Chapter 5
The Northern Tip.
Within a blizzard that made it impossible to see even a step ahead, only an unusual silence enveloped the surroundings, creating a sense of emptiness.
They say the sea is calm before a storm.
The harsh winter lands were just as quiet.
The continent of ice seemed worried that it might melt if it touched the sunlight, and it was too barren to gather food.
Even after joining forces with the wildlings, the soldiers trembled against the stronger winds and snowstorms.
The fierce cold and an unknown eeriness repeated day after day.
Kael Balenos, acting commander of the Frost Knight Order, had a duty he needed to fulfil.
Even as time passed, he never forgot this order:
“Investigate the seal of the King of Harsh Winter.”
Rumours circulated that the seal of the King of Harsh Winter, bound between the pillars, was breaking.
As soon as the rumours started spreading, the weather grew colder, and snow fell even during summer.
It was too unsettling to be just a rumour.
People nowadays know little about those beings.
They merely think of them as figures from distant, ancient stories.
They don’t realize that Demons herald disaster.
That’s why it must be investigated.
The Sanctum of the Seal exists.
Only the leaders of the wildlings know the path there.
Kael attempted to reach an agreement with them, hoping to be guided, but the situation was not favourable.
At first, they were highly wary.
There was a standoff, with soldiers and wildlings aiming their swords at each other.
Fortunately, Craktorr, their leader, was someone Kael could communicate with.
Kael shifted his gaze to the soldier who had entered his tent to report.
“Have you found any traces of the pillars?”
“Not yet, sir.”
“Where did we go wrong…?”
How much time had passed since they ventured to the northern tip, the land of ice and severe cold?
He had expected difficulties, but he hadn’t anticipated such harsh conditions.
He stared at the wet, frozen clump of paper that used to be his notebook.
It had become completely unusable.
Luckily, they managed to communicate with the wildlings and continue surviving, but they couldn’t hold out forever.
While their leader was understanding, Kael and his men were trespassing on another’s land.
Those who followed Craktorr may not have said anything, but to them, the Frost Knight Order were merely outsiders consuming their precious resources.
They could attack at any moment.
Thus, they needed to head to the sanctum of the seal as soon as possible.
“Originally, we would have required their guidance, but…”
Even the wildlings found the sudden summer blizzards unsettling.
“Regardless, we can’t just keep consuming their food supplies like this.”
“Are we proceeding with the investigation, sir?”
“Yes. Let everyone know. We’ll rest today and set out early tomorrow morning.”
After a brief salute, the soldier turned to leave, but then paused and spoke again.
“Should we inform him as well?”
“Him?”
“I mean, Craktorr—the leader of the wildlings.”
“…No, let’s not tell him.”
“Pardon?”
“We already owe him too much. If we tell him we’re leaving in the morning, he’ll surely…”
“He’ll follow us, thinking of you as a friend, sir.”
“That’s exactly why we must not say anything. We can’t burden him any further. Moreover, we must conduct this investigation ourselves. We’ve been away from Snowfall for too long.”
The soldier gave another nod of understanding and saluted again before leaving the tent.
Kael glanced at the tent’s flap as it closed, causing the accumulated snow to fall off.
“It’s getting colder.”
At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone died.
The unexpected change in weather was making the mission to investigate the land of harsh winter more difficult by the day.
Kael sighed at the reality of having to press forward without even knowing where they were.
It felt hopeless.
For days and nights, they wandered through suspicious glances, having entered foreign territory.
How many hundreds of days had passed?
How many years had gone by?
It had to have been well over a year.
When feeling lonely and exhausted, one thinks of family.
Blood relations bind regardless of distance.
No matter how much one may verbally sever ties, the practical bond is unbreakable, profound, and mysterious.
Perhaps that’s why.
He missed his family.
Cain was pathetic.
An idiot and a fool.
Karin was, despite her appearance, rough and not very ladylike.
“…”
Father. Rowen, the child Kadan brought back.
The illegitimate child of the Balenos family.
Kael never liked Rowen.
However, as Rowen grew up, that feeling slowly faded away.
Despite the discrimination and oppression, he faced, the child silently accepted it all.
He would smile, as if it were nothing.
There were times when Kael was overwhelmed by the strange maturity and atmosphere that Rowen exuded, which were far beyond his age.
But that smile made Kael’s heart ache.
Because that smile, unsuitable for a child, revealed his inner pain.
So, Kael could no longer dislike him.
Knowing that Rowen trusted and followed him, discriminating against him solely for having a different mother seemed utterly foolish.
“I miss my siblings.”
He couldn’t say they were all normal children.
But no matter what, they were still his siblings.
No one could tear apart that bond.
Kael shifted his gaze to his neatly maintained equipment.
The pure white shield hadn’t lost its shine.
The pure white sword hadn’t lost its light.
Yes, the light was still there.
“It’s not over yet.”
The investigation wasn’t over.
If they were even slightly late, it might really be too late.
If it were confirmed that the seal was breaking, the world would descend into chaos.
Perhaps that would be better.
Hope tends to bloom amidst chaos.
However, if humans knew nothing, they wouldn’t be prepared for the Demons.
The difference between those who are prepared and those who are not is significant.
This applies not just to the battlefield but to any aspect of the world.
Only those who know the truth can be prepared.
Thus, the Frost Knight Order’s mission was of utmost importance.
They had to reach the sanctum of the seal as soon as possible.
To ensure peace, and to be prepared
*
Imperial Capital Pentagon.
This massive administrative institution, built on a floating island, oversees each continent.
The cold, white structure shone even more brilliantly under the warm sunlight.
The Audience Hall.
In contrast to the glorious colours that adorned the outer walls, the inside of the hall was draped in red.
Knights, lined up along the long red carpet, unsheathed their swords.
They immediately assumed a formal stance, holding their swords upright in front of their eyes.
A man with ash-gray hair casually walked down the red carpet and took his place on the throne.
Lucius Draconic.
The young emperor who ascended the throne at a young age after the death of his father, the former emperor.
Only eight years ago, Lucius was but a young prince, but he had since grown and established proper authority.
Yet now, he found himself deeply troubled.
“What’s the situation in Arcanxia?”
“There are still signs of movement. We couldn’t investigate everything, but… there’s a high probability that they have collaborators within the Imperial Capital.”
“They’ve also made moves in the North?”
“Yes, according to our investigation.”
“Shouldn’t Lord Kadan return, then?”
Kadan stroked his well-groomed beard and replied,
“Your Majesty, do you know how long it’s been since I came to the Pentagon?”
“It was around the time my father passed, so it’s been about nine years.”
“It has also been nine years since I started serving Your Majesty. I have children around your age.”
“Yes, I know. Cain, Karin, and…”
“Yes, I believe Your Majesty is well aware.”
Kadan chuckled softly and looked at Lucius.
It wasn’t a gesture with any special meaning.
Perhaps it was because the face of someone he had made a promise with flashed in his mind.
He simply looked at Lucius with a hint of pity.
“Your Majesty, you no longer have your father or mother by your side. You have no blood siblings, and no close friends either.”
“…Are you insulting me?”
“I’m worried about you. Have you thought about what would happen if I were to return to the North, as you suggested?”
“What?”
“My children have siblings. Even though they are still young, they are children who can protect each other.”
But in contrast…
“There is no one beside Your Majesty.”
“…”
“Your late father loved you dearly. That’s why he was worried. Worried that you would be alone.”
“Father was?”
“Why do you think he appointed the lords of the four continents?”
“That’s…”
“To protect you. In the end, Arcanxia saw this as an opportunity and broke away from the Pentagon’s control.”
“Are you saying that Arcanxia’s invasion is all my fault?”
“Please listen until the end. Lianod and Calia Run did not respond to your summons.”
Lucius already knew this story well.
That’s why he could only keep his mouth shut and listen to Kadan’s weighty words.
Why didn’t Western Lianod and Eastern Calia Run respond to the Imperial decree?
It was because of Northern Wintera.
In other words, it was due to Kadan’s influence.
No matter how much they proclaimed neutrality, it couldn’t be denied that some might try to seize power while the world ruler was absent.
Thus, the Emperor had entrusted his son to the one he trusted the most: Kadan.
“I must protect you.”
“Even though your children are waiting for you?”
“Yes, because this is my master’s final command.”
Lucius let out a hollow laugh.
Kadan was certainly a loyal subject.
But what kind of father abandons his children to serve his master?
“It’s not Abandonment.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s because I trust my children that I can feel at ease.”
“Aren’t you worried?”
“I am. When I think of Karin, Cain, Kael, and Rowen, I want to return to Snowfall immediately.”
“I’m fine.”
“You are not fine.”
“Even if there was a command from my father, I am the king now. Listen to what I’m saying.”
“If I leave the Pentagon, we will undoubtedly be attacked.”
“We can hold out. Have you forgotten? This floating island is protected by the guardians. No matter how advanced Arcanxia’s technology is, they won’t be able to break through this magic.”
“That’s a very complacent thought. Even now, there might be a spy from Arcanxia in this very room.”
At Kadan’s words, Lucius furrowed his brow.
He wasn’t wrong.
There was no guarantee that the enemy would only attack from the outside.
They could have already planted a spy here.
“The Pentagon has already lost its past glory. Each continent has essentially declared independence.”
“Is it really war, then?”
“It has already begun, at least for Arcanxia.”
Kadan looked ahead, but his gaze was wary.
He was on alert because there was a real possibility of a spy being present.
No, there definitely was one.
Lucius sighed at his own shortsightedness.
And then he felt it.
The strange gazes around him.
Why hadn’t he noticed it earlier, from the moment he stepped in?
He looked at Kadan with eyes full of respect.
“Is this what experience is?”
“Living long enough, you get to experience all sorts of things.”
“So, you won’t return, and you’ll stay by my side?”
“Yes.”
Lucius turned his gaze to the crimson walls.
The sacred history was inscribed on the murals that stretched across the ceiling and down the corridors.
He had seen these murals countless times, but today they felt different.
“That choice might make your children resent you. I know that feeling well.”
“…So that’s why you tried to send me back to them?”
“Yes. Because I know how children feel.”
He missed him, even now.
His father, who hadn’t played with him much and was always buried in work and paperwork, was still the greatest person in the world to him.
So he was displeased with Kadan’s decision.
But even so, he couldn’t let him go now.
He was frightened by the reality he had just now realized.
He felt both pathetic and amused at himself for realizing it so late.
Lucius took out the royal family’s treasured sword.
Srrrng—
With a light metallic sound, the pure white sword “Rosmerta” slid out of its sheath.
Kadan also quietly placed his hand on the hilt at his waist.
“You said you’d protect me, right?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a promise.”
“Yes.”
“Do you swear you won’t leave me like my father did?”
“Kadan Balenos, lord of the North, is the sword of Lucius Draconic. This oath is tied with the vow made to Ludric Draconic and will forever be an unbreakable shackle and promise.”
“Protect it.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Lucius smiled quietly, seemingly satisfied with the answer.
At the same time, he looked at the knights surrounding the red carpet.
He realized that every one of them was a spy.
Kadan had already sensed it and was silently forming runic language.
Frost gathered invisibly on the blade he had drawn.
He wrapped Frost Magic around his left hand.
The air shivered with a chilling cold.
—
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