Ch.1136Northern Circumstances

Following the massive invasion by werebeasts led by Rurik, and the crash and explosion of a Hestella airship that completely destroyed part of the wall, the Grand Duchy of Faelrun was in ruins.

Duke Valdemar, having returned from subjugating frost giants, leaned against the window of his office, sipping from his glass as he looked outside.

The reconstruction site, temporarily halted due to heavy snowfall, looked desolate with snow piling on the half-built walls like ruins, and the faces of citizens wandering the streets were dark with anxiety and worry about the future.

Though they had lived relatively peaceful lives untouched by war, they weren’t ignorant of the state of the world.

They too knew.

Like fairy tales used to frighten children, like ancient myths and legends, the world was becoming increasingly dangerous and precarious.

The King of Werebeasts who revived multiple times even after beheading, powerful monsters that brought death wherever they went.

Villains who committed atrocities with powers like heroes of old, and non-human races regaining their ancient strength.

Dragons soaring through the skies burning the land below, and now giants in ice armor bringing blizzards.

Even though they had only heard rumors rather than facing these threats directly, from the citizens’ perspective, everything was terrifying and horrific.

They heard that heroes and even a goddess had appeared to protect them, but… it wasn’t as if that goddess was standing beside them now.

It was the knights of Faelrun, not some distant goddess, who fought bloody battles against frost giants and sometimes returned as corpses.

The Goddess of Stars and Dawn who protected humanity had become too distant a figure to believe in and find comfort and hope in based on rumors alone.

Busy dealing with major threats across the world, she likely wouldn’t visit again unless the entire North faced extinction.

So the frost giant problem had to be handled solely with Northern strength.

The citizens of Faelrun thought the same, which was why their expressions were so dark, imagining how bleak the future looked.

In their hearts, they wished she would come and defeat all enemies as she did during the great invasion, but their minds knew this was an unfulfillable wish.

Valdemar understood their desire. He had entertained similar thoughts himself.

Frost giants were certainly a powerful race, but individually they could be defeated through coordinated attacks by heroes who had crossed the Wall.

If Haschal, who had grown incomprehensibly strong, would return to the North, they might even be able to exterminate every last one of them.

‘…But that can’t be expected, nor should it be wished for.’

Valdemar had long abandoned such expectations.

For two reasons.

His judgment that the North wasn’t the only place that needed her power now, and his question of whether escaping crisis through her help would truly benefit the North.

‘We must defend our land with our own strength. We shouldn’t rely on uncertain help.’

Haschal’s power clearly transcended common sense. It was so overwhelming that one might believe all problems could be solved by relying on it.

But was that really acceptable?

Was it right to believe she would solve all trials and hardships, and to plead for her help by expressing their peril?

Clergy might say such an attitude is the proper virtue that believers should have, but Valdemar couldn’t agree with that opinion.

Entrusting everything to a deity and praying earnestly for salvation.

It sounds good, but isn’t it ultimately dependence and gambling—leaving one’s responsibility and fate to another’s will?

Suppose they asked Haschal to stop the frost giants, and she happened to have time to come north and exterminate them.

That would bring peace and safety for the moment.

…But what then?

Would the North be forever safe after exterminating the frost giants?

Of course not. At least Valdemar judged—no, was convinced—that wouldn’t be the case.

That much was obvious just looking at how the world had been turning lately.

Just as giants emerged as new enemies after werebeasts disappeared, even if giants vanished, something else would surely appear as if it had been waiting, becoming a new threat.

That enemy would certainly be a monster equal to or more powerful than frost giants.

How would they stop these “new” enemies then? By begging for help from the great sage-deity Median again?

‘Yes, perhaps we could repel them again that way. But…’

…But for how long could they continue doing so?

What if Haschal found herself unable to help the North? What if she could help but decided to abandon the North because other matters were more important?

Could the Northerners, who couldn’t even defeat frost giants without Haschal’s help, overcome stronger enemies with their power alone?

There was no need to ask himself this question.

Those who avoided hardship by borrowing others’ hands instead of overcoming it themselves would have neither the ability nor will to fight new hardships.

The North would face inevitable destruction. And quickly, collapsing helplessly like a scarecrow.

‘That’s why I, Faelrun, the North must succeed. Not by borrowing the goddess’s power, but directly, with our own hands.’

That’s why Valdemar believed they must overcome the current hardship solely with Northern strength.

By overcoming the trial of frost giants through their own power, the entire North, not the goddess, must grow stronger.

That was the only way to navigate the new hardships that would follow.

Of course, this was an extremely difficult and painful path. So much so that deep wrinkles were gradually increasing under his hair that was beginning to turn white.

“Sigh…”

Duke Valdemar put down his now-empty glass on the windowsill with a deep sigh.

The alcohol was starting to affect him, but he still maintained clear reasoning, constantly contemplating better ways to defeat the frost giants.

—-

By the time Valdemar had consumed about three glasses of alcohol.

– Knock knock.

Someone came to his office and knocked on the door, prompting Valdemar to put down his glass, turn his head toward the door, and speak.

“Is that you, Karl? If it’s about troop reorganization, we agreed to discuss it tomorrow…”

“It’s me, Father. Do you have a moment?”

He was about to reply that such business should be discussed tomorrow morning with a clear head, thinking it was his adjutant, but the voice from beyond the door was that of a familiar woman.

“Ah, Frider, it’s you.”

“Yes, I wanted to report the results of the mountain reconnaissance… should I come back tomorrow?”

It was his daughter and de facto successor, Frider van Faelrun, who had headed north with a group of patrol soldiers to scout the mountains.

“No, come in.”

“Yes, excuse me then.”

Though Valdemar had wanted to avoid business talk due to the alcohol, his daughter was different from an adjutant.

Valdemar quickly straightened his body that had been leaning against the window and greeted Frider, who opened the door and entered, with a proper and dignified appearance befitting the head of the family.

“I’m glad you returned safely. I was worried since you volunteered for such a dangerous role.”

“I only did what needed to be done. I’m glad to see you’re well too, Father.”

After a brief exchange of greetings, Frider sat on the office sofa and, moistening her throat with the glass of alcohol offered by the Duke, reported on the current situation of the Sky Mountains that she had personally scouted.

The range of the giants’ territory, their estimated numbers and behavior patterns, and various other notable details—everything she had seen and heard.

—-

“Most of the frost giants were dispersed throughout the mountains as expected… but there were noticeably more gathered around Utgard Peak. Do they prefer high places?”

“…Perhaps our judgment that they don’t live in groups was hasty. Maybe they weren’t independent but merely separated from their group.”

Utgard Peak, which had become the effective highest point of the Sky Mountains after several tectonic shifts.

There, according to Frider’s rough observation, more than thirty frost giants had set up camp.

Too many to consider a family. It was evidence that frost giants don’t live completely independent lives like tigers, but sometimes form groups with their kind.

“I confirmed that solitary individuals dig caves for dwellings, but I couldn’t verify the lifestyle of those gathered at Utgard. It was too dangerous to approach.”

“Well done. Your conduct is beyond reproach.”

Although Frider had grown strong enough to cross the Wall and reach the realm of heroes through various battles, she wasn’t powerful enough to defeat a frost giant alone.

Her heroic narrative specialized in human combat, making it almost ineffective against frost giants—a disadvantageous matchup.

Therefore, Frider and her reconnaissance team carefully scouted the entire mountain range, avoiding getting too close to frost giants and quickly hiding whenever they heard thundering footsteps.

As a result, they couldn’t gather much information about the frost giants, but that was far better than attempting something reckless and being annihilated.

It’s easy to misunderstand, but the most important virtue for scouts isn’t to gather as much information as possible, but to return safely and properly convey what they’ve learned.