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

Circumstances of the President and His Secretary (3)

When the lesson started in the room, Arina held onto her expectations.

‘Well, jumping into it right away would be odd. I can wait a little longer.’

She half-listened to Arad’s lecture while mentally revisiting everything she’d learned about male-female relationships from married maids. 

She even reviewed some of the more “intense” information Isabelle had shared.

“Let’s move on to the next chapter. Turn the page,” said Arad.

“…?”

But an hour passed, and all they did was make steady progress through the lecture.

‘What’s going on? Are we really just studying until the end?’

In the end, Arina had to accept the reality of the situation.

“…”

Reality.

Another hour went by.

“…For this reason, the ultimate goal of magical engineering is to create a semi-permanent power source that runs on natural mana, rather than the energy stored in magic stones. Since mana is omnipresent in nature, it eliminates the need to laboriously procure magic stones, much like simply basking in sunlight… Hmm?”

Arad, passionately teaching, noticed something amiss.

“Hm, hm! Perhaps starting with nothing but lessons on the first day was a bit much.”

“…”

“Let’s call it a day and prepare to head home.”

Arad, noticing Arina’s silent and somewhat dazed expression as she stared at the book, looked mildly apologetic.

“Is it… over?”

“We’ll stop here for today. You’ve worked hard.”

“Then… I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Arina abruptly stood and headed for the door.

“I’ll walk you out,” Arad offered, following her.

“It’s late, and the inner city is quite far.”

“I’ll ride my horse back.”

“Ah, yes, about that. Could you give me a ride?”

“…What?”

Arina stopped in her tracks at his unexpected request.

“What do you mean, ‘what?’ My house is near the inner city too. The third floor of the Arad Company headquarters.”

“That’s not what I meant… Where is your horse, President?”

“I lent it out earlier when they needed more for the construction. It’s probably resting somewhere by now.”

“What about your guards?”

At this, Arad glanced around, but the Frost Knights and knights disguised as employees, who usually hovered nearby, were nowhere to be seen.

“Looks like they wanted to clock out early too,” he said with a shrug.

Arad didn’t seem concerned. He had long believed that Mary was secretly one of the Frost Knights, so the absence of guards didn’t bother him.

“…”

Meanwhile, Mary observed him in silence, piecing the situation together.

‘That can’t be it…’

It wasn’t as if this oblivious man had intentionally dismissed his guards. 

It seemed more like the guards had acted with discretion on their own.

‘They’re just staying farther away than usual.’

Expanding her knightly senses, she confirmed that the Frost Knights were still stationed discreetly around the area, watching over them.

“…Fine. Just for tonight.”

After a brief internal debate, Arina ultimately agreed to let him ride with her. Leaving him behind felt… unsightly.

“Thank you. Oh, by the way, could I ask you to handle tomorrow morning as well?”

“Ask your guards tomorrow morning. Rumors could start otherwise.”

“Ah, good point. Understood.”

Arina and Arad mounted the horse together.

“I’ll take the reins,” Arina said.

Sitting in front, she held the reins while Arad sat behind her, his arms loosely around her like a back hug.

Under the moonlit sky, the horse trotted down the road.

It was early winter, and the northern chill was no joke. But neither Arad nor Arina seemed bothered.

Being a native of the North and capable of using mana to ward off the cold, Arina was fine. 

As for Arad, his body—well-suited to everything but combat—had quickly adapted to the northern weather, despite him not being a native. This adaptability often amazed the locals.

“…”

“…”

The two remained silent as the horse moved.

‘What on earth is this?’

Arina, meanwhile, felt overwhelmed by the awkwardness. 

Riding a horse together like this, half-embraced by a man—it was a first for her.

Normally, her heart would be racing like mad, but right now, it wasn’t as intense.

It was likely because of the earlier misunderstanding, disappointment, and embarrassment at the factory.

‘Should I say something?’

The silence was becoming unbearably uncomfortable.

“Why are you going to such lengths?” she asked finally, her words layered with meaning.

“…What do you mean?”

Unsurprisingly, Arad didn’t catch her nuanced question.

“…”

Instead of clarifying, Arina decided to wait and see how he would respond.

“Ah… Are you asking why I’d be so generous as to lend out my horse? Well, it’s for the employees and the company. If giving up one of my horses helps them work more efficiently and finish the construction even one second faster, I’d gladly do it.”

His response was exactly the kind of work-obsessed answer she should have expected from him.

“…I see.”

Hearing this, Arina sighed inwardly. This man is the real deal—more so than even me.

How did someone like this manage to make such a bold confession to me in the magical realm? she wondered, recalling their previous encounter.

Back then, she must have squandered the opportunity bestowed by the Renslet ancestors.

‘Still… his dedication as a leader is admirable.’

Though his answer was frustrating and disappointing, it also stirred a sense of respect in her.

“You’re already doing more than enough for the employees, not to mention the soldiers helping with the construction. It’s excessive.”

Still, a part of her felt a twinge of jealousy. If even a fraction of the care and attention he poured into the company could be directed toward her, she’d be happy.

“The northern creed is to repay kindness with loyalty, isn’t it? Treat them well, and they’ll serve loyally in return.”

“Not every northerner follows that creed,” Arina replied, recalling recent reports from the inspectors.

Not all northerners were skilled fighters. Not all were courageous.

Not every northerner valued honor and promises above all else.

While many adhered to such ideals, there were always exceptions—people who formed gangs, corrupt officials who embezzled funds meant for war veterans, traitorous citizens colluding with enemies, and nobles plotting rebellion.

“Human greed knows no bounds. That applies to our employees too. Eventually, they’ll take your generosity for granted.”

By Arina’s standards, what Arad was doing bordered on saintly altruism. 

Even on Earth, with its more developed concept of human rights, such actions would have been praised as “remarkably fair.” 

Here, in a world just emerging from its medieval age, his conduct was outright shocking.

‘Arad once told me he prioritizes character when selecting people and trusts his instincts in dealing with them. But how many of the current factory workers did he personally select?’

She recalled a conversation from her first day at the company, when she had helped him make a detection device. They had discussed his approach to recruiting talent.

‘Right now, Arad is relying solely on the northern creed. That’s dangerous!’

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