Wintervalt's Nights Shine Brighter Than Day
Wintervalt's nights were more dazzling than its days. As dawn broke, laborers began gathering at the Wintervalt new city construction site. Their rough breaths rose in white clouds over the frozen ground.
"Hooah! Bro! Let's haul rocks or logs or whatever!"
Rick, the adventurer from the southern continent, jumped in place while rolling up his sleeves. Gail cracked his shoulders and grinned.
"Yeah. Time to show 'em the southern adventurers' grit."
Gail was quietly confident inside. He'd done his share of wall repairs as a mercenary—enough to make him sick of it. These rocks? Nothing compared to risking your life against wolves.
"Uracha!"
"Let's go, bro!"
Having built up their stamina in the north, they dove in eagerly, hoisting rock piles onto their backs and carrying logs with gusto.
That was when it happened.
"Aigoo, did you young bucks skip breakfast? Step aside."
Furry middle-aged northern men strode past, loaded with even more gear than Gail!
"Hmph! Push too hard now, and you'll regret it later!"
"Right, bro!"
Gail and Rick kept at it with some mental victory laps, but soon they had to stop in their tracks.
"...Bro."
"...Yeah, I see it."
They couldn't believe their eyes.
"Heave-ho! Hiyat!"
It was unreal. A single middle-aged man had wedged a log under a boulder and was dragging it along alone.
Using aura? Gail rubbed his eyes in shock, but there wasn't a trace of aura light on the man's body. Just skill and raw muscle.
Boom!!
A laborer dropped a massive rock, and a knight—at Expert level, off-duty today—smashed it with an aura-infused hammer. Moments ago, the bumpy foundation site turned into a huge pit as a few locals rushed in with shovels. By the time Gail's group returned with materials, it was already filled with stones, gravel, and dirt, and leveling had begun.
And with high-paid wizards joining in, the multi-day ground stabilization wrapped up in hours.
"Th-those guys fight monsters like us! What the hell are they doing on a construction site?!"
Rick whispered in disbelief. Cold sweat trickled down Gail's forehead.
"...As expected. The smart ones get it. They know the value of those residency permits."
The longing for a home was the same whether you were southern adventurers or northern monsters.
"Hey, you lads! Standing around? Come help carry this!"
"Yes, sir!"
Gail and his party mixed into the laborers, hauling rocks and wood. Their initial cockiness was long gone. As the local men dashed about lifting materials effortlessly, Gail's group trembled on their feet even with help from the northerners.
"Heh heh, Rick, was it? Southern kids got no stamina. How you gonna get married like that?"
"Th-this... hngh...! Don't... worry...! J-just... need to warm up!"
Gail gritted his teeth and pushed on. Without Walter's hellish training, he'd have tapped out already.
They repeated breaks and labor in a blur until the sun hit midday.
"Everyone, stop! Lunchtime!"
The lead architect bellowed, and massive wagons kicked up dust as they approached.
"Guys, those wagons aren't...?"
"Nah, no way, bro."
Why would the fancy princess come to this dusty hellhole? But unbelievably, out stepped the empire's 4th imperial princess, Eleanor von Waldemar, her platinum blonde hair pinned up elegantly. She shone brilliantly even amid the swirling construction dust.
"Ooh! The princess is here!!"
The laborers went wild, eyes rolling back like fanatics.
"For all of you sweating to build our new city, I've prepared a special meal! Eat up and keep pushing!"
"Long live the princess!!"
Servants lifted the cauldron lids, and the aroma spread everywhere. It was a scent Gail had never smelled before.
"Today's special is garlic soup made from simmered Dire Wolf leg meat!"
Eleanor ladled it out herself, and the men lined up like madmen. Gail's party grabbed wooden bowls and joined the queue. The soup, boiled with solar mana, bubbled hot even in the freezing north. Whole northern garlic cloves packed it full, releasing a sharp, nutty aroma that pierced the nose. Saliva glands exploded.
"Mmm. Gulp."
Rick's eyes flew wide after one spoonful.
"Bro, the meat's melting in my mouth!"
"When has it not?"
"Best decision coming north. For real...!"
The castle chef had perfected the meat, and the solar mana kept it tender forever.
"Energy's bursting out—I can't contain it!"
"I'm never going back south!"
Gail silently slurped his garlic soup. Shoving his face in the bowl, he finished way faster than his juniors. The princess's food was miraculous! It felt like some elixir only nobles and top adventurers got—like magic medicine.
His back pain vanished, and weary muscles revived. The northern men practically roared.
"Power's overflowing!!"
"This is it! If I can eat the princess's food till I die, hauling rocks forever would be bliss!"
Gazing at the howling northerners, Gail muttered blankly.
"No way... they didn't crawl out here for the soup instead of the residency, right...?"
"Totally possible, bro."
"This pillar go here?"
A man casually shouldered a finished wooden pillar and strolled the site. Black hair, towering height, refined aura. The empire's top Swordmaster and northern ruler, Kailan Wintervalt.
"D-Duke! How can your precious body do such rough work...!"
"Heh heh. My people sweat to build homes—how can I, their duke, sit idle in my office?"
Everyone gaped in shock. The Northern Duke, covered in dust, laboring alongside them? A natural reaction.
"Ah... Your Grace..."
"Sweating with lowly folk like us!"
"He rushes wherever the princess is!"
Kailan inwardly scolded his overzealous wife but saw the smooth progress and high morale. No stopping now.
As expected of Eleanor—great calculations.
She'd foreseen that a little effort from the ducal couple would make laborers grind beyond their pay.
I gotta help. With a solid husband by her side, no one'll dare look down on my wife!
Why use Swordmaster aura for hauling stone? But thinking of Eleanor watching fired him up.
Look at me, turning into some romance novel simp.
"The princess shares food, the duke raises pillars!"
"What great, benevolent rulers!"
The laborers raised picks, vowing to bury their bones for the couple. Kailan didn't mind at all.
That night.
"My god... Bro. This our actual place to crash?"
"It is, so shake off the dirt before you come in."
After hellish labor, Gail's group headed to the late corrupt supply chief's mansion—Viscount Bargo's former estate. Moonlight flooded it, lighting every corner. Soft carpets everywhere made it kid-proof too.
Someday, I could have a family? Once I get a home and settle...
But his rowdy juniors gave no room for sentiment.
"Bro, check this Dire Wolf statue. Looks like it'll leap alive any second!"
"Don't touch a damn thing. Break one, and we're screwed."
"We're not idiots, bro. We slaved all day for that residency!"
"Heh. Yeah. Time to snag our own place."
Masterpieces worth dozens of gold lined the walls—no relaxing strolls. Past the hall, in the grand living room, fellow southern adventurers snored, exhausted from work. Gail and his crew found an empty small room and crashed on the narrow floor.
Without a word, they pulled parchments from their bosoms.
[Wintervalt New City Construction Contribution Certificate]
Wintervalt crest stamped at the top. Proof of daily 16 silver wage.
Once filled with Wintervalt crests, it could be swapped for residency—no deposit needed. The rest could be loaned with adventurer status and record proof. Insane system. The Northern Duke seemed heaven-sent for his people.
"Bro, this parchment's wild. Princess's mana makes it toasty just holding it."
"Don't lose it. Worth more than gold."
The juniors chattered about the duke's love stories, but Gail tuned out. His eyes gazed at the future.
Best choice joining construction. Peak of my adventurer life.
Free board in skyrocketing north prices, plus savings. Princess's food and luxury digs boosted morale.
"Alright, sleep deep for tomorrow's grind."
Gail tucked the certificate safely and closed his eyes. Some time later, he woke.
The window blazed bright. Gail rose slowly and peeked out.
"Morning already...?"
Not morning. The site glowed like noon—a small sun hovering. Unheard-of magic.
"Nngh... What, bro? Monsters...?"
Rick peeked too. On the street, Viscount Arjen—the new city overseer—and architects led masses of laborers in march. Faces burned with zeal. Honestly, scarier than monsters.
"Night shift volunteers! The duke himself joins to shorten construction!!"
Gail reeled. Adventurers rested nights. Even tyrant lords let slaves sleep. Forcing outsiders to haul rocks all night? No wonder the duke was a sweetheart, not a devil.
"Night workers get double pay! Plus unlimited 'special midnight snacks' from Her Highness!!"
Gail's pupils shook. Virtual conscription. By the time day-only folks filled their stamps, would buildings remain? Night stamps doubled speed! Soon, rich merchants would swarm with deposits.
"S-so evil...!"
Even quick-witted Rick echoed Gail.
"Bro! What now?!"
Rick trembled. Gail bellowed.
"What do you mean?! Grab your tools!!"
It tested human dignity, but Gail roused his crew. With the princess's magical food, they'd endure.