“Lift your weapons! Fight back!”
Under Gishta’s lead, the Thunder Tribe busily prepared for the sortie.
“Mount up!”
“Riders!”
The trainers brought the mounts over, and one by one, they hopped on.
As a battle tribe, they finished preparations in the blink of an eye.
“Are we joining in too?”
“We must. It’s to boost our friendship with the Thunder Tribe, and the Glacier Tribe we’re heading to hunt now will become a threat to the Empire in the future. It’s better to strike them down when the opportunity arises, just like we did with the Stone Tribe.”
“Teacher, shall we call the main unit?”
The squad leader was clearly terrified, so I gave him a light pat on the shoulder.
“Let’s assess the situation before we proceed. They might feel threatened by our numbers and become hostile.”
“Understood, I’ll wait for orders.”
Once our internal meeting wrapped up, Gishta called out to me while wielding a giant battle axe.
“Lars, I must head to Meat Village!”
“Let’s go together. Our knights are veterans who’ve fought against the Stone Tribe. They’ll be a help.”
“That’s the spirit. Get on!”
The teammates divided and climbed onto the backs of the tribesmen.
“Let’s move out!!”
With Gishta’s booming shout, the iron gates swung open with a clank and the advance began.
“Oh wow.”
About thirty demons formed a fan-shaped formation as they sprinted across the snow-covered plains.
The thumping sounds of their footsteps filled the air, mistaken for the sound of a heartbeat.
Thud, thud, thud.
In the center of the formation, a skilled warrior stood on the back of a giant bear, drumming a huge bass drum to raise morale.
At the very front, agile tribesmen riding wolves sped ahead, sharply turning the path.
On the wings, the polar bear units brandished their spears, exuding their might.
Gishta and I positioned ourselves right behind the drummer, providing a vantage point over the entire unit.
“It’s the Glacier Tribe! They’re coming in from the right!”
A group was closing in on our right flank, matching our speed.
Huff! Huff!
They were the Snowmen. They looked like giant orangutans covered in white fur, and they were preparing to pounce on us.
“Their bodies are black. They’re infected with Demon’s Blood.”
Is that why their physical abilities are so abnormal? Just as I thought that…
Jump!
They leapt towards the bear unit, and combat began.
“Beasts!”
“Smash them!”
The tribesmen stood up in their saddles and swung their weapons at the Snowmen.
“Ugh!”
They managed to take down a few, but we also suffered injuries.
A tribesman staggered as his flesh was torn by their sharp claws.
“That doesn’t look good. We need to treat him right away.”
“Lars, can you take him to the back for treatment?”
Treating patients while riding a bear.
“Of course.”
In the meantime, we’ll need a rider for the mammoth.
“Commander!”
Tanya, who was riding on the left flank, heard my voice and jumped up.
“Let me handle it.”
“Do you think you can?”
“What’s the difference from horseback?”
She confidently replied and took the reins. Gishta grinned broadly, showing her teeth as she wrapped her arms around my waist and jumped.
“Alright!”
With a battle cry, we landed on the back of the beast, and with a swing of the axe, three Snowmen fell at once.
I settled into position and began treating the injured tribesman hanging on to the saddle.
“Completely insane.”
My heart was racing. We were in the middle of a dangerous battlefield, moving at seventy miles per hour, and I was feeling a bit excited myself.
I treated four more injured before realizing that Gishta had taken down countless Snowmen in the meantime.
“We’re arriving at Meat Village!”
The village was engaged in a siege battle against the Snowmen crowding at the iron barriers like zombies.
Bang! Bang! Even though we reached our destination, we didn’t slow down. The main unit charged into the Snowmen attacking the village, trampling them underfoot.
“Hold tight, Lars!”
Gishta lifted me off the ground and soared into the air. For a moment, the battlefield spread out beneath us.
Thud! We landed in the heart of the village, where Hugo and Bruno were already down with other tribesmen.
“Hugo.”
“Teacher.”
Though we exchanged no additional words, we understood exactly what we wanted to say.
“The chieftain has arrived from the skies!”
“The chieftain has arrived using teleportation!”
The villagers welcomed Gishta excitedly.
Boom! She swung her axe with great might, and thunder echoed in the clear daytime sky.
“I will cooperate.”
Tanya landed beside her, adjusting her sword energy. Gishta delightedly lifted her chin.
“Show me the skills of Lars’ subordinates!”
“Don’t be surprised.”
The two of them leaped into action simultaneously.
*
“The enemy is fleeing!”
“Hahaha! Idiots!”
The sound of a horn echoed across the icy plains.
As we repelled their assault, the Snowmen’s spirits broke, and they scattered in disarray.
“An incredible number of them! Considering the injuries in the first village, we should avoid touching the corpses to minimize the infection risk.”
Hugo offered his opinion. I agreed.
“Gather samples of the Snowmen’s blood. How many injuries are there?”
“There are about five urgent cases. Our combined efforts should suffice.”
“We need to burn the bodies. Let’s check the injured for infection and isolate them.”
“Understood.”
I went to find Gishta. She was celebrating a splendid hunt, bumping shoulders with the tribesmen.
Tanya was among them. It seemed she had earned their respect.
“Knight, you’re swift. I want to know your name and its meaning!”
“I am Tanya. I don’t know the meaning, but I am guarding Teacher Gothberg.”
“Guarding, the protector! I like you!”
Gishta sorted out the tribesmen before coming to find me.
“Tanya is a good warrior, Lars. You have a great subordinate. You were amazing too.”
“Haha, this much is only natural. But those Glacier Tribe guys, there are too many of them.”
“Well, they have been quietly growing in numbers. Recently, it feels like they’ve been all congregating in our territory.”
Since they were infected with Demon’s Blood, it makes sense.
“What’s their objective?”
“It must be mother. Those who seek her power have always existed.”
‘Did the savages becoming the minions of the Great Demon happen as a result and not as their goal?’
Demons are beings that dwell in the Void Realm and cannot manifest alone. Just like Camilla summoned them through a sacrifice, a black magician must contract with a price to summon them.
To move effectively on the continent, minions like these must be used.
‘Could it be that the Great Demon appeared using the Mana of the Heavenly Dragon?’
It was the other way around. The Great Demon was targeting this place from the start, infecting the savages.
‘Was the Heavenly Dragon said to be sleeping due to injury?’
Hmm.
“Gishta, could you possibly take me to where your mother is?”
It was a lighthearted remark, but Gishta’s face showed clear suspicion for the first time.
“To mother? What do you mean, Lars?”
“Well, as you know, I’m a healer. I’m just wondering if I could heal your mother.”
If she’s sick and sleeping, I just need to heal her and send her off, right?
Then there wouldn’t be any incidents of the Great Demon ever appearing in this world.
“Hmm.”
Gishta pondered briefly before she spoke up.
*
“I must protect my mother. It is the mission of our country, descended from the blood of dragons.”
It was a story Gishta had heard since she was a child. She was the princess of a small country, a nation dedicated to guarding the sealed Heavenly Dragon.
Publicly, they appeared as a tiny frontier nation, but managing and keeping the savage tribes in check secretly in undeveloped areas was their task.
“The previous caretaker has died. Gishta, you must take the lead as the next leader and guide the tribes. You have a duty, as the blood of the dragon flows through you more robustly than anyone else.”
Suddenly, the king’s command was issued.
As a child, she vehemently resisted. She didn’t want to live her entire life trapped on a land filled only with ice.
Yet she was flung into the heart of the tribes per the nation’s rule.
At first, she was too frightened and ran away. Later, looking upon the land that would come to be known as the Gothberg Marquisate, she marveled at the river running through it, dreaming of living in such a place.
‘If I forsake my duty…’
If an evil being obtained the power of the Heavenly Dragon, it would endanger the continent.
She was well aware of this fact.
Ultimately, she endured life in the wilds. She clashed with the savages, fought, rolled around, dominating them and growing stronger.
She gradually forgot her ordinary speech and soon began speaking primarily in short phrases.
She became acclimated to a meat-based diet and the cold.
The birth of a barbarian warrior.
But amusingly, her nation soon fell into ruin not long after. It was a war.
Her duty vanished.
Still, Gishta continued to guard the land.
Before long, she roamed the familiar icy plains with the tribesmen, riding her mount.
Her yearning for the world below steadily grew.
Whenever she had time, she would climb the mountains to gaze upon the marquisate. The dragon’s eyesight was remarkable, even better than an eagle’s; it could inspect every detail.
She observed as mansions were built and generations changed.
However, in recent years, one young man from that family caught her eye.
The young man with white hair. An undeniably ordinary human, and yet at some point, he began to radiate an unusual aura that could be felt from a distance.
He rescued puppies from mansions, and then there were times he swung his sword until about to collapse, and he fought against demons in the forest.
She found him an interesting man.
Though he was just one step ahead, he was living a life in a place she could never reach. What kind of life did that white-haired youth lead?
Gishta occasionally found herself daydreaming about him.
And he was with a girl of the same age.
A noble and elegant golden-haired girl. Perhaps she was a princess of her own country.
Someone from a different world entirely from her own.
Above all, they suited each other well.
They left the mansion together and returned after quite some time.
Had they formed a bond? Surely, they must be happy.
Since it was a life she could never attain, she yearned for it a little.
As time passed, during the period when they were chasing the Stone Tribe for quite a while…
When she saw the white-haired youth fall from a cliff along with the chieftain’s neck, she was quite surprised.
Even in that situation, he maintained his composure, appearing rather reliable.
Time passed and, unsurprisingly, it was the golden-haired girl who came first to find him.
Feeling the fiery affection from afar, Gishta gently hugged herself.
She realized she felt envy towards them.
Suddenly, when he approached her, offering kindness and revealing his name, she was genuinely surprised.
Yet she felt quite happy.
She thought they could become good friends.
Once she truly spent time with him, he was a far more entertaining man than she had imagined.
And a good man too.
She understood why the proud golden-haired girl had fallen for him.
“Gishta, could you possibly take me to where your mother is?”
Gishta contemplated.
For Lars to heal her mother, he would need to see her directly, meaning they’d also have to unlock the sealed underground tomb.
It was a door that hadn’t been opened in hundreds of years.
‘…Lars doesn’t have any bad intentions.’
Gishta assessed him by smell.
From the beginning, he held no malice.
‘That stone must be important.’
In fact, the reason he sought her out from the very start was probably that. Gishta expected that.
It was indeed well-understood where that stone was located.
That stone was with her mother.
Gishta wasn’t a girl who thought long and complicated.
Lars was a good friend. So it was fine.
She smiled brightly and gave a hearty pat on Lars’ back.
“Alright! You’re the first to voluntarily step up to heal my mother. I look forward to it, Lars!”
“I’ll do my best. Let’s first check on the injured and head out in the afternoon.”
Receiving Gishta’s promise, Lars left with a lighter step.
Watching his figure, Gishta pondered.
‘If Lars heals my mother…’
Doesn’t that mean her own duty may come to an end?
