Chapter 121

After the meeting ended, only a few people remained in the conference room.

Urugdar.

Thorvar.

Ulbram.

And me.

Perhaps I left a pretty good impression in the meeting, as Ulbram reached out his hand for a handshake.

“Nice to meet you. I am Ulbram Khan.”

“I would like to introduce once again. This is Carami.”

I took his hand.

This old man has a formidable grip.

His hands, being a blacksmith, were rough and strong, but more than anything, they were extraordinarily thick. They seemed at least twice the size of mine.

“I was quite surprised just now. It’s not easy to make a claim among the Dwarves. I almost forgot myself when I saw you downing the drink.”

“Next time, I’ll work hard to ensure you don’t forget either, Ulbram.”

“Hahaha! I like the spirit of this young man. Thorvar brought a very interesting guy with him.”

Ulbram laughed heartily.

“Yes, you brought back the daughter of the missing Thorvar, right? Bringing that rascal back must not have been an easy task.”

“It just happened to turn out that way.”

“Don’t get too hasty now. I’ve verified that you’re not a fool who would just leave things to chance.”

Creeeak.

In that moment, Ulbram’s grip tightened.

My weak hand was helplessly squeezed.

And the overpowering aura that Ulbram exuded sank into me.

“As a slave merchant, what is it that you seek in Doomheim?”

Strict, solemn, serious; the atmosphere suited him very well. Although he was shorter and I couldn’t say it was pleasant to look up at him, his sharp and clear eyes bore strength comparable to that of a young man.

It was clear that making excuses would not work here.

If I tried to dodge again, my hand would surely crumple like being crushed in a hydraulic press. I had to protect my trusty right hand.

“I wish to borrow a flame from the heart of Magmar.”

“And what do you intend to use that for?”

“There is a slave I desperately want to meet. I will use it for her.”

“….”

Is it wrong to save a poor girl? Rather, with the pride of doing the right thing, I stared straight into Ulbram’s eyes.

“Should I call this romantic or mad….”

“Let’s call it pure love.”

“You sure know how to speak nicely.”

Reluctantly, Ulbram released his grip. I rubbed my freed hand. The red fingerprints were clearly visible from how tightly he had held it.

“To definitely receive a spark, approaching Thorvar is the surest path. He is the one in charge of Magmar.”

I know that.

The spark mediator, Thorvar Drak.

If one solves the concerns of the other Meisters, they can receive a spark through Thorvar, but Thorvar is the direct route.

“What about you, Thorvar? How about giving me a spark?”

“You know, Ulbram, there has never been a single occasion in history where a spark was handed over to an outsider.”

“When times change, such things are bound to occur. Just like when you are installing rails for the Dwarves.”

“….”

Thorvar, who had been staring down at the ground, finally lifted his gaze after a long moment of deliberation.

“I understand. I will lend you a spark.”

“Wow.”

“But there is a condition. I don’t trust you yet, so take an escort with you.”

An escort? That’s actually good.

I had been needing a guard for the treacherous destination, and if it was someone selected by a Meister, I wouldn’t have to worry about incompetence.

I gladly accepted.

“That much is acceptable. If the job goes well, I’ll release Miss Perka as promised.”

“Tsk.”

Days passed, and after making all the necessary preparations, I headed towards Isgangar with the dispatch team.

It was time to dote on the fourth main slave.

***

“Whew!”

Dote on her? That’s a laugh.

Before that, I was freezing to death.

Isgangar, the permafrost region.

When you go up from Doomheim towards the north, you can soon see its magnificent presence.

The sky was covered with gray clouds, the sunlight had lost its warmth and dimly illuminated the snowfield that froze even hope down to the horizon.

The raging snowstorm felt like sharp pieces of ice being driven into my lungs with every breath.

With each step, my foot sank deep into the snow, making walking difficult. And above all…

“Achoo! Ugh, it’s so cold….”

It was unbelievably cold.

In the unnatural cold, my body could not remain still, trembling like a aspen tree against my will.

Despite preparing thoroughly, the cold exceeded my expectations by far. If it weren’t for the thick winter gear made by a Dwarven craftsman, I might have turned into an ice sculpture by now.

A Dwarf, carrying a gigantic hammer on his shoulder, turned back and shouted.

“You pitiful wretch! Are you shivering from just this?”

The Dwarf set to watch over and escort us had been Hargran, the one Thorvar had mentioned beforehand. I wasn’t sure if he volunteered or was chosen by Thorvar.

He had never liked me from the start, and he would pick on me whenever he got the chance.

“What do you mean just this? I’m about to freeze to death.”

“It’s because you’re weak and pathetic!”

“Our body types are fundamentally different, you know.”

With a high body temperature, small frame, and thick subcutaneous fat like a pig skin, Dwarves are optimized to withstand the cold.

Their basic physical structures are on a different level. While I am weak, this is simply unfair.

“You’re just a boy with a big mouth! That’s why you don’t know the shame of being a merchant. Take off your pants this instant!”

Why would I take off something I have never even used?

If I spoke, it would only put me at a disadvantage.

I decided to keep my responses as minimal as possible.

Swish!

The fierce snowstorm roared on.

I crouched down as low as I could and hid behind the Dwarves. I followed in their footsteps through the snow they broke.

“Skinny wretch!”

Hargran’s deep bass voice pierced through the blizzard.

“What are we supposed to be looking for?”

“We need to find a cave!”

“Caves are numerous. How do you plan to find one in this vast area?”

“There should be a cave where snow doesn’t accumulate!”

“What kind of silly talk is that? Where in this blizzard is there a cave that doesn’t have snow piled on it? Was your father perhaps a fool?”

“I have no parents!”

“I knew it, you little brat.”

Did this Dwarf just throw a random insult at me?

Alright. Let’s see how far this goes. It’s time to unleash my keyboard warrior skills honed over years of gaming….

“Captain! Over there!”

Just as I was about to open my frozen mouth, a shout interrupted me. The Dwarf pointed towards one side of the snowfield. In the heavy snowfall, a gigantic hill was faintly visible.

In the whirl of snow, that hill stood out in deep blue against the white.

The snow fell but left no trace, disappearing completely.

At the base of that hill, there was a dark hole, something like a cave.

“What on earth is that?”

“What do you mean what is that? It’s a cave that doesn’t get covered in snow. Do you not see it because you’re too short? Should I give you a piggyback ride?”

“You little skinny brat! I guess without parents, you’ve never learned to respect your elders!”

“I don’t listen to those who are shorter than me. Stop talking nonsense and let’s go.”

Hargran was shouting something, but due to his height, I couldn’t hear him well.

We pushed through the blizzard and entered the cave beneath the hill. Inside the cave, there was no snow, but a chilling cold penetrated my skin to the bone.

It felt as if sharp spikes were plunging into me, an intensity of cold that far surpassed anything conceivable in human terms.

When I exhaled, my white breath instantly turned into ice particles and fell to the ground.

“Wait, wait a moment. Th-this is too cold for me?”

“This isn’t ordinary cold. It’s like… magic? No, closer to a curse. What is this place?”

Hargran gestured to a Dwarven subordinate. Just as the Dwarf was about to cast magic, I stopped him.

“Magic is not allowed. It will leave traces.”

“Traces? Who would come here?”

“There are such things. If we’re not careful, everything will become dangerous, so let’s finish what we came here for and go back.”

“Hmph! A wretch who looks like he’ll freeze to death speaking so confidently. Wrap this around yourself!”

Hargran threw his outer robe at me. I didn’t refuse. I wrapped the clothing around me like a blanket.

“Ooh.”

This is really warm.

It’s clearly not just an ordinary fur coat; it used a special material. Plus, being made by a Meister blacksmith, its effectiveness was extraordinary.

“With this, it’s less cold.”

The chill nibbling at my bones lessened. Though still too cold, even that was a blessing.

“Thank you.”

“Thank me? You think I’m doing this out of kindness? If you die, it’ll be a problem for Thorvar, that daughter of his, so I’m doing this out of necessity. If you’re feeling better, then move.”

“A tsundere Dwarf… Is he perhaps more charming than I thought?”

“What a crazy guy. I’ve never met someone worse than a fool before.”

We lit torches and began to advance deeper into the cave.

“There is a slave in a place like this? Are they kept in frozen storage or something?”

“You’ll see.”

I didn’t elaborate.

We would be facing it soon enough.

As we went deeper, the appearance of the cave changed. It transformed from a rough cavern into a place covered by ice that sparkled like jewels. It was strangely beautiful.

And amid the small ice crystals, a massive crystal loomed on one side of the wall, where a girl was cocooned and sleeping.

“Wow….”

An exclamation of wonder slipped out.

Without needing to think, gasps of admiration came from everywhere. I was left dumbfounded, simply letting out a series of amazed sounds.

That wasn’t their fault. After all, she was so beautiful that it erased everything from my mind.

Beauty.

No other descriptors were needed.

It was as if it was a word defined solely for her.

A snow-white figure like fresh snow, a winter princess clad in blue ice.

[The princess Asies Priana, who knows no spring.]

She was the fourth main slave.

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