At the center of the village.
The tall wooden planks were ablaze, black smoke rising to the sky alongside the leaping flames.
Despite the hope that Darcara would regain consciousness and rise, it was only a brief moment before she took her last breath. Though she had been frail, some pondered whether her lack of will to live had kept her from recovering.
Her face at the last moment was as peaceful as if she were merely sleeping.
Following the northern tradition of burning the bodies of the deceased so their souls wouldn’t be bound, the final rites were underway.
Together with the items she used in her lifetime, her hands clutched Baschal’s bracelet in a gentle gesture of farewell.
With solemn expressions and bowed heads, people shed tears.
From a distance, where the heat of the fire couldn’t reach, Asies stood, taking in the entire scene of the village.
Days earlier, the lively town had been filled with laughter and interactions. Now, it was silent save for the sound of sniffles. They cried, but Asies didn’t understand why.
“Darcara is merely going on a faraway journey.”
“Is parting really such a sorrowful thing?” Asies couldn’t grasp it. There was no sense of sadness, no tears. Only…
Asies’ hand rested upon her chest.
Memories of Darcara flooded her mind. Though a month seemed fleeting, for Asies, whose memory was non-existent, this period at Lake Fortress constituted half of her awareness.
The reality of never seeing Darcara again was difficult to comprehend. It was hard to imagine what daily greetings would be like now.
A heavy, oppressive feeling filled her heart.
It was the first time Asies had experienced the ache of separation.
A few days after Darcara’s funeral, at Lake Fortress.
Saying goodbye to someone is never easy, especially in a tight-knit tribal village where that someone was the chief.
Though talking about the value of d*ath is foolish, the impact on the village this time was significant. Though unspoken, everyone carried their sorrow in their hearts.
“Lammi… everyone…” Amid the gloomy atmosphere, Asies called out to Carami for help, but even he chose to stay away, giving a firm refusal.
“Time will take care of it.”
A merchant must know when to intervene and when to stay out. Regardless of whether they had spent a month together, Asies was, after all, an outsider. Perfectly syncing with their grief was an impossible task. Trying to do so would only cause more harm than good. Above all else, the northerners were strong. Without needing his interference, they would rise again, Carami was sure of it.
“So, let’s prepare to go back.”
It was time to return to Doomheim.
Their baggage was lighter than when they first arrived at Lake Fortress. There was no need to dismantle the tents and things constructed by the dwarves. Things the villagers regularly used would remain.
As they were about to leave, Asies defrosted Hargran, who had been frozen solid. Cracks spread across his surface, and with a crumble, the ice shattered off.
The first thing Hargran did after a month of breathing fresh air was to yell:
“What the cursed dried-up runt!”
His thunderous roar echoed through the air.
Though his body had been frozen, Hargran’s consciousness had remained uninterrupted, retaining every memory from the moment he was frozen to now.
Hargran grabbed Carami by the collar and shook him violently.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
“Oh, but how could you freeze a person?!”
“It wasn’t me! It was Asies who froze you!”
“Eh…?”
Suddenly accused, Asies emitted a sound filled with confusion—a reaction worthy of history.
Carami, with a sly grin, delivered a convincing statement:
“Who froze you, Hargran?”
“La…mi told me…”
“Who froze you?”
“La….mi asked me to freeze…”
“Who froze you?”
“La….”
Asies tried to fight against the false accusation, but innocence doesn’t understand the worldly dirtiness. Carami, on the other hand, was a seasoned merchant who had seen it all.
There was no way she could win in this verbal sparring.
“Who froze you?”
“It was me…”
Carami, satisfied with his successful extraction of a confession, grinned.
“Correct! It was Asies who froze you. Wasn’t it wrong? You shouldn’t do that anymore, right?”
“…Sorry…”
“See, Asies regrets it deeply. Perhaps Hargran could show some leniency this one time.”
Hargran, his head nodding as if enlightened, had a determined look in his eyes. His grip tightened on his hammer.
“You are an evil of the world. Killing you here would be saving the world. I’m sure Baron would applaud such a move.”
“Haha. Could you really k*ll me? I have an acclaimed hero like Asies on my side. Right?”
“…..”
“…Asies?”
Asies delicately turned away to avoid Carami’s expectations, fidgeting with an orrery as if to ignore everything.
“Even this supposed hero seems to disdain you. It’s proof you are truly a villain. Come on, you beast.”
After a round of hide-and-seek with Hargran, Carami finally calmed down.
Luck had it that he didn’t get struck by the hammer. It was thanks to Asies reluctantly stepping in to help. Had it not been for her, perhaps Carami would have been rooted to the spot, defending Lake Fortress.
Once all preparations were done, Carami turned to look behind him. Everyone from the village had come to see them off.
It had taken exactly one month for the initially hostile townsfolk to see Carami’s group as part of their own village.
Carami proudly waved goodbye.
“We’re leaving now. Soon, Dwarf craftsmen will come here to rebuild the bridge. They’re coming with good intentions, so please try not to reject them too harshly.”
The reconstruction of the collapsed bridge would proceed as planned, with the Dwarves from Doomheim taking the commission. None in the world had craftsmanship that compared to theirs.
The villagers, who trusted Carami due to his diverse contributions, accepted his words.
“Big brother! One day, I will also become a slave merchant like you and make pretty slaves like the one you made!”
“That’s encouraging. When the time comes, let’s have a slave battle!”
“Farewell, sister Perka! And farewell, sister Asies too!”
“Please defeat the evil dragon for us!”
Truly, the villagers sent them off as if they were heroes setting off to defeat a Demon King and save the land.
In the crowd, Jorn watched them with crossed arms. Having inherited the position of chief after Darcara, he maintained the same solemn atmosphere as always.
After a while, he muttered softly.
“Farewell.”
In this world, there comes a time when one must abandon one’s pride.
And now was that time.
They helped the village, saved the tribespeople.
Even Darcara.
After all, she was only a dementia patient who would forget whatever they told her.
The entire village averted their eyes, making compromises.
But Carami did not.
He chose to confront the situation head-on.
Because of his actions, Darcara managed to shed her attachments, and she passed with a serene expression. She had undoubtedly transformed into a free soul and reunited with Baschal.
Perhaps right now, they were on a pleasant journey together.
Certainly, that was the case.
“Wow, that was actually quite unsettling. Please refrain as it doesn’t suit you.”
Though it still didn’t resonate with him, it couldn’t be helped.
The sleigh began its movement as the snowy wolves started to pull.
“Don’t expect us to return, even if you miss us. It’s too cold here.”
“Haha! You crazy b*stard! Disappear already!”
“Farewell, pretty lady!”
“Will you definitely return?”
Asies too waved at those who bid them farewell.
The snowy wolves quickly gained speed, and soon the village vanished from sight.
Carami stopped waving and settled into a relaxed position.
“Truly, a month goes by in a blink, doesn’t it?”
“Thanks to some dried-up runt b*stard! Before I knew it, a month had passed with my eyes closed!”
“Haha… Carami’s actions were indeed a bit excessive.”
“If he hadn’t been frozen, he wouldn’t merely be leaving now. He would have been driven out long ago.”
Controlling an energetic Dwarf was incredibly difficult. In his natural state, Hargran would have gone crazy trying to colonize the area.
By freezing Hargran, the remaining Dwarves became relatively compliant.
Carami ignored the constantly complaining Hargran, who wouldn’t stop spitting and arguing. Now, all he wanted was to get back to Doomheim as quickly as possible.
After climbing numerous peaks surrounded by the rugged Isgangar mountains—an area worthy of being called a mountain fortress—a massive shadow loomed over the landscape.
In the sky.
An existence that freezes clouds, creating massive hailstones, and stirs up blizzards with a single beat of its wings, sweeping across the land.
The Ice Dragon, Skadi.
Ordinarily, dragons sit idly in their nests, but Skadi was an exception. Without rest, it traveled the world, collecting valuable and beautiful items.
The reason it came to this otherwise uninteresting Orc stronghold was none other than the severance of its pact with the Orc King, Valkras.
They weren’t deeply bonded, nor was he a loyal follower.
Just a simple amusement.
Skadi had merely been curious to see how far an unremarkable Orc would rise with a dragon’s protection. Though the tale ended sooner than expected.
Still, Valkras didn’t deserve to d*e at the hands of some thug, so Skadi had come to find out who killed him.
The Orc stronghold, now covered in an icy barrier, had become a tourist attraction. Even tiny bugs were frozen in place as Skadi landed.
The moment it landed.
Skadi detected the energy of Asies, who was supposed to be sealed in its lair, at the Orc stronghold.
Though impossible, it was undeniably clear.
A clear anomaly.
Skadi flapped its wings once more, the icy winds obliterating the stronghold entirely before returning to its lair at top speed.
Arriving instantly at the lair.
Skadi immediately inspected beneath its nest.
Signs of an intruder.
The crystals had melted, and Asies was gone.
Who dared to invade its lair and steal its prized jewel?
Enraged, Skadi shot a breath attack into the sky.
Right away.
The princess must be brought back.
Otherwise, her radiant beauty might fade.
Skadi asked the magic mirror.
Mirror, mirror, who in the world is the most beautiful?
The mirror replied.
The surface, however, did not show the Ice Princess, Asies Priana.
Instead, there were four women.
A red-haired human.
A pale-faced elf.
A maid girl.
A pink Gumiho.
Nowhere in sight was Asies.
A question mark arose in Skadi’s mind. There should only be one most beautiful person, yet four appeared?
Though they were strikingly beautiful women, none fit Skadi’s taste. Two were even too young.
Is the mirror broken?
At that exact moment, all four women moved their heads simultaneously.
Their eyes stared precisely at the mirror’s location, as if sensing Skadi’s presence through it. Narrowing their eyes, they moved their lips.
Stop peeping.
Just who the hell do you think you’re staring at?
Don’t peek.
Don’t ogle Lin.
BOOM!
The oppressive aura they emitted unnerved Skadi, causing it to smash the mirror in a moment of panic.
Skadi gasped for breath.
Cold sweat soaked its body.
How could this Ice Dragon be scared of mere mortals?
Impossible.
After a while.
Skadi regained its composure.
Instead of asking trivial details, it should have simply inquired about Asies’ location. But the magic mirror was already shattered.
…
…There’s nothing to worry about.
It can simply find her itself.
The beauty of Asies must be discernable wherever she is.
With its wings flapping once more, Skadi soared into the sky.
What Skadi didn’t know, however, was that the mirror wasn’t broken.
The redeemed—recipients of salvation—possess a beauty others cannot replicate.
