Chapter 252 : Welcome to the Land of Snow

The 6th day of reconnaissance.

I came out beyond the barrier early, around sunrise.

"Hooo..."

My breath scattered hazily.

I chased away my sleepiness by taking in the chilly air from beyond the barrier.

At some point, I had gotten used to the chilly dawn air beyond the barrier.

I had also become quite friendly with the fierce wind that blew from the white hell.

It was probably thanks to having roamed every nook and cranny of the white mountain ranges that were faintly visible in the distance.

Ironically, I had found tranquility in the midst of the roughest and fiercest winter wind.

When I quietly entrusted my body to the howling wind, there were times when silence would fall.

At those times, I would be soaked in an unknown, strange sense of peace.

Was my understanding of the wind gradually deepening?

It was a feeling that was hard to explain with words.

The sound of the wind whizzed in my ears, and my collar flapped wildly.

But I found peace in it.

It was like being on a sailboat caught in a storm, shaking violently, but having the conviction that it would never capsize.

Furthermore, it felt like I could control the waves that were churning as if to swallow the sailboat.

I closed my eyes and took a light step forward.

Swoosh—

A wind suddenly rose from my outstretched foot, and my hair and collar, which had been flapping wildly, settled down calmly.

The northern wind never stopped.

And yet, not a single strand of my hair moved.

As if an invisible wall surrounded me.

How could this be?

Actually, it wasn't that big of a deal.

It was just that I had understood the nature of the wind.

The mystery of the Fleeting Shadow Steps flowing from my whole body mixed with the wind and harmonized with the fierce northern wind.

They gently soothed the northern wind that was trying to rush at me like a wave, and made it gently avoid me.

The more you try to resist the wind, the stronger the force of the wind becomes.

It's like facing the wind with a large shield.

Rather, you become a large sail and are pushed back with even greater force.

A straight line is rigid, but it eventually breaks; a curved line just bends softly.

A sturdy tree is uprooted in a storm, but a reed bends and dances.

You just have to entrust your body to the wind and dance.

You have to throw away the shield and stand alone.

You shouldn't frown at the blowing wind, but accept it as it is.

It was not resistance, but persuasion.

It was not a struggle, but a harmony.

Peace in the storm.

Silence in the crowd.

My mind became endlessly peaceful.

...

In the midst of the complete silence.

Suddenly, I heard the Heavenly Demon's low laugh.

It was as if the wind were gently cooing.

[Not bad, my disciple.]

With my eyes closed, I savored the Heavenly Demon's praise, which I hadn't heard in a while.

Then, when I stealthily opened my eyes...

I saw the owner of the white cloak, who was sluggishly moving over there, among the soldiers who were busily coming and going.

It was the great black mage, Adrian, who was receiving all of Sherwood's support and expectations, and now even the duke's support and expectations.

Actually, the wave wasn't over yet, and he was somewhat overshadowed by Linda's performance, so it was still too early to call him great.

But I called him that anyway.

If you ask why.

It's my business.

[...]

I looked at the sluggishly moving white cloak for a moment, then turned my gaze around it.

Then, his friends came into view.

...They were all terrifying fellows.

"Ah, Sir Ashuban!"

Just then, Adrian, who had heard a whisper from a soldier, turned around and acknowledged me.

I nodded and approached him.

While the soldiers were moving the corpses of the magical beasts and combining them here and there according to Adrian's instructions, I stood next to Adrian and admired the works he had created in a few days.

"What do you think?"

"...I'm afraid I'll see them in my dreams."

"Thank you."

They were all made from the corpses of A-rank magical beasts, boasting the highest quality.

Their appearances were also all varied, diverse, and full of personality.

An unknown beast covered in fur dripping with blood.

A creature that looked like a spider, but instead of eight legs, it had long arms that served as legs.

A creature with a huge mouth vertically on its chest, and all sorts of sharp chest bones serving as teeth.

A winged beast that looked like a bat with five horns.

A white-furred beast without eyes that looked like a combination of a deer and a dog.

A creature with blue crystals growing like thorns on its back.

A creature with a beard that grew like tree roots, holding a somehow red-glowing club.

A creature with a long tail as sharp as a blade.

A creature with huge horns like a deer, standing on two legs like a werewolf, with one arm abnormally long and the hand on it also large and frightening...

"Are all these guys with A-rank magic stones embedded in them?"

"Yes."

"How terrifying."

Even the dual-core bone-masked Bernheim, with two B-rank magic stones embedded in it, had achieved the feat of smashing the head of a weakened A-rank magical beast.

What kind of performance would these guys show?

It seemed the duke had also generously supported him with the A-rank magic stones obtained from the second wave.

A wise decision.

Because they had to block the third wave, no matter what.

"Hmm?"

While looking at their faces, I found a familiar one.

It was a creature wearing a full-body armor made of all sorts of unknown bones, and Bernheim's bone mask was attached to its face.

"This one?"

"You recognize it! It's Bernheim."

I looked up at Bernheim, whose body had grown several times larger.

Not only had its body grown, but it had also been strengthened in many ways.

"Bernheim? This one?"

"Hahaha! Necromancy allows for resurrection! It's one of the reasons why necromancy is so attractive!"

"...I see."

I chatted with Adrian to kill time, and then, at Dofang's voice calling me, I headed to the passage in the wall.

There were the reconnaissance team members who had come to work on time, and also the princess, who was a snowman again today.

Even though it must have been quite troublesome and difficult to wake up so early in the morning and come all the way here in the chilly weather, Princess Lilia came out to see us off every single day without fail.

When I told her she didn't have to, the princess replied like this.

"Not at all. Compared to you guys who are going out for reconnaissance in that chilly, windy place from early in the morning, it's nothing. And I haven't forgotten my mission."

"What's your mission?"

"To boost morale!"

And so, Princess Lilia gifted the reconnaissance team with a smile and saw us off.

"Be careful!"

The reconnaissance team received the snowman princess's farewell and went out for reconnaissance.

To find traces of an S-rank magical beast.

* * *

At some point, I had gotten used to reconnaissance.

Since it had been going on for 6 days, my body must have gotten used to it.

Now, I naturally avoided fights as much as possible.

Because the most important thing right now was to find a special S-rank individual.

The rest of the magical beasts would rush to the wall and stage a siege anyway, so I left them alone.

The reconnaissance team had a reconnaissance mission.

But even so, I couldn't show mercy to the winged magical beasts that flew in the sky.

Because these guys were a nuisance to both the reconnaissance team and the soldiers on the wall.

They could spot us from above and gather the magical beasts, and they could also fly over the wall.

The height of the wall was no particular obstacle for them.

And so, because they were one of the most troublesome guys for the soldiers.

I killed them on sight.

—Kieeeek!

A magical beast, pierced by the Night Sky Spear I had thrown, screamed and fell.

The only good thing was that the magical beasts that could fly were extremely rare.

Today's reconnaissance reached the eighth mountain range.

As expected, there were no traces of an S-rank magical beast.

"Sir Ashuban."

I could hear Sir Monde's voice from behind.

"Did you call?"

"Are we going further today?"

"...I wonder."

Whoooosh—

I stared at the white hell where the blizzard was raging.

Even after crossing eight ridges, numerous mountain ranges still stretched out before me.

...Was there any point in going further from here?

A sigh scattered hazily.

"Let's stop here for today. Let's rest a bit and then go back."

Thump, thump.

We took a short rest in a cave we found at the bottom of a frozen valley.

I chewed on my beef jerky, which I had roughly roasted over the bonfire, and got lost in thought.

'The king of magical beasts.'

Did such a thing really exist?

Just as I was having such a fantasy.

Flinch!

I felt a strange gaze from afar and quickly turned my head.

Monde, who was roasting and eating his beef jerky over the blue bonfire, looked at me.

"What's wrong?"

"There's something."

I immediately came out of the cave.

"Damn it."

Monde grumbled and followed me.

I hurried my steps in the direction I felt the gaze.

It was inside the valley. A deeper place.

The further I went, the stronger the blizzard became, and in the end, it became so severe that I could barely see in front of me.

"Sir Ashuban!"

Monde's voice felt like it was calling from a distant place.

I couldn't quite gauge the direction.

I could only distinguish between moving forward and backward.

The whining sound of the wind swallowed everything.

I thought I had gotten quite friendly with the unruly winter wind, but this was not under my control.

It was as if it were listening to the command of another being.

"Stay there! I'll just go and check!"

But I couldn't just go back like this.

I had to go forward, cutting through the blizzard with my sword.

Because I had to check.

What had I been suffering for, for 6 days?

Whoooosh!

And, in the end.

In the middle of the fiercely raging blizzard of the snowy plains.

I saw it.

Something pure white.

The moment our eyes met, I realized.

That he was the owner of the gaze I had felt just a moment ago.

The moment I saw him, he also saw me.

A huge presence that felt suffocating was dominating the snowy plains.

I realized.

That the king of magical beasts was here.

That a special S-rank individual had appeared.

[Finally, it's that one.]

The Heavenly Demon smiled deeply.

His tone was as if he had found a treasure he had been searching for so long.

As soon as I heard the Heavenly Demon's low, satisfied voice, my mind cleared.

The 6-day reconnaissance mission had borne fruit.

The result was something that everyone had been wary of, but had never wished for.

The mission was complete.

The reconnaissance was over.

Now, all that was left was to return.

'I have to get out.'

I had to find Sir Monde immediately and get out.

The moment I turned my back after meeting his gaze.

Whoooosh!

A blizzard with a huge force blew straight at me.

I swung my sword vertically and cut it.

It was a clear expression of intent.

That he would never let me go peacefully.

"Sir Monde! Where are you!"

Whoooosh!

"Sir Monde!"

Hooooong!

"You son of a bitch! Answer me!"

No answer came, and only a stronger blizzard pulled me in.

I closed my eyes and tried to spread my senses, but the blizzard didn't even allow that.

The senses I had spread were scattered by his blizzard.

Meaning, it was no ordinary blizzard.

This valley had been under his control from the beginning.

Had I realized it too late?

"...This bastard."

I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly and looked back at him.

He looked at me without a word, then opened his mouth.

【You who have come... from the land of hardship...】

I opened my eyes wide.

His voice was faintly heard, mixed with the blizzard.

A magical beast that spoke human language.

【Welcome... to the land of snow...】

I let out a sneer.

A welcome from the king of magical beasts.

Should I say it's an honor?

I had a feeling that it would be a truly unforgettable welcome.

【Do flowers... bloom there...?】

"...Flowers?"

The moment I hesitated at the unexpected words.

Snap!

I heard the sound of fingers snapping, and the fierce blizzard, which had been blowing so hard that I could barely see in front of me, stopped.

On the snowy plain, which had become quiet in an instant as if the snowstorm just a moment ago had been a lie.

A woman with fiery red hair was standing.

(End of Chapter)