Unsurprisingly, the border zone of the Kingdom of Jugend, Area 13, was one of the farthest Areas from Area 1. The smaller the number of the Area, the closer it was to the center of the Kingdom.0

Excluding Area 0, which housed the royal palace and treasure vault, the only region in Jugend that could be considered a capital—despite its lack of a city structure—was Area 1.0

Its name: “Iron Heart.” A place where even among the dwarves, known for their unmatched craftsmanship, only about a hundred meister-level blacksmiths gathered to forge top-tier weapons.0

It was, quite literally, the core of Jugend. Its products were weapons far superior to those of any other nation, steam engines found nowhere else but Jugend, multipurpose golems active in agriculture and construction, and more. All of them had practically originated from Area 1 of Jugend.0

For that reason, Area 1 was filled with top-priority facilities—classified Tier 1 and Tier 2—which were nowhere to be found in any other area. Even citizens of the kingdom were barred from most of them.0

“Area 1 isn’t just far away. It’s also a place where outsiders are barely allowed to set foot. Step even one pace off the road and they’ll start yelling that you’re trespassing in a restricted zone and kick you out,” Garlond explained, eyes lowered to his feet.0

“Outsiders don’t really have...0