Henry's stay at Tecka did not last long after King Mark's visit.
Soon after the royal discussions ended, he was officially assigned the task of implementing the Stone Guard system along the southern border regions where demonic activity had begun increasing rapidly.
Thus, after preparing the necessary blueprints and gathering several artificers and engineers, Henry departed for the borderlands.
His destination—
The adventurer city of Ismal.
—
The journey southward revealed just how much the kingdom had changed over the past year.
Caravans heading toward safer northern regions filled the roads. Military patrols passed frequently. Villages once lively now shut their gates before sunset.
Even the atmosphere itself felt heavier.
And when Henry finally arrived at Ismal—
He almost failed to recognize the city.
The Ismal he had crossed long ago was a rough adventurer settlement standing at the edge of danger.
But now—
It had transformed into a massive military fortress.
The walls surrounding the city had been reinforced several times over. Towering defensive structures stood across the perimeter, and enormous mana-powered ballistae pointed toward the southern wilderness.
Royal banners fluttered across the walls.
Countless soldiers marched through the streets.
Mercenaries filled the taverns.
Adventurers crowded every corner.
The entire city had become a war camp.
Even the air carried the smell of steel, smoke, and blood.
As Henry entered through the northern gate, several guards immediately recognized him.
"The Baron of Tecka!"
Word spread surprisingly fast.
Soon Henry was escorted toward the fortress command center where he was greeted by the chief architect responsible for Ismal's defenses.
The man was elderly, thin, and wore thick crystal lenses over his eyes. Ink stains covered nearly every finger he had.
"You truly came…" the architect muttered while staring at Henry almost excitedly.
Henry blinked.
"Was I not supposed to?"
"No, no!" the old man waved his hands rapidly. "I simply wished to meet the man who built the Stone Guards."
The architect introduced himself as Rennold, one of the kingdom's senior military engineers.
Unlike many nobles, Rennold immediately buried Henry under endless technical questions.
"How do the mana circuits stabilize?"
"How long can atmospheric absorption sustain the core?"
"What prevents central collapse?"
Henry ended up explaining things for nearly an hour before finally escaping outside.
And the moment he stepped near the fortress walls—
A loud commotion erupted near the southern gate.
The guards straightened instantly.
The adventurers moved aside.
Then came a large group returning from the savanna lands beyond the walls.
At the center of them all stood First Prince Max.
He was covered in blood from head to toe.
Some belonged to monsters.
Some belonged to himself.
Yet despite his exhausted state, he still stood upright carrying a massive greatsword across his shoulder.
The crowd erupted into cheers.
"The First Prince has returned!"
"Another hunt completed!"
"The southern beasts have been cleared!"
Max looked less like royalty and more like a battlefield commander forged entirely through war.
When he noticed Henry, he smiled faintly.
"So they dragged you here too."
Henry looked toward the countless corpses of demonic creatures being transported behind him.
"Looks rough."
Max sighed heavily.
"The monsters keep increasing."
His gaze shifted toward the distant south.
"Especially near the forests beyond the savanna."
The great forests south of Ismal were infamous throughout the kingdom.
Dense.
Ancient.
And heavily corrupted.
Demonic beasts nested there in terrifying numbers.
Recently, however—
The creatures had begun moving northward far more aggressively than before.
Even veteran adventurers struggled surviving deep within the forests now.
Max's expression hardened.
"Something is driving them."
Henry silently agreed.
The increase was unnatural.
Almost organized.
—
Soon Henry fully immersed himself in work.
He began redesigning the Stone Guard system specifically for border warfare.
The original guards used within Tecka were designed mainly for law enforcement and city defense.
But the border required something far more brutal.
Thus Henry modified them extensively.
Larger frames.
Stronger armor.
Mana cannons.
Anti-corruption barriers.
Specialized weapons designed specifically against demonic creatures.
The workshops of Ismal quickly filled with noise day and night as engineers and artificers worked nonstop beside Henry.
And while the construction continued—
Henry also witnessed the reality of the border firsthand.
Almost every day injured adventurers returned from hunts.
Some missing limbs.
Some carrying corrupted wounds.
Some never returned at all.
The southern wilderness had become increasingly deadly.
—
During his stay in Ismal, Henry also reunited with several familiar faces.
Among them was Jole.
The young boy who had once stared endlessly at Henry's bionic arm.
Now older and more energetic than before, Jole practically followed Henry everywhere.
"Teach me alchemy!"
"Teach me artifacts!"
"Teach me how to build a mechanical arm!"
Henry initially refused.
Then gave up after constant persistence.
Soon Jole became Henry's unofficial apprentice.
Henry taught him the basics of alchemy, mana flow theory, engineering principles, and artifact construction.
Though Jole still lacked discipline—
His talent was undeniable.
—
Henry also encountered Duke Sven during his stay.
The mighty Duke looked strangely depressed while drinking alone.
When Henry asked why, the Duke sighed deeply.
"My daughter refuses to come home."
Apparently she had completely immersed herself in studies at the Academy City of Vlad and now rarely replied to letters.
"She only writes about books," the Duke complained bitterly.
"She even forgot my birthday."
Henry honestly had no idea how to comfort him.
—
Then there was Jole's grandmother.
The mysterious old woman remained exactly as unsettling as before.
Whenever Henry passed near her home, he felt as though she could see straight through him.
One evening she suddenly spoke while staring at his bionic arm.
"That arm carries fate."
Henry froze slightly.
Before he could ask further—
She simply laughed and closed the door.
Leaving him disturbed for the rest of the night.
—
Despite his workload, Henry occasionally joined adventurer hunts beyond the walls.
At first the soldiers protested against a noble fighting personally.
But after witnessing Henry destroy corrupted beasts effortlessly—
No one complained again.
The southern lands had changed drastically since Henry first crossed them long ago.
The demonic enroachment had spread far deeper into the wilderness.
Entire sections of land were corrupted black.
Rivers carried traces of miasma.
Even the sky above certain regions appeared darker.
The deeper they traveled—
The stranger the beasts became.
Some creatures possessed unnatural mutations.
Others behaved intelligently.
One hunt even revealed demonic beasts fighting each other violently as though competing for territory.
That disturbed Henry more than anything.
Demonic creatures normally acted through instinct.
Not organization.
Not strategy.
Yet something was clearly changing.
One night after returning from a hunt, Max stood beside Henry atop the fortress wall overlooking the endless darkness of the southern wilderness.
"The border won't hold forever if this continues," Max said quietly.
Henry remained silent.
Far away in the distance—
Within the forests—
Several glowing red eyes slowly opened in the darkness.
Watching the fortress.
Watching humanity.
And somewhere far beyond those forests—
Past the corrupted lands and the Forbidden Line—
Something ancient had begun to awaken.