Raising the Northern Grand Duchy as a Max-Level All-Master-Chapter 107.1

That House Is in Danger… (1)

The primary reason the Empire had been unable to exert its full power against the North until now was clear.

While the Union of Kingdoms and the Mongar Orcs posed their own problems, the largest issue lay in one thing: greed.

The North was an irresistible prize.

The Emperor sought to transform the entire North into a direct domain of the Imperial House, using it as the foundation for absolute imperial power.

However, the Noble Council and the Church could not tolerate such a move.

“The development and strategy of the North are terrifyingly formidable.”

If things continued as they were, the worst-case scenario might see the Empire lose the North entirely.

“A magic stone standard system? Only Northern currency can purchase magic stones?”

For someone who understood the value of magic stones better than anyone, this news was deeply unsettling.

His obsession only deepened after discovering that low-grade magic stones and coal served as the core fuel for steam engines.

“At worst, a strong Northern region could invade the central-northern Empire!”

Faced with this reality, he concluded it would be better to claim even half of the North than to risk losing all of it permanently due to inaction driven by greed.

He resolved to exploit what had prevented them from acting until now: greed itself.

“Let’s concede half of the North to them! If we do that, two of the four legions could be composed of troops from the Noble Council and the Church.”

If handled well, he could even deliberately deplete the forces of the nobles and the Church during the Northern expedition.

After all, as the Emperor, he remained the supreme commander.

Clench! Emperor Canbraman tightly balled both fists.

“Ricard….”

Just as Canbraman was about to speak after organizing his thoughts—

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

A servant came running into the great hall with urgency.

Such interruptions were unheard of unless the matter was of the utmost importance.

“A critical report from the Eastern Ruins!”

The servant, tasked with managing the Imperial homing pigeons, handed over the message.

“……”

The paper from the homing pigeon was red.

Canbraman quickly unfolded the red letter and read its contents.

“…The Mongar Orcs have attacked the Great Wall. And in massive numbers.”

Bang!

As he shared the contents of the red letter, the Emperor slammed his fist onto the golden throne.

The impact hurt his hand and created a tense atmosphere in the great hall, but none of it mattered to Canbraman.

“……”

He silently gazed at the ceiling of the great hall.

Porcelains from the East still adorned the ceiling, covering it entirely.

“Does the god of Renslet’s fervent ancestors truly exist?”

No matter how he thought about it, the North seemed overly favored by the heavens these days.

As his face scrunched up while staring at the ceiling, his expression slowly softened over time.

Heh heh heh heh…

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

Shortly after, the Emperor lowered his gaze, a faint smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

“It’s not all bad, after all.”

Upon reflection, this situation wasn’t entirely negative.

“The Mongar invasion gives me the perfect excuse to crush the artisans and guilds!”

Disappointment mingled with a sense of exhilaration.

While it was regrettable not to attack the North, this provided the opportunity to achieve something he had long desired.

In fact, the perfect justification had landed squarely in front of him.

“Let’s fill the imperial domain with steam engines and factories! Imperial steel! Armor and weapons! We’ll mass-produce them!”

Yes, North! Forge as many weapons with your steel as you like.

We’ll overtake you quickly with lands and populations dozens of times larger than yours!

And when the time is ripe.

The fully armed army of the Empire will march northward.

***

For the people of the Empire, there was a trauma as profound as the dread of Northern invasions.

It was the Orc Legion, the central force of the Savage Age.

Among the countless Orc tribes, one stood above all: the Mongar Orcs, as they called themselves.

It didn’t take long for the brewing storm from the Great Wall in the Eastern Ruins to spread across the Empire.

“Send every available force to the Great Wall!”

“The Noble Council will dispatch additional troops as well!”

“The Church will also send more relief forces.”

“The Magic Tower will contribute more mages to the magical battalion.”

While interests were divided over the North, uniting the factions was challenging.

But things were different with the Mongar Orcs, the common enemy of humanity.

When it came to the Mongar Orcs, the Empire became one.

This was the true power of the Empire that Arad had been so wary of.

“The Mongar Orcs are on the move!”

“If the Empire falls, our kingdoms will be next!”

“Cease all provocations and skirmishes against the Empire!”

Even the Union of Kingdoms, which had been snarling and clashing with the Empire until just yesterday, chose to cooperate this time.

The Savage Age had left a deep and lasting trauma not just for the Empire but for all humans in Arcadia.

This savage wave began stirring not only in the eastern regions of the Empire but elsewhere as well.

It was happening in the North, a land harboring one of the few remaining savage elements in Arcadia.

This threat, possibly more dire and ominous than the massive invasion from the East, was slowly taking shape.

Yet, no one noticed its emergence because of how isolated and closed off the region was.

Even the High Tower, which served as the frontline defense against the extreme northern savages, was unaware.

Arad, who had knowledge of the original timeline, also failed to detect this unexpected wave.

The northernmost point of the Arcadian continent was the Grand Duchy of Renslet.

The northernmost region of the Grand Duchy of Renslet was the area governed by the High Tower.

However, this wasn’t the coldest or northernmost land in this world.

Beyond the High Tower and the Extreme Northern Great Wall, two savages remained unconquered by humanity.

One was the barbarian druids at the northern edge of the Manus Mountain Range.

The other lay beyond the glacial seas and glaciers of the far north: the savage orcs of the Arctic Continent and the monsters of the glacial seas.

Kuoohhhhh!

Kira-la-la-lal!!

Somewhere beyond the glacial sea on the Arctic Continent.

The land was a blend of glaciers and frozen seas, making it hard to discern whether it was solid permafrost or a floating ice island.

Still, there was one unmistakable fact: Neither the Frost Knights of the High Tower nor the Extreme Northern Expeditionary Forces had ever set foot on this land. ṙ𝐀ɴОᛒЕŚ

Iya-rya-rya-ryal!

Kuaaaaaak!!

This land, which violently rejected the touch of civilization, was a gathering point for the last vestiges of Arcadia’s primordial savagery.

A group clad in thick fur, resembling Bigfoot at a glance, howled and danced atop the snowy plains.

They were the barbarian druids, usually found in the Manus Mountains. For reasons unknown, they had gathered here.

Their eerie howls and dances seemed like a prelude to some form of ritual.

Kuoohhhhhh!!

Nearby, extreme northern orcs, less vocal than the druids but equally fierce, roared.

Clad in white fur and armed with steel, they added their voices to the ritual.

The roar was so powerful that some of the surrounding ice cracked and collapsed.

Despite the chaos, the druids and orcs, gathered here for the first time, paid no mind and continued their mixed ritual of dance and howls.

The extreme northern orcs, deeply engrossed in the shamanistic ritual, were armed with steel weapons beyond the craftsmanship of civilized lands.

“Imuga! Imuga! Imuga!”

“Hamunt! Hamunt! Hamunt!”