Chapter 111

111.

I’m lucky.

Arthur Briarten occasionally thought that.

The Bradden family had disappeared into the back alleys of history.

All that remained was Arthur Briarten himself. In an instant, the family that had wielded power had fallen into ruin, becoming a fallen noble family.

Thus, as a consequence of defeat and obligation, nothing remained around Arthur.

No rich and luxurious food.

No subordinates who used to bow their heads and serve.

No goods that could be easily obtained at will.

And, no family of blood remained.

Only Arthur Briarten.

The useless second son of the fallen Bradden family was all that remained.

‘It’s the natural result.’

The Braddens were branded as traitors.

Though he was referred to as the only clear blemish due to his incompetence, he fully understood what that meant.

It would not have been strange if everything related to the family had been burned away. In reality, his father Norman and his brother Ildan had died, and those even remotely tied to the family had been executed one by one.

Given such a situation,

Arthur considered himself lucky. He had survived.

Although he had been forcibly reassigned to the Northern Front, where monsters thrived.

Still, he could breathe and live, couldn’t he? It was a situation where he should be grateful simply because his head hadn’t rolled.

‘Actually, they likely kept me alive because they needed me.’

A family that had enjoyed power for so long did not end merely with the severing of the head of the family and the successor.

The ingrained flames of greed merely contracted for a while.

The true strength of an old noble family was the ability to rise again from the ashes when the crisis passed.

Thus, Arthur had been left alive.

To wipe out the remnants that would gather around Arthur, the only legitimate heir to the family.

The decision of the Imperial Palace to thoroughly stamp out even the smallest spark of the Braddens was cold and calculated.

While traversing the Northern Front, Arthur gained various experiences.

His objective view allowed him to discern the flow of political currents, and he realized something.

‘It’s undoubtedly Macbilian.’

That the husband of the Empress had influenced his Northern assignment.

There were few figures who would advocate for, and then execute, the radical opinion of leaving survivors from a rebel family.

Lucanov. Schurantz.

The two Dukes of the Imperial Palace were not ones to pick up discarded pieces. Thus, it naturally narrowed down to one person.

The detailed reasons for sparing his life were unclear, but he suspected his past had played some role.

The sole blemish of the family.

The unmistakable fact that he had been excluded from all major and minor affairs of the Braddens.

‘It’s… good luck, I suppose.’

Ironically, he survived due to a past filled with inferiority and disdain.

Still,

Even if abandoned to the world without any support.

Even if chased away to the icy lands infested with monsters.

‘This is an opportunity.’

A new life.

Not as the second son of the Braddens or the discarded child,

But as Arthur Briarten, a complete member of the Winter Tree Knights.

Though the process was not easy,

He finally became a mana user, gained a new family, and met precious people.

“Miss Erika! The sun will set soon!”

The light that dimly illuminated the surroundings was waning, meaning it was moving past afternoon and into nighttime. They had to stop the search.

At Arthur’s shout, the woman leading turned her body around.

“Almost there! I strongly feel the presence of the fading tree!”

A subtle reply suggesting to continue the search.

Arthur couldn’t bring himself to speak, understanding Erika’s urgency.

Whether it was to relieve the burden of her sister, or to solve the storm that held the North in a death grip.

“Even if we can only confirm the position, at least we must confirm the location! Please!”

It was a clue they had barely reached after wandering across the vast North.

A resolution they obtained, overcoming a natural disaster like a snowstorm and countless threats. It was close by. He would have been excited if he were in the same position.

Arthur nodded heavily.

“I understand! But, we have to change the formation! We’ll form a defensive wall around you, and I will take the lead!”

“Yes!”

After Erika moved from the front to the center of the group,

The four knights, including Arthur, formed a diamond shape.

“…We’re moving out. If the sun completely sets today, we’ll stop here!”

“That’s enough!”

With Erika’s reply, Arthur moved his body.

Cautiously stepping through the snow field which tended to swallow him, he moved forward.

A storm was raging, and the piles of snow made movement difficult. The level at which an ordinary creature would die without a moment’s hesitation.

However, these five were not ordinary.

All four knights were mana users.

To them, this extreme situation was merely inconvenient talking condition rather than something that would incapacitate them.

Even Erika, who was not a mana user, was partially protected by the mysterious power intrinsic to the Elves that kept her safe from the natural disaster.

Moving around merely under the snow-washed northern region was not difficult for them.

The danger lay elsewhere.

Arthur moved forward with hand on his sword’s hilt.

‘I shouldn’t be careless.’

Not only due to the snowstorm, but more deadly monsters roamed the snowy plains.

The defiled beasts.

And the Aberrants.

‘Those monsters…’

The force in the hand gripping the sword’s hilt increased involuntarily.

Arthur gritted his teeth thinking of the creatures he had encountered en route from the fortress.

‘Even though everything was fine when we left the fortress.’

Becoming a superior being had made fighting the monsters much easier.

Then, at some point, the monsters had begun to solidify, and when the snowstorm fully engulfed the north, they had become unreasonably strong.

Monsters that used to explode with a strike now needed five powerful attacks concentrated in a single spot to fall.

‘They’re just getting stronger.’

On the other hand, Arthur,

Had grown stronger but remained relatively weak.

Could he protect his comrades in the north, his family, and Erika with this strength?

‘I need power.’

Overwhelming power was necessary.

A powerful strength that obliterated any threats that approached, in one shot.

“…”

An image of someone briefly passed through Arthur’s mind.

The lower district of the northern quarter of the capital.

On an overcast day with pouring rain.

The silhouette of a youth with black hair, silently wiping his sword in a sea of blood.

The young man who shattered Ildan’s flash blade in the final selection match, and took his life in the honor duel at the grand square.

‘Cain, Macbilian.’

To Arthur, the symbol of power was Cain.

The family’s nemesis—and the patron who had spared his life.

Just as Arthur was shaking off the complicated thoughts,

“Over there, I think we’ve found it. Finally…!”

Responding to Erika’s shout, filled with joy, Arthur turned his gaze.

“A tree?”

The blurred outline of a tree seen through the snowstorm.

The reason Arthur was surprised was simple.

The tree was enormous.

So large that one had to tilt their head back sharply just to see the top.

Even from afar, its overwhelming size could be felt.

‘A subspecies of the World Tree, wasn’t it?’

Though defiled and merely a subspecies, it truly was a tree befitting the name of the World Tree.

As Arthur and the knights marveled at its majestic size, Erika, who had studied the tree, whispered quietly.

“Now, I can save my sister.”

Erika shook her head after pushing her hood back.

A short black bob fluttered violently in the storm.

Her elf ears twitched faintly amid the strands.

The moment Erika took a step forward with her resolve,

Arthur and the knights drew their swords.

“Prepare for battle!”

The knights gathered their mana at Arthur’s shout.

“Arthur?”

“Miss, something’s coming. This presence…”

The overwhelming pressure approaching from all sides.

Arthur sharpened his senses to the limit to pinpoint the monster’s location.

‘In front? The side? Behind? No, no.’

Kuuuung-

The snow began to tremble violently.

The tremendous vibration traveled up through his boots.

Arthur shouted while encircling Erika’s waist.

“Beneath! Be careful underneath your feet!”

Kwaang!

A huge explosion occurred, and something emerged.

“Gyaak!”

“Krek!”

Arthur shook off the numbness in his arms after blocking the surprise attack.

The blizzard cleared to reveal the monster.

A body covered in black mud.

It looked much like an earthworm overall.

Fitting its aberrant nature, it had an immense cabin-sized body.

“It’s a mole type! Be mindful of the ground and the tail!”

“Confirmed! Its attacks are linear! We’ll be fine if we don’t directly confront it!”

“Arthur, I’ll take care of the young lady!”

At a knight’s shout, Arthur spoke.

“Miss Erika, please go to Sir Mutché.”

“…Yes. Be careful.”

After giving Erika a small smile at her worried gaze, Arthur leapt toward the monster.

While aberrant monsters often took the shape of humans, they sometimes took the form of various animals.

Among them, the mole-shaped monster was an irritating one that launched surprise attacks without warning. However,

‘The surprise attack failed. And a mole monster is no problem for me.’

Whoosh.

The sound of something burning.

The intense force of mana permeates his entire body.

Looking at the world bathed in blue, Arthur slashed his glowing sword in a flash.

The Bradden school of split swordsmanship.

Triple strike.

While it was Arthur’s limit compared to his brother Ildan,

It was sufficient.

Three beams of light that shot out from the sword simultaneously pierced the mole monster’s body.

Phu-ver-ver!

“Kiiiiiiiiiaaakkk!”

The mole monster twisted its body as it emitted a bone-chilling scream.

The blizzard-clearing black waves surged from it. As its horrifying power hit, his awakened mana consumed the monster’s force.

“…What annoying bastards.”

Fortunately, a manageable opponent appeared.

Another knight easily cut off the tail that suddenly burst out of the ground, and with a strong blow, they hit the monster’s body trying to re-enter the ground.

The impressive monster that debuted with a bang was easily suppressed like a yawn.

‘A level 2 grade isn’t enough to warm up.’

While dealing with the mole monster, it seemed that night had completely fallen. With the addition of darkness in the snowstorm, nothing could be seen anymore.

Now was really the time to end the search and camp for the night.

Just as Arthur and the knights were about to return to Erika’s side,

Huff.

Arthur’s footsteps halted at a chilling sensation piercing his body.

‘What is it?’

His chest felt constricted.

The loud sound of his heartbeats ringing in his ears.

The coldness that swept over his back.

Cold sweat broke out involuntarily.

He gripped his sword tightly as anxiety overwhelmed his entire body.

The intuition of a superior being warned him fiercely.

‘Death…!’

You’ll die if you stay here.

But, how do you escape?

You cannot escape.

Death has already arrived right before your eyes.

“To everyone! Protect the young lady!”

Just as his urgent shout was about to conclude,

Arthur’s body was bent at a right angle and thrown away.

Kwaang!

“…!”

“Arthur!!”

Erika and the knights quickly turned their gazes.

In the place where Arthur stood, another presence now stood.

An aberrant monster.

But something was different.

Typically, aberrant monsters take the form of black mud flowing from their bodies. But what stood before them now was different.

“…A human…?”

Erika’s mouth opened unconsciously at the sight of the monster.

Still black from head to toe.

However, instead of flowing mud, it was clearly a human body.

The monster was smaller.

Perhaps the size of three adult males?

The face had only the mouth-like portion visible.

The monster’s head slowly turned.

The creature smirked.

“Beware…!”

Peeeong!

In an instant, the knight who stepped forward’s head exploded.

The monster, which had somehow reached close range, shook its arm while looking down at the remaining prey.

A mana user couldn’t even respond properly before being killed.

“Hii…!”

At the sudden turn of events, Erika’s body froze.

Even the knights, staring wide-eyed, couldn’t move.

As the monster’s arm extended toward Erika, who had collapsed, a mana-filled roar echoed.

“Take your filthy hands off her!!”

The attack Arthur launched like a flash of lightning caused the monster to easily leap into the air.

In a manner completely lacking in substance, the creature gracefully landed behind Arthur.

“Miss! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Rather, Arthur! Your body…”

“I am fine!”

As he spat out the mouthful of blood, Arthur readjusted his grip on his sword.

“To everyone! Prioritize the young lady’s protection! We’re evacuating the scene!”

“Yes! Yes! Understood!”

“Sir Mutché dealt with it with one blow…! Damn this bastard!”

“Sir Garang! Revenge is mine! Let’s pull away from it! Don’t forget the duty of the knights!”

Arthur’s impassioned shout snapped the knights back to their senses.

While the knights moved away with Erika, who was struggling, Arthur charged toward the monster.

The monster stood calmly, watching the farce as though it were watching a play.

“Huuuuuuh!”

In response to Arthur’s charge, the creature smirked and ran.

Unlike the previous ambush, the creature’s movements seemed blurred this time.

Thanks to the sword art of the Braddens that emphasized speed, Arthur’s eye-tracking ability had reached its limits.

‘I can see him!’

Hwiiik-

He narrowly avoided the strike that tore into his side by a mere sheet of paper’s difference.

The creature’s transcendent movement seemed to have been limited to the first attack. The monster’s movements began to slow.

He gradually started to hit it with his sword. Though his entire body ached as if pounded by a hammer, if things continued this way,

The immediate threat would be eliminated as soon as this dangerous monster was dealt with.

‘I can win!’

Just as Arthur, fueled by determination and mana, prepared his ultimate technique, the Triple Strike,

“Gheu!”

A powerful impact in his side sent Arthur flying through the snow.

‘Wha…’

Buried in the snow, Arthur desperately clutched his fading consciousness and turned his eyes.

Another monster’s figure stood beside the monster.

‘There’s one more!’

To make matters worse,

Ooowwwwww!

The distant howl of a wolf faintly reached his ears.

It meant animal swarms nearby. The situation unfolded rapidly, plunging Arthur into despair.

The direction the swarm appeared from was opposite the monster.

The direction Erika and the knights fled.

Besieged from front and back.

‘Why are these beasts…!’

Why would the animals, which usually feared the aberrant monsters, prowl around here?

The feeling of death wrapped around Arthur’s heart.

Arthur glared at the monster leisurely approaching with his lips curled in a smile.

Weak.

“Gaaaah!”

“Miss!“

“These f*cking monsters!”

The chaotic sounds of screaming and shouting echoed in his dizzy mind.

Is this the end?

I just became a mana user.

I overcame the stigma of being the Bradden’s maggot.

I was recognized as family by the people of the citadel who once treated me as trash.

And now you’re telling me to close my eyes here in this snowy field, without even being able to save the future that had been promised?

‘Is this really the end?’

Don’t make me laugh.

It’s my life, hard-earned.

A future obtained through struggles after being denied a life, through effort.

“Don’t make me laugh!”

It’s not over yet.

“Erika…!”

Arthur, shaking his trembling body, lifted his sword.

Though his vision blurred with the flow of blood, it was enough to swing the sword.

No one can take anything more from me.

You monsters who want to steal my family, my place.

“I’ll kill you all!”

Just as Arthur swung his sword at the monster nearing within striking distance,

Kwaang!

–!

The monster, who was extending its arm, suddenly shrieked and was hurled away.

“…?”

Arthur hadn’t even finished his Triple Strike yet.

‘Then, why…’

Amid Arthur’s confusion, a calm voice pierced his ears.

“You’ve certainly improved with your ki. Did you gain enlightenment in the north, Arthur Bradden?”

Arthur’s body stiffened.

It was a familiar voice.

And one that shouldn’t have been heard here.

“Macbilian…?”

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