Isgangar is a vast, desolate snowy wasteland, stretching endlessly, yet there seemed to be nothing particularly different about this place compared to others, save for the fact that the earth here appeared to have opened its maw.
Descending the long staircase along the hole reveals an underground citadel.
The Frost Hollow, a gaping chasm in the icy wastes, was once a den for monsters but has since been remade into a refuge for humans through a history steeped in blood, iron, and slaughter.
Its structure resembled an anthill, chaotic and disordered, unlike Doomhain, another underground city that exuded order. Indeed, it suited the barbarians well.
Even among the same continent and the same race, the forms of their societies exhibited vast differences.
If Lake Fortress could be likened to a cozy family home, the Frost Hollow was akin to a beast’s lair. Days were spent indulging in wild drinking bouts, and at the mere sight of a woman, they would leap without hesitation.
The barbarians of this northern region did not know who their fathers or sons were, making their abode more akin to a beast’s lair than anything else.
“Great Chieftain! Urgent news has come!”
The hideout of such barbarians was now visited by the half-blind merchant Vipen.
Having failed disastrously in a trading attempt in Lake Fortress, Vipen had hastened to Frost Hollow like a dog in distress. He bowed deeply in front of the chieftain’s abode.
At the side of Vipen’s bowed head, a hulking man sat arrogantly in a chair, as if he were a monarch.
Zig Snowspear, the Great Chieftain of Frost Hollow.
Though his lineage was that of the noble Northguard, Zig had found the traditional ways tedious and chose instead the path of barbarism.
He swept other tribes into his fold, unifying them into one. Zig’s power grew exponentially, making his tribe the largest in Isgangar.
The Great Chieftain Zig ruled Frost Hollow like a king. His cold and heavy gaze pressed against the back of Vipen’s head.
“Recently, I went to Lake Fortress to trade. I don’t know how they managed it, but those men had many wyvern wings. There was also some very high-quality yeti fur.”
“…”
“I intended to offer it as a tribute to you, Great Chieftain, but they were greedy and would not part with it. The trade ultimately failed.”
“What do you really want to say?”
Zig’s deep voice resonated through the underground cavern, startling Vipen.
With a trembling voice, Vipen forced out his statement.
“But while I was there, I saw an extraordinarily beautiful woman. She was more beautiful than any woman I’ve ever seen. It was as if I were looking at the Goddess of Winter itself.”
“Hmm.”
“Yet, what’s worse? She was a slave. Worse still, she was the slave of the Death God of Slaves.”
“Who is this ‘Death God of Slaves’?”
How could one not know of the Death God of Slaves?
Regardless, it seemed all barbarians were more of the same.
Though such thoughts might get him crushed, Vipen kindly explained.
“A notorious slave merchant on the continent who has infamously made it a hobby to kill slaves.”
“You mean the woman you spoke of is one of his slaves?”
“Yes. Certainly, she will undergo many indignities before eventually meeting her end. I tried to rescue her but ultimately failed.”
“Then we must bring her here.”
“That is precisely what I wanted to say!”
In perfect alignment, Vipen lifted his head temporarily before bowing again.
Zig rested his chin upon his hand as he glanced at the trembling figure of Vipen.
A bumpkin from the south.
His frivolous mannerisms were the exact opposite of what northerners appreciated.
Though Zig didn’t care for his personality, Vipen was someone with whom his interests aligned, as he meticulously calculated his gains.
The tribe would protect Vipen, and in exchange, he would bring them valuable goods. Occasionally, he supplied them with information, and they would ride on frost wolves to kidnap beautiful ladies, regardless of whether they belonged to nobility.
Because Zig was a man who considered himself a ruler in this lawless land of the North. His power was unmatched; border city guards had no way to oppose him.
A new piece of information about a woman had come to Zig’s attention. Though Vipen was scatterbrained, his discernment for quality merchandise was excellent. If he praised her in this way, she was certainly not an ordinary beauty.
“Isn’t it Lake Fortress you spoke of?”
The tribal chief, Darika, leads a traditional tribe with a long-standing history. Zig respected them, as their warriors were all exceptionally skilled.
However, after the accident that took Baschal’s life and left Darika heartbroken, Lake Fortress fell into steep decline.
There was no longer a need to keep an eye on them, and Zig had let them be until recently when he thought of revisiting the place.
To steal away the slave of this ‘Death God of Slaves’ and to demand tribute regularly. In return, he could promise spare their lives.
“Fine. Let’s go at once –”
Zig was about to rise from his seat when he was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream that echoed through the underground cavern.
“Aaaaaah! My arm!!!”
“Don’t cry! You’re a man, aren’t you?”
“But it’s my arm!!!”
Annoyance flickered on Zig’s face at the disturbance.
“Who dares to cause this commotion?”
“I apologize. I’ll investigate it immediately.”
An irritated Zig was dangerous.
The chieftain hurried to assess the situation.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
“Run! There’s a crazy woman cutting people down!”
The commotion grew louder.
The air shifted.
The chieftain returned in panic.
“Great Chieftain, there’s an intruder!”
Zig’s eyebrows twitched.
“An intruder? Who would dare to attack? How large is the enemy’s force?”
“I don’t know who they are! The visible enemy is just one person!”
One person?
How could someone so reckless dare enter Frost Hollow alone?
Holding his sword, almost as tall as himself, Zig rose. Outside, his tribesmen were running around in confusion.
Chasing after them was a lone female knight.
A ray of light in the gloomy underground fortress.
Even the frigid winter couldn’t compare to the beauty of this woman, leaving Zig chilled in a way he had not felt before.
“That, that woman! It’s the slave I spoke of!”
Vipen shouted in a frantic voice.
The woman they planned to bring had come of her own accord, brandishing her sword and slicing through tribesmen in a gruesome scene.
However, her dance of the sword was graceful and fluid as Zig found himself captivated.
“Great Chieftain!”
His scattered consciousness returned.
Zig shifted his shoulders.
This was no time for sightseeing.
Gripping his large sword with both hands, Zig swung it upward. A sharp blade of energy surged toward Asies.
Asies, who had been gracefully hopping around the treacherous terrain like a rabbit, had a sword flying toward her step.
With a delicate pivot, like the ballet’s ‘relevé’, her balance shifted on her toes as she twirled.
The blade of energy narrowly missed her hair.
BOOM!
Zig leapt high and landed near Asies.
Asies turned her head.
Her gaze met Zig’s.
“So Vipen wasn’t exaggerating.”
There had been valid reasons for all that excitement. Her beauty far exceeded any words to describe it.
‘Not an ordinary slave.’
Her demeanor and elegance were entirely different from one’s typical image of a slave. Whether in appearance or beauty, she seemed more a princess in a greenhouse.
Her swordsmanship wasn’t ordinary either.
From what Zig glimpsed, her movements were incredibly agile.
“Why have you come here?”
“Lammi… told me to settle this.”
“Who’s Lammi? Is she perhaps the ‘Death God of Slaves’?”
“Lammi… Laminda…?”
“…?”
What’s going on?
Is there something wrong with her?
But it didn’t matter.
Someone so beautiful would not let minor imperfections overshadow her appeal, and perhaps her unique nature only added to her charm.
“Don’t think you’ll leave Frost Hollow unscathed. My children will be waiting in your arms until your beauty fades.”
THUMP!
Zig, grabbing his black sword, prepared his stance before launching forward. Though not swift, his heavy frame pushed through the air, charging.
The intimidating presence reminded one of a charging buffalo.
Zig swung his sword down at a diagonal angle.
Asies’ response remained calm. Without a flicker of change in her expression, she stepped aside, evading the attack before thrusting her sword.
PHOOTK.
“Kuh?”
Zig’s shoulder was pierced by the sword.
Blood splattered.
Drops sprayed toward Asies, turning instantly into thin shards of ice as they froze midair, only to return and wound Zig himself.
These thin shards left shallow cuts across his entire body.
“Magic?!”
Though the injuries weren’t meaningful, in battles where the outcome can hinge on a single moment, a distraction such as this was very effective.
SWOOSH!
Ice shards shot out like razor stripes.
Quickly reacting, Zig adjusted his sword’s angle upward.
KAANG!
Blocking the attack with his sword’s blade, Zig momentarily leapt backward.
“What kind of slave is this…?”
A magus swordsman?
While the use of a sword was expected, the simultaneous use of magic caught him by surprise.
It was impossible to consider this woman a slave, considering her immense skill.
Even though it damaged his pride, Zig understood that he’d need help from his men…
“Hmm?”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Asies slid gracefully toward him.
Every step she planted caused the ground to freeze beneath her.
Expertly gliding on the ice, she advanced at high speed.
In a flash, the distance between them was closed as Asies unleashed another ferocious assault.
Asies, it turned out, was left-handed.
Most people are right-handed.
The trajectory of her attacks was therefore different.
For anyone well-trained in dueling against right-handers, this minor detail could feel alien and unsettling.
Zig, now flustered, resorted to a purely defensive stance. Sweating profusely, he managed to block her attacks, but the sheer speed left him full of holes, allowing Asies’ strikes to pierce through.
Any blood spewed forth transformed into ice needles, aimed back at Zig.
This wasn’t a fair battle; the gap in swordsmanship was overwhelming.
CHUNK!
The moment Asies’ blade met Zig’s massive sword, it froze instantly. With a simple push, Asies shattered the great weapon.
“AHHHHH!”
Zig tumbled on the ground, shocked.
Asies stood in front of him, her sword pointing at him.
An overwhelming disparity in skill.
Throughout, Asies had pressed relentlessly against Zig. Now, a slight flicker of curiosity crossed her face as she tilted her head.
“Over?”
She seemed to be asking, astonished that it had ended so soon.
Her reaction elicited a slight twitch of her eyebrow.
The fight had finished before it even properly began.
