The Contract and the Cold Wind
A single candle flame on the lantern trembled thinly.
The door opened, and with it came a rush of cold wind laced with the sharp scent of iron and leather.
Following it was the massive figure of a man.
Lisiven, already inside the room, recognized him at once.
**Grand Commander of the North... Velkain Caeron.**
The air inside the room grew heavy, as though standing in the center of a battlefield.
Lisiven straightened her posture instinctively, drawing a steadying breath.
Behind him stepped two more men, and one of them produced a document case.
*Tap.*
The sound of wax sealing snapping was followed by the dry rustle of paper, like snapping twigs.
Soon the man handed the papers to Lisiven and spoke.
"I am the supply officer of the First Division who will be responsible for this contract—Captain Coudran. Are you the head of the Shadowteron Merchant Guild?"
"Shadowteron Merchant Guild Head, Lisiven. It is an honor to meet the Grand Commander of the North, whose name I have only heard in rumors."
Lisiven bowed her head toward Velkain.
Velkain, in turn, gave her a slight nod of acknowledgment.
The atmosphere brightened a fraction, and Coudran extended the documents again.
"Our requirements are simple. If we can match this level, we can proceed immediately."
Keiton stepped forward, took the papers, and handed them to Lisiven.
Lisiven took a deliberate breath and examined the contract.
Delivery lists, drop-off points, inspection procedures, penalty clauses for delays, emergency alternate routes...
And the amounts tied to each delivery.
As she studied the numbers, Lisiven lifted her gaze and glanced briefly at Velkain. Then she turned to Coudran.
"The price is far below what is usually traded in ordinary business."
Coudran replied calmly, his expression unchanging.
"That is the nature of military affairs. It is always short on funds. I would love to offer more, but approval from the center rarely comes easily."
Lisiven returned her eyes to the document.
Every figure felt like the bite of winter dawn frost.
*Exactly as Master said...*
You cannot be full from a single sip.
There was no chance of good terms with the military. Yet the volume of supplies involved was enormous, far beyond any ordinary transaction.
Even though the work was heavy and routes difficult to secure...
*If this first deal goes well...*
It would become the foothold for an immediate push afterward.
Lisiven raised her head.
"Although the profit margin will be small compared to the effort, I believe we can meet the amount you require."
"Is that so?"
Coudran's answer made the eyes of the man beside him, Claw, darken.
A complex mixture of emotions passed through his gaze as he looked at Lisiven.
He showed none of it outwardly.
Because it was Coudran, the supply officer, who held the lead in the negotiations.
And Coudran spoke.
"Then shall we proceed with the contract?"
The board fell into place perfectly, and he smiled without hiding it.
But at that moment, Lisiven spoke.
"But there is one condition."
"Condition?"
Her eyes flashed sharply.
Knowing this was the decisive moment, Lisiven continued without pause.
"From now on, you must make the Shadowteron Merchant Guild the very first trading partner for all supplies. If our capacity is insufficient for any part of the requirements, you may trade with other guilds. However, you must purchase the full quantity we can supply."
"..."
Coudran's face showed surprise.
He had phrased it as a long sentence, yet it was clearly asking for monopoly rights over every item.
"That... is..."
Coudran looked to Velkain.
Velkain was already watching Lisiven.
He gave a single nod.
Claw answered for him.
"We will do so."
The supply officer beside them shifted his gaze slightly.
No such deal had ever been offered to a newly formed guild under those terms.
But it was not yet over.
Claw spoke again.
"If we fail to meet sixty percent of the volume we require, the contract will be automatically dissolved."
Conditions collided.
Keiton's eyes beside Lisiven wavered.
Claw's demand was a heavy burden for the Shadowteron Merchant Guild.
But...
"Very well. We will do our best to meet it."
Lisiven accepted without the slightest hesitation.
Velkain spoke.
"Supply officer."
Coudran turned sharply at the low call.
"Captain Coudran."
"Shall we conclude this?"
"Yes, of course."
Coudran folded the document in half and signed it.
A leather glove pressed the paper's edge while the pen flowed smoothly.
Soon Coudran stamped the army's seal on the document.
Red wax spread in a circle, revealing the symbol.
Lisiven quickly signed the contract herself.
At the exact moment the agreement was sealed, Lisiven rose, extended her hand to Velkain.
"I look forward to our cooperation, General."
Velkain glanced at her hand for a moment.
Then he took it and shook firmly.
A promise passed between hand and hand.
With the contract finished, Velkain turned without hesitation and left.
It was the moment they mounted their horses.
"General, is it truly... all right to do this?"
"What do you mean?"
"A newly formed guild may not have stable supply routes. We can manage now, but if there are later disruptions, problems could arise..."
Coudran's words slid his gaze toward Claw.
Claw nodded once, then looked straight at Coudran and said calmly.
"It is still a brand-new guild whose name is barely known, as you said."
"Yes."
"Yet in such a new guild... we are securing eighty percent of the supplies we require right now. What do you make of that?"
Coudran's mouth opened halfway, then closed.
It felt as though his words had been choked by sand.
Claw's eyes narrowed slightly.
"It means we have been preparing in advance, accounting for the current situation on the northern front. Perhaps we know the north better than anyone. It may sound ridiculous, but the preparations we have made are so thorough that I believe only someone who foresaw the future could have managed it."
"Do you mean... you somehow knew the future?"
The officer's question made Claw shrug once.
"There is no need. It is simply that our preparedness is that solid. That is why we are worth the opportunity. Correct?"
Claw passed the end of his sentence to Velkain.
Velkain gazed silently toward the north. Thin clouds hung in the sky, and the wind's edge stretched long, as if licking the battlefield.
Velkain nodded slowly.
No matter the situation, thanks to this, we could drastically reduce the time needed for supply preparations.
As long as weapons and food were secured, we could immediately advance north.
*What remains now... is the decision from the center.*
I did not need to see it to know.
Under the surface, the two princes' factions were surely clashing fiercely over the northern advance.
*But...*
No matter how much interference they planned, the situation would no longer be containable.
Helikel Canyon. Elbarphiel Lake. Ikuleed.
Possessing these three regions was the first time in imperial history.
*A new wind will blow across the north.*
The return journey to the main camp followed.
Behind their column, an odd tension began to trail like a tail.
* * *
The blizzard had ended, but the wind's blades still scraped the canyon.
Before Ikuleed's canyon.
The newly raised stone wall still carried the damp scent of fresh mortar.
Isaac turned to the man beside him and said.
"Don't you feel a little sorry?"
"What do you mean?"
By taking Ikuleed, the empire had, for the first time in history, claimed the three key points of the north.
At this most critical moment, the special unit that had accomplished the most important task.
Because of the merit of capturing Ikuleed, a courtly distribution of honors would be held at the palace.
One thing—only one person had participated in that distribution: Captain Lukeel.
"The one who earned the greatest share is you... but your name was completely left out of it."
Isaac sounded as though it were his own misfortune.
As he said, the one who secured the greatest merit in taking Ikuleed was Arteon.
He had entered the enemy lines at the cost of his life, engaged the foes, and bought time.
Isaac's expression was bitter.
"Maybe... it is a very unfair situation."
"Again with that story."
Arteon laughed lightly and shook his head.
"Not at all. I already heard from Captain Lukeel why the decision was made that way."
Isaac's eye corners drooped a fraction. Then he continued in a stuffy tone.
"...You really think that way?"
"..."
Arteon said nothing. Instead he lifted his gaze to the wall.
An iron pin hammered into the fortress on the rampart began to creak in the wind.
It was meant to be our shield against the Kar tribe's attacks.
Since Arteon offered no reply, Isaac watched his profile in silence before throwing out a casual remark.
"Why are you fighting here? With your skill, you could easily join any knight order in the center."
"Since when do you joke around? I have no background whatsoever."
"Your skill is enough to swallow up any background. How old are you now?"
"Sixteen."
"Even after searching the empire's history, the first one to use aura at sixteen was you!"
Isaac had seen it.
The aura that had been clearly visible on Arteon's spear.
Even he had not yet fully broken through the fourth star, and this boy...
*Not even a year ago... he clearly hadn't reached the fourth star...*
In such a short time, what had happened? What kind of experiences could make someone grow that fast? Isaac was driven nearly mad by curiosity.
But he simply watched Arteon in silence.
Arteon was no ordinary man. Yet the way he fought the Kar tribe carried an inexplicable 'obsession'.
"Arteon, may I ask you something?"
Isaac asked without looking away.
Arteon replied.
"Why are you asking in such a heavy tone?"
"...What exactly are you trying to do here in the north?"
"..."
A moment of silence.
Arteon looked at Isaac as if thinking, then said.
"Of course."
He turned his gaze back to the wall and continued.
"I am going to kill every one of these barbarians and advance north."
His voice was calm, like a craftsman reporting that 'today we will add one more level to the wall.'
Isaac felt a chill run down his spine at that calm.
Because deep beneath the ordinary reply lay something profound.
One thing Arteon had not been able to say was this:
*And... I will exterminate every last imperial dog who killed me and my comrades.*
A thick killing intent began to seep into Arteon's eyes.
Isaac stared at him without a word.
But at that moment...
*Dong dong dong dong dong!*
The soldiers' voices rang out with the dinner bell.
And with it, Arteon smiled once more.
"Beef stew tonight. Line up quickly if you want to catch even a king."
"...All right."
There were times Isaac forgot that the boy was only sixteen.
*Truly...*
An incomprehensible boy.
Soon Isaac began to run after Arteon.
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