injured soldiers are left here," Loji replied, gesturing at the soldiers being treated.

"Ah! It’s Sir Arad!"

"Lord Arad!"

The witches, engrossed in their healing work, soon noticed me and greeted me warmly.

Even as they acknowledged my presence, their hands never stopped cleaning wounds, applying medicine, and casting simple healing spells.

"Allow me to introduce someone, Master. This is my younger brother, Theo."

After waving briefly at the witches, I turned my attention back to Loji and the young knight he introduced.

"Brother, is this the man? The one who made Arad Salt?"

"That’s right. He also personally developed the dishes served at today’s banquet."

Notably, Loji refrained from mentioning that I was also behind Mary’s Blessing. That fertilizer deserved to be remembered as the result of the heartfelt prayers of the Northern people.

"It’s an honor to meet you! I am Theo Shapiro, a regular knight of the Frostshield Legion."

"A pleasure to meet you. I’m Arad Jin," I replied, extending my hand for a handshake before abruptly pausing.

Theo’s right arm was missing.

"Ah… hmm. Nice to meet you," I quickly corrected myself, pulling back awkwardly.

"Haha! Please, don’t worry about it," Theo said cheerfully, easing my discomfort.

‘He’s surprisingly spirited and considerate. He’s a knight, so he must be literate, capable of planning strategies, and adept at calculations,’ I thought as my mental sensors for spotting talent kicked into gear.

"But why are you here, Master?" Loji finally asked, realizing I had yet to explain my presence.

"There’s no need to address me as ‘Master’ on a day off. As a senior knight, you can speak more casually with me, can’t you?"

"This is more comfortable for me. Maintaining formalities during downtime ensures no slip-ups in crucial moments," Loji replied firmly.

"Do as you please. You, Eote, and Sir Carrot—who isn’t here—are a lost cause in that regard anyway," I said with a wry smile before glancing around.

"By the way, where’s Mary?"

"Mary? Why are you looking for her here?"

"What do you mean? I saw her come in earlier. Eote and I followed her here for that reason."

"Excuse me? I’ve been here all this time, but I haven’t seen Mary at all," Loji replied, confusion written on his face.

"What?"

"Huh?"

Eote and I exchanged bewildered glances. Had we both imagined it?

I glanced at the witches, but they were so focused on their patients that they likely wouldn’t have noticed even if Mary had entered.

"Um… Master? Would you like me to introduce you to some of the other soldiers here?"

Loji, perhaps sensing our confusion, naturally guided me to where soldiers were eating.

There, disabled soldiers were seated, enjoying their meals.

Their bandages and clothing were clean, likely thanks to the efforts of the witches and healers.

"Everyone, stop eating for a moment and look over here! This is Count Arad Jin, the man who developed the food you’re eating!"

This time, it was Theo who introduced me to the soldiers. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that there were a few knights among them as well.

Most were severely injured veterans, missing arms or legs.

"Count, thank you! Thanks to you, we’re eating such delicious food. Haha!"

"My apologies for not standing to greet you. My legs are…"

"Don’t worry about it. Please, enjoy your meal," I replied warmly, observing their expressions.

‘Most of their eyes lack vitality.’

Their faces wore forced smiles, as though they were putting on a brave front.

It was as if they were savoring a final meal, their spirits flickering like fragile candle flames in a strong wind.

Living with such severe injuries in the harsh North was practically a death sentence.

‘Did she deliberately lead me here? Even using magic?’

As I speculated about the situation, Loji called out to me hesitantly.

"Master…?"

"You’re wondering if there’s a way to help them, aren’t you?"

"How did you know?"

"Call it intuition."

"Is there anything you can do? Please, I beg of you!" Loji pleaded, bowing deeply.

"Hmm…"

I fell into thought.

For a moment, I set aside the perspective of a corporate CEO advocating CSR. Instead, I examined the situation purely through the eyes of a craftsman.

‘This is a fantasy world, so simply giving them prosthetics like those on Earth would be underwhelming. Automail is the answer, but…’

In a world with magic, some fields allowed for production far beyond Earth’s scientific capabilities.

Items like the Golden Carriage and spatial bags were prime examples. Automail—prosthetics that could move with the user’s will—could be another.

‘But the current smelting technology and infrastructure here can’t produce alloys suitable for automail.’

The problem lay in creating an alloy that would function well in automail. The current resources in the North fell short.

‘Think… there has to be a way…’

For automail to respond to the user’s will or transmit magical signals to the brain, a special magical alloy was required.

‘Coating current metals with mana circuits would make it functional but too heavy and prone to breaking.’

Moreover, since automail would be worn constantly, it needed to be lightweight and durable, even underwater.

‘And the materials… there’s no way to obtain mithril, orichalcum, or ether here.’

Crafting the magical alloy alone would require a significant budget and time.

‘On top of that, we don’t even have rubber. Without direct trade routes to the southern continent, sourcing rubber is impossible.’

The more I thought about it, the more impossible the idea seemed.

‘Is there no choice…?’

I briefly considered making simple prosthetics based on Earth’s designs, but then—

‘Wait! Who said automail has to be made of metal and rubber?’

A spark of inspiration struck like lightning.

"Does the expeditionary force have any monster remains among their spoils? Particularly humanoid ones, like orc corpses?" I asked Loji, an idea beginning to take form.