The north is a cold and hungry place. Its latitude is higher than the central region where the capital is located, so the sun's altitude is lower, meaning the amount of solar energy per unit area is less... Blah blah blah...
The rest is about Earth and life sciences, so I'll skip it. On top of that, in this fantasy world, there are magical beasts that advance from the north to the south. The north bears the fate of having to block that wave.
In many ways, it is the worst place for people to live. For that reason, most merchant guilds banded together, forming enormous caravans to travel. Just going there was dangerous, but it was essential to supply the army with goods.
We, too, boarded one of those caravans and headed north. Only Gwendolyn revealed her identity; Valerius and I used aliases. I was ‘Howard’, and Sir Valerius was ‘Leonard’.
"Leonard... not a very strong-sounding name. The alias I used before would have been better."
Sir Valerius grumbled, dissatisfied.
"What was the alias you used before?"
"Octavius."
"Ooh..."
It reminded me of a certain doctor with four mechanical arms on his back who was fond of graduate students. Valerius said to me.
"You may not know this, but having a name that sounds strong gets you into fewer fights."
"I don't think that will be necessary this time."
"Hm?"
I pointed to Gwendolyn, who was outside the carriage talking with another merchant lord.
"What's there to worry about when the only daughter of the Everglow family is with us?"
"I suppose you're right."
Sir Valerius quickly agreed. And so, Sir Valerius and I gained new identities as ‘bodyguard mages of the Everglow family’. After a long journey, we finally arrived at the northern gateway city, the ‘Gray Fortress’.
I looked up at the gray castle gate from beyond the carriage window. The city was not very large. Compared to the capital, the number of people was very small.
There was no particular vitality in the city either. Overall, it was gloomy. This was the line that divided the central region from the north.
Beyond this castle, there was no such thing as a ‘wall’. That was because beyond this magical beast front, there were only hunter-gatherers, fugitives, and magical beasts.
"Ugh, I'm tired."
As soon as I got out of the carriage, I stretched my stiff body.
Crack, crack.
A pleasant sound came from my joints. I asked Gwendolyn.
"Do you know why bones make a sound when you crack them?"
"No? What is it?"
"Actually, no one knows for sure."
"..."
"Hehehe."
Gwendolyn's mouth fell open as if she was dumbfounded. But what can you do?
It's true.
Even in a world where humanity could predict the future of the universe, the cause of this cracking sound had not been clearly identified. I like this story. It serves as a realization that not all fields develop at the same pace, I suppose?
Just then, northern army soldiers guarding the front of the military base blocked our path.
"Halt! From here on, it's a restricted area for civilians..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Gwendolyn stepped forward. She presented a crest engraved with her family's sigil and said.
"I have come to deliver a letter from my father, the former corps commander, to the commander here."
"..."
The northern soldier's eyes widened. After that, it was a free pass. I whispered quietly to Sir Valerius.
"What would you have done if it was just the two of us?"
"Simple. I would have knocked one of them out and used a disguise spell."
"What if you got a wanted notice for that?"
"I'd report it to the imperial family. And tell them to clear it up quickly."
"..."
I was speechless. Are all Great Mages like this?
Gwendolyn's conversation with the commander ended smoothly. In fact, I couldn't even join the meeting. It was only natural, given my status as an ‘attendant’.
Still, the result was not bad. There was already a squad conducting the pursuit, and we were to join them. Gwendolyn came to us and said.
"Um... due to the system, they said my attendants and I have to stay in different places."
Gwendolyn looked genuinely sorry. I waved my hand.
"It's alright. The north is probably short on building materials anyway, so I doubt they have officers' quarters to spare."
And so, Valerius and I headed to the soldiers' barracks. When I first saw the lodging, I doubted my eyes. No matter what, this couldn't be right.
Before me was a shabby field tent.
"What is this..."
"..."
We were speechless for a while. 'Am I going to be blown away by the wind in my sleep...?' I looked toward the officers' quarters in the distance where Gwendolyn would be staying.
It's a brick house.
I'm envious. Tsk.
Valerius clicked his tongue.
"Should I have revealed my identity?"
"Nah, let's not do that. We have to work hard on our mission. Still, I'll go and ask if there are better accommodations."
"Thank you, disciple of Doloren."
I immediately asked the soldier who guided us for the person in charge and found the field commander for this mission. She was a combat mage named ‘Sarah’.
"Are you the one in charge?"
"Ah, yes. What can I do for you?"
Sarah greeted me with a bright smile. What a relief. She seemed like a reasonable person.
I said.
"You see, I'm here for this purpose..."
"..."
"..."
However, as I began to explain properly, her expression hardened in an instant.
"That's just how it is."
"... Pardon?"
"You are to sleep in that tent. And for your information, the mission starts tomorrow, so please assemble by nine o'clock."
"..."
The commander had definitely promised official cooperation. Did Gwendolyn sell me out? Gwendolyn, not Elara?
Sarah muttered.
"Hmph. Thinks he can just stick a fork in a fully prepared meal."
Seeing that reaction, I realized. 'It's probably not Gwendolyn's fault.' Anyone would feel overwhelmed if their lead or support on a project changed midway.
From their perspective, we would seem like intruders. Persuading her with words seemed impossible. I had no choice but to work hard starting tomorrow.
And so, I returned to the tent with nothing to show for my efforts. As soon as I entered the tent, Valerius asked me.
"So, did they agree to change it?"
"No." "Damn it. Should I just destroy everything?"
"Whoa, whoa. Calm down, Professor."
"..."
"..."
"Isn't this tent quite usable in its own way?"
"This?"
Valerius looked around, incredulous.
"This orc-hide tent with holes here and there?"
"..."
"..."
Indeed, as Valerius said, the tent was in poor condition. I examined the part of the tent corner stamped with the imperial seal. 'This thing is 70 years old...'
To use a tent for 70 years, not even a canteen. Did someone embezzle funds? 'The Empire isn't that corrupt...'
It felt less like they had no choice but to give it to us and more like they deliberately threw us a piece of junk. Valerius waved his hand. A faint flame flickered between the torn pieces of leather.
Sizzle.
It seemed he was mending the leather with heat.
Valerius said.
"Damn... I don't think this is enough."
True.
Even if the orc hide blocked conduction and convection, losing radiant heat was unavoidable.
"Hehehe."
"..."
"..."
A laugh escaped me.
"Sir Valerius, when do you think a person's body temperature drops?"
"When my iron ball pierces your heart?"
"... No, not such a scary example."
Convection, conduction, radiation... I had wanted an answer like that. I took out a gold ingot from my pocket-space pouch and said.
"If we spread this on the walls, the inside of the tent will become warm."
"A gold ingot...?"
"Yes."
My plan was to use it to block the emission of radiant heat. Moreover, gold is a highly malleable metal, much easier to spread thinly than other metals.
The only problem was the cost, which the Winterheart family was always diligently taking care of. σ = F/A σ = Eε I calculated the elastic limit to which the face-centered cubic lattice structure of gold would not break down and the corresponding stress.
F=ma Q = -kA(dT/dx) Then, by applying force and heat, I flattened the gold ingot as thin as paper and meticulously plated the inner walls of the tent. Valerius watched the scene with interest.
"It's always fascinating. Your magic is fast and precise."
"..."
"Ah, now I see. You're applying the principles discussed in the [Principia] at every moment."
When the work was done, the inside of the tent was covered in smooth gold foil. Our reflections shone on the plated surface like a mirror.
Valerius muttered.
"... It feels like I've entered an emperor's coffin."
"If we just warm the air a little in here, it won't cool down easily."
PV = nRT I made the air inside the tent pleasantly warm.
"It certainly feels like less heat is escaping, but I wonder how it will be in the long run."
Hehehe.
I just smiled. There was no need for further excuses. The results would show which was stronger: the cold northern air or the gold foil.
The next morning. I asked Valerius.
"Did you sleep well last night?"
"... It's been a long time since I've camped without using a temperature-maintenance spell. Thanks to you, I was able to sleep soundly."
Valerius turned on a mana stone lamp.
Click.
The inside of the tent once again glittered with golden light. The corners of Valerius's mouth twitched.
"... It seems like a waste of money, but the performance is incredible. Yesterday's heat is still here."
Of course. Absolutely.
I said to Valerius.
"It may seem like a crude method, but this is a surprisingly irreplaceable technology."
It was a technology used even in extreme environments like space, which said it all.
"I should start carrying a gold ingot with me when I travel from now on."
"Oh, of course."
This thing is a travel essential. Afterward, I joined the magic search party to track the Guides of the Lantern. Of course, I was alone.
Gwendolyn had another meeting with the commander, and Valerius was assigned to a different team. It seemed they had scattered us as part of establishing discipline over the newcomers. I entered the barracks of my assigned squad.
As soon as I entered, the stench of sweat hit me. ... All barracks must be like this, right? The people inside had a somewhat wild feel to them.
'Whoa. Muscles.'
If wind mages were bodybuilders who had bulked up to their limits, these people were UFC fighters. They had the look of being honed with practical, compressed muscle. They were gathered in a corner of the barracks, reading something.
"I know Isaac is amazing... but he's definitely not at the Great Mage level! Look, he was a little off on his prediction for the last star shower."
"You idiot! The longitude is different here. You think the time would be the same?"
"Ah... right." ...
It was the [Principia]. So they read it here too. I feel proud.
A moment later, the combat mages' gazes turned to me.
"What? A newbie?"
"Another skinny one. Can't they send guys like this somewhere else?"
"Hey, newbie? State your name."
Ah...
I want to say my real name. I understood Valerius's feelings a hundred times over. But I couldn't mess things up after coming this far.
I said to them.
"I am Howard Wallowitz, a master's student from the Magic Tower."
"The Magic Tower? You went to the Magic Tower and then volunteered to be a combat mage?"
The combat mages scanned me as if looking at a strange animal.
"Are you crazy?"
"Whoa, what the hell!"
"I'm going to go brag to the squad next door. Tell them a crazy one has arrived."
Just then, Sarah, who was in the corner, joined the conversation.
"He's not a newbie, he's an advisor who will be with us until this mission is over."
At Sarah's words, one of the combat mages responded.
"An advisor? For what?"
"The ‘Guides of the Lantern’ case."
"..."
"..."
At her words, the mages' eyes changed. All curiosity was gone.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The wary gazes are quite burdensome. Parachuted in, an outsider. It seemed they thought of me in that way. '...
Well.
It's true, though.' A moment later, Sarah approached me, linked her arm with mine, and said.
"Someone so precious from the capital's Magic Tower, surely you won't just stand by and watch while we fight, will you?"
"..."
"I'll be watching."
If you want to be acknowledged, prove it with skill, is that it?
Alright.
I'll give it my all.
Sarah stared blankly at the scene before her. It was the same for all the other squad members.
"..."
"..."
Ruuuumble~!
The massive body of the Giant Ice Wyrm collapsed.
Whoosh!
As the magical beast's body hit the snowy ground, the area became hazy with a snow mist. In that blurry snow mist, ‘Howard’ muttered.
"This is firmly frozen permafrost... how on earth did it dig and move through the ground?"
"..."
Howard's words did not register in Sarah's ears. Her attention was fixed on the Ice Wyrm's corpse. The wyrm's entire body was riddled with dozens of holes, from which purple blood was gushing out.
The hot blood met the cold air, creating a hazy steam. She couldn't even guess what kind of magic he had used. There was no incantation.
She hadn't even seen any hand seals or a catalyst. By the time she came to her senses, the Ice Wyrm was already dead. 'Was this... something you could kill alone...?'
Killing a Giant Ice Wyrm alone. It was something that not even a doctoral-level combat mage would attempt. Sarah's gaze turned to Howard.
He stood motionless with his eyes tightly shut.
"Is everyone unhurt?"
Sarah replied.
"You can just open your eyes and check... sir."
"Um... I think I'll throw up if I look directly at that corpse. I plan to keep them closed for a while."
"..."
Sarah looked around. The entire area was covered in pieces of the wyrm's flesh.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Sarah gave up trying to understand Howard.