Isabel sighed, then smiled with faint disappointment."That last war cost us a fortune."
Noah nodded in understanding, as if it were nothing new to him. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "I was thinking of creating something new…"
Then her eyes settled on Arthur. She examined him in silence his armor, his hands, his face until her gaze finally stopped at his eyes. "You're a warrior, and your armor is in terrible condition," she muttered before looking toward Noah.
But Noah quickly shook his head. "I'm not making him another suit of armor. There's one in my room. Go take a look at it."
Isabel laughed softly. "You keep stealing my ideas, as always."
Noah shrugged. "You're easy to read."
Then he glanced at Arthur with an irritating grin. "Looks like you're lucky. You're getting a suit of armor as a gift."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "And why exactly would I get armor?"
Isabel didn't answer. Instead, she offered him a mysterious smile before Mary entered carrying a box.
Rising from her seat, Isabel said lightly,
"I'll go inspect the armor. By the way, tell the old man I'll seriously consider his offer."
Noah nodded silently and watched her leave.
Arthur, meanwhile, found himself following her with his eyes without understanding why.
The second time Arthur met Isabel, she was standing outside the meeting hall, gripping Noah's arm tightly.
Noah wasn't even looking at her. His gaze seemed fixed on something far beyond this place.
"What do you mean?" she demanded.
"You'll die if you continue down this path," Noah replied calmly. "Building a weapons factory requires more than ambition. It requires protection. I know you have influence, money, and courage. But not yet. Wait a little longer. The one thing I learned in my short life is patience."
She stared at him, caught between disbelief and frustration.
"So I should wait until the war ends? How am I supposed to market my weapons afterward? I could lose everything. I might even go bankrupt."
Noah answered as calmly as if he were dropping a pebble into still water. "I could start a war for you. Or… he could." He looked directly into her eyes. "Don't turn around."
"Who?" she asked suspiciously.
"The handsome Arthur."
This time, Noah was completely serious. "He's perfect for it."
Isabel fell silent, as though a thought had begun taking shape within her before she could fully grasp it."Your grandfather wants me to marry one of the royal princes," she murmured uneasily. "How am I supposed to oppose that?"
Noah raised a hand, signaling her to stop. "That won't happen. The lord asked me to bring Arthur here for a reason. But the more important question is… do you like him?"
"I don't know," she answered honestly before turning and entering the meeting hall.
Arthur finally approached Noah and stood beside him in silence.
After a moment, Noah said, "You can ask."
Arthur hesitated before speaking. "How are you related?"
Noah kept his eyes forward. "Her mother has been friends with my mother for a long time. We grew up together. She's like an older sister to me, even if the age difference isn't that big."
Then he added with a faint smile, "And if you think she's my fiancée she isn't. Not even if someone suggested it."
Arthur remained quiet for a moment before asking, "Do you like her?"
Arthur took a slow breath. "I don't know."
Noah suddenly laughed. "If you don't know, then who's supposed to know?"
Arthur smirked. "You're a difficult man."
As time passed, Arthur met Isabel again and again until talking with her became natural, though never simple.
He didn't fully understand what he wanted from those encounters.
He simply enjoyed speaking with her.
And Isabel was never a simple woman.
One day, Arthur was finally allowed to attend one of the family meetings.
Arriving slightly late, he found Isabel slamming her fist onto the table.
"We need a weapons factory! Better yet, factories everywhere! Soldiers' weapons are terrible they break in the first battle!"
An elderly man with white hair and blue eyes answered calmly, though he seemed more interested in provoking her. "Isabel, this requires careful thought. Who exactly do you intend to sell these weapons to?"
She thought for a moment. "To the followers of Lord Edmenial."
The old man struck the table with his own fist.
Isabel instinctively leaned back. "Grandpa! Don't get angry we're having a civilized discussion!" she muttered.
Logan smiled. "We are not selling weapons to Edmenial's followers."
Silence followed.
Isabel looked toward Noah, then toward his sister Anushka, seeking support.
Anushka met her grandfather's gaze directly. "We're deciding the factory issue today. Anyone with an opinion may speak. And anyone who speaks rudely won't speak again for the rest of the meeting." Then she glanced at Logan. "That includes you, Grandpa."
Half the room raised their hands in support.
Arthur stared at Noah's grandfather in surprise. The old man seemed more energetic than Noah himself.
When Arthur hesitantly raised his hand, Anushka gestured for him to speak.
"Selling exclusively to one side seems like a mistake. You should sell to everyone. You're merchants, after all."
Anushka crossed her arms.
"Selling to everyone means more chaos, more money… and far more bloodshed."
But Isabel didn't object.
"It's war," she said steadily. "War requires weapons. Sir Arthur understands war better than anyone."
Arthur smiled slightly when he heard his name from her lips.
"I once fought a man called Jasper. They called him The Rock."
A man who looked remarkably similar to Isabel interrupted.
"I'm Richard, Isabel's father. Jasper the Rock? Yes, I know him well. Naturally powerful."
He laughed. "It's an honor to meet you."
Arthur bowed politely. "The honor is mine." Then he added,"The Rock broke my weapon."
Isabel immediately pointed at him. "There. A perfect example."
Finally, Noah spoke. "We will sell weapons to the followers of Lord Edmenial and the Great Lord. There's no debate about that. But I also insist we sell to the Followers of Fate… and to ordinary humans as well. If we play this correctly, everyone wins."
Silence filled the room again. "Followers of Fate?" Arthur asked.
Noah nodded. "Yes. There's a suitable location for the factory already. No need to build a new one. A city called Arin, south of the capital. Production should begin immediately."
He looked around, almost expecting outrage.
None came.
"You said Followers of Fate?" someone repeated carefully.
"Yes."
Noah turned toward Arthur. "I've met their leader. Arthur has too. I examined him. In a few days, the matter should be over. Their leader, Matthew, seems to be taking the test far too lightly. It's strange enough to be examined simultaneously by the Lord of Time, the Revered Lord Edmenial, and Ron Feng. Honestly, it's a disaster. Yet both of them want Matthew, so he's receiving far more leniency than he deserves."
Every gaze shifted toward Arthur.
Feeling the weight of those eyes, he recounted what had happened.
When he finished, Logan sighed. "Your abilities are impressive. How old are you?"
Arthur paused. "I'm in my late twenties."
"That's strange," Logan muttered. "You're the one who killed Magnus."
Isabel blinked in surprise and looked toward Noah, who suddenly resembled a statue.
Logan laughed sincerely. "You're far too young. I'm one hundred and seventy-six years old, and you're the man who killed Magnus. Why do you look paler than a corpse? Lift your head."
Arthur immediately replied, "Sir, you're incredibly powerful."
But Logan turned to Noah. "I like him. Which branch do you belong to?"
"The main Bryce branch."
"A family of warriors." Logan gestured toward Arthur. "You're Noah's closest friend."
'Are we friends?' Arthur wondered. "Then perhaps you can help us. We're discussing weapons, and you're a warrior."
Arthur stood. "I'll think about it. Give me some time. Noah, come with me."
The two left the hall together.
Outside, Arthur stared at the closed doors. "This is unbelievable. Things are moving far too quickly. After you spoke, everyone agreed. You have far more influence than I realized."
Noah looked at him calmly. "What exactly do you mean?"
Arthur hesitated. "Could I become a partner? Like all of you?"
Noah fell silent for a moment before answering. "You can become a partner." Then he added, "You can become more than a partner."
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "You always make me think too much."
Noah laughed. "And I keep wondering why."
The two returned to the hall.
Arthur sat down and announced his decision.
"I agree. I want to become a partner. I'm skilled at crafting weapons, and I'll devote everything I have to it. They won't be tools of death alone… they'll be art."
Logan pointed toward Noah.
"Noah, you'll help him establish the business. Isabel, handle the details."
Isabel rose, thanked everyone with a small nod, and quietly left.
The next time Arthur saw her was at the factory.
He was busy modifying Noah's weapon.
Dressed in a simple short-sleeved shirt and plain trousers, he looked nothing like the dignified warrior she was accustomed to seeing.
When Isabel spotted him from afar, she stopped. Arthur never looked up. He was completely absorbed in his work.Yet she found herself unable to look away.
The image engraved itself into her memory. ' He's perfect. Damn him…'
Approaching him, she struck up a conversation before saying calmly, "You're old."
Arthur turned toward her in surprise. "Is that a problem?"
"No problems at all."
He studied her for a moment.
Then she asked, her voice carrying a gentle challenge. "I'll be honest. Have you ever loved someone before?"
Arthur shook his head with a smile. "No. I never had time for it."
She looked at him for a long moment, completely unashamed. "And now?" A faint smile appeared on her lips. "Do you have time?"
"A little." Arthur spoke while moving away to retrieve something from the table.
Isabel sat in front of a weapons blueprint, studying it with intense concentration.
When Arthur returned, he gently patted her head. "Isa…"
"Hmm?" she replied without lifting her eyes from the papers, completely absorbed in the details.
Then Arthur asked a question that sounded as though he had been holding it back for a long time. "Have you ever met Lord Edmenial before?"
"You could say that," she answered. "He blessed me once… though I'm only human, so what good is a blessing like that? And he told me that one day I'd live happily in a large house."
Arthur looked at her for a long moment. His gaze never left her, as though she had become something impossible to ignore. "That's good," he finally said in a quiet voice. "Because you're a good person."
Before leaving, Isabel pointed a finger at him. "If you don't have time… make time. Because if you don't, you'll lose more than you think."
Arthur folded his arms and gave her a faint smile. "You're incredibly bold. Did living with Noah ruin you?"
She waved a hand dismissively. "What I want…" she said lightly, "I take."
Arthur remained standing there after she left, staring into empty space. Then he whispered so quietly that no one could hear him. "You might die…"
At the next meeting, Isabel wasn't there.
Arthur searched for her with his eyes, but the chair she usually occupied remained empty.
Toward the end of the week, he spotted her from afar walking beside Noah. The two were talking as usual.
When she noticed Arthur, she greeted him with a small smile before immediately returning to a discussion about spiritual cores.
"Why do you want something like that?" Arthur asked, unable to hide the concern in his voice.
Isabel placed a hand against her neck, a habit she seemed to have developed. "To protect my precious life."
Arthur studied her carefully.
She wasn't only talking about spiritual cores.
Today she wore delicate jewelry that highlighted her features in a different way, making her seem brighter than usual.
'Oh… she looks better with jewelry. Should I buy her a gift?' The thought surprised Arthur more than anything else.
Noah spoke bluntly. "I already told you. We'll steal the levels for you." Then he suddenly remembered something."Oh, right. Bring Arlo to your house tonight. Isabel and I will come as well, along with the healer."
It was obvious Isabel had never intended to speak with the healer. The reluctance showed clearly in her voice when she quietly muttered, "I didn't really want to talk to him… but I did it for your sake."
Arthur gently patted her head. Gratitude filled his eyes. "Thank you."
At that moment, Noah watched the two of them in silence. He didn't say a word. Yet he looked as though he had been stabbed through the chest. Quietly, he stepped away, as if trying to shield himself from an invisible pain.
That evening, Arthur picked Arlo up from the factory and brought him home.
The two worked together in silence.
They cleaned the house with almost excessive precision.
Arlo handled the cooking while Arthur placed incense throughout the rooms, choosing warm fragrances meant to create a sense of comfort and peace. "Arthur, relax a little…"
Arlo spoke with amusement as he watched Arthur's relentless efforts. "They're not going to inspect the corners. Everything is already spotless."