In total, Garrick had prepared three different types of armor.

The first was Rank C armor, intended for ordinary soldiers, fitted on the mannequin to the right.

Forged from common steel, it could withstand the energy of a second-stage warrior—or even a third-stage one, provided they knew how to control it well.

It was a beautifully and elegantly designed suit of armor.

It was heavy, but for second-stage warriors and above—who made up the bulk of Goldenveil’s regular forces—that weight would be practically irrelevant, quite unlike what it would mean for an unawakened person.

The set consisted of darkened steel plates, robust and powerful, in no way inferior in beauty to those worn by the knights of the Darkwall family.

All that black steel covered the body completely, from the heavy boots to the greaves, rising up to the imposing shoulder guards.

From there, an elegant white cape flowed down the back, creating a striking contrast with the deep black of the armor.

The helmet, similar in design to Earth’s 15th-century armet, covered the entire face, leaving only the eyes visible through a T-shaped visor. That visor could be raised to reveal the soldier’s features.

All of that black armor was further adorned with fine gold threads woven into the metal.

Honestly, Ethan thought it was a bit over the top for basic mass-produced armor. However, he remembered the day his father had hired a company of a thousand dwarves to help him in a small war.

Even the recruits in that company had worn armor that would make veteran knights envious, and many wealthy nobles were literally willing to kill for high-quality dwarven gear.

Garrick would likely be offended if Ethan asked him to cut corners.

For now, he simply accepted the fact that he would have one of the most expensive armies in the world, before turning his attention to the middle set of armor.

That was the second design, intended for the centurions, who would directly lead the soldiers on the battlefield.

The main difference between this and the armor worn by ordinary soldiers lay in the details; above the shoulder guards, black bear fur stood like an imposing mane, and the helmet featured a red plume atop it.

It was made of cold steel subjected to a special process in which mana and aura were poured into the metal during forging, imparting magical properties to it.

The set was intended primarily for third-stage warriors, though fourth-stage warriors could also wear it, even if the metal was not capable of withstanding their full power.

The last, of course, was the officers’ armor.

It had just been completed and came in two versions, both with identical designs.

The white cape on the back was covered in golden runes, and the armor’s metal itself bore those same runes in far more intricate patterns, resembling magical arrays that increased both the steel’s durability and its ability to absorb aura.

The bearskin mane above the shoulder guards was also different, now in a golden hue and far more elegant.

The difference between the two models of officers’ armor lay in the material; the standard version was made solely of runic steel, capable of withstanding the aura of a fourth-stage warrior.

This runic steel had been personally produced by Garrick, using cold steel as a base.

The armor for legates—leaders of entire legions—was forged from mithril. However, since there wasn’t enough of the material in Goldenveil, only the runic steel version had been completed so far.

The mannequins also bore long swords at their waists, similarly divided into three distinct designs, with silver hilts and black steel blades covered in golden runes that grew more refined as rank increased.

On the other side, fastened to their wrists, rested teardrop-shaped shields, fitting perfectly and following the same refined design as the armor.

All of those pieces bore symbols that revealed the soldier’s exact rank, preventing any confusion on the battlefield.

Those above the rank of legate—such as generals and commanders—would have uniquely designed armor.

Ethan let his eyes sweep over all those pieces, his lips slowly curving into a smile.

They were so beautiful that, at first glance, they looked more like ceremonial armor. But he knew full well that this was nothing more than dwarven perfectionism in action.

What human blacksmiths would consider worthy only of noble hands was, to the dwarves, nothing more than the usual standard.

"What’s the matter, kid? Are you just going to stand there staring like an idiot, or are you going to come over here and praise me?"

Garrick’s gruff voice echoed beside him, drawing an honest laugh from Ethan before he turned to face the dwarf.

"And what about that cloak, old man? This isn’t ceremonial armor, you know? The soldiers are going to have to fight while wearing this," Ethan said, stepping closer to the armor and holding the tip of the cloak between his fingers.

It was a fine, refined material, clearly crafted by elven hands.

"It won’t be a problem at all. I engraved runes into it myself that prevent the cloak from wrapping around the shoulders and hindering movement. There are also runes for resistance to cold and heat," Garrick replied, demonstrating by wrapping his thick arm in the fabric.

Had it been any other cloth, his arm would have gotten stuck. But with just a light tug, the material seemed to unwrap on its own, sliding free as if the dwarf’s arm weren’t even there.

"It’s easy to make. Even a novice blacksmith can engrave these runes into any armor, as long as they’re not completely incompetent," Garrick said, a proud smile spreading across his face as he gave the armor a satisfied pat.

"Well... and how many of these can you produce per month?" Ethan asked, nodding in approval.

He knew practically nothing about runic engravings, so he chose not to press Garrick.

"Hm... the common ones?" Garrick paused to think for a moment, scratching his thick beard. "With my boys and the new apprentices I’ve recruited, fifty—maybe a hundred a month of the most basic ones."

It seemed like a small number at first glance, but compared to what ordinary human blacksmiths could produce, that was a simply absurd pace.

"Hmm... what if I got you a divine forge and another hundred dwarven blacksmiths?" Ethan asked casually.

"A divine forge? Hahahaha!" Garrick roared with laughter, thinking it was just a bad joke.

But then his gaze met Ethan’s, and the laughter died in his throat. The young Lord’s eyes were completely serious.

He wasn’t joking.

[Images showing the armor of the Goldenveil army are in the comments for this paragraph. Check them out!

As always, it’s an AI-generated image and it’s imperfect, but even so, it accurately represents my vision for the Goldenveil army heavy infantry.

Only elite forces, auxiliary forces, and generals have unique armor; officers and ordinary soldiers all have standardized armor.

Once again, I’m having trouble posting the image in the comments for this paragraph, so it’s in the comments for the Chapter.]