Chapter 137

**Roar!**

The avalanche triggered by the yeti’s footsteps descends.

Trees, rocks, and animals are swept away, unable to endure even for a moment. The avalanche, growing larger and larger, rushes toward the group with terrible force.

“If you don’t want to become a frozen statue, run!”

The warriors sprint away from the avalanche, using their full strength. They are capable of physical enhancement and have lived on snow their whole lives, so their speed is akin to running on flat ground.

“Linbar, at this rate, we’ll be caught!”

But it’s far too insufficient to escape the natural disaster. They are about to die not to the yeti, but to the avalanche.

With all her strength, Asies bounds forward beside Linbar, as if taking a leisurely walk. Even though they are on the brink of being swept away, there is no hint of panic on her face.

Though her expression appears blank, she is thinking for once.

She is aware that the current situation is her fault. The actions she took to help have turned into a burden.

If things continue like this, they will be swept away.

There’s no particular guilt.

Her emotions have been sealed, so she cannot feel guilt.

Only, people will blame Asies, and the responsibility will fall on her master, Carami.

For some reason, that displeased her.

She couldn’t explain why, but she felt that way regardless.

She has to stop it here, to prevent it from becoming a burden to him.

Whoosh.

Asies, sliding down, turns her body. With her legs fixed on the slope, she faces the oncoming avalanche.

“What are you doing, lady? Not running?”

Despite the urgent prompting, Asies does not even glance. The group, now too late to bring her back, continues to run downward.

Asies closes her eyes.

Deep within, beyond her heart, lies her soul.

A curse from a dragon that has solidified her soul in ice.

She makes contact with it.

The coldness seeping from her soul gathers in a single point.

With it compressed to extremes, she pulls it out.

Like drawing a sword.

What Asies pulls from her waist is a single blade.

A sword shaped like it was forged in winter, its white blade glistening. Only the trace of something once embedded in the pommel remains—a hollow void. A chilly aura drips down like mist.

Just as a witch uses a staff or a yokai uses a fox bead as a magical catalyst, Asies’s sword may seem like such tools, but it is different in essence.

It is not a tool to handle magic easily, but rather a sword with its original purpose intact.

“…”

Asies gazes intently at the sword in her left hand.

Even she, the creator, does not fully understand what this is. The act of creating the sword was instinctual.

However, holding it feels familiar, a comfortable sensation seeped into her hand. Asies clenches the sword tightly and stares straight ahead.

The massive avalanche rushing down the spine of the mountain.

Like a white wave swallowing the world, the snowfield roars and spills downward.

The boundary between earth and sky vanishes, and only the snow and wind dance wildly.

In the midst of that chaos.

Asies merely stood. Though the wind whipped her white hair and a deafening sound struck her ears, she remained calm.

Crunch.

Asies steps forward.

The snowfield wraps around her as it kneels.

As she lightly swings the ice sword.

Crack!

The avalanche suddenly stops.

The snow mound, losing its shape, freezes solid like a transparent shard of glass.

The wind, snow, and sound.

A stillness as if time had stopped.

The avalanche transforms into a vibrant and radiant winter statue.

Crash!

One part of the frozen avalanche shatters, and the yeti rises from it. In the very spot where the avalanche has turned to ice, the yeti stands motionless.

Grrrrrrr!

The yeti pounds its chest and roars.

Like an avatar of rage, it charges through the snowfield.

Its massive hooves crush the ice, and the snowfield shrieks in response.

A shadow of a beast looms over Asies.

Asies readies her sword.

Her movements feel slow like winter, but they are precise.

Swoosh!

The blade slices through the howling wind, grazing the yeti’s arm.

Grrrrrr!

The yeti screams out.

With all his might, Jorn had only made scratches on the yeti’s arm, but now it is completely severed.

Blood gushes forth from the severed end. A red stain colors the transparent ice like a canvas.

As the yeti swings its remaining arm toward Asies, the sword emits light, and the ice engulfs the yeti.

From the inside, not the outside.

It freezes the yeti’s body along the exposed surface. From its blood to its organs and all internal tissues.

The yeti is strong against the cold due to its fur, but it is not immune from within.

The outside remained just as it was in life, truly a living statue.

“Haah…”

A pure white breath rises, turning into crystals of ice.

The snow-capped mountain grows quiet.

The sword that stood in Asies’s hand, like the master of winter, dissipates and disappears.

Looking at her empty hand, Asies clenches and opens her fist.

It felt vacant.

***

There was a slight mishap, but the yeti hunt was successfully concluded.

The squad members who had fled downward survived thanks to Asies halting the avalanche, and Jorn, who was fighting the yeti, had taken refuge in a safe place with excellent judgment.

Having incurred no damage against the yeti, known as the lord of the snowfield, what more could be said but success?

Yet, disbelief still lingered. Linbar, let alone those who had witnessed the battle between Asies and the wyvern, were left in shock once again.

Linbar scratched his head.

“I was showing off earlier, and now I’m embarrassed to death.”

“Yeah, really. Wasn’t it unnecessary for us to intervene?”

In front of Asies’s magic, the organized movements of Northguard felt like mere children’s play.

“Lady, have you thought about joining our tribe? I’ll treat you well. How about becoming the chief?”

“That’s a splendid idea. A pretty chief is a hundred times better than that stiff one.”

Thanks to her overwhelming beauty and skill, Asies had the support of the team members.

Jorn interrupted and broke the flow.

“Enough with the nonsense. We’re retrieving the yeti and returning to the village.”

“Looks like the chief felt a threat to his position just now. Judging by how hastily you’re disbanding us.”

“…”

“I got it. I’m just joking. So, don’t glare at me so menacingly, chief.”

The squad members chuckled.

The yeti was in excellent condition. With only one arm severed and its body frozen, there were no scratches on its fur at all.

Being already larger than the average yeti, its pristine state guaranteed a high selling price.

Smiles bloomed widely on the faces of the members.

Their steps back to the village were as light as snow.

Due to the recent battle, the members’ favorability towards Asies greatly increased, and they began to pester her.

“Lady, what exactly are you? I’ve never seen such powerful magic before.”

“…….”

“You’re really tightly wrapped up. You’re quite the mysterious lady.”

Asies said nothing.

After all, how could she answer when she was unsure herself?

Those squad members who somewhat understood what kind of person she was didn’t pry too deeply. They were merely amazed that someone so pure existed in the world.

This led to a natural sprouting of doubt in Linbar’s mind.

“But lady, you said that you were that guy’s slave, right? What was his name?”

“Lammi…?”

“Was it Lammi? What a strange name. Anyway, how did you end up being a slave to such a guy?”

Asies tilted her head as she pondered, rolling her eyes.

“I don’t know…?”

“What? You don’t know?”

Asies nodded her head.

Not knowing how she became a slave.

A certainty bordering on suspicion flashed through Linbar’s mind.

“Did that bastard force you into slavery!”

Of course, it seems that every slave in the world was forced into it, but Asies appeared to be somewhat different.

She was too strong to be taken as a slave. Someone of her caliber could overcome any injustice in the world.

An overly strong person can’t be subdued by money either. They can just take it by force.

However, Asies also seemed to lack something, disproportionately to her strong abilities. She came across as a bit airheaded.

In other words, wasn’t it likely that Karami had tricked her into being a slave taking advantage of her naivety?

Without that, it wouldn’t make sense.

“Lady, you know that being a slave isn’t a good thing, right?”

“…?”

“That guy is a slave trader. He’s a bad man.”

“Lammi… is a bad person…?”

“Of course a slave trader is a bad guy!”

“So you really didn’t know. No wonder it seemed strange. It’s absurd that someone like you is a slave.”

One could very well imagine a war breaking out between nations over Asies, yet she was merely a slave to someone like Karami, which was utterly incomprehensible.

Karami had used Asies’s naivety to make her a slave.

Asies seemed pitiful.

A desire among the members to help her began to grow.

“Don’t worry. We’ll definitely make you a free person.”

Although Asies didn’t understand what they were saying, she seemed to be feeling rather upbeat.

Nodding her head.

In situations like this, nodding is the right thing to do.

***

After much searching for the flag, they returned to the village without much difficulty.

At the village entrance, reindeer were lined up neatly. The members who had been sent ahead returned safely.

To see such a calculation within just a day is quite remarkable.

It was indeed a joyous day.

Enough to hold a meat party after a long time.

“I’ll go see the chief.”

After the hunt, it is tradition to inform the chief of their victory. Though Darika wasn’t in a normal state, northern women held etiquette towards the chief in high regard.

Jorn and others who had gone on the hunt headed to the chief’s tent.

But something felt odd.

The expression of the sentry guarding the tent was not good.

“What’s wrong?”

“The tribal chief! That slave trader has caused some trouble…”

Jorn’s eyes widened.

He pushed through the tent flap and stepped inside.

Inside, even the indomitable warriors were facing something startling.

“Oh, my baby! You eat well. Here, have some more.”

“Ha ha, I’ve had more than enough already. Oh? Jorn! You’ve arrived. How was the hunt today? Our slave didn’t cause any trouble, did she?”

Karami welcomed him with a broad smile while lounging on the chief’s pelts.

Darika was feeding Karami a precious fruit from the north by hand.

Just like a mother and son.

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