EP.134 A trial to endure (1)
The North is an unknown land. It’s been like that for a long time.
Even though a long time had passed since people settled and lived in the North… the North was still full of unknowns. Even those living in the north did not know much about their land.
‘Because it’s an unavoidable environment.’
The northern part is surrounded by rugged snow mountains.
It snows all year round, and every winter there are snow storms that make it impossible to see an inch in front of you. Once a snow storm hits, the roads we worked so hard to build often disappear.
A road built to explore the snowy mountains.
A map drawn along the traces of ancient ruins.
It all comes back to nothing in a single snow storm that comes every winter in the North. Therefore, the north has no choice but to remain an unknown land.
Several adventurers have attempted the northern snowy mountains… but these are all stories of the past now.
‘A land where no matter how many years you work on it, there is no result. To continue investigating such land… it would be impossible without a lot of patience.’
And just like that, the adventurers stopped coming.
As far as I remember, there is only one person who is still investigating the snowy mountains of the north.
‘Sword Demon, Draka.’
In fact, he was a man closer to an animal than a human being. And, it wasn’t just a day or two that the wild beasts that had lost their home became obsessed with the north.
‘Why on earth are they making such a fuss because something is hidden…?’
I sighed and opened my mouth.
“anyway.”
Lark, who was walking ahead of me, looked back.
It seemed as if he was asking what his next words would be. I continued speaking.
“Because it is such an unknown land, the identity of the unfrozen spring that your ancestors left behind could be hidden.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s like that.”
I nodded, and Lark made an expression that said, ‘I guess so.’ Our conversation was always like this.
“Anyway.”
I said with a bitter smile.
“It wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the North.”
“yes?”
“A place with such value… is only used for the family’s coming-of-age ceremony? “If the wizards of the Magic Tower find out, they’ll kill you.”
“······?”
Lark tilted his head as if he didn’t understand what was happening. Looking at Lark like that, I just burst out laughing.
‘Who uses the fountain of mana like that?’
Actually, that part was a bit questionable as well.
When I first heard about an unfrozen spring, I thought of the ‘Fountain of Mana’. But the more I thought about it, the more strange it seemed.
‘It’s a little strange that I didn’t recognize that.’
Looking at the Archduke’s attitude, it didn’t seem like he was holding the coming-of-age ceremony in secret. However, there was something strange about the fact that no one realized that the place was actually a fountain of mana.
‘There are even white magic tower lords in the north.’
Although she is noticeably clueless and a bit goofy… she is also a magic tower lord. Her knowledge of magic is not something to look down on.
But, did she not know about the Well of Mana?
Did you miss the place where mana was concentrated?
If that is true, the White Magic Tower owner must come down from that place. Because he doesn’t deserve to be called a magic tower lord. And, the Shelly deBella I remember is not that unqualified person…
“······.”
I was silent for a moment. What comes to mind is the image of the White Magic Tower that I encountered recently.
-you···! How much I found!
A saboteur who intervenes without notice.
-This, this at least! this! There’s this too! How about hiking gear, hiking gear…!
Rather than a wizard, he is a miscellaneous merchant.
“Uhm…”
I touched my mouth and thought.
‘…Am I qualified…?’
Thinking back on my recent actions, I feel unsure. I made a very strange expression.
“There’s a lot of snow.”
It was Lark who stopped my thoughts.
I raised my head and saw Lark. Lark, who was leading, stopped in front of a stone statue.
“But I think we’re almost there. “I see these devices in sight.”
Lark pointed to a stone statue that resembled a bear.
“When I was young, I saw this stone statue and walked for about 30 minutes to get there. Ten minutes should be enough for now.”
Now that I think about it, the snow storm was getting stronger.
The snow storm that got stronger the higher you climbed the mountain was not a natural phenomenon.
Trudging.
We climbed the mountain in silence for a while. There was a snow storm, but it was bearable.
‘I also have the muffler my teacher gave me, so whatever.’
I once had my robe torn to shreds by a trap and climbed a snowy mountain in my underwear. In contrast, her clothes are still fine now, and she even has a muffler around her neck.
“Huh…”
When I took a short breath, white breath came out, but I didn’t feel the cold.
“Well, you’ve arrived.”
After walking for so long, we stopped at a place where stone statues were lined up. Each stone statue had a pattern symbolizing the Grace family engraved on it.
‘It looks interesting.’
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I took a step towards the statue.
“Oh, it’s dangerous to touch the statue…”
“Huh? What?”
When Lark said that, I had already placed my hand on the statue. I blinked, and Lark made an expression that said, “Oops.” And that is the moment.
Ssssssssssssssssssss!
I heard the sound of the wind blowing from somewhere. I reflexively stretched out my hand. I caught something flying towards me.
Kwasik!
When I opened my hand, broken ice fell with a patter. I shook my hands and looked back at Lark.
“What if I touch the statue?”
“Uh… unless someone from the Grace family touches it first and turns off the device… the trap will be triggered.”
“trap?”
I tilted my head.
Lark pointed to a piece of ice beneath my feet.
“···That’s how arrows usually fly.”
“oh···.”
Lark put his hand on the statue with a subtle expression. When Lark touched it, the statue spun around with a clicking sound.
Woe!
Along with the spinning stone statue, the snow storm that had been blowing around cleared up. No, to be exact, rather than being lifted…
‘It’s back to where it belongs.’
It was correct to express it that way. The snow storm was sucked in beyond the statue. It was an unbelievable sight, but it was true. Lark opened his mouth, pointing beyond the cleared snow storm.
“This is the Grace family’s shrine.”
The snow storm cleared and was revealed.
It was a huge barrier. However, it was not the type of barrier that prevented intrusion.
‘Rather, it feels like something inside has been locked away.’
The inside of the barrier is pure white. The rushing snow storm hit the barrier and made a ticking sound.
“Going in there and holding on is considered a coming-of-age ceremony?”
“Yes, usually, if you last half a day on the outskirts, it is considered a pass. Otherwise, there is a way to pass through the center and come out the other side…”
“They said no one could do it.”
Lark nodded.
“···Yes, I heard that the snow storm gets stronger towards the center, so the second method is almost impossible.”
“hmm···.”
I stroked my chin and looked at the barrier.
It was a barrier covered with rough and raw circuits, not the standardized circuits used today. It was an unfamiliar circuit to most wizards…
“···aha.”
Rather, it was a circuit that was familiar to me.
‘Circuit written in an ancient language.’
What I studied at the Gray Magic Tower.
And, the ancient spell form that was drilled into my head as I faced Skebal endlessly. I opened my mouth, tracing the barrier with my fingertips.
“That’s fun.”
When I said that, Lark trembled.
“why? cold?”
“yes? No, it’s just that something suddenly happened…”
“what.”
“It feels like a great danger is coming…”
Big risk?
I sighed and laughed.
“Oh, I guess I have to die.”
“···yes?”
“Then let’s get started quickly.”
I took out the juseomjuseom tool from inside my robe. There were some I bought from the White Magic Tower, and there were also some I originally carried.
“For what purpose is that?”
“huh? this?”
Lark pointed to the ropes and stakes.
I picked up the rope and pulled it straight. It was a good rope that did not break easily even when force was applied.
“What can I use the rope for?”
Tools must be used according to their purpose.
“I use it for tying things up.”
“What do you mean, tied up?”
“What do you mean?”
I pointed to Lark.
“Is there anyone else here besides you?”
Lark’s complexion turned pale.
It seemed like the weather was very cold.
2.
Lark, who grew up playing in the snowy mountains, does not shiver from the cold. You don’t even blink at a normal snow storm. I did not shiver even in the biting cold.
Parr.
But, why?
Lark was shaking now. His fingertips were trembling. The pupils were shaking back and forth. Although I was standing halfway up the snowy mountain, I wasn’t shivering because of the cold.
‘Tie them up?’
Lark is trembling with fear.
Hoping he had misheard, Lark looked at the professor in front of him. Rania Van Trias, a nightmare wearing a human shell, smiles at herself.
“I learned from the warriors. They say that if you tie a knot like this, it won’t come off easily. see? like this.”
It’s a bright smile.
It’s a smile as warm as the sunlight on a spring day.
“Now, tie it to your arm like this…”
With a fleeting, gentle smile, she ties a rope around Lark’s arm. There is a stake attached to the end of the rope. Lark did not know its purpose.
“Now, take the stake in your hand.”
“Uh, um, yeah.”
“Let’s go in.”
“···Like this?”
“uh.”
“Well, catch your breath… prepare your mind, things like that…”
“Hey, it’s nothing.”
It was a very different thing for Lark.
However, it seemed like it was no big deal to her, and she spoke in a tone as if she were going for a walk.
“Let’s start lightly from the outskirts.”
It wasn’t light at all.
“What are you doing? “Aren’t you following me?”
Is this what livestock being dragged to the slaughterhouse feels like?
There is hell before your eyes. It is a nightmare with a bright smile that guides you down the road to hell.
Whioooooo!
Lark swallows dry saliva as he looks at the snow storm raging beyond the barrier. The hesitation is temporary. Eventually, Lark moved his feet with difficulty. He headed towards the limb on his own feet.
‘If I don’t head towards my own feet…’
They are only dragged away by Professor Rania. Lark chose to walk on his own rather than be dragged.
“······.”
Lark unconsciously looked at the stake in his hand.
The rope tied to my wrist and the stake hanging at the end of the rope… feel just like iron fetters. I feel like I have suddenly become a death row inmate being dragged to the execution site.
‘Ah, father…’
Lark remembers his parents’ faces for the last time.
As those who sense the end usually do.
“···let’s go.”
Lark said in a determined voice.
“Why are you going to die? “Relax your shoulders, dude.”
Rania slapped Lark on the shoulder. Lark shed tears at the rather spicy touch.
3.
“Now that I think about it, I heard that Lark climbed the snowy mountain today. “It looks like Miss Rania took it with her.”
Eryahl smiled in satisfaction at Palia’s words.
“What a quick-acting professor.”
“It looks like you like it quite a bit?”
“It looks soft on the outside, but inside it’s a beast. He is a different person on the outside and the inside. “I mean that in a good way.”
Palia blinked at the sight of Eryahl laughing. It was an extremely rare thing. It is her own husband who welcomes her guest from the capital to this extent.
“Well, he was a bit of a special guest.”
Faelia nodded slightly.
What comes to mind is a conversation I had with that girl at a banquet not long ago before the food was served.
-Does it suit your taste? Miss Rania?
-Yes, it’s delicious.
-is that so? The food in the capital and the food in the north are a bit different… Many people from the capital are unfamiliar with it, but I guess that’s not the case for Rania?
She is a girl from a noble family.
As the daughter of an aristocratic family with obvious charm, I naturally thought that northern food would not suit her taste.
‘I thought you were only pretending to be okay on the outside.’
You are a girl who knows how to be considerate.
Palia thought it was natural and planned to praise the girl for her consideration. However, the answer she received back was different from what Palia expected.
-Uh…isn’t it okay if the food is warm?
-···yes?
-It’s warm, doesn’t smell fishy, doesn’t go bad, and doesn’t burn…is there anything that doesn’t suit your taste?
He spoke in a tone that made it seem like he had eaten those things. It was not something a young lady from a prestigious family would say. never.
‘Special guest.’
That’s why it’s special.
And, her husband always likes special things. Palia took a quick look at Eryahl’s eyes. She seemed to be in a very good mood.
“···Do you feel that good?”
“Aren’t you looking forward to it?”
Eryahl said, resting his chin.
“It didn’t give the impression of being pretentious. It certainly didn’t give the impression that I was telling a lie. The professor spoke sincerely. “It’s not difficult.”
This is something that no one in the Grace family has been able to do for a long time. The professor declared that it was ‘not difficult.’
“I’m looking forward to seeing what method they will use.”
“Aren’t you worried?”
“at all.”
As always, Eryahl lightly denied it.
“Do I really have to kill him?”
“Aren’t you being too heartless towards Lark?”
“It’s not cruel. It’s about trust. “This is the trust shared between northern warriors.”
Palia shook her head.
Although many years had passed since I moved to the North, I still found it difficult to understand Eryahl’s way of thinking.
“Lark is having a hard time.”
“It is an ordeal that any warrior of the Grace family must go through.”
The tone of voice was that there was nothing strange.
Palia sighed as the ground fell.
A word from the author (author review)
It’s already been 50 days since I touched Genshin Impact while reading the alcoholic author’s terms and conditions.
It’s already been 40 days since I gave up on gacha after seeing its spicy taste, but finally got into it again.
I’m still enjoying the spicy taste of gacha.
Oh, but maybe this isn’t as bad as I thought…?
