Raising the Northern Grand Duchy as a Max-Level All-Master

Yulkanes seemed to be afflicted with a debuff called inner turmoil. The weight of countless political issues was visibly wearing him down, making his current state rather striking.

Taking advantage of his vulnerability, I subtly floated a suggestion:

“Why not consider seeking asylum in Renslet?”

It was a bold proposition—leaving the Empire behind and defecting to the North.

“That won’t do,” Yulkanes replied firmly, rejecting the idea without hesitation.

“I’ve been rooted in the Empire for far too long—my family, my disciples, my entire legacy is there. If I fled to the North, the fallout would be immense.”

“I see.”

“Hmph! So don’t go making reckless suggestions like that again.”

Though Yulkanes held no loyalty toward the Emperor or the Empire, the sheer weight of his personal ties made the suggestion too risky for him. He swiftly moved on to another topic, brushing off my proposal.

“Oh, by the way, while we’re on the topic,” Yulkanes began suddenly.

“Yes?”

“Why haven’t you gotten married yet?”

“...”

“Do you know what kind of rumors are circulating in the Empire’s social circles these days?”

So much for moving past sensitive topics. Yulkanes had gone straight for that issue.

Even this old man had to bring it up?

“Yes, I’m aware. Something about me having a falling-out with the Duchess and planning to defect to the Empire. Utter nonsense,” I replied with a sigh.

“Oh, so it’s nonsense?”

“Yes, complete nonsense.”

“But you must admit, these rumors persist partly because of you.”

“And why is that? Because I’m a highly capable individual accumulating achievements instead of settling down?”

“Listening to you say that about yourself is insufferable.”

“It’s true, though.”

“Anyway, if you were to defect, you’d have an entire harem of Imperial women waiting for you. If you don’t want to see those noblewomen shipped off to convents, you’d better make your intentions clear soon.” 𝐫𝓪ℕồ₿ËṠ

“That won’t be necessary,” I said with a smirk.

In that moment, my priorities for the day became crystal clear.

The dilemma I’d been mulling over since waking up—whether to visit Arina first or head to the factory—was instantly resolved.

And when I met Arina, I knew exactly what I needed to address.

“You’re awfully confident,” Yulkanes remarked, raising an eyebrow. “The ancient soul of the Golden Age must be guiding you. I suppose I’ll leave it at that.”

He spoke as though dropping the matter, but his gaze lingered, fixed on something behind me.

“By the way… there’s something that’s been bothering me.”

His eyes were locked on a shelf behind me, where a glass bottle containing a blue liquid sat.

‘Huh. Must be a mage’s instinct to get curious about mana potions.’

Then it hit me.

‘Wait, does the Empire not know about mana potions yet?’

Mana potions were still incredibly rare and expensive, so they hadn’t seen widespread use since the dark magic epidemic years ago. Even witches treated mana potions like lifelines, opting instead to rely on smoking mana-infused herbs during everyday tasks.

‘Yulkanes may have advanced familiars to observe the North, but he can’t monitor us around the clock.’

I grabbed the mana potion from the shelf and held it up, shaking it slightly.

“Are you talking about this?”

“Yes, that! You spent nearly a year in seclusion researching that white serpent’s corpse. Is this the result of that?”

Yulkanes’ head and eyes moved like a cat’s, entranced by a dangling toy.

“Did you really spend a year studying a legendary monster to recreate Golden Age alchemy?”

“...”

That wasn’t even remotely true, but it seemed better to let him believe it. I nodded.

“Would you like to take a bottle with you?”

Eager to get this nosy old man back to the Imperial Tower, I decided to just give him the mana potion.

“You’re offering it so freely? What’s your angle?”

Suspicious as ever, Yulkanes immediately questioned my intentions.

“I’m not giving you the serpent’s corpse, so take this instead. Call it a consolation prize.”

“That’s your angle? No, no, there’s more to it. Tell me the truth—I hate loose ends.”

His paranoia was exhausting.

“Fine. I’ll be filing a patent in the Empire soon. When I do, I’d like your cooperation.”

“...A patent?”

“Yes. Copyrights and patents.”

I gave him a brief explanation of intellectual property rights and how patents worked.

“Ah! So that’s what this is about—a bribe. A rather reasonable one, at that,” he said with a satisfied smile.

“Then I’ll gladly accept it. But what exactly is this liquid? I can sense dense mana from it.”

“It’s a mana potion. Perfect for when your mana is depleted.”

“!!”

Yulkanes’ expression shifted between shock and awe. Mana potions were, after all, legendary relics of the Golden Age.

“H-How…?”

“The manufacturing process is a secret. You’ll have to study it yourself when you get back.”

“...”

Yulkanes held the mana potion like a priceless treasure, his curiosity and ambition plainly written across his face.

Seeing Yulkanes so fascinated by the mana potion filled me with satisfaction.

The surge of dopamine I felt rivaled the high I’d experienced during Entir’s over-the-top reactions.

No wonder reaction videos were so popular.

‘Looks like mana potions could sell for a fortune. Oh, and those mana-infused herbs too.’

Naturally, my thoughts turned to how I could market these items at premium prices. Once the magic engine factory was fully operational, it would be possible to mass-produce mana potions in limited quantities.

‘It’s about time to finalize the industrial tech tree.’

For Renslet, a small population meant focusing on high-value industries like magic-based products and precision engineering. Anything labor-intensive would be outsourced to Bishop.

“This was a most enlightening visit. I’ll take my leave now. Until next time!”

With his new toy—the mana potion—in hand, Yulkanes wasted no time activating his teleportation spell and disappearing.

For a brief moment before his departure, his face was free of the burdens of magic engines, southern expansion, and academies.

“He’s gone.”

Once Yulkanes had vanished, I let out a relieved sigh.

“This world really has no concept of privacy. Tsk.”

I reactivated the Arad Radar and scanned the area a few more times for familiars, just to be safe.

“Alright, my turn.”

After tidying up the lab, I began preparing for my own outing.

Destination: the magic engine factory.

Mission: to quickly craft something for Arina.

The magic engine factory was located within the Arad industrial complex.

Considering its significance, the location might seem irresponsibly accessible to outsiders. But sometimes, placing something in plain sight was safer than hiding it in secrecy.

Of course, I had implemented some security measures just in case.

From the outside, the factory appeared like any other, with its towering smokestacks and unassuming facade.

“Since today’s a special day, perhaps we should deactivate the camouflage barrier,” I suggested.

“Are you sure that’s wise?”

Isabelle, who had been waiting at the factory (or perhaps living there for days), hesitated at my request.

“Yes, it’s fine. No familiars or other threats will show up for a while.”

Having just dealt with Yulkanes, I felt confident in my assessment.

“Hmm...”

Despite my assurance, Isabelle took out the Arad Radar and scanned the area three more times, her caution evident.

It wasn’t that she distrusted me; she simply wanted to be thorough. I respected that kind of careful behavior in a mage.

“Understood,” she finally said, nodding before deactivating the camouflage barrier.

As the illusionary barrier slowly dissipated, I glanced at Isabelle with a teasing grin.@@novelbin@@

“By the way, your illusion magic is quite impressive. Between this and the magical cards from last time, I’d almost think you’ve specialized in it.”

“Oh-ho-ho...”

Isabelle responded with an awkward laugh.

Her mastery of illusion magic was indeed exceptional—likely thanks to her experience maintaining the illusions for both Arina and Mary.

I’d wager even an 8th-circle mage like Yulkanes would have trouble detecting it, especially if relying on familiars.

“Speaking of which, Sir Arad… what exactly did you and Lady Mary do at your house last night?”

Isabelle skillfully deflected my teasing, throwing a loaded question my way instead.

“A lot of things,” I replied vaguely.

“A l-lot of things?!”

My ambiguous answer left Isabelle visibly flustered.

“If you spent the night doing so much together… then why isn’t Lady Mary with you now?”

“She left for the palace at dawn.”

“The palace?”

“Hmm? Didn’t you see her?”

“I’ve been pulling an all-nighter here for two days straight! Do you think I’d have the time to see anyone?”

“Ah, right. I forgot.”

Isabelle looked both exasperated and amused as she shook her head, while I shifted my attention to the magic engine factory’s interior, where the final preparations for its trial run were underway.

I nodded with a faint smile.

“By the way, Sir Arad, aren’t you going to the Palace of Glory today?” Isabelle asked, her tone probing.

“The Palace of Glory?”

“Yes. As important as the magic engine factory’s trial run is… shouldn’t you pay a visit to Lady Mary? You did mention that a lot happened last night.”

She gave me a disapproving look, clearly hinting at her dissatisfaction with my decision to not immediately head to the palace after my night with Arina.

“But I still don’t know exactly where Lady Mary is in the palace, now do I?” I replied, feigning ignorance.

“You could always ask Balzac or Sun. Or better yet, you could inquire directly with Her Highness, the Grand Duchess.”

“Ah, true,” I said, nodding in agreement.

How much does Isabelle really know?

‘Her act isn’t exactly convincing.’

She likely knows, thanks to a report from the Frost Knights, that Mary and I have taken a significant step forward in our relationship.

‘But she probably doesn’t realize that I’ve figured out Mary’s true identity.’

Arina had likely been too flustered to disclose that detail, and Isabelle had been too preoccupied guarding the magic engine factory to confirm anything herself.

‘I’d love to see the look on the great witch’s face when she finds out.’

With a mischievous thought in mind, I slipped on the telepathic ring as I waited for the camouflage barrier to finish deactivating.

- I will visit Her Highness this evening, not to worry.

“!!”

I transmitted the message telepathically to Isabelle, whose startled reaction was priceless.

- Of course, I’d love to see her immediately.

I continued, watching her face change in real-time.

- But after spending such a meaningful night together, I can’t just show up empty-handed, can I?

Her expression grew increasingly colorful, cycling between shock, disbelief, and even mild embarrassment.

- With her birthday approaching, I thought I’d make a gift worthy of her.

Isabelle finally broke her silence, switching back to spoken words.

“...Does Her Highness know about this?”

The loaded question wasn’t lost on me. Knowing exactly what she meant, I nodded.

“Yes. She found out last night.”

“Did she… react strongly? Was she deeply embarrassed or anything of the sort?”

“She seemed a bit overwhelmed at first, but we moved past it without much trouble.”

“When… when did you figure it out, Sir Arad?”

“The moment you suspect—yes, that’s when.”

“Ah… ahhh…!”

Isabelle let out a small, startled sound, as though she’d finally pieced everything together.

“That necklace… Her Highness’ necklace… I thought there was something odd about it!”

“Yes, exactly,” I confirmed, nodding as Isabelle gave a resigned laugh.

“Well, I suppose this explains everything. Truly, you’ve done an incredible job. Combining illusion and mental magic so seamlessly… If that necklace hadn’t been damaged during the battle, I might’ve never uncovered the truth.”

For the record, a soundproof barrier surrounded us as we spoke, keeping any eavesdropping employees from overhearing.

The staff watching from a distance, however, were clearly confused by Isabelle’s increasingly shocked reactions.

“It’s absurd, really,” Isabelle muttered to herself. “When I think about it, you were treating her injuries back then. Naturally, you would’ve taken her pulse, with or without that necklace. How could I have believed you wouldn’t notice?”

She shook her head, disbelief still lingering.

Finally, she gave me a curious look.

“But why go to the trouble of modifying the necklace so extensively that even I ended up confusing her identity with Lady Mary’s?”

“I figured there must’ve been a serious reason for hiding her identity so thoroughly. So I decided to play along—for now.”

With that, the long-standing misunderstandings and misconceptions unraveled.

But there was one more question I wanted to ask Isabelle, a question that had been nagging at me.

“Speaking of which, I’m curious about something…”

I was about to ask why they’d gone to such great lengths with this undercover charade. Why such care and secrecy had been poured into it.

Whoosh!

Before I could finish, the camouflage barrier surrounding the magic engine factory fully dissipated, revealing the structure in its entirety.

The moment for answers would have to wait.