Chapter 11: The Chasm of Frost
Several days had passed since I lost consciousness under Shukain’s freezing magic.
Outside the grand arched window, white snowflakes drifted gently.
In a luxurious room boasting a cool blue interior, a steaming teacup poured warmth toward the ceiling, and the subtle heat of the tea warmed my palms.
Ah, how long had it been since I felt such leisure?
The existence of demons, the forest filled with black, white, and darkness.
Beasts and monsters charging from all directions, and the heroes and divine beasts who fought against them with gritted teeth.
Everything that had happened felt unreal, like a dream.
“Phew.”
I had survived so far thanks to the help of others.
While escaping the Ulian Forest, I hadn’t done anything myself; I was merely saved by the kindness of Elinore and the divine beasts.
If it hadn’t been for Elinore and the divine beasts, I surely would have met my death there.
My story would have ended like a common street joke, unable to even avenge my family.
‘I can’t keep living like this forever!’
I had no intention of rushing off in a frenzy to seek revenge on the demons, but the hardships I had endured left me a milestone.
I was determined to follow it with all my strength.
Creak—
With the sound of the door opening, Sharon entered the room I was in.
“Oh, Sergeant.”
“Are you feeling better now?”
Sharon approached cautiously, asking about my well-being.
At first, I didn’t understand, but I later learned that Sharon had seen my father when she was young.
“To think you’re Jinred’s son. This is truly deeply moving.”
Standing beside me, Sharon looked down at me with a mix of admiration and pity in her eyes.
Though I was the son of a hero, I was now nothing more than a lone orphan, having lost my family, home, and village, wandering aimlessly.
“What kind of person was my father, as you knew him, Sharon?”
“I don’t know much in detail. I only saw him from afar, alongside Shukain. It was the day they stood with their comrades to hold back the horde of monsters.”
Noticing the meaning in my expression, Sharon continued.
“When the demons ran rampant in the past, your father fought their minions, the monsters, and he was truly magnificent and admirable. Thanks to him, my perspective on the world broadened, and we were able to survive. Thank you.”
“Oh, no, thank you.”
Her calm tone carried depth. Her heartfelt gratitude made me bow my head unconsciously.
“...Um.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Could I possibly speak with Shukain? There’s something I’d like to discuss.”
“...”
Sharon’s expression turned thoughtful, as if she were trying to gauge what I intended to say.
And then.
“Hm, very well. I’ll ask Shukain.”
She gave a gentle smile as she spoke.
As a comrade of the lord and the son of a hero, I couldn’t be kept in the reception room indefinitely due to the nature of the North.
If there was something I could gain, I felt it had to be now.
“I’ll go report, so rest comfortably for a bit.”
“Yes, thank you.”
As Sharon left the room, I unconsciously gazed out the window.
“Hup—!!”
Soldiers trained with spears, following the commands of their squad leaders.
Bang—!
In the distance, the sound of gunfire echoed through the fortress.
“The Northern Army...”
They must be the ones Hunter had spoken of.
“And the new order of the world.”
Deep in my heart, an inexplicable unease stirred.
The fact that someone who had hidden magic from the world alongside my father was now bringing it back into the open troubled me.
***
“Wanted to talk to me?”
The firewood crackled in the fireplace, and Shukain and I sat in ornate chairs, facing each other.
“If you’re planning to ask about... no, about your father, I’ll pass. I’m not in the mood to talk about it.”
Her expression suggested she had no interest in discussing my father, and I felt a pang of embarrassment at her stark contrast to Sharon’s warmth.
I set aside my questions about my father.
Instead.
“I have a question.”
Shukain raised an eyebrow, as if daring me to speak.
“Why are you revealing magic to the people here?”
“...”
“Elinore said that the existence of magic attracts demons. That’s why the heroes who won the war hid it... So why are you bringing it back out?”
“Heh heh heh...”
Shukain lowered her head, her shoulders shaking.
Then she raised her gaze, narrowing her eyes and looking at me with a mocking glint.
“Kid, if anyone else dared to speak so arrogantly in front of me, I’d have turned them into an ice statue on the spot.”
“...”
“But since your father did what he did, I’ll answer you just this once.”
“...”
“That swamp monster is still holed up in nature, clueless about the human world... It’s true that magic provokes demons, but magic isn’t why they crawled into this world.”
“What do you mean...”
“They’re drawn out by human greed. Magic may have contributed to it at the start, but not after the Great War.”
Her gaze swept over me, as if I were some foolish child.
“Kid, do you think getting rid of magic would make human greed disappear?”
“...”
“No, I can say with certainty it wouldn’t. Especially not for those who survived the war. They’d have coveted the treasures left behind in the chaos of rebuilding. And once stability returned, they’d have sought new value.”
The birth of demons was a natural consequence of human nature.
She leaned forward, staring intensely into my face.
“Of course, the damned lords of the continent did hasten the demons’ return. But know this: others made the mess, and I had no choice but to make tough decisions to clean it up.”
Her resolute words convinced me not to delay further.
“Then, Shukain, please teach me magic.”
“...”
It was what I needed most now.
I sought the bare minimum of a weapon for myself.
I understood the situation well enough.
Due to human selfishness and greed, demons were bound to emerge.
And she had revealed magic to protect the North in such circumstances.
Without the power of magic, facing demons would be far too cruel.
‘If that’s the case, can’t I just learn magic and fight them?’
After all, the demons had been revived, and magic had revealed itself once more... There was no need to feel guilty about learning it.
All that remained was how to defeat the demons. The problems after learning magic could be dealt with once they were driven out.
“I heard you reached your current level without a grimoire, Shukain. So please, teach me—”
“Did that swamp monster tell you to learn magic from me?”
Crackle, crackle.
As the firewood burned, her sharp voice cut through my words like a blade.
Shadows of the flames danced on Shukain’s beautiful face, and with a smirk—her lips curled upward.
“Why should I?”
“...”
“Sure, unlike your father, I mastered magic without ancient texts. And now I’m called a grand sorceress across the continent. But... that doesn’t mean I have any reason to teach you.”
She shot me a cold glare.
“Looks like you lost your father’s grimoire but got that swamp monster’s mana orb instead. Don’t get greedy for more—start with what you’ve got.”
“It’s not enough.”
“Not enough...? Hey, kid, do you even know what you’ve received?”
Her voice now carried a hint of hostility and disgust.
The magic stirred by her emotions subtly pressed down on my entire body.
“I know Elinore gave me his mana so I could learn his magic.”
“You know that, and yet—”
“But!”
A life saved time and again by others’ help.
Having survived this far so pitifully, I had no way back.
All I could do was become shameless, grow stronger with others’ help, and repay them with all my might.
“The demon that burned my village, the horde of monsters like a tidal wave, and Magridon leading them. To kill them, this isn’t enough.”
I needed to grow stronger, faster.
Elinore’s mana orb and his magic were impressive, no doubt.
But even Elinore couldn’t hold back the horde of monsters alone.
‘I must inherit Elinore’s legacy, learn Shukain’s magic, return to the Ulian Forest, and master all the magic in my father’s grimoire.’
I had to crave more, covet more.
Learning magic was ultimately for facing demons.
I despaired at my inability to even counter the power of a demon that had just begun to regain its strength.
Without greed, I couldn’t even stand at the starting line to oppose them.
“Even so, no.”
Shukain rejected me firmly.
“What you’re talking about is just your own greed to become stronger. It’s not for me or the North.”
“What? If I learn magic and can fight them—”
A sigh escaped me unwittingly.
I had thought showing my resolve to learn magic and fight demons would change something.
But it seemed the ways of the world didn’t bend so easily to one’s will.
“How old are you?”
“I’m eighteen now.”
Seeing my deep disappointment, Shukain suddenly asked my age.
And then she made a proposal.
“Join the Northern Army. If you do, I might teach you magic.”
She was demanding a price for learning magic.
“Join... the army?”
“Yes. If you can survive the bottom ranks, you’ll be able to learn magic from me. The more you dedicate yourself to the North, the more you’ll learn magic superior to that swamp monster’s. But if you don’t produce results, you’ll just walk away with pathetic scraps.”
“...”
“What, scared? Well, if someone suddenly told you to enlist—”
“I’ll enlist.”
“...”
Shukain’s eyebrow twitched at my brazen response.
But unlike before, she didn’t seem purely angry. If I dared to think so myself, there seemed to be a hint of reevaluation in her expression.
She stared at me intently, as if observing me, and I met her gaze calmly without looking away.
Finally, Shukain let out a short laugh.
“Hmph, fine. I’ll take it you’re serious. Rest well today. I’ll talk to Sharon before the day’s out.”
“Yes, understood.”
I took a deep breath through my nose.
Right, I’d steel myself and think positively.
This would surely be a great opportunity to grow stronger.
The conversation just now had dispelled any notion of easily gaining something.
Even if it was for the North, in the grand scheme, it was about stopping demons and their minions.
That was what I had intended to do anyway.
But.
“Go on.”
“Yes... understood.”
There was one wish I desperately wanted to voice.
As I stepped out of her room in the fortress' inner keep, my footsteps paused before the door.
“Shukain, you can use me however you like. But when you plan to march on the Ulian Forest... please, take me with you.”
“Hah?! Kid, didn’t I say I wouldn’t let things slide twice?”
But what came back was a gesture telling me to get lost, as if she hadn’t heard my presumptuous words.
“Yes. My apologies.”
Her words carried a chill as biting as the wind outside, and I had no choice but to leave her room.
***
Rustle—
I gathered the warm fur coat and thick gloves provided by the servants and headed straight for the outdoor training grounds I had seen from the window.
Shukain had told me to rest for tomorrow, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so.
Once I’d made up my mind, I had to act today, whatever it was.
Delaying even a day would only push my goal further away.
Whoosh—Whoosh—
As I passed through the corridor leading outside, I heard the sound of something slicing through the air beside me.
A spear being swung. An abrupt acceleration defying the laws of physics.
Under the falling white snow.
Sharon, her chest wrapped in bandages, was gracefully performing spear techniques with fluid arcs.
Wielding a spear twice her height with one hand as if it were light, she was a seasoned warrior, appearing even more adept at magic than I was.
Back when we were among animal carcasses, I recalled her saying she wanted to learn magic too. Was she training in it now?
Or was she using a magical tool?
Clang—
“Phew—”
Soon, she straightened her spear and took a break.
Despite the cold winter day, hot steam rose from her body.
“Oh, Claude, did you come out because you felt cooped up?”
Spotting me, Sharon greeted me with a bright smile.
I stood there awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“...You’re impressive.”
“Haha, thank you. If I skip training even for a day, I feel uneasy.”
“Um...”
“Yes?”
“What kind of person is Shukain?”
“Shukain? Why all of a sudden...”
“...”
I recounted the conversation I’d just had with Shukain to Sharon.
How she seemed to dislike my presence and how I’d asked about her plans to advance on the Ulian Forest, only to get scolded.
“Haha, she’s pretty prickly, isn’t she?”
“...”
I didn’t bother responding.
“But if you adapt well, you’ll be fine. Shukain’s heart moves slowly like a glacier, but it’s not stopped.”
Sharon smiled broadly, resting her spear on her shoulder.
It was a smile steeped in the trust she’d built watching Shukain over time.
“I see.”
“By the way, are you planning to stay here for a while?”
“Yes, I came to learn magic from Shukain, so I’m planning to enlist.”
“Oh?”
Sharon paused, her expression turning thoughtful as she chose her next words.
“So, are you joining the magic corps? You won’t regret it. It’s the fastest way to learn magic here in Horast.”
“Does Shukain herself teach magic?”
“No, there are other instructors trained by Shukain. Usually, after basic training, those with a talent for mana are selected.”
“Hmm, I see.”
I nodded thoughtfully.
“By the way, the word ‘magic’ is thrown around so naturally here. Where I’m from, magic was something out of a fairy tale—”
“This was a key stronghold for the human forces during the Great War. Many saw magic with their own eyes, and many heard the stories. No matter how much it was denied, it’s hard to refute what people saw firsthand.”
“I see.”
“They kept it quiet for a long time, but now it’s a situation that can’t be hidden anymore.”
“What do you think about magic, Sergeant Sharon?”
At my question, Sharon turned her gaze to the window.
“In a world where you have to improve your skills to survive, I’d learn anything I could. If I could, I’d cling to someone’s coattails to learn it.”
“...”
Satisfied with her answer, Sharon changed the subject.
“So, when do you start enlisting?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Oh, so I’m the first to hear about it. For the first three months, you’ll be a trainee—”
As she passed by me, Sharon began explaining the surroundings.
“If you head left from here, you’ll see a five-story barrack building shaped like a villa. That’s where the trainees stay, so you can unpack there.”
Her tone seemed to grow heavier for some reason.
“When you get to the third floor, you’ll see a nameplate with my name. Come by 6 a.m. tomorrow, and as your training instructor, I’ll show you your bunk and introduce you to the other trainees. Of course, from then on, I’ll treat you as an instructor to a trainee.”
Sharon leaned toward me as she spoke.
“It’ll get busy tomorrow, so rest well today. I’ll head in now.”
“Oh, yes. Alright.”
After an awkward farewell,
I watched her walk away before heading toward the barracks she’d described.
***
The next morning, the faint light of dawn seeped through the window.
It was 5 a.m.
A strange tension in my chest kept me from sleeping properly, and I’d stayed up all night with my eyes open.
Rustle—
But the place I was about to face wasn’t a quiet rural village—it was the army directly overseen by the Northern lord.
Without hesitation, I got up, changed into my uniform, and quickly stepped into the corridor.
Following Sharon’s directions from yesterday, I climbed to the third floor and found her nameplate.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
Her cold voice, so different from yesterday’s, sent a chill down my spine.
“Right on time. Ready, trainee?”
Sharon sat across from a desk in a crisp uniform, her sharp eyes glinting in the dim light of the early dawn.