episode_0155
by fnovelpiaThe center of the village.
A tall wooden plank is burning. Black smoke rises into the sky along with the rising flames.
Contrary to expectations that he would quickly get up after coming to his senses, Darka died shortly thereafter.
Some people were already in a weak state, but some thought that they did not feel the need to recover because they had lost the will to live.
Because at that last moment, Darka had a peaceful expression on her face, as if she was sleeping.
According to northern tradition, the final rites involved burning the body of the deceased to free the soul from bondage.
They burned the things she had used while alive. In her carefully collected hands she was holding Bascal’s bracelet.
People bowed their heads solemnly and shed tears.
Assis took in the view of the village from a few steps away, out of the reach of the fire’s heat.
Darka, who had been talking until a few days ago, was cremated, and in the once lively village, only the sound of sobbing could be heard.
I don’t know why they are crying.
Darka is just going on a long journey.
Is it sad to break up?
Assis was something unknown.
Not only tears, but even sadness does not arise.
but.
Assis puts his hand on his heart.
Memories of Darka flash through my mind.
A month is not a long time, but for Assis, who has no memory, his daily life in Lake Fortress takes up half of his life.
The reality that I can no longer see the Darka I used to see every day. I can’t picture it. Because it feels like if I go into the tent right now, she’ll welcome me like always.
A stuffy feeling, as if my heart was filled with stones.
It was the first breakup that Assis had ever experienced.
***
Lake Fortress, a few days after Darka’s funeral.
It’s never easy to let someone go, especially if it’s a small, close-knit tribal village, or if that person is the village chief.
It would be foolish to discuss the value of death, but there was nothing we could do about the fact that the aftermath was greater than usual. Although they didn’t show it openly, everyone kept their sadness in a corner of their hearts.
“Rami… people… .”
A village with a gloomy atmosphere. In the awkward atmosphere, Assis called out to Karami for help, but this time he did not come forward. He flatly refused.
“Time will tell.”
When it’s time to put it on, … and when it’s time to take it off, it’s time to take it off.
It was a rule that every merchant had to absolutely follow.
Even if you’ve been together for a month, you’re still an outsider. It’s impossible to completely synchronize with their sadness. Even if you try to interfere, you’ll only end up shaking hands.
Above all, the Northerners are resilient. Karami is confident that they will rise again without him having to do anything.
“So let’s get ready to go back.”
It’s time to return to Doomheim.
The luggage was lighter than when I first came to Lake Fortress, as there was no need to dismantle the tents and items the dwarves had set up.
I was thinking of leaving the things that the townspeople loved as they were.
As they were slowly tidying up one by one and were about to leave, Asies thawed the frozen Hargran. Cracks appeared on the surface and the ice fell off with a thud.
The first thing Hargran did after breathing fresh air in a month was…
“You fucking skinny bastard!!!”
Hargran’s roar rang out loud.
Although his body was frozen, Hargran’s consciousness continued without interruption. His memories from the moment he was frozen until now remained intact.
Hargran grabbed Karami by the collar and shook her with all his might. Karami’s body fluttered like a piece of paper.
“Why are you doing this to me~”
“Why are you doing that? Why are you doing that after freezing people?!”
“I didn’t do it. Miss Asia froze it.”
“Huh…?”
Assis, who was suddenly pointed out as the culprit, let out a questioning sound full of bewilderment. It was arguably the best reaction of all time.
Karami smiled faintly and said something plausible.
“Who froze Hargran?”
“… … Rami is frozen… go… .”
“Who froze?”
“Rami, I said early… … .”
“Who froze?”
“Rami… .”
Assis, who has been falsely accused, tries to protest in his own way, but his pure eyes do not know the filth of the world. Karami is a merchant who has already become entangled in society.
There was no way he could defeat Karami through arguments.
“Who froze?”
“… … … … B.”
Karami raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction after finally extracting a confession.
“That’s right. Miss Asia froze it. Did I do something wrong? Can you not do that again?”
“… … Sorry… .”
“Look. Miss Asis is deeply reflecting. Lord Hargran, please be lenient and let it slide just this once.”
Hargran nodded as if he had realized the truth, and his eyes matched those of a determined person. He gripped the hammer tightly.
“You are the evil of the world. Killing you here is the way to save the world. I’m sure Bargan will applaud you too.”
“Haha. Can you kill me? I have Miss Assis, who is praised as a hero. Right?”
“… … .”
“… Miss Asia?”
Assis avoided Karami’s expectations by slightly turning his head. He played with the music box and tried to distract himself.
“You’re clearly a villain, seeing as you ignore even that hero. Get to work, you punk.”
***
Karami finished a game of tag with Hargran.
Fortunately, I wasn’t hit by the hammer. It was thanks to Assis’s reluctant help, even though I pretended to dodge. If it weren’t for her, I might have become a stake protecting Lake Fortress.
After completing all preparations, Karami looked back before boarding the sled. All the villagers came out to see the group off.
The time it took for the hostile residents to recognize Karami and his party as part of the village.
It was only a month.
Karami waved his hand, having achieved something worth bragging about.
“We’ll go now. The dwarven craftsmen will come to install the bridge soon. They have good intentions, so please don’t be too harsh on them.”
The reconstruction of the collapsed bridge was entrusted to the dwarves of Doomheim as originally planned. They were the perfect fit, as there were no craftsmen in the world like them.
The residents did not reject Karami’s words, as he was trusted for his various accomplishments.
“Brother! Someday I will become a slave trader like you and make pretty slaves like you!”
“I’ll be waiting. When the time comes, let’s have a slave battle.”
“Goodbye, Sister Perka! Sister Asies too!”
“Please defeat the evil dragon!”
As if seeing off a warrior leaving the city to defeat the Demon King, the residents sent messages of encouragement and support.
Among the crowd, Yorn watched them with his arms folded. Having succeeded Darka as chieftain, he portrayed a solemn atmosphere no different from before.
Then quietly.
“Goodbye.”
He muttered a word.
As we live, there comes a time when we have to let go of our petty pride.
Now was the time.
He helped the village a lot and saved the tribesmen.
The same goes for Darka’s work.
Because he has dementia anyway.
Even if I tell you, you’ll forget.
Everyone in the village turned their eyes as they made that compromise.
But Karami did not avoid it.
I chose a frontal attack.
Something that could have been passed off as someone else’s business.
Thanks to that, Darka was able to shake off his foolishness and end his life with a peaceful face. He must have become a free spirit and reunited with Bascal.
I think the two of them are going on a trip by now.
It will definitely be like that.
“Oh my, I just got goosebumps. Don’t do that, it doesn’t suit you.”
There were still things I didn’t like.
The frost wolf moves.
The sled begins to roll out of town.
“Don’t wait for me, I won’t come back even if you think about it sometimes. It’s too cold here.”
“Hahaha! You guys are all crazy. Hurry up and disappear!”
“Goodbye, pretty sister!”
“Are you sure you’ll come back?”
Assis too.
He waved his hand toward the people greeting him.
The frost wolf increased its speed, and the village that had been getting further and further away soon disappeared from sight.
Karami stopped waving his hands and sat down in a comfortable position.
“A month really flies by in the blink of an eye, right?”
“Thanks to some skinny guy. I closed my eyes and opened them again, and a month had passed!”
“Haha… . That was definitely Mr. Karami’s fault.”
“If I hadn’t frozen then, what would have happened if I hadn’t seen you off? I would have been kicked out long ago.”
It is very difficult to control a hot-blooded dwarf. If it were the dwarf’s natural nature, it would have been obvious that he would have been very aggressive in trying to establish a village.
Thanks to freezing Hargran, the remaining dwarves became somewhat more obedient.
Karami ignored Hargran, who kept spitting and arguing about how long the aftertaste was. For now, he was just waiting to get to Doomheim as quickly as possible.
***
The rugged mountain ridges of Isenggar appear even after climbing the mountaintop several times.
In that place, which could be described as a mountain fortress, an even larger shadow is cast.
The sky.
A being that freezes the clouds it passes through, causing huge hailstones to fall, and sweeps across the ground with a single flap of its wings, unleashing a blizzard of snow.
Ice Dragon Skadia.
A dragon that spreads cold and fear across Isenggar.
Usually dragons stay still in their lairs, but Skadia was a different breed. She traveled the world without rest, collecting valuable and beautiful items.
The reason he came to the Orc Citadel, which was worthless, was none other than because his protection with the Orc King Balkrash had been cut off.
It’s not a deep relationship, and he’s not a loyal confidant.
Simple fun.
I was just curious to see how high a lowly orc could go under the protection of a dragon. But it didn’t last long before it came to an end.
However, he came here not because he was a person to be killed by the city thugs, but because he was curious about who killed Balkrush.
The Orc fortress, now a tourist attraction covered in a pure white ice wall, where even the smallest bugs are frozen alive, is where Skadia descends.
It was right after that.
It was Skadia who sensed the energy of Assis.
Is it possible to sense the energy of Assis, which is supposedly sealed in the lair, in the Orc Citadel?
It’s impossible, but it’s too obvious a force to be true.
An obvious anomaly.
Skadia flaps her wings once more. The citadel is shattered into pieces by the north wind created by her wingbeats. Skadia flies with all her might to the lair.
A rare item that arrived in an instant.
Skadia immediately checked under the nest.
Signs of intrusion.
The crystal was melted and Assis was gone.
Who dared invade the lair of Skadia and steal the princess?
An enraged Skadia breathed her breath into the sky.
immediately.
We must bring the princess to you immediately.
If left unattended, the light of her beauty will fade.
Skadia asked the magic mirror.
Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the most beautiful person in the world?
The mirror answered.
What was on the surface was not the Ice Princess Assis Priana──.
There were four women.
Red-haired human race.
An elf with a pale complexion.
Maid girl.
Pink nine-tailed fox.
Assis was nowhere to be found.
A question mark appeared in Skadia’s head. Only one person should come to mind as the most beautiful, but why did four appear?
Of course, they were beautiful women, but they were not to Skadia’s taste. Two of them were even children.
Is the mirror broken?
It was a moment when Skadia had doubts.
Four women moved their heads at the same time.
Their gaze landed on the mirror. As if they sensed the presence of Skadia on the other side of the mirror, they squinted their eyes and moved their mouths.
Please don’t peek.
What are you looking at?
Don’t peek.
Don’t steal glances at Lin.
Kwajik!
Scardia, who flinched at the awe they radiated, was unable to bear the momentary fear and smashed the mirror.
Skadia gasps for breath.
Cold sweat soaks my whole body.
Are you afraid of a mere mortal?
Is this Ice Dragon Skadia?
That’s impossible.
Time flies by.
Skadia regains consciousness.
Instead of asking questions like this, shouldn’t you have asked where Assis is? Skadia tried to ask again, but the magic mirror was already shattered.
… … .
… I can’t help it.
Just find it yourself.
If it’s the beauty of Asia, it won’t be hard to find it anywhere.
Skadia flapped her wings and took flight once more.
Scadia didn’t know.
The mirror isn’t broken.
Those who have received salvation in the name of liberation possess a beauty that others cannot imitate.
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