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

While Entir was carrying out Arad’s directives in the Empire to the point of sweating his backside off, an all-out assassination war had erupted in Bardenheim over the past month.

During that time, I had been staying at the Renslet embassy in Bardenheim.

[Really~? Even under these circumstances, you’re going to stay there?]

“Yes, I believe that’s the best way to prevent things from spiraling into utter catastrophe.”

[Is it that serious?]

“I honestly find it fascinating how these people managed to form an alliance in the first place.”

The kingdoms of the Union did not get along well at all.

Even within their own nations, endless bloodshed ensued over royal succession or noble inheritance disputes.

And yet, these very people had once united against a common enemy—both in this timeline and in the original history.

History on Earth had similar instances. The Napoleonic Wars, for example.

[What does Your Excellency staying there have to do with the assassination war’s developments?]

“A very important guest has arrived from outside. No one can afford to ignore that. Even as they fight, they’ll be forced to maintain a certain level of restraint.”

[Hmm~, is the young lady doing well?]

“She is. Hasn’t Arina mentioned anything to you?”

[Ahem! Of course, we’re in contact. I just wanted to confirm from a third party.]

Since I had remained in Bardenheim for the greater cause, Arina naturally stayed here as well. Of course, in the form of Mary.

She could have returned to the High Tower alone, but she didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so. As if staying by my side was the most important and natural thing in the world.

“At any rate, I leave the High Tower in your capable hands.”

[Hearing that from Your Excellency instead of the young lady herself feels rather odd.]

“Hahaha… Don’t overwork yourself too much.”

[Thanks to someone, I’ve been buried in work. Traditionally, these matters should have been handled by the mistress of the High Tower.]

“……”

It’s not that I was too afraid to return because I could see Isabelle’s dark circles getting worse every time we spoke.

…Probably.

[So, what do you plan to do until the assassination war ends?]

“I’ll be focusing on some research and development.”

[You’re not making our young lady spend lonely nights alone, are you?]

“Ah! You don’t have to worry about that.”

[Oh? Ahaha! Now that I take a closer look, you do seem a bit thinner. I see you’re doing your best, which is reassuring.]

“...That’s just from working hard on research.”

[Sure~, if you say so. Must be quite the strenuous research, hmm? Hohohohoho~!]

“……”

I should just stop talking.

Come to think of it, it must be noticeable. Looks like I need to start eating more nourishing foods—especially ones that are good for men.

[Anyhow, I understand. Don’t worry about things here, and stay there as long as you need to be satisfied.]

“……?”

[What? Surprised I let this go so easily?]

“To be honest, yes. I half expected you to send the Frost Knights to drag me back by force.”

[Frost Knights, huh… Now that you mention it…]

“What?”

[No, never mind. Anyway, I’ll hang up now. Be sure to create some more fascinating and useful things. And be extra careful with security.]

Thus, I spent nearly a month completely absorbed in research and development at the embassy.

From morning until noon, I held meetings with city power players who occasionally visited the embassy. From noon to evening, I devoted myself to research and development.

At night, I made love with Arina and then collapsed, utterly spent, falling asleep immediately.

With a schedule like this, the past month felt incredibly productive and hectic. Time flew by at an astonishing pace.

“It’s done!”

And so, about a month later—

Just as my auto-hunting bot, Entir, was making waves in the Empire, and as a result, the Union and Bardenheim, which had been at each other’s throats, returned to their previous state of unity—

“It’s a shame I couldn’t finish the hair-growth formula. I guess I’ll have to go to the Southern Continent for that.”

I had successfully completed three inventions—except for the hair-growth formula.

“For now, I’ll be content with these three.”

One was a pure white powder that looked like sugar, another was a wristwatch, and the last resembled a jukebox.

Each of them was a product of alchemy, magitech, and mechanical engineering at their finest.

“I should hurry and send these schematics and mass-production plans to the High Tower.”

There was no way that a max-level All-Master, jack-of-all-trades like me had spent an entire month just to create these three things.

It had only taken me a week to make them.

The rest of the time was spent figuring out alternative materials, production processes, necessary facilities, and other logistics.

Mass production was always harder than invention.

It was like the difference between a concept car and a commercially produced vehicle.

Labor costs, raw materials, facilities, and the skill level of the workers all had to be taken into account.

Even my failed research on the hair-growth formula was part of that process.

“Sir Gard.”

“Yes, Chairman Jin.”

I gathered the blueprints and process plans before calling for Sir Gard.

“By any chance, are the Frost Knights at the embassy as well?”

“Uh… Yes, they are.”

Gard looked slightly flustered when I suddenly asked about the Frost Knights.

“Well, I figured as much. It’d be stranger if they weren’t.”

“Haha…”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to complain about it. In fact, I have a favor to ask.”

I had no reason to be reluctant about the Frost Knights.

They were quite useful for running errands.

Even my personal guards—Carrot, Eote, and Rosie—though now part of the group’s security division, were originally from the Frost Knights.

“I need these sent to the headquarters’ mass production research lab.”

Normally, the group’s security office would handle this, but Arad Group’s security and intelligence divisions still lacked the reach to exert influence overseas.

Managing the research centers, factories, and key personnel in Renslet alone was already overwhelming.

So for matters like this, outsourcing to the Frost Knights was the best option. It felt strange to have a corporation outsourcing to a government entity, but regardless.

“I’ll call the branch director right away.”

Through the Frost Knights, I sent the documents and a few prototypes to the High Tower.

Now, all that was left was to wait. The High Tower’s other automatic hunting bots, Director Teo and Isabelle, would take care of setting up the factories and handling production.

If anyone knew how much profit these inventions could generate, it would be them.

Especially in places like Bardenheim and the Empire, where the luxury goods market was enormous.

‘Come to think of it, is Arina doing okay? She must have been bored for the past month, yet she’s unusually quiet.’

Now that I had completed my most intensive work, I finally had the mental space to notice my surroundings.

And the first thing that came to mind was Arina.

‘I feel kind of bad. Even if she didn’t show it, she must have felt left out.’

Our daily routine had been simple.

From morning to afternoon, we were both busy and barely saw each other. Only in the evening did we sit down for dinner and spend time together.

It lacked romance. This couldn’t be called a honeymoon.

‘…Or maybe not? Could she actually be happier not having to go back to the High Tower?’

At first, I felt guilty, but the more I thought about it, the more uncertain I became.

After all, the original automatic hunting bots were Arina and the previous Renslet rulers, weren’t they?

Maybe she was even more satisfied with our current lifestyle than I was.

“Where is Arina, Sir Gard?”

I asked Gard in a quiet voice, wanting to see her.

“Her Highness left the embassy this morning.”

Gard also replied in a low tone. Very few people in the embassy knew that Mary was actually Arina.

“What has she been up to lately?”

“She primarily visits Renslet Town.”

“Is that so?”

I wasn’t entirely unaware of her activities.

But I didn’t know the details.

I only knew that she spent time training or observing the lives of the Renslet people in Bardenheim’s Renslet Town.

“Would you like to go see her?”

Gard asked in response to my inquiry about Arina’s whereabouts.

His eyes held a subtle tension.

‘Well, Arina is disguised as Mary, so it’s fine for her, but I’m not. If I suddenly show up, it’ll cause unnecessary trouble.’

Guessing the reason behind Gard’s tense expression, I shook my head.

“No, it’s fine. We always have dinner together anyway. I’ll see her then.”

So, I simply lounged around and waited for Arina until sunset.

That evening—

“Arin… No, Mary. How have you been lately?”

“I’ve been doing well.”

As I shared a meal with Arina, who was in Mary’s form, I asked about her recent days.

“Have you been feeling cooped up or anything?”

“Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“I feel like I’ve been neglecting you because of my research.”

“Not at all. I’ve been busy with training and visiting Renslet Town, so I barely noticed the time passing.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“So you don’t have to feel too bad about it.”

“That being said, now that things in the city have stabilized, how about we go out and explore a bit starting tomorrow?”

“Huh? Oh… Yes! That sounds good. What time…?”

“How about after your training ends around lunchtime?”

“Yes, understood.”

When Arina was in Mary’s disguise, she fully immersed herself in the role.

She was definitely enjoying it.

If it were uncomfortable for her in the slightest, she would have dropped the act long ago.

“Where should we start? I heard Royal Point, the plaza near City Hall, has a lot of sights to see.”

“Oh! The sculptures at the art center there are beautiful. Recently, a few pieces from Renslet were added…”

“Huh? You’ve already seen them?”

“Uh… Oh? I mean, I heard about them. From the Renslet people in Renslet Town.”

“…Is that so?”

As I focused on Arina for the first time in a while, I started picking up on some oddities.

‘Well, Balzac is with her, so she can get around easily enough.’

At first, I felt a little disappointed that she had gone out without telling me. But after thinking it through, I realized I had no right to feel that way.

After all, I had been too absorbed in my research to pay attention to anything else.

‘If I just do better from now on, it’ll be fine. From now on.’

I resolved to make up for it with a proper city tour.

With that decision in mind, I finished my meal.

That Night

As usual, I fell asleep after making love to Arina. But at some point, I suddenly woke up.

Now that I was free from the mental strain of my research, I seemed to be less exhausted than before.

‘Huh?’

I was about to go back to sleep when something felt off.

‘Arina?’

She was supposed to be lying beside me—but she wasn’t.

Rustle, rustle.

At the same time, I heard the sound of clothes being changed.

I cracked my eyes open just a little and saw Arina, already up, slipping into an outfit.

The clothes she wore at night were not her usual knight’s uniform, which fit her like a second skin.

Instead, she was dressed in dark brown leather pants and a black Rian top—something comfortable for movement.

Flash.

Once she had finished changing, she transformed—just as she always did after our intimate moments.

‘Huh?’

But something was strange. The form she took wasn’t Mary’s.

‘What the hell? When did she modify her disguise?’

Instead of Mary’s usual white hair and deep gray eyes, Arina now had jet-black hair and crimson eyes.

She looked like… a Black Mary.

‘A mask?’

And that wasn’t all.

For her final touch, she put on a mask over her face.

‘Wait… isn’t that the Phantom Thief mask?!’

It was nearly identical to the one worn by the protagonist of a novel currently gaining popularity in Renslet.

Glance.

At that moment, I sensed Arina turning her head toward me, as if to check whether I was asleep.

“……!”

For some reason, I instinctively shut my eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Deep, even breaths.

I focused all my efforts on feigning slumber, from my breathing to my heartbeat.

Creak. Tap.

Had my act worked?

A few moments later, I heard the sound of Arina quietly leaving the bedroom.

‘…What the hell?’

The moment she stepped out, I shot up and quickly put on my clothes.

Click. Clank.

I grabbed a stealth magic tool—a combination of a bracelet and a necklace—along with my Magnum handgun for self-defense, just in case.

“Come in.”

Then, I called in the people who clearly knew about this but had kept their mouths shut until now.

“We apologize, Chairman. Her Highness ordered us to keep it a secret…”

Eote, Rosie, and Carrot—my personal security detail—entered the room and bowed their heads.

“It’s not a secret anymore.”

“…Yes.”

“Has she been doing this often? While I was asleep?”

“Not every night, but mostly, yes.”

“Wait… did she use magic or drugs to keep me from waking up?”

“Uh… No, Chairman, you just didn’t wake up because you were tired.”

“?”

“Well, it’s understandable. You’ve been busy with research, and… well, you are newlyweds… Ahem.”

“…I see.”

For a moment, an awkward silence filled the bedroom.

“Lead the way. I need to see for myself what you’ve been hiding from me.”

I could have just used Arad’s Love—the enchanted ring—to track Arina’s location.

But I didn’t want to.

If I used the ring, there was a high chance that Arina, who wore the same one, would notice.

“Before we leave, you three should take these stealth magic tools as well.”

And with that, I left the embassy under the cover of invisibility, accompanied by my three guards.