Steel and Mana

Chapter 175 – Conference (1)

"They did answer in a day…" Matilda murmured, staying inside her room within the Tobrok family's castle. Her soldiers guarded her room at all times while the castle grounds were patrolled by her armored entourage, effectively taking over the Tobrok's home while they were present.

There was nobody to answer any questions Matilda had right now, but she was already thinking of the meaning behind her experiences, forgoing alcohol, at least for the past twelve hours. The quickness of the Frontier's response, the cannons she saw, and the armor their soldiers wore all pointed towards the fact that the Frontier was just as well armored as the royal army itself. At the moment, she attributed everything to either Duke Kustov's family or directly to the current Empress. As for how deep their support ran, it was hard to tell, but the fact that Milan Kustov himself visited her was telling enough.

"Was… was there a beast tide we weren't told about?" She asked nobody particular in her empty room, her eyes suddenly enlarging, her legs propelling her up and forcing her to walk up and down.

That horrible winter… It wasn't normal, and the famished beasts might have tried to break through, looking for food. She firmly believed that they didn't know about it only because they were stopped, which also meant the royal family had to know about it and had to have a hand in protecting itself.

"The ships…" She mumbled, remembering that one of the flying ships did pass through the Eastern Gate, traveling close to the Frontier before heading into Atuvian territory. It could have very well been the time when they delivered resources to keep defending against monsters trying to break through. "It makes sense… It all fits!"

As she thought about it, the more confident she became that the Frontier was directly under the influence of the royal bloodline, no wonder all of a sudden, a new family of dukes was appointed to watch over it and make them interfere with the slightest sign of trouble. After so many centuries of neglect, something had to happen that warranted a hands-on approach. Then, she remembered the armor of the man they met and how it looked as if scales were used to reinforce it… If her eyes didn't lie, it was definitely made from the corpses of monsters! Everything was fitting in place, making Matilda finally buckle and go for her cabinet, taking out a bottle of wine and pouring it straight into her throat.

"Duke Jauwn… You are being replaced, I fear…"

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"I am surprised how clean it is in here." Elliot mumbled while both of us stood atop one of the battlements, looking at the previous battlefield. By the time we got here, the bodies were collected, and there was no rotting smell marinating in the air. Thank God, because as summer neared, it could have been horrible, real quickly becoming more than an issue of smell.

"Pion did tell me that the baron's soldiers arrived, cleaning up the battlefield." I answered, smiling, "I could almost hear him chuckle while describing how cautious they were, always watching the cannons and seeing if they moved."

"Heh." Accompanying us in his massive armor set, Oleg couldn't help but add, "It would have been a waste of good CC."

"True." Looking towards the south, I shrugged, "I think we should continue; if we travel onward, we will arrive at their castle by nightfall."

"Hopefully, we won't be attacked."

"Don't worry, Uncle," I grinned, patting his shoulders before turning around and climbing down, heading towards my horse, "With our banners held high, they wouldn't dare, not with an earl being the one inviting us in!"

Luckily, I was right, and even with our forces numbering fifty heavily armored units, we weren't stopped, not once. Oleg and Pion were directly responsible for Elliot's and my safety, never leaving our sides a meter apart. While traversing the land, I already observed multiple open mines where coal was collected, making me increasingly more interested in the Black Lands than before. I already told Elliot that our primary goal is to get a portion of their output. The second goal would be getting to the earldom's main export… steel. I want to inspect its quality, and if I can use it, then it would hasten my work with building the mechs, having the option to skip producing my own steel.

Of course, coal was more important. So much more. With it, I could create more machines that don't require magic formations and CC, are more efficient than burning wood and are quicker to get than setting up a whole industry around making charcoal. If we can get enough, I can start thinking of building a railway. Of course, it would be short and run from our current mines to the industry complex first. After that, I can expand it so that Avalon can connect with Lothlia… And if I am brave enough, build lines heading to our borders. Stop them... maybe a kilometer off? Where they remain hidden. Maybe? It would help because then my caravans could just unload their haul there.

As for the borders, Elliot and I both agreed that we would use this event to ensure that they remain closed and that anybody trying to enter gets inspected. It would be the perfect reason and opportunity to isolate ourselves in a way that doesn't raise suspicion. We will see… For now, my thoughts are already way ahead of what is happening, and it made me smile.

"What is it?" Elliot asked, catching my grin.

"I was thinking, how funny it is that I would introduce trains before bikes."

"Huh? What does that even mean?"

"Nothing…" I waved my hand, shaking my head, "It is just… it is easier to build a rolling steel machine that runs on coal than making a bicycle… just because I don't have rubber."

"Rubber? Another weird idiocy… but you did mention it once… hm… Ah, yes!" Elliot hummed, thinking, "You mean goat bladder? I hate using it…"

“…”

"What?"

"Nothing, I was not talking about that." I answered, rolling my eyes. "I am talking about a material that can be harvested from trees. The issue is simple: we are so up in the north that the thing I would need doesn't grow here."

"Where does it grow, Sovereign?" Oleg asked, curious, "We could go and conquer it."

"Yeah, sure!" I laughed out loudly, finding his enthusiasm endearing. "I think, for that, we would have to steamroll over the entirety of Ishillia, down deep into the south, and then, we may have to go into our southern neighbors' territory. No chance. Anyway, it isn't essential! I can skip things; it doesn't bother me."

"Skip things…" Elliot mumbled, shaking his head, "You are the weirdest man I have ever known, Leon."

"I will take that as a compliment! I just hope our host will also see it in a positive light!"

"That… we will see soon enough."

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Arriving at the castle happened very close to what I had expected. The sky was still a bit orange from the sun's last rays reaching above the horizon, even if the giant ball of fire was gone from view. Of course, with our banners flying behind us, our soldiers were stopped at the city's entrance by a very nervous local force of guards and an attachment of a well-armored company of horseriders. The latter was backed up on the walls with similar figures observing us, and I could see multiple crossbows aiming down, keeping them locked and loaded on our bodies.

"Another point of complaint for later." I muttered, making Elliot raise his head, feeling a bit apprehensive about it.

On the other hand, Pion and Oleg were not as fond of it as I was, looking at them, barely blinking, and making sure they would shield us if necessary. While they were kitted out from head to toe, wearing our newest armor, Elliot and I wore 'simple' clothes designed by Dorian, nailing the Hugo Boss feeling. Of course, I wouldn't say we were defenseless. Each of us had multiple 'scrolls' with us that could be activated with CC and unleash a firestorm, one that neither of them would expect; I was sure of it.

When we were let into the city and escorted towards the castle, I felt myself visiting a historical recreation of some old British towns that were on the cusp of entering the first and second industrial revolutions simultaneously. Yet, I was sure they didn't even know what they were really sitting on. Oh, well. That makes it just as easy to get coal for ourselves.

"I wonder…"

"That rarely ends well." Elliot laughed, looking at me, "Go on."

"I was thinking about whether we would be able to buy a mine here."

"Yeah, no. Forget it." He said plainly, "They won't agree."

"I guessed as much. Haah."

After falling silent for the rest of the short trip, I spoke once again when I got off my horse and came face to face with who I presumed was Countess Matilda Zimmermann. Looking at her, I saw that she was nevertheless beautiful and on par with my mother if I had to be objective about it.

"Viscount Leon. Baron Elliot." She said, making me bow in accordance with our ranks within the Empire.

"Countess Matilda Zimmermann." I repeated, waiting for Elliot to also do the same before raising my back.

"I am glad you both accepted my invitation."

"We are all nobles within the same Empire." I answered calmly while both of our soldiers were forming a line behind us. It was like two rugby teams measuring each other and getting ready for a bloody showdown.

"That aligns with how I look at it." She smiled, nodding and stepping sideways, opening her arms, "Let me invite you in. The hour is late, but dinner is ready and waiting for you. After that, we can rest and only worry about politics when tomorrow arrives."

"Good food and respite does sound nice." I agreed, looking at Oleg once, who raised a hand and gave out a straightforward order with a few gestures.

I watched as Matilda and her people's gazes were fixed on us, but they couldn't read much, not with my men having their faces covered by their helmets. As we walked, from the fifty we brought along, only four entered the castle, two for each of us, while the rest remained alert outside, keeping an eye on the surroundings. I expected them to say something about it, but nobody raised a complaint, letting them head inside with us, standing behind our chairs while Elliot and I sat down, facing Matilda on the other end of the table.

"Only us?" I asked, looking around, expecting the Black Lands' owners to appear, but only maids came, bringing in the first course of some kind of chicken soup. I can't lie; it had a rich and mouth-watering aroma.

"For today." Matilda nodded as we began eating, "It was a very hectic day, and I let them rest early. "

"I see. Understandable. We are also battered, so it is good to just enjoy a dinner without ruining the taste with our animosity."

"I guess it had to be a long journey from the Frontier. As far as I know, Baron Elliot is responsible for the food within your territory?" She asked nonchalantly, looking at him, waiting for an answer.

"It is true, My Lady." My uncle answered, "We have been working together closely since the establishment of our territories. You could say we are one territory with two rulers. We are connected by blood."

"So I heard." She smiled, watching us while submerging her spoon into her soup, "I wonder how different our cuisine is… We do get a lot of meat around where I am from. The forests are teeming with wildlife."

"Oh, ours too!" I answered with a chuckle because I had a feeling she was asking about a different kind of source than elk, rabbits, or whatnot. "Sometimes, there are so many of them, it is hard to keep up. They are literally throwing themselves at our walls, so to speak."

"I see, I see…" She hummed, her eyes slowly examining me once again before looking at the soldiers behind us, still wearing their armor, including their helmets. "Waste nothing, hm?" She asked again, examining their armor, and I knew she realized what they were made out of.

"Um." I agreed, leaning back, letting her maids come and take my plates away and place a beautiful feast before us, ranging from wild game to tender-looking meat slices and steaming bowls of potatoes. "It is something we have been doing since the beginning. Many regions would be surprised that the Frontier can be so… self-sufficient if it must."

"That… I don't doubt Viscount Leon." She mumbled, dropping the topic and instead beginning to talk with us about many unrelated topics, including our childhood experiences and our opinions on different political ideas regarding how the newly occupied Kingdom of Scorc is being handled…