episode_0060

Inside the wide cavity there was a flame burning with a blue light.

That was ‘Burning Ice’.

When Helen first told me this, I simply thought it was a ball of ice with sparks in it, but the fantasy reality was beyond my imagination.

“It’s really burning.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Is that the legacy of God, the ‘Burning Ice’?”

‘Burning Ice’ was really burning.

However, unlike the form of fire, the surroundings were neither warm nor hot, and instead, there was a slightly cool air surrounding them.

“This is not a divine legacy, but a divine object.”

“That’s right.”

“New water?”

“You can think of it as the body of a god. However, the fact that the divine water is here means that Oronak died in the last war.”

“But the love of Oronak, who watches over our North, still remains strong.”

As Irina said that, she looked at the ‘Burning Ice’ with a look of gratitude, Helen suddenly prayed, and the knights who came with her also began to pray.

Although it was a sudden mood, I thought it was something that could be sympathized with among priests who follow God, so I followed the mood and prayed along.

Okay then.

[ You . ]

‘huh?’

[ You who have received the warmest love of the goddess, you who have come down from the highest place, I offer my body to you directly, so please protect my children. ]

A kind woman’s voice was heard in my ear, and at the same time, a strange hallucination appeared before my eyes.

The hallucination was of a giant dragon made of blue ice in front of me. It spread its wings so large that it seemed to encompass the entire North, and at the same time, it breathed cold breath in front of me, and then disappeared like a mirage.

“Ahh… ”

“Mr. Si-an?”

But it seemed like I wasn’t the only one who was hallucinating, everyone else looked flustered, Irina almost fainted, and Helen looked at me with a pale face.

Camilla, the only sane one, looked at me and offered me one piece of advice.

“Hero, don’t you want to become a cardinal of the Holy Kingdom?”

“None.”

. . .

The burning ice shrank slightly, and at the same time, a blue tattoo called Shin-eon appeared on my chest.

reason?

“It seems that Oronak-nim personally bestowed his protection on Sian-nim.”

“Already dead?”

“The death of a god is complete when forgotten. As long as there are still believers who serve Oronak, she will exist. However, her movements will be restricted compared to other gods. If she had not been in contact with the divine being as she is now, she would not have been able to hear her will.”

“He’s not dead, he’s dying.”

“Yes.”

The more I came into contact with theology, the more complicated it seemed to me.

“I asked you to protect my children, but as expected… ”

“Yes, it seems to mean that the ‘one who walks the lowest ground’ who woke up in the snowy mountains asked to protect the north.”

“Hmm… I avoid uncontrollable powers. Helen, can you possibly know the power of this protection?”

“From what I can read, it says it grants protection against cold resistance and resistance.”

“Resistance? What resistance are you talking about?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I think it was given to resist the unique divinity of ‘the one who walks the lowest’.”

Following Helen’s advice, I took off my top and went outside to check my cold resistance.

I didn’t really feel the cold.

However, my body did not feel cold, but that did not mean my body was getting warm.

‘It just feels like my physical constitution is similar to that of northerners.’

I had expected it to be God’s protection, but in reality it didn’t feel that great.

“You look dissatisfied.”

“It’s more of a blessing from God than I thought, but it’s not that special.”

“There’s nothing we can do about it. Since the last war, the divine world and the human world have become distant, so the influence of the gods has weakened compared to the age of myth.”

“Myths are difficult.”

“There is so much to learn.”

Helen speaks with a smile.

I don’t know if it was because of my mood, but I gradually felt that the affection she was showing me was not ordinary.

Is it because the priest’s qualification is high in spiritual power?

“So you plan on fighting right away?”

Helen’s words made me ponder for a moment.

Irina asked us to help her, in exchange for her help, by helping the Frostclaws who were surrounding Oronak’s Tomb.

“I think I still need to plan out a plan.”

“Okay.”

Of course, Irina’s request was not easy.

They had more numbers, more supplies, and were familiar with the terrain. On the other hand, we had fewer numbers and were short on supplies.

‘I don’t know if it’ll work if I use roar like last time.’

It was dangerous, so Helen advised me not to use it again, so I had to organize it in a way that I would not use it if possible.

‘It would be nice to go for a guerrilla operation, though.’

It is said that due to the common rules of the northern tribes, no one except the Ice Flower tribe can enter Oronak’s Tomb.

They say that we are cursed by God, but since we are not cursed, it seems to be an unfounded superstition.

Anyway, I proposed a guerrilla operation to everyone by deploying people with superstitions, lack of mobility, and excellent skills, but Camilla rejected it.

“There is a shortage of supplies.”

“Haa… If I had known this would happen, I would have hunted a wild boar on the way here.”

The large amount of food we had brought on this expedition was already running low.

It seems that the food supply was running out faster than expected due to the foot soldiers who were accompanying them in their vehicles.

“Unfortunately, I think we will have to go to war.”

“I really like that all-out war. Is it because you’re a knight?”

As I spoke to the other knights, they also looked at Camilla and shook their heads. It seems to be a matter of personal preference.

“Sian, I heard from your mother that there isn’t much food left in the village to share with us.”

“There’s nothing you can do. You haven’t been able to hunt or gather for a while because of the lack of Frost Claws.”

“What are you thinking, warrior?”

“Well, we’re at a disadvantage, so we should make a surprise attack first.”

“We’ll take the initiative… It’s a good strategy, but because of us, the security will be tighter than before.”

“That’s right. So I’m going to take a different route.”

“Are you talking about another way?”

“Yeah, down here at the lake.”

What we first thought was a cave was actually inside Oronak’s body, and it was above the lake.

That is, the ground we were walking on was completely frozen lake.

“These guys won’t even think about coming out here.”

“If you think about the cold, the lake must be bone-chillingly cold.”

“Don’t worry. I have protection.”

Cold resistance granted by Oronak.

I don’t know how well this would hold up in the cold, but it was worth a try.

“Isn’t that something only a warrior can do?”

“A surprise attack is enough on its own, and since you’ll be fighting while breaking the ice, you have to act alone.”

“If you destroy the terrain and cause chaos…then we will take advantage of that gap.”

“Utilize the mobility of the soles of your feet to lead them into a guerrilla war, I’ll capture those so-called great warriors.”

“Okay, then before we start, how about deciding on an area of ice to break in advance?”

“Okay.”

After completing the operational plan with Camilla,

I prepared this and that to go into the lake.

First, since Robera was not suitable for use in water, he left it to Clara and sharpened the black spear into a harpoon.

So I entered the dark lake where there was not a single ray of light.

. . .

The Frostclaw tribe was the strongest force in the north.

Like the Tusk Tribe, they had unique weapons, like the Sole Tribe, they could tame wolves, and like the Spike Arrow Tribe, they had strong bonds between tribes.

Even among the northern regions, it was possible to farm to a certain extent due to the warm climate in the summer because it was in the southern region, and since it bordered the northern Grand Duke of Starr, it was able to accept the empire’s culture unlike other northern tribes.

These advantages combined allowed the Frostclaw tribe to outnumber other tribes, and through interactions with the Empire, they adopted their culture and technology, gradually growing stronger.

“How long do I have to do this?”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

“I want to go back quickly and drink.”

“If you put it on Yeti tendons, it’ll gooo… ”

But at some point, the Frostclaw tribe began to lose their identity as a northern tribe.

It was because of the superior imperial civilization and hedonistic culture.

This tendency was particularly strong among younger tribesmen.

Because in their eyes, living in an empire that was like paradise seemed better than living in the harsh north and enduring all kinds of hardships.

Duke Starr, having read of the changes within the Frostclaw tribe, offered them a contract.

It was a contract to unite the North and accept them as his subjects if they came under his control.

At first, Dave, the chieftain, tried to refuse, but due to the change in public opinion within the tribe, he had no choice but to accept Duke Starr’s contract, and this is where it is now.

The Ice Flower Tribe, which was the mediator in the north, was surrounded as it is now, the Tusk Tribe, which was the only ally, was surprised and almost annihilated, the Sole Tribe quickly fled, and the Idle Arrow Tribe was holding out as it is now.

Although they were not yet fully integrated due to strong resistance, this was a problem that would naturally be resolved over time.

Oh my god.

“What is it?”

“Suddenly gold?”

But that was only the case when no external forces were involved.