Chapter 75: Frozen Land #1

Chapter 75: Frozen Land #1

Whoooooosh-

Goooo-…

The blizzard momentarily stopped.

Now. I have to go now.

The weather in the north is so unpredictable that it’s hard to guess how it’ll change even within a day.

If I can go, I must go. If I linger, I’ll never reach my destination.

I stepped out of the igloo.

I hadn’t even tasted the warm black tea and cookies I prepared for when I rest, but now is the time to move.

“Hoo.”

I packed my belongings and started walking. Looking back, only my footprints stretched out solitarily on the snowy field.

Thump, thump.

I advanced, pressing the Staff of Guidance firmly into the ground like a hiking pole.

-Turn right at the large tree, 400 meters ahead.

-Go straight. Beware of a cliff 200 meters ahead.

The Staff of Guidance guides the way. As an artifact, its performance is beyond doubt.

I’ve come a long way.

After parting ways with my party members in the large city of Karin, I systematically completed S-rank requests and finally explored the Labyrinth of Akasha.

Having obtained the Staff of Guidance, which I had been diligently searching for, I’m now on the verge of a significant turning point in my journey: Carmilla’s castle.

This is the Frozen Land.

‘Anyone with a sound mind wouldn’t venture into such an extreme region.’

Looking around, I was the only person there.

The desolate snowy plains in the far north of the continent were even more sparsely populated than the Garden wilderness.

-You have arrived at your destination. Please have a pleasant rest.

The light from the Staff of Guidance blinked twice and then went out.

I looked down at the landscape spread out below the snowy mountain.

Beyond the white snowfields, dilapidated wooden houses were sparsely built, and people, appearing as tiny dots like ants, were moving about.

The land of eternal winter.

The land of slaves who would never be freed by their own strength, even after a thousand years.

And the land where I would finally regain all my power and be reborn as the Lich of my prime.

“Shall I go?”

My breath dispersed into the air as white puffs with every exhale.

I tightened my grip on the Staff of Guidance and carefully descended the snowy mountain, trying not to slip.

***

The far north of the continent.

Carmilla established her base here and hides from the world’s gaze.

Her strategy of growing stronger by operating in secret amidst the blizzards, without attracting unnecessary attention, was effective. At least, until now.

Even that Michael couldn’t find Carmilla.

In addition to the treacherous terrain, Carmilla’s deceptive magic, which causes travelers to get lost, also hinders them. It’s unlikely that ordinary travelers would venture this far.

Of course, I’m not an ordinary traveler.

Perhaps that’s why the residents here seemed quite surprised by the appearance of a strange visitor like me.

“Are you one of Carmilla’s subordinates?”

Eyes full of vigilance observed me.

Bony protrusions poked through their gaunt skin. Molars jutted out above their lower lips.

Judging by their appearance, these were not humans. I had seen this kind of race before.

‘Snow Orcs.’

A race related to the wilderness orcs I met in Garden.

Unlike the tanned wilderness orcs, these had pale skin and gray eyes.

Perhaps due to the consistently cold and cloudy weather, their personalities tended to be somewhat pessimistic and melancholic.

“I’m just a traveler. I got lost.”

The orcs scoffed at my words.

“What rotten luck, human. Welcome to hell.”

“You’re so small, you’ll freeze to death faster. I’m betting that girl won’t make it through tonight.”

The orcs were as cold and cynical as the biting blizzard.

Under the rule of the Vampire Queen Carmilla, the orcs had become eternal slaves.

They no longer possessed the pride of warriors or the rights of free people.

The isolated extreme north thoroughly rejected external intrusions. They likely had no hope of anyone coming to help them.

“Alright, let’s stop dawdling and get to work. If we don’t meet our quota, we starve again today.”

“Damn it-“

The orcs grumbled and lined up, heading towards the mine.

“Bloodstone,” a catalyst for necromancy and blood magic.

It’s a rare material that’s hard to find elsewhere, but in the north, there are mines embedded with bloodstone veins everywhere.

This is beneficial for Carmilla. However, for all other slaves except Carmilla, it was a curse.

Mining work is never smooth.

Even mining copper or gold is considered one of the most arduous jobs, but bloodstone mines are incomparable to those.

The bloodstone mines are hell on earth, where blood is mined by sacrificing blood.

No miner would agree to work in a bloodstone mine even if offered triple the pay. Therefore, it can only be mined by consuming the lives of slaves.

“You all look tired.”

I wandered around the village at a leisurely pace.

The village’s conditions were dire. At least, the basic necessities that a village where people gather should have were absent here.

A slave colony. Or a prison without bars.

The reason they didn’t need to build watchtowers or surround the village with high walls is probably because there was no need to.

Even without guard towers and high walls, the orcs had nowhere to go to escape the village.

Even if they tried to escape, they would only wander aimlessly in the harsh cold and turn into ice blocks.

“I don’t like that look in your eyes.”

An orc sitting on a rotten wooden barrel suddenly picked a fight.

“Are you here for sightseeing, in a place like this? So, what’s your impression? Do you pity us? Do you feel sorry for us, who are exploited and die as slaves our whole lives? Or do you find us pathetic?”

The orc had a cast on one of his legs.

It wasn’t proper treatment, but a crude imitation of a cast made with worn-out bandages and a piece of wood.

Is this orc injured during mine work?

“I don’t really think so.”

“You can lie with your tongue, but you can’t lie with your eyes. There’s a saying among humans, isn’t there? ‘Eyes are the window to the soul.’ They reveal exactly what you’re thinking.”

“Heh – you know that saying? You’re quite knowledgeable.”

“Don’t look down on me! I wasn’t saying that to hear your praise.”

The orc’s lips twitched, and he bared his molars.

It seemed like a threatening gesture, but he was so thin and weak that it didn’t feel intimidating at all.

“Then, shall I try to read your mind by looking into your eyes this time?”

“Are you imitating me?”

“Hmm – you seem to know more than the other orcs. And you also know that you can’t change anything here with your own strength. The more you know, the more despair you feel. Helplessness, frustration, rebellion… I see those emotions in your eyes. Am I right?”

“⋯You talk like a sassy girl.”

Orcs from other regions would have flown into a rage, feeling insulted, and started a fight.

However, this orc merely glared at me with venomous eyes.

Learned helplessness. Carmilla had cleverly tamed the snow orcs into losers.

“Do you need money?”

“Are you pitying me? I don’t need charity.”

“Who said I’d give it for free? You have to work for it. I’m new here and don’t know much about anything. I need someone to guide me, but everyone seems busy. But you look idle.”

“You’re asking me to serve you, aren’t you?”

“It depends on how you take it. At least it’s more rewarding than sitting there cursing the world all day. If you do something while walking around, time will pass faster too.”

The orc grumbled in a low voice, exhaling sharply.

After grumbling for a long time, the orc blurted out.

“Damn it, do whatever you want. My leg is like this, so I look like I’ll starve. I have no choice.”

“That’s right. Pride doesn’t put food on the table. I’m Estel.”

“⋯Jonathan.”

The orc Jonathan pushed himself up with his hands on the wooden barrel. He seemed to have difficulty moving.

“When did you get hurt?”

“About a week ago. The support collapsed while I was mining bloodstone, and I was buried. The healer said that even if it heals, the bone will permanently set in a twisted position. Damn it.”

“Still, it’s fortunate you survived.”

“Do you think so? ⋯Maybe it would have been better to die then.”

Jonathan looked up at the sky where snowflakes were falling with his dark eyes.

If eyes are the window to the soul, then Jonathan’s heart must be filled with despair right now.

‘Snow Orcs crave death.’

All living beings wish to live for even a moment longer and flee from death.

However, such a life is only applicable to those who have hope for the future.

The snow orcs have no hope for the future.

They literally live to die. The peace they will find after death is more urgent than the joy life brings.

‘But they can’t even die as they please.’

They cannot escape Carmilla even in death. A terrible reality.

Since their master, who controls them, is Carmilla, the Queen of Necromancy, they are resurrected by force even after death and exploited as soulless slaves.

Life is hell, and death is also hell. An endless, eternal hell.

It would be easy to guess what the greatest reward for the orcs would be.

Being granted death.

“Give me your leg.”

“Don’t do anything useless. Even if I limp, it’s getting better. You’re just a young girl- Ahk!”

Jonathan screamed. I ignored his desperate scream and roughly massaged Jonathan’s leg.

I removed the rotten cast and reset the leg bone.

Sorry, but I don’t do anesthesia. Anesthetics are a bit expensive.

Still, he’s an orc, so he should be able to endure this much.

“Kyaak- Stop! It hurts, it hurts!”

I returned the bone to its correct position before it solidified in a distorted shape, and poured healing potion to let it mend.

Sizzle-

Smoke rose as the torn and twisted muscles and skin regenerated. Jonathan screamed again.

‘Endure the pain, grumbling orc. Nothing will get better just by enduring it silently.’

Jonathan’s eyes rolled back white. A normal human might have died from shock.

I nudged Jonathan, who was sprawled on the ground, with my foot.

“Hey, get up.”

“Kkeueuk⋯.”

“Stop exaggerating. You’re an orc, aren’t you? They say your recovery power is the best.”

Jonathan glared at me with eyes glistening with hatred.

Jonathan slowly pushed himself up, dragging his upper body along the ground.

“Why are you doing this to me⋯ you girl⋯ I won’t let you get away with this⋯.”

Thud.

Jonathan grabbed my collar, trembling. Even his grip lacked strength.

A weak force that couldn’t even subdue a young girl like me.

There’s still a long way to go. Perhaps replenishing my energy is the priority.

“Oh, you’re getting up well now. That’s right. I don’t intend to travel with a slow cripple.”

“⋯What?”

Jonathan furrowed his brow. Jonathan lowered his gaze and looked at his leg.

By now, his leg had healed cleanly. Enough to put strength into it and stand on the ground.

“Uh⋯ uh?”

“Uh-uh- is not the right response, you bastard. I healed you. Don’t you have something to say in a situation like this? Didn’t you learn that?”

“Uh⋯.”

Jonathan hesitated.

“How- Um- That- That⋯ Th-thank you.”

Jonathan said hesitantly. His eyes were noticeably kinder than before.