The Jarl and the head Valkyrie led us through a massive steel door into an adjacent room and descended into the catacombs beneath the palace. We descended for about five minutes and must have reached the bottom of the hill. At the end, an enormous spherical chamber with four doors awaited us. We entered through the northern one, which led upstairs. The wooden door to the south was covered in chains and secured by a massive lock. The stone door to the east was shut, but it seemed to emanate coldness, creating an unpleasant atmosphere in the cellar. And the last adamantine door to the west was closed with heavy bolts and had two keyholes, each the width of a person.
"A nice little door," Vina carefully examined the lock. "Thick adamantine is extremely hard to melt, freeze, or pierce. Five bolts that are also difficult to cut. I don't even want to imagine what the keys to these massive locks look like."
"There's no need for that," Siegfried and Freya unsheathed their blades. "You'll see for yourselves."
The rulers swung their blades and applied them to the door. The massive axe and two-handed sword perfectly fit into the keyholes, and with a thundering clank, the bolts began to slide open.
"Mm, probably the best place to store keys," Seleria observed the weapons. "And you never part with them?"
"No," Freya sheathed her sword and explained, "these blades are the symbols of a great Jarl and the High Valkyrie. Only together can they open the way to the treasury. Accordingly, if a war were to break out, only when both come here and open the path can they use this money to defend the country. Look."
Freya approached the door and tried to reach the keyholes. The distance between them was over three meters.
"One person could never open this door, even if they had both keys. This prevents giving the blades to impostors," Freya showed us her blade, and faint glimmers of intricate runes danced on the edge. They resembled symbols from the ancient dragon language but had additional strokes, concealing their true meaning. "Only the High Valkyrie can wield this sword; for others, it's unattainable."
"You've invested quite a bit in security," Seleria whistled respectfully.
"Oh, come on," Siegfried grinned. "This door and the weapons are gifts from the first Summoner. Since then, we've rarely opened this door, just storing emergency supplies here."
The door finally stopped clicking, and it slowly opened. Before our eyes appeared a room twice the size of the throne hall, filled with chests and shelves containing various ornaments, gold, and precious gems. I glanced at Vina, who seemed ready to drool.
"As you understand, not many know the secrets of this room, so don't tell anyone about it. But since you are friends of my daughter, I believe we can trust you," the Jarl approached the nearest chest and slightly opened it. "Hmm, yes, I think this will be enough."
With a kick, Siegfried sent the chest to us. I tried to gauge its weight, confirming once again the inhuman strength of this family.
"Come on, come on," Vina opened the chest and started sorting the coins. "Ohoho, there's everything here! Veranians, Leranians, Ow and these coins are from two thousand years ago... Even imperial coins are present!"
The merchant tossed Aileen a single coin. The massive coin was almost twice the size of Veranian coins, with a dragon's head depicted on the reverse.
"Oh, what antiquity! I didn't think anyone else still keeps our old money," the engineer deftly spun the coin between her fingers.
"So, they're old?" Vina took the coin from the girl.
"Well, yes," Aileen rummaged in her pocket and found another coin. "Nowadays, we cast them, but in the past, we minted them, which made the process faster, plus there were other minor differences."
Vina weighed the two coins in her hands.
"Hmm, they do look different... But gold is gold," Vina tossed the coin back into the chest. "This will be enough."
"Then we have a deal. If you need anything, you can turn to Holdr; he's also in charge of our soldiers' weapons."
According to the king, the dragoness could return any day, so we needed to be prepared. The best plan was to set up an ambush in the upper city. We climbed the tallest tower of the fortress, where one of the defensive weapons stood.
"Heh, interesting contraption," Aileen immediately got to work. "Looks like our ballistae, with a metal casing made of what you call adamantine. However, the cumbersome stand makes it effective only at long distances."
"Are you familiar with this design?" Holdr was still unaware of who he was dealing with. "It's one of the best inventions of our craftsmen, but even such a contraption can't effectively penetrate the thick armor of a white dragon."
"That's understandable," Aileen pressed a few elements, evaluating the whole structure. "The spring force of the bow is too small for such a heavy projectile."
"Aileen, could you improve this weapon? It would be enough if you made at least one of them powerful enough," I leaned closer to the engineer. "We should not only increase its killing power but also improve its maneuverability."
"Hmm, I could do something, I have a few ideas. The control will become smoother and more responsive, but it's unlikely anyone can learn to control it in just a couple of days. I myself haven't tried using it yet."
"Miriam, could you handle this machine?" I called the archer over.
"Well, yeah, it looks like a bow, but on the other hand, it's a completely different weapon," the girl circled the machine and checked some details. "But I think I can manage it."
"Then both of you will be in charge of this attack; it will allow us to determine the outcome of the battle," I leaned toward the girls. "And one more thing, Aileen, can you make this thing multi-shot? I'm afraid one arrow won't be enough, no matter how powerful it is."
"Hmm, launching multiple arrows in parallel will stress this metal too much... But if I make a magazine, it could turn into quite an interesting contraption. I'll work on it," the engineer turned to Holdr. "I'll need the strongest leather straps you can find, and meet your blacksmiths... oh, and a hammer and an axe; there's something I need to modify!"
"Algo, help her out here. The rest of you, follow me," the first stage was defined, now we had to decide what to do next.
"Holdr, the Nordrune blacksmiths are the best when it comes to working with adamantine, right?"
"Of course, no one in the world would doubt that."
"Then would you be able to restore a severely damaged adamantine sword? I stopped not far from the blacksmith's forge at the base of the fortress.
"Certainly, but our blacksmiths don't produce the finest blades for sale in other countries. You must understand that the best weapons are supplied only to the guards of the great Jarl. You won't be able to use the royal forge."
I led the warrior aside from the others.
"And what if I say that the warrior damaged his blade while trying to protect Hilda? And he succeeded, even though almost nothing is left of the sword itself."
"Hmm, if you're not lying, that deserves praise. Not many can corner the princess. But it's just this once," the warrior nodded in approval, and I called Werner closer.
"Give me your sword," I took the melted blade in my hands. It was the same adamantine blade we found in the dungeon during the festival. The metal was very old, so the reddish hue was barely noticeable, but I always felt that this sword too easily repelled magical spells. "This is the sword I was talking about."
"Hold on, Krito," Werner hesitated to part with his weapon. "I don't have the money to repair it right now, maybe it's not worth it?"
"Don't worry, young man. If you damaged it while protecting the princess," I said, "I can charge the expenses to the needs of the guard. The core of the metal is not affected, but due to the intense flames, a buildup of residue formed on the blade. It cannot be removed; the blade needs to be remade."
"Is it really that bad?"
"Well, the sword's shape suggests it's more for defense, and it can still serve that purpose. But you won't be able to cut with it. And what interesting thing could have ruined the noble metal?"
"The flame of an ancient red dragon."
"Ooooh," the warrior inspected the blade again. Thick deposits that resembled blisters covered the metal. It's amazing that Werner managed to sheathe it in the scabbard. "The most detestable creatures. Their breath contains a lot of sulfur, and it reacts with the metal, slowly deteriorating the blade's foundation. It's good you brought it here now. If you continued using it like that, it would crumble in a couple of weeks. However, the sword endured the breath of an ancient dragon, and you didn't turn into a pile of ashes."
"I think there were some symbols on it before, though they almost faded away over time," Werner pointed to a couple of embossed letters familiar to me from the alphabet of ancient gods.
"Oh, those are runes. We engrave them on weapons for special properties. They don't always work, but they can still greatly enhance the quality of the weapon."
Doubts plagued me about how the Nordrune blacksmiths could know the meaning of ancient symbols, but I decided to trust the craftsmen. Tan promised to finish the sword by tomorrow evening, and if luck was on our side, Werner would also aid us in the battle.
The next day, we spent preparing for the battle. Following my orders, the city's inhabitants fortified their homes, ready to take shelter inside during the attack. Aileen constructed some unusual apparatus for the weapon, tying together the base of the ballista with hundreds of meters of leather straps. It seemed strange to me, but thanks to this construction, the ballista could rotate in a circle, making up to three revolutions in one direction, and tilt up and down within sixty degrees. It required little effort, with the archer only needing to distribute their weight correctly. When necessary, the apparatus could be fixed for more precise aiming. Overall, the weapon resembled a very large handheld crossbow with a stand to assist the archer in holding it.
The contraption was challenging to control, so Aileen and Miriam spent the entire day trying to get accustomed to it. If there had been enough time, Miri could have learned to handle it on her own, but we didn't have that luxury.
The dragoness didn't show up that day, but it only increased the chances of encountering her the next day.
At night, I went up to the walls of the upper city. We still needed to figure out what to do with the dragoness after we defeated her, but I had no ideas on that matter yet. On the northern wall stood a familiar figure in a dress reinforced with armor, and it seemed that the princess couldn't sleep at this time either.
"What, Hilda, surveying your domain?" I approached the princess unnoticed, and she slightly flinched at the sound of my voice.
"Krito! You do enjoy scaring people. I just wanted to double-check if everything is ready," the girl looked at the tower where our ballista stood at the top. "Do you think it will work?"
"I believe so. Aileen and Miri can be trusted in these matters."
"But what then? What do you plan to do when you capture her?"
I was not yet certain that we would be able to capture her, let alone what to do afterward...
"I think I will entrust her to Kurone for taming."
"Hey, hey! Are you planning to leave it to the weakest of the team?!" Hilda angrily grabbed me by the collar. "I still don't understand why you take her on all the most dangerous missions."
I shrugged her off and gave her a satisfied smile.
"It's because you don't know how strong she truly is. She may not be very useful in battle, but her 'special' talents make her the most indispensable companion."
"Huh? What are you even talking about?"
"Oh, right. She never managed to get through to you, did she?"
The princess's face showed no hint of suspicion.
"Well, fine. I hoped that you would be able to trust her soon and unlock your mind on your own. But we don't have time for that now," I sighed and leaned over the edge of the wall. "Kurone is not just our secretary, treasurer, or a not very powerful support mage. She possesses a rare gift that allows her to delve into the minds of others. However, penetrating someone's mind is very difficult for her if the person doesn't trust her. That's why you can't hear her. Thanks to her, we work so seamlessly during battles, and I can tell others what to do next."
"Hmm, quite a useful ability."
"But you still won't trust Kurone?"
"I don't know. I don't trust many people in general," Hilda sadly settled on the edge of the wall. "I told you, even the Valkyrie sisters treated me with caution. Lady Askarez was the only one I could talk to about everything. Maybe I could trust a brother or sister, but I always grew up alone."
"Does the king have other children?" As far as I knew, Princess Hilda was the only heir.
"Hmm, not many people know about it, but yes, our father has illegitimate children. And the saddest part is that he had them with Mother's permission."
"What?!" That was a big surprise for me. "What do you mean?"
"Well, when Mother was pregnant with me, she fell seriously ill. The pregnancy was difficult, but she understood that Father, like any man, needed... you know. So, she chose a lover for him from her Valkyrie friends. As she put it, 'She didn't want some unknown street girl to seduce the Jarl and spin him around at her will.' And she entrusted this 'difficult mission' to her best friend, the second-strongest Valkyrie. The birth was tough, and after it, Mother couldn't have any more children. By that time, her friend was also pregnant with the great Jarl's child. Mother thought that it might be even better and insisted that she raise the second child secretly away from the capital. Father visited them a few times, but Freya forbade him to visit his second daughter often because she would have to take the throne if anything happened to me."
"Wow, what a twist. And how many people know about this?"
"Besides the participants of the events, only I and Holdr know, as he hid them from everyone. Mother told me about it only a year ago, trying to convince me that the country's interests are above our personal desires."
"And you didn't tell me about this?"
"Nothing, it wouldn't give you anything. One of the Tans could probably use this information to start a coup. Not all Tans unconditionally support Father."
"Wow, your mother is quite harsh."
"Well, you can understand her... at least try to. It's better than what happened during my great-grandfather's time. They say that even now, over a third of the Valkyries are my distant cousins."
"That's even worse."
"Yes, men in the north are not known for their fidelity, but that can be said about many people."
"Hey! I must object to generalizations!"
"Hehe, as you wish," Hilda smirked. "So, have you already calculated the entire battle plan?"
"Well, almost," while talking to Hilda, I stared into the field to the west of the city, which occasionally shimmered in the moonlight. "Tell me, what's that in the distance?"
"Hmm?" The princess looked at the indicated spot and snickered. "That's one of our landmarks - the Field of Geysers. The water there is not very suitable for drinking, but it's known throughout Nordrune for its healing properties."
"Hmm, and how often do eruptions occur there?"
"About twice a day, why?"
"Just curious. Now everything is ready," I headed towards Grain. There was only one part of the plan left to complete.