Chapter 120

Chapter 120

#120. The Heroes of the North

The white snake Jormungandr had persistently waited for an opening.

No matter how superhuman Valkyrie, Sun, and Isabel were, their base was still human.

Endurance and time favored the white snake and Isaac.

[Koo-oo-oo!]

At one moment, Isaac and Jormungandr seized the opportunity.

Just as the Main Wall’s shield was about to be restored, when the forces on the wall slightly retreated to activate the defensive barrier…

“It seems Isabel has paused.”

And when Isabel instinctively hesitated upon sensing the state of Lenslet’s king…

Bu-u-u-uung!

The long, bulky tail of the white snake struck the tower on the wall where Ariana’s illusion was.

Kwa-a-aang!!

The tower, along with Ariana’s illusion, disappeared without a trace.

‘This means we’ve won.’

Both Isaac and the white snake knew that this illusion wasn’t the real Ariana.

But it didn’t matter.

‘This is like a ceremonial gesture of victory.’

The last sight of Ariana’s avatar from the workshop was precarious.

Even if she survived, she would likely become bedridden.

Even if she recovered from being bedridden through Arad’s healing magic, nothing would change.

‘In the case of women, the lower dantian is closely related to the uterus.’

The House of Lenslet will no longer bear heirs.

‘I’ve won! I have!’

Even if this offensive fails, revenge has succeeded.

“…”

Isabel’s face was unusually pale as she hovered in the air, stunned.

“Spring Mage, what is the matter?”

“What problem has befallen His Majesty?!”

Though questioned by Valkyrie and Sun beside her, she couldn’t find the spirit to respond.

D-d-d-d…

Isabel’s trembling gaze wasn’t on the collapsed tower but far beyond the outskirts of High City at the Arad Workshop.

* * *

The extreme northern Great Wall, filled with shouts, explosions, and the clashing of cold weapons, suddenly fell silent.

“…!”

“This can’t be happening!”

This applied equally to the three superhumans—Isabel, Sun, and Valkyrie—who were fiercely battling the white snake.

‘The Lord’s illusion slipped my mind!’

Valkyrie looked at the fallen tower with a troubled expression, having been too preoccupied restraining the black wizards clinging to the white snake to focus on the tower’s illusion.

‘What should I do?’

Now wasn’t the time to say the Ariana at the tower was fake; there was no guarantee they’d believe it, and even if they did, it would tarnish Lenslet’s integrity.

‘Besides, Spring Mage suddenly hesitated…’

Adding to that, Isabel’s movements had noticeably slowed down since some point, which weighed heavily on his mind.

Honesty speaking, allowing the tower attack to happen so easily was mostly due to this.

“Spring Mage, what is going on?”

Upon seeing Isabel, Valkyrie couldn’t continue speaking.

For the first time in over a hundred years of life, he saw something unprecedented.

Spring Mage’s face was painted with anger, despair, and panic.

“Did something happen to His Majesty?!”

Seeing Isabel’s face, both Valkyrie and Sun felt their hearts sink.

‘It’s my fault… Why didn’t I notice this? What a fool… I should have sent reinforcements somehow!’

It’s my fault… My fault…

Lost in muttering, Isabel forgot that she was right in the middle of a battlefield.

Such behavior from Isabel, Sun, and Valkyrie greatly affected the morale of the soldiers.

“Lies?! Impossible!”

“We’ve lost… We’ve truly lost…”

“The north, Lenslet—it’s over!”

Soldiers began to retreat from the wall one by one.

“Hold! Do not retreat!”

“Revenge! Revenge!”

“Fight with vengeance if you’re Lensretians!”

The knights and centurions tried to calm such soldiers, but the effect wasn’t very significant.

Koo-oo-oo!

The white snake and the monster army didn’t miss this opportunity.

They launched a full-scale assault toward the weakened wall.

A massive shadow of Jormungandr loomed over the collapsed tower where Ariana’s illusion once stood.

Right then.

Pa-at!

A light burst forth from the remains of the collapsed tower.

A dull gray flash of light.

Paa-aat!

This light eventually shot into the sky, piercing through Jormungandr’s body.

Kia-a-a-aack!!

The pierced area was the location of the white snake’s first heart.

Ku-gu-gu-gu

Unable to endure the pain and shock, Jormungandr collapsed.

“What, what is this?!”

“Could it be…?”

“That’s right! There’s no way our Lord could have perished so easily!”

Hope returned to the eyes of the soldiers, knights, magicians, and priests on the wall.

“That’s right, this is our Lady.”

“Hahaha! Success, my Lord!”

Realizing the nature of this ash-gray flash, Valkyrie and Sun smiled broadly.

“?!?”

‘Lady… Ariana hasn’t died?!’

Although the curse Isaac cast was clearly completed?

Only Isabel, who looked blankly at the situation, seemed unable to understand.

Thud thud thud

A knight walked out onto the fallen white snake.

With silver hair and blue eyes,

and wielding a sword encased in a gray blade-light, this knight…

‘Hmm…’

The expression on Ariana’s face after taking down Jormungandr was tranquil. Her gaze, free of any worry or anxiety, shone peacefully blue.

-Mary, are you really going to the wall with this body?

Just before coming here, a conversation with Arad at the workshop came to mind.

-Although I didn’t specifically diagnose, it’s clear your body is strained.

Arad initially strongly opposed Mary’s journey to the wall.

-If you push yourself further here, it might be dangerous!

However, Mary’s resolve was unwavering.

-Ha, such stubbornness. Well… No matter how much I try to stop you, it won’t work, will it? If you force your way through and leave, that’s all there is to it.

Eventually, Arad reluctantly allowed Mary to go to the wall.

-Fine. You may go to the wall. I’ll stay here and focus on treating the wounded and restoring things.

Something… Arad seemed a little cautious in dealing with Mary, who was actually herself, but there was no time to think deeply about it because of the concern for the wall.

-But, absolutely, don’t overexert yourself.

Although her current physical condition seemed better than expected, the situation at the wall relayed by the reinforcements worried her, making it impossible to stay idle.

-If your condition worsens, inject this potion and these drugs directly into your heart.

Arad’s unusually protective attitude towards himself was unfamiliar to Ariana.

Still, she appreciated this side of Arad and accepted his kindness.

-In case anything happens, take this and this too.

That’s how Arad’s “permission” was finally granted. Mary (Ariana) cheered and hurried to the wall.

Then, in a secluded place, she canceled the disguise spell and changed clothes from her subspace bag.

Kuuuuu

Coincidentally, just as her illusionary tower was about to collapse,

Ariana reached the wall.

She ended up hiding inside the collapsed tower, waiting for a surprise attack.

“Now, let’s finish this. Remnants of barbarism.”

Having successfully ambushed, Ariana raised her sword again, targeting Jormungandr.

* * *

The life-and-death battle undoubtedly had a decisive impact on Ariana’s growth.

But that damn curse was problematic.

The old curse Isaac placed on the Lenslet Grand Duke family regarding the white snake’s four-heart structure interfered with the redesigning of Ariana’s body.

‘Time is running out.’

Thus, Ariana’s current state was both the best and the worst.

If she wanted, she could exhibit skills beyond Sword Master level right now.

But it was precarious. She couldn’t fight freely, and there was a possibility she might lose her life.

She was either a half-baked Grand Sword Master or a five-minute Grand Sword Master, or perhaps more appropriately described as a ticking bomb master.

And Ariana didn’t know that all of this improvement was thanks to Arad curing her with various potions and elixirs while she was unconscious. Originally, she would have been at least in a vegetative state.

‘Damn.’

Ariana tried her best to breathe shallowly and slowly.

The white snake’s venom was acidic, and its heart and blood contained poison.

‘Indeed… The poison that took our ancestor.’

Long ago, Rune Lenslet destroyed all four of the beast’s hearts alone but was poisoned.

It’s said he suffered for two years before passing away.

‘Hmm…’

It was definitely not an ordinary poison.

Just piercing the first heart made her feel dizzy, and her skin burned.

‘If I hadn’t been fully armored, my skin would have been damaged long ago.’

Thanks to the various defensive magical artifacts Arad gave to Mary, she managed to hold on this far.

‘He told me not to overdo it…’

Arad’s warning came back to her, but there was nothing she could do about it.

‘Well… Unlike our ancestor’s time, we have Arad now, so he’ll surely handle the poison somehow.’

Clutching to this vague belief, Ariana opened her eyes wide.

Her sapphire eyes, gazing down at the fallen white snake, sparkled brightly.

‘There are still three hearts left!’

She dashed across Jormungandr’s rising back.

‘That heart at the far end looks suspicious!’

Among the three scanned hearts, the one at the farthest end emitted the strongest ominous aura. It seemed best to deal with that heart first.

“Cr… Crk… Curse…curse…r..”

The surviving black wizards on Jormungandr’s scales tried to cast spells at the charging Ariana,

but..

Swoosh-

Before they could finish their incantations, their heads were severed by Ariana’s sword.

Kuuuuhh

Jormungandr tried to twist its body to shake Ariana off,

but…

“Aaah! Protect the lady!”

“You can’t move!”

“Khhahahaha!”

Isabel, Valkyrie, and Sun completely blocked him.

The belatedly awakened Isabel bound the white snake with other mages.

Valkyrie and Sun targeted the second and third hearts Ariana passed.

Keee-eet!!

Sensing the crisis, the white snake roared.

“Tch! Chiiiik!”

“Kreeeek?!”

“We must protect Lord Jormungandr of the great nature!”

Orcs, barbarians, and monsters who were just climbing the wall quickly turned around to protect Jormungandr.

Swoosh! Plunk! Swish!

However, dismantling the white snake faster than the monsters arrived was quicker.

Everyone witnessed the dismantling show of the white snake.

“Tch… Chiiik!”

“Lord White Snake!”

“It’s already too late…”

“Run, run away!”

As Jormungandr’s body split open, black blood stained the snowy plains, and each heart was destroyed one by one. The horde led by him lost control and scattered.

“Where are you running!”

Of course, the Lensretians watching all this wouldn’t just sit idly by.

“We can’t just stand here either!”

“Everyone, outside the wall!”

“Knights, ride your special horses and pursue!”

“Now! We must reduce their numbers as much as possible!”

Soldiers and knights on the wall poured out uncontrollably, driven by rising morale.

Meanwhile, someone observed all this combat from afar through a telescope.

“For a while, there won’t be any more expeditions to the far north or whatever.”

Arad muttered after lowering the telescope.

“But still, I warned her not to overdo it… Tsk, I need to make an antidote first.”

Arad clicked his tongue and hurried to prepare the antidote.

* * *

On the desolate snowy field, the colossal white snake Jormungandr, stretching 300 meters, lay defeated.

Its appearance was overwhelming yet utterly pitiful.

The black blood oozing from the white snake formed pools, creating lakes of poison.

Any normal person would be poisoned just by getting close to these lakes, which contained not only black poison but also streams of dark energy.

This dark energy was especially thick near the fourth heart.

Zzzzzip-

Confronted by this dark energy, Ariana quickly injected the syringe given to her by Arad into her heart.

‘Phew…’

The heart and dantian that felt like they were about to explode calmed down.

The body that felt like it would disintegrate found its place again.

‘This power… it’s really dangerous.’

Every time she used the Grand Master’s power and injected this medicine, she could feel her body weakening to an unimaginable degree.

‘Still, I don’t regret it.’

The shackles that had plagued Lenslet for so long were gone.

Ariana felt content to pay the price with just her own body.

She thought it was a bargain at this cost.

“Finally, the vicious cycle is broken.”

Ariana softly spoke while looking at the white snake’s corpse.

[Back then… It was clearly my mistake… Our mistake.]

Then, a voice spoke from within the mass of vegetation.

[But what can be done? I had to create a target for revenge anyway. That’s how I maintained my fractured mind, my soul…]

The mass of vegetation was the fourth heart of Jormungandr and the Life Vessel of the Lich Isaac.

[That’s right. This was retaliation. Without this retaliation, I… we… would have lost the reason to live.]

“I remember when you reappeared with the white snake, thinking you were surely dead.”

Looking down at Isaac, Isabel asked in a subdued tone.

“Was that necromancy technique you used to become a half-Lich discovered in the Golden Age Dungeon of the Magic Realm?”

[Cluck cluck cluck… Also where the Demon Den is located now.]

Isaac readily answered.

“Do those black wizards count as followers?”

Isabel pointed at the black wizard corpses stuck to the white snake’s scales and continued questioning.

[There are a few low-ranking disciples in the Demon Den.]

“I guess I’ll have to sweep them all away then.”

[Feel free. They’re useless to me now.]

“Wha…?”

Though neither face nor mouth was visible, the vegetative mass that was Isaac clearly wore a smirk.

[Haha ha ha ha…]

“…?”

The mocking laughter from the vegetative mass made the expressions of Ariana, Isabel, Sun, and Valkyrie stiffen.

[Surprising… I truly believed you’d die or become bedridden.]

The fourth heart of Jormungandr, Isaac’s Life Vessel, abruptly focused on Ariana.

Though it had no eyes, one could infer its focus through the telepathic signals it emitted.

“Wasn’t that your avatar at the workshop?”

Ariana asked while glaring at Isaac’s Life Vessel.

[Yes.]

“You failed, Isaac.”

[No. I… succeeded.]

“?!?”

Suddenly, Ariana felt this grotesque lump leering lasciviously at her lower abdomen.

Whoosh- Swoosh-!

Chilled to the bone, Ariana swung her sword and destroyed Isaac’s Life Vessel.

Craaaack

Black blood spewed from the shattered Life Vessel, splattering Ariana and the three others, but Isabel’s prepared barrier created a transparent shield, protecting them like an umbrella.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Though victorious, the four people present felt uneasy.

“Such a persistent bastard… To the end!”

Isabel murmured sorrowfully, knowing everything.

“Miss Ariana…”

Isabel looked at Ariana with deepening eyes.

Ariana appeared fine outwardly.

But Isabel knew. Knew that Ariana’s insides were in utter chaos. Especially the uterus where the dantian used to be….

‘Is this how it ends? My journey with Rune Lenslet?’

She remembered when she first came to this land.

The faces of her husband and son and grandson came to mind.

‘Rune Lenslet, Pilgrim, Thesis.’

She deliberately seduced the first Northern Duke Rune Lenslet with intent. Though the seduction had a purpose, she was genuinely happy afterward.

Though her husband Rune Lenslet, her son Pilgrim, and her grandson Thesis were all gone now, she worked tirelessly to ensure their legacy would endure forever.

‘Yet, the countless sacrifices along the way. The karmic burden of those sacrifices has accumulated and finally reached this child.’

Slowly, the end of this journey came into view.

“Miss Ariana… Let’s hurry and get the antidote.”

Hiding her worries and sadness, Isabel spoke to Ariana.

“The detoxification spell I cast is only a temporary measure.”

“Alright, let’s go then.”

Ariana nodded. While Isabel was thinking about the antidotes produced by the Lenslet Mage Guild and the Lenslet Order, Ariana thought of Arad.

She wanted to see Arad soon.

Step by step, they headed toward High City.

Wa-a-a-a-a!!

The common people from the wall and High City rushed out, enthusiastically cheering for the heroes.

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