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

148. Over the Empire, Flies Renslet (2)

Magic is truly fascinating. It allows for things like subspace, anti-gravity, and prosthetic limbs that are practically impossible by Earth’s standards to be created with surprising ease.

On the other hand, things like missiles, plastic, the internet, or video content—considered everyday advancements on modern Earth—were still nearly unattainable, even in a world where arcane punk had reached its peak a hundred years later.

Hooooooonk!

The sound of a ship’s horn echoed above me.

Massive vessels, reminiscent of those from sci-fi movies to an Earthling, floated effortlessly through the skies.

It was the debut of the Renslet Duchy’s first navy and air force, embarking on their maiden mission. Secretly.

Although this was their first mission, the fleet had undergone rigorous training and countless trials to prepare.

Their destination was the southern seas of the Arcadian continent.

"They won’t. I ordered them to take a long detour," I reassured myself.

The seven airships of the Dawn Fleet, or the Dawn Armada, would fly to the southern sea of the continent before landing on the water and posing as seafaring ships as they sailed past Bardenheim’s shores.

There was no need to reveal the existence of airships just yet. It was better to claim we had discovered a way to navigate the icy seas instead.

"What if they encounter sea monsters, like a kraken or a sea serpent?"

"The ocean is vast. Running into sea monsters—or even pirates—is rare," I replied confidently.

"Still… we should’ve constructed at least two of them with iron plating," came the concerned response.

"If we’d done that, they’d still be under construction," I countered.

The entire airship could theoretically be constructed from magical alloys.

But there simply wasn’t enough time.

For the early models, we opted for wood to simplify the process.

Mithril, adamantium, orichalcum, and synthetic aether were only used sparingly, in areas where they were absolutely essential.

"And rather than sea monsters, flying monsters like wyverns will pose a bigger threat. Most of the journey will be spent in the sky."

Fortunately, flying monsters were well within the capabilities of the ship’s onboard offensive magic systems.

"Don’t worry too much. This fleet has been meticulously prepared to address all these concerns."

For now, we decided to construct about ten wooden airships and transition to iron-plated models afterward.

The existing ships would be gradually upgraded with magical alloys for their decks as they operated.

As long as the magic engine remained intact, the ships could be continuously enhanced and expanded, like the Ship of Theseus.

"What if they get lost? The skies and the seas are vast, and this is our first attempt at such navigation," the voice pressed.

"To prepare for that, I distributed chronometers and compasses for navigation. What about the upgraded Arad Radar and magic communication devices?"

"True… but the southern sea has pirates and imperial naval forces…"

"I guarantee that no existing naval power can rival this fleet," I said firmly.

Despite my reassurances, Arina, disguised as Mary, still seemed uneasy as we stood in the shipyard.

I understood. For Renslet people—northerners—the sea was a world of the unknown, filled with fear and uncertainty. The skies, even more so.

"By the way, Arina, why don’t you drop the formalities when it’s just the two of us?"

I changed the subject to ease her anxiety, redirecting the conversation to something more personal while the fleet, now a dot in the distant sky, moved out of sight. ȒἈŊO͍𝐁Ëṣ

"I can’t do that, President Jin."

"Why not?"

"Because staying in character like this ensures I don’t slip up when it counts."

"That’s… fair. But seriously, why are you even staying as Mary?"

For reference, Mary’s true identity hadn’t been revealed to the public.

That was Arina’s decision.

"Do you know how much attention I get across the entire duchy?"

The issue was how Arina, disguised as Mary, treated me.

She acted like a typical romantic partner.

This was already a rumor before we married, but now, given that I had married Arina, it was far more complicated.

As the ruler of Renslet and someone newly married to Arina, the idea of me openly meeting a mistress naturally sparked gossip.

Even if said “mistress” had been my semi-official lover long before the wedding, conservative Renslet society wasn’t exactly progressive in their views on noble "culture." Calling me insane would have been the mildest of criticisms.

"Uh… yeah, I’m well aware," I replied with a groan.

"?!"

Arina, still in her Mary guise, gave me a playful smile.

She briefly dropped her Mary mode and reverted to her Arina mode.

Her appearance remained that of Mary, but her expressions and tone clearly marked her as my official wife, recognized across the land.

"But it can’t be helped, Arad. Even I need some breathing room. There’s no better identity than Mary for freely observing the lives of our people."

Lately, Arina spent her mornings and afternoons as Mary, sticking by my side, and her evenings and nights as Arina.

To outsiders unaware of Mary’s true identity, it made me look like I deserved to be stoned to death.

"…At this rate, I’ll end up as one of two things: dead from a knife to the chest or living a long life," I muttered.

"I get the first part, but what do you mean by the second?" she asked, amused.

"There’s a saying that people who get cursed a lot live longer."

"The Golden Age must’ve had all sorts of interesting proverbs."

"…."

The one saving grace was that those in the High Tower who knew Mary’s real identity—like Isabelle, Balzac, and Sun—didn’t make a fuss.@@novelbin@@

Because of that, the rest of Renslet society didn’t dare voice their opinions.

‘It makes sense. Only someone like Mary could keep Arad in check.’

‘If the higher-ups are staying silent, what’s the point of us speaking up?’

They simply clicked their tongues while glancing at me and Mary from a distance.

The goodwill I had earned as a sorcerer of the north felt like it had been completely reset.

"Arina, just be honest. You’re enjoying seeing me in this awkward position, aren’t you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Extremely."

She didn’t pretend otherwise.

If anything, she probably understood the situation better than anyone else. Disguised as Mary, she must’ve overheard all the rumors.

But instead of being concerned, she seemed to relish it.

"What exactly did I do to deserve this?" I asked with a sigh.

"For playing with my feelings all this time? For knowing Mary’s real identity and still pretending you didn’t?"

"…So it really is my fault."

I had no counterargument as she laid it all out.

"Don’t let it bother you too much, Arad," she said lightly.

"Easy for you to say."

"Easy? How is this someone else’s business? It’s about my husband and my other identity, Mary."

"…Sigh."

When Arina and I became husband and wife, her demeanor toward me changed.

At least in private, she interacted with me casually, like a close friend. Sometimes, she would even snuggle into my arms like a child and whine playfully.

From what I’d heard, the late Grand Duke of Renslet and his duchess had acted similarly in private.

And honestly, I didn’t mind it.

After seeing Mary and Arina’s stiff, formal sides for so long, this new, relaxed version of her felt refreshing and pleasant.

"By the way, is it okay for you to leave the High Tower unattended for this long?"

In the end, I gave up and decided to change the subject.

"It’s fine. As always, Isabelle and Haita will manage things well."

"I’ve always been curious—does the grand duke really not have that much work to handle personally?"

"…Probably? It feels like there’s even less since magic communication came into play."

"Wow…"

I couldn’t help but marvel at how casually Arina boasted about her hands-off approach to governing.

‘To wield absolute power and still be able to auto-manage the state affairs!’

This was truly incredible. A system where political and religious authority were unified, with royal power practically treated as divine.

Almost all state affairs were handled by her ministers.

Arina just had to stamp approval here and there occasionally.

Even that could be done remotely through magic communication, with Isabelle or Haita wielding the royal seal on her behalf.

It was the culmination of northern loyalty, faith, fanaticism, and practicality.

‘This is just like the Wanli Emperor of another world!’

A similar system existed in Earth’s history, during China’s Ming dynasty.

‘And here I am, stuck with Teo and Entir, barely managing semi-automation!’

I suddenly felt envious of Arina.

‘Wait… now that I think about it, isn’t my work technically part of Arina’s auto-management system?’

This thought sent a chill down my spine.

"Oh, then!"

At the same time, an amusing idea crossed my mind.

"Arina!"

"Q-quiet down, Arad! What if someone hears you?!"

"It’s fine. I’ve turned on the soundproofing spell."

"What if someone figures it out by lipreading?! This is why I can’t drop my act!"

Ignoring Arina’s wary glance around the room, I firmly placed my hands on her shoulders.

"When this first voyage is completed safely, how about we take a trip together?"

"?!"

The word trip left her lips tightly sealed, her usual complaints momentarily forgotten.

"A trip…? Where to?"

"How about Bardenheim?"

"!!"

Because of the empire, our wedding had been rushed and modest for a grand duke.

I regretted not being able to enjoy it properly. A proper honeymoon seemed like the perfect chance to make up for it.

And honeymoons should be abroad, as a rule.

***

Recently, despite Entir Bishop’s strengthening of the Noble Assembly, the royal authority of the imperial family still loomed large.

Even while resenting the emperor, the nobles of the assembly dared not openly defy imperial decrees. The Church, too, continued to respect the authority and legitimacy of the royal family.

This was largely thanks to the achievements of the previous emperor, Canbraman’s father, Soled.

The former emperor had laid the groundwork for dismantling feudalism by freeing the serfs and expanding royal territories.

As a result, the imperial throne, once little more than that of an elector-prince, had moved a step closer to centralized rule.

This legacy emboldened Canbraman to push ahead with severing ties with the north.

Under the imperial decree, nobles and merchants alike were compelled to comply, at least on the surface.

Smuggling and other subversive activities were unthinkable.

If the north had Haven, the empire had Fort Ruhan—a fortress city serving as the sole gateway and border to the north.

Beyond that were the Manus Mountains and the Demonic Realm, cutting off all other access points.

Thus, the nobles and merchants had only two options: obey the decree or defy it and be branded traitors.

"For now, let’s comply with the decree."

"As infuriating and stifling as it is, we have no choice. To defy the emperor now would mean being crushed by the imperial standing army he’s meticulously built."

"The public sentiment is still with the imperial family, as well."

"Not to mention Sigma’s surveillance has tightened recently. For now, we must lay low and bide our time."

The nobles of the assembly, anticipating heavy losses, reluctantly decided to follow the decree for the time being, cowed by the emperor’s authority.

"Our Bishop faction will also weather the storm for now."

This included even Entir Bishop.

"But what if the emperor ends up conquering the north? Entir, do you have any solid plans for this?"

Sephiros, the head of the Noble Assembly, voiced his concerns, directing his gaze toward Entir.

"You don’t need to worry about that. It seems they already have some kind of plan," Entir replied, surprisingly calm.

"They?"

"Arad and the High Tower."

"What kind of plan?"

"I’m not certain of the details. But the last time I saw High Tower, they were eerily composed. The entire north seemed to be preparing for winter without panic."

"You mean… if the emperor fails?"

"In that case, we won’t have to worry about imperial decrees infringing on our interests ever again."

The nobles’ eyes gleamed at Entir’s response.

Their determined gazes reflected their resolve to endure the current risks and hardships.

After all, gambling wasn’t exclusive to the emperor.

Entir and the Noble Assembly were placing their own bets as well.