Chapter 303

“It’s cold…”

The half-dragon exhaled a breath, melting the frozen hands. While coming here, they were blessed by the feathers of the Bluebird, but going back, they couldn’t rely on that.

Facing the Arctic blizzard head-on, they had no choice but to return, but even so, the cold was bone-chilling. The wind was piercingly icy.

‘Ugh, I feel like I’m freezing to death.’

Even now, with the thorn that once emitted cold gone, the temperature in the Arctic had risen more than expected. Still, it was cold enough to freeze an ordinary person to death, but not enough to make the half-dragon Yanid shiver.

Yet, the reason it felt so cold was obvious just by opening their eyes. However, they couldn’t bring themselves to complain, only muttering in a small voice. The owner of this biting chill walked silently, not saying a word, indifferent to the cold.

Snow piled up on their head, but they didn’t brush it off, their eyes unfocused. They stumbled here and there but managed to navigate the treacherous ice.

The magical power around them seemed to resonate with their frozen heart, growing colder and more desolate with each step. It was suffocating.

[It looks dangerous, that.]

“Shouldn’t we stop them?”

[What are you talking about? We’re the ones in danger. Look at those eyes. They’re already empty. Haven’t you heard the saying that those with nothing to lose are the most terrifying? They’ve completely lost it.]

Even the dragon was intimidated, bowing its head in silence. The wolf carrying the heavy ice coffin had no life in its eyes.

Only emptiness, a desolate and gloomy void, could be seen beyond those lifeless eyes.

[How can we stop them? Anyone who dares to speak out of turn in front of them will meet an untimely end. No one can stop them. The Empire? Not a chance.]

The problem was that this woman, Grimudo, was now undeniably the strongest on the continent. How many people could withstand a single strike from that sword? If they were to have any strange thoughts, the continent would be turned upside down.

It’s not the Evil God that’s the problem; if this wolf wields that sword, they become the Death God. They’ve surpassed even the realm of the Grand Master, reaching the limits of human potential.

Throughout history, there have been those with such strength, but in this era, there won’t be another like them. Moreover, this wolf is still young. Who can say they won’t grow even stronger?

Those in power despise and look down on warriors who rely on their own strength. But in truth, those who wield power also see them as nothing more than incompetent pigs.

In the past, the Beast King Epirna had no support within her own race. The little support she had from her own kind was purged by her own hands, yet she ascended to the throne without any opposition. The power with no constraints, the power to do anything—that’s the true terror of power.

This wolf, who defeated Epirna and took the throne, was still in their teens. An age where they could only grow brighter. With such strength at this age, Harmail’s dream is no longer a fantasy. Regardless of success or failure, they could seriously aim to unify the continent.

Only, it’s a matter of whether they have the will to do so.

Now, this wolf is already empty. After the funeral, they might quietly retire and never show their face to the world again. It’s as if they’ve lost their reason for existence.

Just like when the Death God fell into despair and the Heavenly God nearly shattered from losing hope. The only difference is that humans don’t die immediately after losing their reason for existence.

The dragon and the half-dragon exchanged glances, unable to speak. Even if they offered comforting words, it would be useless now. They would just hear it with one ear and let it slip out the other.

-Uh… I have something urgent, so I’ll excuse myself first. See you later…!

Even the Evil God Oberta sensed the danger and hastily fled. Ha, Yanid sighed. They hadn’t known each other long, but the person in that coffin was truly warm.

The first adult they thought they could trust. They even shed a few tears, but compared to the wolf’s sorrow, their own grief was nothing.

They knew that once they reached the continent, trouble would inevitably arise, but there was nothing they could do. They could only hope to keep their emotions in check.

Kwang!

Whether to vent their frustration or not, the girl swung her sword horizontally. Each swing released alternating waves of hot sunlight and cold moonlight, painting a corner of the Arctic.

After just a few swings, the ice hill blocking their path was shattered into fragments. What was called a hill would be larger than most village mountains if placed on the continent.

‘Hoo, I’m losing strength…’

The heat from the flashes made their skin tingle. The half-dragon, who had summoned a magical barrier, looked tiredly at the wolf. For some reason, despite being a half-dragon and having eaten water and jerky, the wolf seemed to have better stamina.

The blue wolf hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for two days. They stumbled as if they might collapse at any moment, but strangely, the power they emitted seemed to grow stronger. Their breath was faint, but it had been the same two days ago.

So, it seemed they wouldn’t die if left alone, but you never know with people. There’s no order in death, and if they suddenly collapsed, they might never get up again.

[Since the Kalkanmir Mountain Range has risen and moved south, we won’t have to cross mountains on the way back. But why go through such hardship when you could just ride me back…]

There was no reason to walk so uncomfortably, yet Roka refused Azahadaka’s offer to ride on his back. Whether she wanted to stay in the Arctic a little longer, didn’t want to return to the continent, or both, it was unclear.

Perhaps what the girl truly desired was to be buried in the Arctic blizzard along with the coffin she carried. Even if not, it was certain that she was acting as if she had already given up her life.

“Shouldn’t we subdue her by force before something serious happens? If this continues, it might get really dangerous. We might have to knock her out and move her south.”

Yanid didn’t want a funeral here. But the dragon shook its head. Stopping Roka now would be madness.

A powerhouse like her, who had already given up on life. It was hard to predict what would happen if they tried to subdue her.

If she decided to throw her life away and charge, even the dragon would have to flee. She still wanted to live. She didn’t want to die here with that crazy wolf.

[Whatever we say here is useless. Those ears only listen to one voice now. A hundred words of persuasion are meaningless, and using force is too dangerous. If we provoke her, we might all die here.]

“Surely she hasn’t lost her reason to that extent…”

Yanid glanced at Roka and trailed off. She didn’t even believe her own words.

The current Roka was clearly not normal, and the occasional sunset light in her eyes was eerie. Even if the Death God were here, they would quietly close their mouth and avoid her.

‘Whoa, that startled me…’

Then, the wolf’s ears perked up. For the first time, a glimmer of light appeared in those empty eyes. With unbelievable speed, they turned their head to look around. But soon, they became sullen again.

“I can’t smell it…”

Before Yanid could calm her startled heart, the girl, who hadn’t spoken a word until now, continued with a flash in her eyes.

“But I heard it? I definitely heard a voice. Master was here. I didn’t mishear. But why? Why isn’t he here?”

The two dragons listened with somewhat dumbfounded expressions as the girl bit her nails and spoke. Then, tears began to well up in her eyes, which was just terrifying to watch.

It made one wonder if she had gone a little crazy, spouting such dreamlike nonsense. Yanid whispered very softly.

“What voice did you hear?”

[No.]

“Isn’t this going to end badly?”

[It already has.]

Perhaps she had fallen too deeply into emotion and gone mad. Ah, it was truly a sigh-inducing situation.

These two also had eyes and ears. They knew the girl had feelings for the priest. But who would have thought she would break down to this extent?

“Is love always this scary? Do people always go crazy when they fall in love?”

[I don’t know. I’ve never experienced it.]

The dragon, who had been watching Roka with a serious expression, replied.

[But love? That’s not what someone in love looks like. Look at her. Does that look normal to you? To me, it seems like she’s escaping reality, spreading imaginary wings, and searching for someone who’s already gone.]

To put it simply, it could be summed up in one word.

Completely lost it. That’s how it looked to anyone.

‘What should we do?’

‘Why are you asking me…’

While the two exchanged glances, the girl continued to scan the surroundings with anxious eyes. In truth, Roka wasn’t as far gone as others thought.

First-tier. A realm where the heart moves the world. Someone who has reached this level isn’t so fragile. She could tell the difference between hallucinations and real voices. Her mental training and growth weren’t in vain.

“Should I go and hit her on the back of the head?”

[Stop it! You might really die!]

But to the two dragons, all they saw was a wolf that had either gone mad or was about to.

But today, they learned that madness is contagious. Yanid muttered to herself. The more she said she saw something, the more she felt like she was seeing something too.

-We made a promise.

And it really felt like she was hearing a voice.

-And I couldn’t keep it.

Suddenly, for no reason, it felt like the surroundings were warming up.

-In the end, I couldn’t even say I was sorry.

This is the Arctic.

Where the sun neither fully rises nor fully sets, only emitting a dim light.

In this land of perpetual twilight, a bright sunlight shone. Like the midday sun on the continent, a warm and intense light suddenly appeared.

Now, instead of starlight, he appeared with sunlight, but he didn’t come in vain.