Chapter 113

***

Though the battle had ended, night had fallen, and the surroundings were pitch black, rendering everything invisible.

We decided to move at dawn and excavated a pile of snow, far away from the battlefield, to create a temporary shelter.

To prevent suffocation, we made air circulation holes and built a small campfire to conserve body heat.

Carefully arranging Arthur’s group around the fire completed our preparations for rest.

After finishing a late supper, we discussed the events of the day.

“Those monsters. In all my travels through the North, I’ve never seen anything like them.”

“That’s true. There were no reports from the Pilgrimage Group mentioning such distinct creatures.”

“Hmm. This is strange.”

Nia, who had been conversing with Myna, lowered her head.

Deep in thought, she soon began drawing on the ground to explain.

“The creatures in this realm are born from mana that has solidified and gathered in the First Realm.”

Swoosh. Swish.

“Mana flows downward from the upper realms. So, the mana abundant in the Third Realm flows through the Second Realm and into the First Realm.”

Nia drew three circles in sequence and connected them with arrows.

“When stagnant mana in the First Realm combines with negative feelings like anger or despair emitted by living beings, a creature forms. That’s what we call the creatures in this realm.”

In the circle labeled “First Realm,” she added a drawing resembling a slime, likely depicting one of the creatures from this realm.

“The creatures that clump together from stagnant energy are usually inconsistent in shape. They often take vague human or animal forms due to the memories embedded in the emotions but rarely have a well-defined form.”

The creature that attacked Arthur’s group was distinctly humanoid with a muscular frame like armor, about the size of three grown men combined.

While it was still on the smaller side, a 3-level creature, it was nothing compared to what we faced.

“The monsters we just fought were humanoid.”

“Exactly, which is why it’s so strange. A structure like that wouldn’t occur naturally. Even if a rare mutation occurred, we’d only expect one. But we fought two.”

Recalling their battle prowess, it was clear they weren’t ordinary creatures of this realm.

“I couldn’t even scratch them with my ice spears. Something smells fishy here. Very suspicious, indeed.”

Nia, eyes gleaming with enthusiasm, tapped her stick. Clearly, the prospect of new research had her excited.

As Nia’s fervor continued, I turned my attention back to Myna.

“Myna, the seal reacted as you said it would, correct?”

“Indeed. The Goddess must have something to say.”

“The reaction strengthened when the battle began. Moreover, the state of the sealing window seemed off.”

I described how the lightning flashing in the corner where the seal was embedded indicated some kind of resistance — likely a reaction to the sacred power remaining in the sealing window.

Myna, her expression turning serious, hesitantly spoke.

“Dark Cultists?”

“Dark Cultists.”

They were the shadowy figures, briefly mentioned in novels. Their appearance tied to securing the Holy Maiden of the Silver Moon Sect, and they had largely disappeared into the background ever since.

Myna subtly gestured to the sealing window and said,

“The Goddess sending a direct signal is quite rare. One such instance is when the Dark Cultists are involved.”

“The seal reacted when we fought the monsters. Therefore…”

“The transformation of the monsters might have been influenced by the Dark Cultists.”

Myna, seemingly exhausted, rubbed her eyes.

“When they went quiet for a while, I wondered where they’d gone underground.”

She sighed and continued,

“I thought I’d finally be free from the pile of paperwork in the Audience Chamber, but now we’ve found traces of the Dark Cultists here. And with creatures from this realm! We should inform the sect…”

“I can send a message quickly using the pigeons I’ve been raising. However, the snowstorm might be too much for them to handle. If we can resolve that, it should work.”

Charles was the one often entrusted with delivering letters or important messages, often summoning large hawks from the watchtower’s summit for this purpose.

Apparently, these powerful hawks could traverse the entire empire for urgent deliveries and were highly intelligent, responding well to commands from anywhere.

As we discussed the current situation and our plans ahead with the group, there was a stir.

“Where am I…”

The unconscious woman with black short hair stirred and rose. Reacting to the patient waking up, Myna quickly moved.

“You’ve awakened. You might feel dizzy. You lost a lot of blood.”

“Arthur… Arthur, the knights…”

The woman, her eyes dazed, swayed. Myna, accustomed to such situations, softly supported her.

“You shouldn’t worry; everyone else is safe.”

The woman’s head turned with difficulty.

The knights, wrapped in blankets and sleeping near the campfire, reassured her.

Myna offered her a gentle smile.

“Is there any other place troubling you?”

“My body feels weak, but otherwise, I’m fine.”

“That’s because you expended a lot of energy healing your wounds. I have some food prepared. Charles?”

Charles, who’d been stirring the pot eagerly, stood up.

The prepared meal was warm stew.

The ingredients had been safely tucked into Nia’s subspace bag before heading north. The only question was who would prepare the stew.

Nia and Myna admitted to making food only a few times in their lives. Charles, favoring survival-oriented quick meals, had never prepared such a dish.

In the end, I made the stew, with Rani recalling the cooking process she had learned in Ruben, creating a decent result.

Perhaps it was the harsh environment, but the stew—made from dried meat, potatoes, some vegetables, seasoned with salt and pepper—was incredibly delicious.

To the point where Nia and Charles, using oversized bowls, ate three helpings each.

Even as they glanced at the unconscious patients with regretful expressions, their fingers hesitated, betraying their desire for more.

In any case, the response to the stew was expected, especially from the woman.

Despite her earlier melancholy demeanor during our conversation, her pupils immediately dilated upon smelling the stew Charles delivered.

With a noticeable swallow, her throat moved.

“Be careful, it’s hot.”

The woman, having heard Charles’ warning, brought the bowl to her lips slowly.

“Slurp.”

As she took a small sip, her expression softened, and simultaneously, her pointed ears, which had been taut, relaxed.

With her eyes closed, she muttered something and quickly finished the stew, blushing as she held the bowl up for more.

“Half-Elf.”

Though it was surprising to find offspring between humans and beast-folk, the birth of a child from a human and an elf was equally remarkable.

The lineage of the Devalletas was recorded in the confidential archives of the Imperial Palace, much like those of the Fenantels in the South.

While the original founder of the Devalleta family had the distinction of marrying an elf — the only and last such union — subsequent generations were solely human.

However, the natural, life-affirming power of the elves was prominently passed down through direct descendants.

A prominent feature was ears — shorter than an elf’s but longer than a human’s — along with extraordinary beauty.

Indeed, the woman’s appearance was strikingly beautiful.

Even as she hastily consumed her soup, wrapped in a blanket, a scene one would deem unbecoming, her grace illuminated the campfire and snowdrifts, creating a picturesque view.

“Hmm, not as good as Iris.”

Compared to my wife, Erica lagged behind by a few degrees.

The Falenbergs’ lineage, which could overpower even the blood of an elf, was extraordinary. What kind of person had the founder of the kingdom, Isiris, been?

“…I miss her.”

Suddenly, longing for Iris surged through me.

Perhaps it was because of the week of nonstop activity before heading north. Our separation hadn’t been that long, yet…

Thinking back, our relationship had advanced quite abruptly.

If I had to guess, it was likely due to Iris’ worries over my constant adventures into dangerous places.

She was setting some sort of precedent, perhaps.

“…Hmm?”

Thinking about it, we hadn’t considered contraception during that week of activity. Multiple times.

If we had done it that many times…

“Could it be…”

The face of Iris nestled in my arms, catching her breath, came to mind. Now I had even more reasons to return to the capital soon.

What might she be doing right now?

Despite my precautions for the central aristocracy to act if I were absent, worry for her lingered in my mind.

“Ah, well.”

Let’s resolve this quickly.

Once the northern situation wraps up, one of the causes of the Altain’s downfall will be completely eliminated. Additionally, we would gain a reliable ally as the Duke of the North.

Shaking my head to rid myself of distractions, I addressed the woman.

“Nice to meet you. I am Cain MacBilian, consort to the Empress and Duke of the Empire.”

Surprised by the sudden introduction, the woman twitched slightly. However, after a moment, she placed her bowl down and bowed respectfully.

“I am Erica, the second of the Devalleta family. I apologize for the late greeting due to the circumstances and thank His Highness and all of you for your assistance.”

After nodding to her composed introduction and thanks, I turned to the three people watching her with great interest and gestured in turn.

“This is Myna, the Holy Maiden of the Bright Sect. This is Nia, a mage. And the woman behind is my escort, Charles.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Hi, Miss Devalleta.”

“…”

Erica’s mouth opened wide.

An envoy, a Holy Maiden, and a mage — anyone would be shocked by such a group appearing all at once.

“Well, be that as it may…”

“Miss Erica, given the situation, I will ask directly. Why are you, who should be at Devalleta Castle, this far south, near Yelkin?”

“That is…”

“Our purposes seem somewhat aligned. It appears we may be able to help.”

Erica’s forehead slightly creased.

She pondered for a moment in silence and then slowly began to speak.

“You must have noticed when entering the area — the unusual weather phenomenon covering the North.”

The snowstorm.

The main cause of the North’s isolation.

It’s now even observable from outside the North.

Even now, the howling wind outside the hole was creating a melancholic sound.

“I know the cause. And I’ve been able to determine its location.”

“We’ve been pursuing clues as we traveled north. Based on the information obtained from Solorun, we’ve also reached here. Can you elaborate?”

“Yes. You must have seen a massive tree-like structure.”

A vague black shadow seen amidst the snowstorm.

It was as tall as some of the colossal towers I’d seen in the previous life.

I nodded silently, and Erica continued.

“It’s a counterfeit World Tree. A thoroughly corrupted, decaying tree is causing the snowstorm.”

“Rotting tree?”

“It’s not a naturally occurring tree. It emanates a terrible force. This is no natural creation, but rather a deliberately constructed artificial structure. Likely…”

Erica left her statement hanging, but I already knew the answer.

Turning my head, Myna’s gaze met mine.

“Dark Cultists.”

At my answer, she faintly glowed.