Chapter 155

The blood battle that determined the true master of the North has just ended.

Valkras, now a vivid ice sculpture, seemed like it could be sold for hundreds of gold coins to the great nobility. His heart had already been pierced, but he was still officially the Orc King.

Worried about a potential resurrection, they smashed his skull to completely eliminate the threat.

The orcs, having lost their leader, cried out and rushed at Asies, but even in a weakened state, it was an easy task to handle them.

Thus, the orc legion that had ruled the North was destroyed before the day had even ended.

“Did we really survive? Is this not a dream?”

“Is there such a smelly dream? The orcs smelled so horrendous. We survived!”

From those saved by Asies to those rescued by Carami and Linbar at various places in the castle. The prisoners, who had been captured by the orcs, burst into tears as they embraced each other.

They did not forget to express their gratitude to Asies.

“Thank you, beautiful knight. Thank you so much…”

“Ha. A knight, you say? Not a princess?”

“Does it matter? You are the hero who saved us!”

“In such chaotic times, a hero? Is it really right to hope for an end to this harsh cold?”

“Of course it is!”

While all the former prisoners were chatting happily, Linbar brought Tarkind along. Despite the situation being over, he still hadn’t regained his senses.

“I hate females! Save me!!!”

Due to his fits at the thought of being in contact with women, they tied him up tightly with ropes and carried him along. He squirmed like a caterpillar on Linbar’s back.

“Lammi… who…?”

“She’s the captain of Linbar. I thought she was dead, but she was captured. During captivity, she suffered terrible things and lost her mind.”

Tilting her head in confusion, Asies gazed intently at Tarkind. Tarkind’s struggling gaze passed over Asies.

Then, for a moment, his thrashing stopped.

He couldn’t take his eyes off Asies.

“Female…? Huh? O-Oh. Good.”

“Wow.”

“Wow! I’m in disbelief! The one who was thrashing around trying to escape from me reacts like this to her? How can you call yourself a captain and come to save us? You’re going to end up dead in my hands when we get to the village.”

Asies’ beauty instantly cured Tarkind’s fear of women. Carami gasped in admiration, while Linbar let out a surprised chuckle.

Though it was an unforeseen event, the fact that they had achieved their goal remained unchanged.

Thanks to Carami’s prior planning, they were able to quickly escape the fortress with the hostages.

“Gathering treasures, rescuing hostages, and capturing the Orc King.”

It was a truly close to perfect execution of their plan.

Carami smiled with satisfaction.

In her view, Asies appeared.

Asies, sitting on her ice-made sled, glanced around. Her gaze traversed through the crowd.

“What are you searching for?”

“Baschal… where is he…?”

“Ah, Baschal, you say.”

Carami handed Asies a bracelet that had come off. As Asies tilted her head in confusion, she did not understand what it signified.

“…?”

“Please deliver this to the chief. He will be overjoyed to the point of dying.”

***

They returned to Lake Fortress.

There were exactly 50 people.

Taking them back was not difficult. They lined up people on the ice sled made by Asies, which was pulled by the Frostwolf. It would have been impossible with an ordinary horse, but since it was a magical beast, it worked.

When they first left the village, there were only five, but now they returned with fifty.

It wouldn’t be strange if two went and three returned, but to return with fifty after leaving with five. That would be an achievement difficult to accomplish even after decades of wild parties.

The villagers were taken aback by the outsiders, but soon relaxed upon hearing their circumstances. After all, in the harsh North, people had to unite and live together.

Another twist of fate was that the Orc King was dead, and Tarkind had returned alive.

The villagers were horrified upon seeing Tarkind’s pitiful state, but they felt somewhat relieved after Linbar’s confident claim that he would recover quickly.

It was a mystery why Tarkind, who struggled against being dragged away, was taken along like this. The sound of his lament could be heard afterward.

The two who accomplished all these feats were welcomed by Jorn as a representative. Standing before him, Carami shrugged her shoulders.

“How was it? We dealt with the gang that threatened the village and also brought back treasures.”

“……You said you would bring Baschal. It seems it was just a boast after all.”

“Well, you are certainly small-minded. Right, Asies?”

Carami smirked as Jorn, who would rather find faults than give compliments, turned away to avoid her gaze.

“Come with me. The chief has been waiting for your arrival.”

“Wow~ How brazen. Your skill at changing the subject is top-notch. You could be more of a merchant than a chief.”

Jorn did his best to ignore Carami’s relentless teasing as he walked toward the tent, and Carami followed behind with Asies, hands behind her back.

Thus, they entered Darika’s tent.

Darika was sitting with one knee lifted. Her appearance was different from usual. She was fully adorned in the chief’s jewelry and clothing that she had not worn out of discomfort.

She welcomed the group with a bright smile.

“Welcome! It seems you have defeated the Orc King. Did you bring the last treasure?”

“Of course.”

Carami handed the Holy Grail to Darika. The pale blue color of the Holy Grail had faded, suggesting it was not an object that could be used infinitely. It seemed to require time for reuse.

“Indeed. This is surely a kingdom’s treasure. It is also a cursed magical tool, you know. It allowed a despicable orc, who was despised by his kin, to ascend to the throne. Such a dangerous item should not exist.”

Darika set down the Holy Grail and reached out, chanting an incomprehensible incantation. The Holy Grail reacted, emitting a gentle light as it regained its original pale blue color.

At a glance, it seemed as though the Holy Grail could be reused again, but it was the opposite.

“With this, it is no longer a magical tool. It is just a goblet that could be found anywhere.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried that the chief would use it and become the king of sorcerers.”

“Why would I use this? It’s not my possession.”

Saying this, Darika offered the goblet along with the music box she had taken out earlier to Asies.

“Take it. They’re all yours.”

“My…?”

“The tiara is with the girl, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It came out of nowhere…”

“Who would have thought the girl was a hero? To not have realized it even when she was right in front of me… it’s quite embarrassing as a chief!”

Darika, speaking self-deprecatingly while bursting into laughter, left Asies bewildered. Then, at some point, Darika’s laughter abruptly stopped.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Take this too.”

Darika picked up a necklace and handed over Lazurite.

A symbol passed down through generations to the chief of Lake Fortress. It was a keepsake Darika had received from her mother.

Even during the time she was sick, she resolutely held onto it, giving it to Asies.

“Now that the promised hero has come, it is time to fulfill my duties as a chief…”

Darika spoke as if addressing someone who was not present, looking into the air. Jorn quietly watched, not stopping her from handing over the jewel.

Though unspoken, he too was acknowledging, in a corner of his heart, that Asies might indeed be the hero from the fairy tale that Darika frequently mentioned.

Asies accepted Lazurite along with the treasures. The moment Lazurite entered her hand, Asies’ pupils began to flutter.

It was an unprocessed gemstone.

Yet, simply holding it caused a shift in the flow of cold.

Asies’ usual cold influence diminished. Once processed, it would become even more significant.

Asies’ heartbeat quickened slightly.

To prevent it from slipping away, she held Lazurite tightly.

“I should treat the hero properly, but my body isn’t in great condition, so I can’t do any more. You must have finished your business in the village by now; you can return to where you came from. I’m too tired and want to rest.”

Coughing dryly, Darika pulled up a fur blanket and lay down.

The people watching the conversation began to leave one by one, and Carami also stood up. Asies tried to follow but was stopped by a gesture.

“Come on. Let’s get out of here without disturbing them.”

“But the chief just said she was tired…”

“It’s because of you that she’s tired. Stop talking nonsense and hurry up.”

Carami dragged Jorn out, leaving only Asies and Darika in the tent. Alone, Asies blinked and tilted her head.

Why did Carami want her to stay here?

It was a look as if to say, “What is going on?”

If Carami saw it, she would sigh and cover her forehead with her hand. A near-meaningless time faded into silence.

Then, suddenly, a voice drifted in from outside.

“Cough… Baschal…”

“Ah…”

A belated realization.

Asies, looking at Darika, who was lying with her back turned, spoke.

“Darika…”

“What’s wrong? You still haven’t left? Do you want to play with this old lady or something?”

“…I should.”

Not wanting to mention that she had said it was for her to give, Asies uttered only half of the sentence, which Darika easily completed.

“What that wretched fool said…?”

Typically grumbling in the elder’s manner, Darika struggled to rise. To her, Asies presented a broken bracelet.

It was a bracelet that held weak magic.

“This, this is…!”

Darika recognized the item all too well.

Her eyes widened to the point of bulging as she swallowed hard. Asies stretched out her hand, and she snatched it without caring about the cold.

Darika immediately realized what the broken bracelet was. She couldn’t not know.

“Baschal’s bracelet! I made it for him! It may be weak, but it is surely my magic. Where did you find this?!”

“The orcs…”

“…What?”

This bracelet was an amulet that Darika had painstakingly created with magic. It was made thinking of Baschal, who would return injured every time he went outside.

To protect her son.

That bracelet had broken free from its owner’s possession.

It meant only one thing.

“Ah…”

Darika, frozen with a shocked expression, collapsed with a thud. Her gaze, like a person whose soul had departed, stared into the void. At that moment, the blurry focus in her eyes sharpened.

That was the gaze of someone who had regained their senses. Confronted with the shocking reality she had been desperately trying to ignore, her mind returned from the corner she had pushed it into.

“Right… That’s right. Baschal is no longer here… No longer…”

“Baschal, gone…?”

“He’s taken a distant journey. An eternal journey from which he will not return…”

Understanding the significance of the journey was still hard for Asies.

Darika tied the broken bracelet back into its original shape. Holding the bracelet dear, she closed her eyes and moved her lips.

Like a lullaby for a child, a gentle melody flowed slowly.

The bracelet shimmered faintly, and the contained magic rose into the air like smoke and disappeared.

No matter how great a warrior,

Even one respected as the next chief,

In a mother’s eyes, they would always appear as a foolish child.

To ensure that the child’s spirit would not wander astray.

To allow him to sleep peacefully, Darika sang softly.

Although Baschal had died long ago, she had been unable to accept his death, and as a chief and a mother, she had done nothing for him.

This was a late form of atonement.

“Thank you for bringing back the bracelet… Really, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I might have turned into a wandering spirit after dying.”

If she hadn’t been able to resolve everything like this, she would have regretted it endlessly. She wouldn’t have been able to reunite with Baschal after death.

“Now, I have no regrets even if I die…”

“……Darika, die…?”

With an innocent question, Darika looked at Asies with a bittersweet smile and a distant gaze.

“It’s just a brief journey. To a very far place.”

“Can I… go too?”

“Oh no. You need to delay your arrival as much as possible! Don’t entertain such useless thoughts and have fun with your master for as long as you can, very, very long.”

“With Lammi?”

“I’ve never seen a suspicious person like him in my life, but he is sincere towards you. If you face any difficulties or hardships, rely on your master.”

Asies didn’t quite understand what she meant, but she slowly nodded. The image of him waving goodbye to her flashed in her mind.

Having completed all her stories, Darika wore a relieved expression and lay down.

“They say he’s the Death God. He’s quite a kind Death God. If all death gods were like him, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.”

Darika closed her eyes, murmuring softly.

A mere few days later,

When she regained her senses, like a flower withered away, Darika took her last breath.