The Will to Live Is My Strongest Skill

Noah opened his eyes. A dull pain throbbed in his temples.

​He struggled to roll onto his side and sat on the edge of the bed, resting his head in his hands. His gaze couldn't focus on the wooden floorboards.

​What happened?... flashed through his buzzing head. Memories cut off abruptly, leaving only emptiness behind.

​Somehow getting to his feet and swaying from light dizziness, Noah headed for the exit.

​Nearby, Marek, Darwin, and Clara sat on wooden benches. They were quietly discussing something while Elyria circled overhead as usual. The spirit gestured actively with her tiny palms, clearly trying to prove yet another one of her crazy theories.

​Taking just a couple of steps toward the group, Noah rubbed his neck. This gesture—or perhaps his wobbly appearance itself—instantly caught the spirit's attention. Cutting her sentence short mid-word, Elyria dive-bombed right toward him, hovering at eye level.

​"Oh, so you're awake!" she exclaimed brightly, putting her hands behind her back and tilting her head from side to side.

​Noah frowned deeper, instinctively squinting against the overly bright daylight, and asked in a raspy voice:

​"What even happened? We went into the forest. I remember us just starting to train... And after that—nothing."

​Elyria upturned her nose, doing a backflip in the air, and answered:

​"Ah, you just passed out right in the middle of our training! Most likely from wild exhaustion, burnout, and all that."

​"What?... How does that even work?" he asked mistrustfully, feeling irritation rising.

​Elyria merely shrugged:

​"Well, like that."

​Noah exhaled. Running a hand over his face, he slowly headed toward the workbenches.

​Noticing his approach, Marek smiled immediately:

​"Oh, look, our sleepyhead deigned to honor us with his presence!"

​"Welcome back to the waking world, Noah," Clara smiled softly, setting aside a clay pitcher.

​Darwin nodded happily as well, waving a greeting hand. Noah gave them a sluggish nod in response and sat down on the edge of a bench. His body still felt foreign and uncooperative.

​"And how much... how much exactly did I sleep?" he asked hollowly, looking at Elyria, who had settled on the edge of the awning.

​The spirit yawned, covering her mouth with her palm, and said:

​"Well, pretty much a whole day."

​Noah nodded, staring at a single spot on the table, and retreated into his thoughts.

​Passing out in the middle of a fight... Sleeping for a day... What pathetic trash, he spat mentally. I need to train more.

​The clatter of hooves and the clinking of harnesses snapped him out of his thoughts. Noah raised his head and only now noticed the luxurious carriage surrounded by armed men standing at the borders of Dornheim.

​"And who are they?" Noah asked, nodding toward the strangers.

​Elyria, swaying on an invisible wave, shrugged her shoulders and pulled a subtle face:

​"Ah, another important guest paying a visit to Iron. King Olgerd in the flesh."

​"Another king... What do they all even want here?"

​Meanwhile, silence hung over the negotiation table. King Olgerd smoothly lowered his cup.

​"Let us clarify the situation immediately, Iron," he said in an even voice, leaning forward slightly. "My kingdom is prepared to offer Dornheim what other settlements dare not even dream of. Gold, supply caravans, any rare materials, full political support, and, most importantly, the military protection of my crown. Absolutely everything at my disposal will be yours. In return, I only require the entire supply of your unique ore."

​Olgerd leaned back in his chair, expecting to see Iron's astonishment.

​"Forgive me, of course, Olgerd," the engineer said firmly, looking the king in the eye. "But I cannot do that."

​Olgerd raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. A flicker of bewilderment passed through his gaze.

​"You refuse?" he asked again. "Do you even understand what opportunities you are closing your doors to?"

​"Dornheim is developing at breakneck speed even without your help," Iron cut him off. "Our technologies are autonomous, our people already know what to do, and resources are abundant. But it's not even about that. With your help, my people will simply grow lazy and weak."

​"When a powerful party takes you under its wing and does all the heavy lifting for you, you instantly lose your edge. You stop fighting. I don't need weak, dependent moochers who, at the very first serious siege, will run to hide behind the backs of foreign guards. Dornheim will forge its own strength strictly with its own hands."

​When the echo of Iron's words died down, silence fell over the room once more.

​Iron shifted his grip on his cane to a more comfortable position, leaned forward slightly, and asked the question that had been nagging at him for a long time:

​"Now tell me, Olgerd... Why do you need my ore so badly in the first place? I'm just curious. You're the third king to personally show up on my land. For three rulers to abandon their state affairs and travel to Dornheim for some ore... As far as I'm concerned, that's entirely too strange. One, fine—that could be written off as a coincidence or stupid rumors. But three... to me, that's a pattern."

​"The ore is necessary for me to realize my own, purely personal strategic goals, Iron. And believe me, those goals are worth making this entire journey through the wilderness for. Naturally, I will not reveal details of a state scale to you, but I assure you: this ore is capable of fundamentally changing the future."

​The engineer listened carefully, not taking his eyes off his companion's face and catching every micro-expression. Mentally, Iron noted:

​And this king holds himself much calmer and more confident than the last idiot... Thanks for that, I guess.

​Meanwhile, outside, another drama was unfolding. Noah stood by a low wooden fence while Elyria annoyingly circled right in front of his face, dive-bombing toward his ear every now and then.

​"Back off already, stop buzzing over my head!" Noah grumbled irritably, waving her away. "My head is splitting as it is, and here you are flapping your wings."

​"Who's buzzing?! I'm a spirit, not an insect—have some respect!" Elyria shouted indignantly, hovering in mid-air with her hands on her hips. "By the way, I hauled your lifeless carcass out of the forest myself! You could say a simple 'thank you' for once instead of making that perpetually miserable face!"

​"I didn't ask you to haul me, I would've walked myself..." Noah grunted sullenly, turning away.

​"Yeah, right! You would've crawled back on all fours at best," the spirit snorted.

​She flew a little closer, peering intently into his face as she listened to his quiet mumbling. At that moment, a faint smile of relief appeared on Elyria's lips.

​At that very second, in the meeting hall, the drawn-out negotiations reached their conclusion. King Olgerd slowly rose from his chair, straightening the silk cuffs of his doublet.

​He looked down at the seated engineer:

​"Is your answer final, Iron?"

​"Yes."

​Olgerd nodded calmly. He adjusted his collar and headed for the exit.

​"Very well. In that case, there is no reason for me to linger here any longer."

​Couldn't agree more, Iron said mentally.

​Olgerd and Iron unhurriedly walked out of the house. The guard standing by the door immediately straightened up, ready to follow his master. Olgerd headed back toward his carriage.

​However, he suddenly froze.

​Walking straight toward him was Noah. He still looked a bit disheveled after his sleep, but moved normally.

​King Olgerd stared at him. His breath caught for a second, and his face turned pale. A single thought hammered in his head: Him... Who on earth is he?!

​Noticing his sovereign's strange stupor, the guard immediately took an anxious step forward, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword:

​"Your Majesty? Is something troubling you? Should I order him seized?"

​Olgerd forced himself to regain control of his body with difficulty. He swallowed loudly, clenched his teeth tightly, and, ignoring his subordinate's question, resumed moving toward the carriage at a brisk pace.

​"Noah! So you're finally awake? Tell me, why are you always missing during the most important moments?! Do you time it on purpose?" Iron called out.

​Noah stopped a couple of steps away from him, sighed tiredly, and snapped back sluggishly:

​"Is it really that hard to just be happy I showed up? Do you always have to start yelling right away?"

​"Oh, forgive me, Noah! I'm so thrilled, you've returned to us!"

​In the very next second, Iron's face instantly went expressionless, and his voice turned cold:

​"Is that what you were expecting from me just now? What else can I do for you, maybe shine your shoes?"

​Noah looked down at his dusty shoes and said calmly:

​"I definitely wouldn't say no to a shoe shine right now. I have zero energy."

​Olgerd, who was already lifting his foot onto the carriage step, clearly overheard this conversation.

​So his name is Noah... the king repeated in his mind.

​The coachman cracked his whip sharply, and the four horses bolted from the spot. The carriage, swaying over the bumps, quickly vanished into the mist of the forest clearing. The clatter of hooves and the crunch of metal-bound wheels gradually faded into the distance, leaving Dornheim in its usual silence.

​Iron leaned on his cane and clapped his hands loudly:

​"Back to work!"

​The men immediately stirred. Marek grunted approvingly and, along with Darwin, picked up the wooden toolboxes and rolled-up blueprints. Dornheim instantly returned to its usual rhythm.

​Meanwhile, inside the carriage speeding down the forest road, it was dim. Thick curtains blocked out almost all daylight.

​King Olgerd sat motionless, leaning back on the soft leather seat. His posture seemed tense now, and the fingers gripping the ring on his right hand trembled ever so slightly.

​A look of profound shock was frozen in his eyes.

​The divine spirit Elyria, rapid technological progress, and then that strange guy... Noah, he repeated to himself. Will we even be able to defeat them?...

​The king clenched his fist. We need to finish this as soon as possible.

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