The Matter of How Only a Political Rival Duke, Not My Own Family, Recognized My Worth After I Was Disowned ~When I Turned a Remote Frontier Territory Into the World’s Greatest City, the Noble Lady Assigned to Supervise Me Became the Best Fiancée~ - Episode 24: The Coming of the Winter General and the Siege by Starvation

Episode 24: The Coming of the Winter General and the Siege by Starvation

A few days after Isabella’s letter arrived,

The skies over the Alma Wasteland completely changed their expression.

The endlessly clear blue heavens became covered with heavy, leaden clouds. And the wind turned into a blade of cold that cut through the skin.

Then, the first snow began to fall.

At first, it was just faint white dust mixed in with the wind. But day by day, its strength grew. And soon it began to pile up quietly, endlessly. As if erasing all sound from the world.

“C-cold… Is this… the beginning of winter in the North…?”

A guard from Grindle chattered his teeth as he muttered by the campfire.

Looking up at the falling snow, I gave orders to all members.

“—From this day onward, all work will shift to final winter survival preparations! Our enemy is no longer monsters or men! Our true enemy now… is the winter of the Alma Wasteland itself!”

With my command, the camp once again filled with the vigor of a battlefield.

Under Gran’s direction, the dwarves sealed every gap in the stone and clay walls of the lodgings and installed double-paned windows I had designed. Beneath the floors, they steadily laid out a simple underfloor heating system (ondol). It had hot-water pipes powered by coal as the heat source.

The food team smoked, salted, or froze the meat gathered from past hunts. They then stored it in the massive underground warehouse.

Meanwhile, anticipating that all contact with the outside world would be cut off during winter, the miners carried out one final push—digging up vast quantities of coal and piling it high in dedicated storage sheds.

Everything was going according to my plan.

Everything—except for one thing.

The enemy’s sabotage.

The incident occurred as Gilbert’s trading company was returning to the capital after completing their last major transport.

“Count! Sir Gilbert’s returning convoy was ambushed!”

The messenger’s report froze the entire camp.

“The attackers called themselves the Frostfang Tribe from the north! Fortunately, a detachment of the guard unit under Sir Duncan’s orders arrived in time and managed to repel them—but several were injured!”

—The Frostfang Tribe. The same northern barbarians Isabella had warned of in her letter—the ones my eldest brother Alphonse had reportedly contacted.

So, they’ve finally made their move.

The supply line had been cut.

That news spread among the men. It was colder than the winter wind itself.

“Damn it… are we going to be isolated here…?”

“Can we even survive this winter…?”

As unease rippled through the camp, I gave precise orders for tending the wounded. I then spoke firmly before everyone.

“—Do not panic!”

At my sharp voice, all heads turned to me.

“This situation has already been accounted for in my plans!”

I slowly looked around at everyone.

“The final shipment was completed safely. We have more than enough food, fuel, and materials to last through this winter—and to resume development in spring!”

I pointed toward the newly completed lodgings. From its chimneys warm smoke was beginning to rise—and beside them, the mountain of black coal.

“My brother Alphonse’s aim is to isolate us in this frozen land and let winter itself destroy us. Typical—his cowardly siege by starvation. But it’s too bad for my brother.”

I smiled boldly.

“We will not perish here. During this winter, we’ll use our time quietly. We’ll steadily build the strongest fortress and the most powerful industrial foundation in this land!

When spring comes, and the snow melts, what the capital and my family will see—will not be the corpses of dead pioneers.

—It will be the sight of a brand-new industrial city that suddenly appeared in the North!”

With this, we would turn despair into the greatest opportunity for growth. My declaration ignited the men’s fading spirits. The fear in their eyes was swiftly replaced by a new, blazing determination.

The blizzard outside only grew fiercer.

But within our hearts, the coal flames burned brighter—stronger than any storm.