The rapid-fire crossbows, the Invincibles, were swiftly carried up onto the ramparts. Watching the process, Count Britton couldn’t keep his mouth from falling open. What should have taken ten strong men to lift was moved and set in place by only two.

“I knew Nevrion steel was light and strong, but I didn’t think it would be this light.”

It was moved so easily that if he hadn’t already possessed a Nevrion steel sword himself, he might have doubted the Invincible’s durability. Cedric, unable to believe his own eyes, even went so far as to lift one himself in place of the workers.

The technicians from Wintfall, already experienced from countless installations, worked with astonishing speed.

“Wow… what exactly am I watching right now?”

The soldiers and workers who helped move the machines gawked at the Wintfall technicians’ practiced precision. Every meticulous movement seemed to symbolize the overwhelming strength of Wintfall itself.

Both Count Britton and Cedric received direct instruction from Estella on how to operate the Invincibles.

“The mechanism is simpler than I expected.”

Given the weapon’s tremendous power, they had imagined an intricate, delicate system—but the operation was surprisingly straightforward. That meant it would be all the easier to use in battle.

“We brought plenty of bolts as well. And since the bolts can be retrieved and reused, once the monsters are cleared, please make sure to recover them.”

Unlike ordinary arrows, the Nevrion steel bolts retained perfect shape even after piercing through monsters. They neither bent nor dulled, making them endlessly reusable so long as they were properly collected.

“Remarkable. Truly a formidable weapon.”

At the count’s admiration, Estella smiled with quiet satisfaction and nodded. Yet she said nothing about the ghost. The self-reloading phantom that retrieved bolts automatically was a secret she planned to reveal only once the firearm project was complete. Whatever the situation, it was vital to always have a next move ready—even with allies.

Four Invincibles were mounted along the wall. The Defensive Coating was being applied thickly by Britannia’s workers and soldiers under the guidance of Wintfall’s technicians. As if blessed by the heavens, the weather stayed perfectly clear; the coating dried the moment it was spread, and Britannia’s fortifications advanced at a breathtaking pace.

Nor was that all. The knights of Britannia, armed with newly granted Nevrion steel swords, felt as though they had gained an army of thousands. Until now, only the highest-ranking knights had owned one, and the rest had only ever seen them from afar.

“My God! So the entire Black Lily Order wields swords like this?”

One knight muttered in awe, unable to close his mouth after slicing clean through a steel blade as though it were radish root.

“I hear even their shields and armor are made of Nevrion steel.”

“Then they’re truly invincible.”

The knights’ faces shone with envy.

“Isn’t it a blessing, then, that we’re allied with Wintfall?”

At that follow-up remark, the others’ expressions flooded with a relief beyond words.

While the coating hardened, barbed wire was being installed swiftly around the walls. Airi didn’t take the front line this time, but everything moved as smoothly as if they’d practiced hundreds of times before.

The sheer speed of progress, needing no explicit orders, left Count Britton astonished. Wintfall had become far stronger than he had ever imagined—perhaps even beyond the Emperor’s reach.

To test the wire’s performance, the count released ten wild boars. But the instant the charging beasts brushed the fence, they turned to ash. His jaw went slack.

“H-how in the world…!”

Until now he had thought that this alliance might even bring loss—that all of it was unavoidable sacrifice to repay Wintfall’s kindness. But that, he realized, had been utter folly.

“Wintfall will never forget the friendship and goodwill Britannia has shown us.”

Estella answered his astonishment with a calm smile.

This alliance with Wintfall was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for Britannia.

Count Britton looked at Estella, who smiled radiantly at him, and his face filled with reverence.

It took only five days to install every weapon and defense Wintfall had brought. There were occasional monster raids during that time, but the Britannian knights wielding Nevrion steel swords cut through them like paper dolls. Their morale soared sky-high. Estella’s group had prepared to rush to aid them if necessary—but there was no need.

At the vanguard always stood Cedric. He never hid behind his rank or his men. It was only natural that the knights followed him with one heart. Knowing that Lumina’s fiancé was such a reliable man brought Estella quiet reassurance.

On the sixth day after their arrival, a grand banquet was held. It was late for a welcoming feast, but no one complained; the hall was bright with cheer.

The long banquet table in the center of the hall was laden edge to edge with food. The silverware gleamed spotless, and crystal goblets shimmered with ruby-colored Rubella-berry wine, Britannia’s local specialty.

Roast suckling pig, pheasant steamed in butter, grilled oysters, chestnuts and figs candied in honey, aged cheeses, and platters of richly spiced dishes—every delicacy imaginable filled the hall. After days of relentless labor, laughter rang from the tables where the Squirrel Mercenaries and Black Lily Knights sat side by side.

Count Britton, cheerfully drunk, rose with his wine glass in hand. Not long ago, such a thing would’ve been impossible—but thanks to the prosthetic leg Estella had given him, he could stand on his own whenever he wished.

Clink, clink, clink!

He tapped his crystal glass with a silver spoon, and all eyes in the hall turned to him.

“Because of you, Britannia grows stronger—and will prosper all the more! I, Count Britton, take this opportunity to offer a gift to my dear friend and benefactor, Lady Estella Cardeine, eldest daughter of Marquis Cassian. Speak, my lady—ask for whatever you desire. If it’s within my power, I’ll give it to you. Ah, except this leg!”

His joking add-on filled the hall with hearty laughter.

“Thank you. I gladly accept your kindness, my lord.”

When Estella accepted without hesitation, the count’s grin deepened. Her frankness pleased him greatly.

After the feast, Estella and Ciel followed the count to his study. Despite appearing tipsy at the banquet, he greeted them there with perfect composure. If not for the faint scent of wine, they might not have known he’d been drinking at all. They sat naturally on the sofa facing him across the room.

Estella could hold her liquor well—but next to the count, she was an amateur.

“Your Highness, how is your health?”

The count addressed Ciel first.

“Thanks to everyone’s help, I’m fine now.”

At Ciel’s reply, the count smiled faintly. He had personally witnessed what was nearly a miraculous recovery. A lesser man would still be bedridden, but Ciel was not ordinary.

To Britton—who believed Emperor Aslan unworthy of the throne—Ciel represented another kind of hope. He was one of the reasons the count had no choice but to stand with Wintfall.

The count’s gaze shifted from Ciel to Estella, now filled with warmth and affection unlike the reverence he’d shown before.

“So you already know what you want from me—that’s why you came tonight, isn’t it?”

Coming to him immediately after the banquet meant there was a specific request. Even if her favor carried purpose, he was ready to give whatever she asked.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“What is it? Don’t tell me you’re asking for my entire domain.”

At his teasing, Estella burst into a bright laugh.

“You did say you’d give me anything, didn’t you? That would include that too.”

“Why not! Just say the word and it’s yours.”

The count chuckled heartily, and Estella shook her head, laughing as well. To an outsider, their words might have sounded outrageous, but to the two of them it was a light-hearted exchange.

“Cedric would probably cry his eyes out if he heard that.”

“What nonsense. He’d shout for joy and run straight to Lumina!”

At that joke, Estella’s smile deepened. Even in a mere mention, she could feel how fondly the count regarded Lumina.

“Now then—tell me what you truly want. What should I give you?”

At that, it wasn’t Estella but Ciel who set something on the table. The count recognized it instantly: the hammer he’d once given as a gift to Dolan, Wintfall’s master smith.

“You want another one of those? I’m afraid that hammer is one of a kind in my house. Even if I wished to, I couldn’t give another.”

Estella quietly shook her head.

“It isn’t the hammer I want. It’s the Noctarum embedded in the handle.”

“Noctarum? Don’t tell me, Your Highness… you need that much of it?”

Hearing that what she sought was Noctarum, the count turned a curious glance toward Ciel. Realizing what the look implied, Ciel’s face flushed scarlet.

“N-no! It’s nothing like that!”

He waved his hands in panic, but the count’s sly smile only deepened.

“It’s all right. Such things happen. People aren’t always what they seem, eh? Hahaha!”

Ciel glanced at Estella as if begging for rescue, but she was doubled over, laughing until tears pricked her eyes.

“...Estella.”

She wiped her eyes, still chuckling, and finally spoke.

“Noctarum is a mana stone required for producing a new weapon.”

“A new weapon?”

The playfulness vanished from the count’s eyes, replaced by sharp curiosity.

“Yes. To build it, we absolutely need Noctarum. There’s likely some in Wintfall’s mines, but identifying the precise vein will take time.”

“And you won’t tell me what kind of weapon it is?”

“When it’s complete, Britannia will receive some as well.”

Count Britton stared silently at Estella’s composed expression, then stood from his seat. His gait was perfectly natural now, the prosthetic leg fully his own.

He crossed to his desk, opened a drawer, and withdrew a fresh scroll of parchment. Sitting down again, he dipped his quill and began to write calmly. A short while later, he melted sealing wax over the document and pressed it with his family crest.

It was a deed transferring all mining rights to Noctarum in Britannia to Estella Cardeine.

Chapter 210

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