비올라 broke into laughter in disbelief.

“Coincidence, you say?”

“It is a coincidence.”

The voice belonged to none other than Duke Heron. Though he was supposed to be working in the Winter Castle, he was at the entrance of the Spirit Village instead.

“It seems like you’re avoiding my gaze.”

“Impossible.”

Heron locked eyes with Viola. “You just met my gaze, didn’t you?”

Which means, of course, that you were avoiding my eyes until just now.

“I was merely looking elsewhere for a moment. This place is frequently swarmed by monsters.”

Tundra could sense the ominous energy he had felt before. ‘So it was true that a massacre had occurred.’

That’s why the smell of blood was so strong. ‘The Duke annihilated all the monsters.’

Viola and her group had yet to face even a single ambush on their way here. “So, it’s a coincidence, you say?”

“A rather significant coincidence.”

“Is it a coincidence that my father, who should be at the Winter Castle, is at ‘Place Where the Eye Shines,’ specifically at the essential gateway ‘Spirit Village’ of all places?”

Heron was a giant. Every one of his movements drew attention. “Regardless of where my father is headed, the information networks must have noticed he’s not at the Winter Castle.”

“It doesn’t matter. I always enjoyed visiting ‘Place Where the Eye Shines.’”

“I think the timing is just too coincidental. After all, you’ve been keeping an eye on this side due to the Heat Wind.”

Heron subtly avoided Viola’s gaze. Indeed, she had a point.

“You’re saying it was merely a chance encounter. I’ll be on my way, and you should focus on your work.” Zeno smiled broadly. “It’s as if you’re scolding the Duke.”

At her words, Viola was slightly taken aback. ‘Is that so?’

She hadn’t realized she sounded so natural. Just a moment ago, her attitude had been akin to reprimanding Duke Heron.

In the world of ‘Shadow of Bellatu’, such actions were unthinkable.

‘I must be audacious.’

Before Heron realized this fact and got angry, Viola struck first. “Is it strange for a daughter to scold her father?”

Heron thought, ‘It’s not strange.’ In fact, he liked that Viola scolded him. She was the only child who treated him comfortably.

In front of Viola, he was not Duke Heron; he could be just father Heron.

Yet, he did not express that sentiment outwardly. He feigned severity.

“You don’t seem overly afraid.”

“Me? Afraid of you? The situation?”

Heron fell silent for a moment. Viola was no longer scared of him.

But what came out of her mouth was the opposite. “I am scared.”

Heron’s body flinched. He felt an unidentifiable sense of grievance.

He didn’t want to be a frightening father to his daughter. Though it was a trivial remark, he briefly felt an emotion akin to despair.

“This situation is terrifying. It could lead to defying God’s will and rejecting the world of the Gods.”

“…….”

“But I’m not scared, Dad.”

Viola laughed lightly. “If I were scared, I wouldn’t have decided to be your daughter.”

Zeno smiled again, pointing out a certain fact. “Duke, your lips are twitching.”

“That’s not true.”

Heron turned his body. “I’m experiencing the symptoms of a Great Monster, so I shall exterminate it. Very coincidentally.”

Let’s wrap this encounter up now.

*
Tundra looked around, taken aback by an unexpected situation.

‘Are the Spirits bowing?’

Tundra had already experienced the ‘Sacred Ground of the Ancient Warriors’. To reach there, he had fought with the Spirits for seven days and nights.

At that time, Tundra had nearly lost his life to the Spirits numerous times.

They were by no means a friendly race towards humans.

Zeno had quickly explained, “We cannot reach the Sacred Ground without the help of the Spirits.”

Only they could guide them to the ‘Sacred Ground of the Ancient Warriors’. Therefore, simply suppressing them by force wouldn’t allow them to reach their destination. “But you absolutely must not kill the Spirits. Otherwise, the very path to the ‘Sacred Ground of the Ancient Warriors’ will be sealed off.”

They could not kill the Spirits. Thus, they had to fight and earn the Spirits’ recognition in that situation.

[There are generally four ways to subdue Spirits:

One is to overpower all Spirits with bare hands… ]

But they didn’t need any of those four methods. A gigantic Spirit, roughly three meters tall, approached.

Thud! Thud!

The footsteps echoed.

“Princess. We. Friends.”

The Spirit, completely covered in white fur, revealed flesh only around its ankles and feet, which were as massive as its body. Fluffy tufts of fur stirred and revealed its red eyes.

“Heron, we. Friends.”

The Spirit extended its hand. Viola took it.

She felt a strong grip.

If her body had been that of an ordinary child, her hand would have turned to powder from the tremendous strength.

However, Viola didn’t feel much pain, and the Spirit harbored no malice. “Little one. Friend. Where. Go?”

“I’m heading for the ‘Sacred Ground of the Ancient Warriors.’”

“Today. Cannot go. Must sleep three nights.”

Viola nodded. Three days would be shorter than she expected. “I. Wacchum. Spirit. Chief.”

The Spirit Chief ‘Wacchum’ guided Viola and her group to a massive igloo. Inside the igloo was more cozy than expected.

Zeno had a broad smile on his face.

“What did the Duke do?”

Viola suddenly recalled a setting from ‘Shadow of Bellatu’. [The last and fourth way is to transcend the Spirits far beyond their rank and evoke their innate reverence. Only a few, like the Sun King Khan, have managed such feats in history.] “Well, I’m not sure.”

Leaning against the wall of the igloo, Tundra looked at Viola with endlessly warm eyes. “It was beautiful.”

“What was?”

“It was nice seeing the Princess loved.”

Tundra did not see himself as Kang Han-jun. He distinctly separated himself from that identity. However, he didn’t deny that memory. “The Princess’s happiness is my wish.”

Viola looked into Tundra’s eyes. She began to count internally.

One second, two seconds, three seconds passed.

In the past, five seconds had been her limit.

“Five seconds, six seconds, seven seconds.”

Even as she continued to look into Tundra’s eyes, the original Viola did not appear. ‘I guess it’s okay now?’

What had changed? Perhaps the original Viola had fulfilled the dreams she wished for? ‘Have I ever truly been your family, even once?’

Viola, who had once said that, now had a family. Had the ‘real Viola’ found satisfaction? Was that why she no longer showed herself?

Viola pondered while gazing into Tundra’s eyes, and Tundra was overjoyed at that.

“I’m happy to be seen.”

“Why do you care for me so much?”

“In the half-and-half white paper…”

“Not that kind of thing.”

The ‘half-and-half white paper’ was an excuse. Ultimately, Tundra spoke honestly.

“I live for the Princess’s happiness.”

“So why?”

“I was just born this way.”

Tundra couldn’t cite a rational or logical reason specifically. He always cited the ‘half-and-half white paper’ because he couldn’t explain it otherwise. “Tundra, we might not return.”

The Heat Wind was the greatest antagonist set by the author. Many people died in the later part of the story due to the war with the Heat Wind.

The King of Evil Spirits ‘Bahakarun’ and the factions that followed him indeed possessed antagonist-level power.

“So you should seek out what you truly want.”

Tundra was about to refute Viola’s words but eventually nodded. “I will do so.”

He would earnestly start searching. Outside of Viola’s happiness, whether he had any desires of his own.

Perhaps if he searched fervently enough, he might find at least one.

Although, he thought it was probably unlikely.

Still, he decided to at least think about it. A day passed, and then another.

‘By now, the Heat Wind should have noticed I’m in the Spirit Village.’

As for the monster attacks, that was one thing. Yet, even the Heat Wind had shown no reaction.

There hadn’t been even the slightest ambush.

‘It’s quiet.’

On the third day, heavy footsteps could be heard. The Spirit Chief ‘Wacchum’ was approaching.

“Let’s go. Friend. Sacred Ground.”

“Are you guiding us, Chief?”

“Wacchum. Will guide. Well.”

“Sure.”

Zeno bowed deeply. “My guidance ends here.”

The ‘Sacred Ground of the Ancient Warriors’ was a remote place where both time and space were completely severed. Even if you entered together, it was a special space that could not be shared.

Thus, Zeno’s guidance and protection ended here. “Thank you, Zeno.”

Viola took a flower from the ‘Marguerite Flower Field’ within her ring and gave it to Zeno. Zeno respectfully accepted the flower with a hand wearing white gloves.

“Let’s go. Sacred Ground. Wacchum. Guiding. Departing.”

Wacchum began to walk first. Zeno lowered his body respectfully and saw Viola off from behind.

Zeno’s eyes, looking at the flower carefully held in one hand, were colder than ice.

“Now then.”

After Viola disappeared, Zeno straightened up. Then he drew his sword. “What choice will you all make, I wonder?”

After Chief Wacchum and Viola’s group had completely vanished, the Spirits began to emerge one by one from the igloo.

They started to surround Zeno. “The snowstorm is intensifying.”

A fierce snowstorm blew in, obscuring visibility entirely. Zeno looked at the Spirits encircling him and spoke.

“It seems like tonight will be a beautiful one after a long time.”

Cold air began to rise from Zeno’s sword. In his left hand, the flower remained beautifully blooming. Zeno’s gaze turned toward the flower.

He seemed to be waiting for something. “There may be no night more beautiful than this flower.”

At that moment, the flower suddenly withered. It crumbled as if it had absorbed a long time.

That was the signal left by Viola.

“I plan to decorate it as beautifully as possible.”

Zeno’s eyes turned a shade of red. It was the mastery of the ‘Killing Star.’

“You all shall die. For the sin of harming my Princess.”