A Northern Honor, A Southern Blade
Far to the north of the Monlique Empire, well beyond the reach of the Erian Empire, lay the Entan Kingdom.
There, in that land of vast territory, stood the Entan Kingdom, and at its heart was Archduke Eria, the core of its military strength and the object of the king’s boundless trust. Some even called her the Northern Archduke. Entan was, in truth, a giant kingdom that ruled the entire North.
“We’ve finally arrived.”
After shrugging off her stifling armor, the Northern Archduke Eria entered Lutibeth City.
Waiting to receive her were the dwarf chief, Bardon, Kelintar, and several others.
A human? Why is a human here?
Eria’s gaze lingered briefly on Kelintar, but her attention quickly shifted elsewhere. The dwarf chief had welcomed her with a broad smile.
“Lady Eria. Welcome to Lutibeth City.”
“It’s a pleasure.”
Her tone was polite, if somewhat stiff, and she went straight to the point.
“I heard the weapon production has been completed.”
“Yes. The entire order has been prepared.”
“May I inspect it immediately?”
“Of course. This way, please.”
The dwarf chief led Eria deep into Lutibeth City. When he unlocked the great warehouse, rows upon rows of weapons came into view.
The variety was impressive.
Swords, axes, shields, spears, bows, and arrows—almost everything one might need for war had been prepared.
“May I check the quality myself?”
“By all means. That’s why you came in person, isn’t it?”
“Let me make this clear in advance: I won’t buy anything of poor quality.”
“That is your right. Please inspect them thoroughly.”
Eria picked up a longsword and slowly turned her wrist, carefully examining the blade’s edge. Then she gave it a light swing, checking the center of balance and the overall feel. At last, satisfied, she spoke.
“The quality is quite excellent.”
“You asked us to pay special attention, so we inspected every single one ourselves.”
“Thank you.”
Then Eria tried feeding mana into the blade.
Mana flowed cleanly along the steel.
“We used ore with high mana conductivity. That way, even a small amount of mana can be wrapped around it efficiently.”
“Indeed... It was worth the trip. I’ll inspect the rest as well.”
She did not merely say it—Eria truly examined every weapon herself.
She tapped the shield with a blunt object, checked the finish of the hilt, and tested the sharpness and balance of each blade.
She even poured mana into every weapon to confirm its conductivity before finally speaking again.
“I’ll pay now.”
At Eria’s gesture, the knights standing behind her brought in several enormous boxes. One by one, the boxes were placed atop the tables inside the warehouse.
When the knights opened the sealed boxes, gold spilled into view, piled high within.
“We brought exactly the amount agreed upon in the contract. Please verify the weight.”
“Yes, I’ll check it right away.”
A few of the dwarves quickly began moving the gold. Before long, they reported back.
“The weight of the gold matches the transaction amount exactly.”
“Understood.”
The moment the weighing was done, Eria took out an emerald-bright jewel she had been carrying and said, “This is my personal token of gratitude for delivering such excellent goods.”
“T-That’s far too much...”
The dwarf chief answered, flustered.
And he had reason to be. As a mere personal token of thanks, it was a jewel valuable enough to buy a house.
Eria said calmly, “These are weapons for the soldiers of the North. If the quality is better, even a little, their chances of survival improve, and more of the men sent to the battlefield will be able to come home. So this money carries my thanks, and my hope that you’ll continue supplying good weapons in the future as well. Please, accept it. And if it feels too burdensome, you may exchange it for money and support the craftsmen who make the weapons.”
“...Hah... I understand.”
Then Eria’s eyes moved to Kelintar, standing nearby. She asked politely, “If you don’t mind, may I try the sword you’re holding?”
“Go ahead.”
Archduke Eria lifted the Amantadium sword and even tried channeling mana into it.
“A truly astonishing sword. May I purchase this?”
“It’s not for sale.”
“...”
Eria could not take her eyes off the sword. No matter how she looked at it, she could not find even the smallest flaw; it was a perfect weapon.
The balance was immaculate, and when mana was poured into it, it flowed through without the slightest resistance. It was so light it felt like a feather, and she could not even begin to guess what it had been made from.
I’ve never seen metal like this.
Even if she used ice iron, the rarest ore in the North, she was certain she still could not forge a sword like this.
If I had this sword, I could kill more enemies in battle... and then save more of our own.
Eria’s hand, still gripping Kelintar’s sword, would not let go for a long while. Finally, she asked the dwarf chief, “Could you make a sword like this?”
“This is a sword made by us.”
“...?”
When Eria tilted her head in confusion, the dwarf chief explained, “The village’s finest artisan spent several days personally working on a single weapon using Amantadium. It was given to you as thanks to Kelintar for saving my son and the dwarves.”
“Could you make a sword for me using that Amantadium as well? I’d pay any price.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible. That ore is not something we sell for money.”
At the dwarf chief’s firm refusal, Eria nodded.
“Then there’s nothing to be done.”
Afterward, she returned the sword to Kelintar and said, “From what the dwarf chief just said... your name is Kelintar, is that right?”
“That’s right.”
“My name is Eria.”
A brief exchange of introductions passed between them. Watching this, the dwarf chief’s son, Bardon, seized the opportunity and addressed Eria.
“Lady Eria, may I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“How can one obtain Thousand-Year Snow?”
Eria’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly.
“Thousand-Year Snow... why do you ask?”
“There’s somewhere I need it.”
“Thousand-Year Snow isn’t just snow. It’s a sacred symbol, something precious that exists only in a tiny amount in the sanctuary. It’s bestowed, along with the honorary knight’s medal, on a single outstanding warrior who has saved countless allies and slain countless enemies in war.”
Then Eria showed him the necklace around her neck. Set within it was pure white snow.
“It’s a sacred token granted with the meaning that, like this snow which never melts, you must never lose your pride and continue fighting for the kingdom. It cannot be given to anyone who is not one of the North’s honored warriors.”
“...I see...”
Bardon looked troubled, and Kelintar, standing beside him, asked, “Can anyone become a warrior of the North? Even an outsider?”
“Not just anyone can. Only those who prove themselves worthy can. It’s not enough to simply be strong; we also look at devotion to one’s comrades, martial ability, and a strong mind. If all of that is satisfied, then even if you weren’t born in the North, you can become a warrior... that is, a knight of the Entan Kingdom.”
“I want to become a knight of the Entan Kingdom.”
When Kelintar said that, Eria asked why.
“Why?”
Of course it was because he needed Thousand-Year Snow, but if he said that outright, Eria might take offense, so Kelintar answered more diplomatically.
“Because I want to become an honorary knight of the North.”
“...”
As Eria briefly considered it, the commander of the knights beside her, Habitel, barked out, “I’ve had just about enough. Not only do you speak casually to the Archduke, now some outsider I’ve never even met is talking about honorary knights? Just who do you think you are?”
Habitel glared at Kelintar, but Kelintar did not look away.
“I apologize for speaking casually. But I don’t understand why being an outsider should make me unworthy of becoming an honorary knight.”
“The medal of an honorary knight is something even the knights of the North can spend their whole lives fighting for and never receive before they die.”
“So?”
“With skill as lacking as yours, even speaking that name is an insult.”
“Lacking skill? You don’t seem to have a good eye. You’re not impressive enough to be lecturing me like that.”
As Kelintar sighed, Habitel raised his sword.
“How dare you spout such nonsense! Just because you’ve got a fine weapon in your hand, do you think you’re beyond what’s right in front of you?”
“Don’t point a sword at people casually. This is a warning.”
A skin-crawling silence began to settle over the warehouse.
Bardon hurriedly stepped between them. “Please, stop this with Kelintar. His manner of speaking is just a little rough. He’s definitely not a bad man. He has a very upright character, so I hope there’s no misunderstanding.”
The dwarf chief added his support. “That’s right. It was Kelintar who helped us without asking for anything in return. Please, put your suspicions aside.”
Eria looked at the two men defending Kelintar with interest. Then she made a suggestion.
“Kelintar, you said you want to become an honorary knight of the North, yes?”
Kelintar corrected his tone before answering. “Yes.”
“Then you’ll need to join the knights. And I have the authority to recommend you for knightly induction. Normally you’d have to go through several entrance tests, but... I have a proposal. How about you spar with Habitel?”
“A spar?”
“Yes. Habitel is one of the finest knights in the North. You needn’t feel pressured. If you can last more than one minute in a spar, I’ll count that as a success.”
“Very well.”
When Kelintar accepted, Habitel scoffed in disbelief.
“You’re accepting a challenge without even thinking it through. I suppose you really do look down on the knights of the North... I’ll make you regret it.”
Kelintar looked at the man openly baring his hostility and said, “I’ll apologize for not speaking respectfully to the Archduke. I’ll use honorifics from now on, so calm down.”
“Too late. I’ll fix that rotten attitude of yours in the spar.”
Under Bardon’s guidance, Habitel and Kelintar moved to the nearby sparring grounds. News that a Northland knight would be dueling Kelintar spread instantly, and the area quickly filled with onlookers.
Habitel raised his sword and said, “You seem to be acting bold because you’ve got a fine sword. Today I’ll teach you what really matters more than a weapon.”
“...”
Kelintar set the sword down on the ground. Then he faced Habitel with bare hands.
“...What the hell are you doing?”
“So you won’t try to say you lost because of your sword later.”
“...How dare you insult me! Don’t regret it even if you die! This is the choice you made!”
Habitel surged forward, sword in hand, charging straight at Kelintar. The blade cut a clean path through the air, aimed directly at Kelintar’s throat.
Damn it...!
Habitel panicked.
He had assumed Kelintar would dodge. Instead, Kelintar didn’t evade the blade at all. It was too late to pull back. One wrong move, and he might sever the man’s throat.
But contrary to his fear, Kelintar’s body suddenly dropped low.
“What the...?”
Before Habitel could even comprehend what was happening, a fist slammed precisely into his liver.
“Gahhh...!”
Habitel collapsed to the ground and began coughing up blood. Clutching his abdomen, he trembled violently before crumpling there on the spot.
Kelintar looked down at him and asked, “Do you want to keep going?”
Habitel barely managed to get back on his feet and lifted his sword with shaking hands.
“D-Don’t get smug just because you landed one lucky hit...”
“I’ll take that as you wanting to continue.”
With no expression at all, Kelintar ran toward Habitel.