Chapter 112: Winds and Frost
His plan was rather simple and easy to grasp. When he lost his sword, he became completely unarmed, something he deeply despised after the battle with Hollow-Tongue, which he had barely survived. Ever since then, he hated the feeling of fighting without a weapon, and the memory of that near-death experience clung to him like a shadow. That was why he wanted to form a weapon at any cost, but there was only one way to achieve it now, and that was to create it through his own mana just like she had done.
Her blades, however, were sharp because they were made of ice, though not of any ordinary kind. The strange material that composed them was almost like obsidian crystal, gleaming with that pale and glassy luster, and that was precisely why her sword endured for so long against his attacks.
If he could manage to forge a sword using his wind magic, then surely he would have the same advantage, since he had already created wind blades before. In practice, this was far from easy in reality.
The real problem was not forming the blade, but rather maintaining its structure, because a sword created from wind could cut through flesh with terrifying precision due to its immense pressure and invisible sharpness, but it could never block a direct blow. That was simply how wind behaved. Whenever an obstacle appeared in its path, it would either break through it entirely or bend and slip past it. He also understood well that her ice blades were much stronger than they appeared, more resilient and lasting, and so attacking her directly would be foolish.
He waited instead, watching and searching for her blind spot, and when the moment finally came, he struck, this time infusing his movement with swiftness to make it as unpredictable as possible, even for himself.
He already knew that even with all that speed and sharpness, his blade alone would not pierce through her icy armor, and so he decided to let her see his next strike by slowing his attack just a little. When she caught sight of his move, he advanced without hesitation, and in that final moment, he counted on a simple truth of human instinct...
Desperation.
The mind, when cornered, always reached for survival before thought. She had no more than a heartbeat to react, and in that instant of fear, she froze his sword. That was her mistake. Earlier, when she froze his wind blades, they simply fell to the ground because he was not holding them. But this time he was. That meant she had just solidified her own doom by turning his wind into her ice, creating a weapon that would break her own defense.
In other words, he used one stone to break another, or perhaps more accurately, one ice to shatter another ice.
Even so, he could not celebrate the moment. His entire body throbbed in pain, every muscle screaming from exhaustion. Still, he forced himself to ignore it as if the pain itself was nothing compared to what he had once endured in that bath of torment. What could be worse than that, truly? He did not wish to think of it anymore.
Effie let out a broken cry, a sound filled with pain as she coughed blood that slipped down her lips in thin streams.
Her face twisted with confusion and disbelief, and blood dripped down her chin like a crimson fountain from the wound where his sword had pierced her.
A moment later, the weapon he had created dissolved into a swirling mix of wind and frost, leaving his hand empty once again.
She swayed weakly, her body trembling, unable to move for a while.
"Well, that was to be expected… but it was already too late," he thought bitterly, raising his hand once more. "She managed to block my earlier attacks with that strange armor, but this time, she failed." He drew his hand back, curling his fingers into a fist, and then thrust it forward toward her chest.
But instead of landing on her chest, his fist met her palm, which gripped it tightly. He was too exhausted to deliver a strong blow, and her condition was even worse than his, but she still forced her body to respond and stopped his attack.
Bending his knee, he drove a brutal kick just below her chest and spoke in a calm and steady tone, "Just give up and die already… there's no point in struggling anymore. You've lost."
Her lips trembled and blood stained her teeth as she whispered, "I… refuse. I will fight until my death. I swore my loyalty to my Queen… and I know… she is watching me now. I cannot let her down… I…"
Before she could finish her words, his foot crashed into her chest again, sending her flying through the air. She rolled across the ground several times before finally lying still.
Kael stood there silently, frowning behind his mask. "Queen? Who's that? Could she mean our kingdom's Queen? No… that cannot be right. She's dead. Which only means…"
His expression darkened. "Did our King betray his dead wife's memory? Did he break his vow before the people? That shameless man… wasn't he the one who swore before the entire crowd that he would never take another woman after his wife's death?"
He shook his head as if to cast off the foolish thought and began to walk toward the fallen woman. But even as he approached, she was struggling, trembling, trying to stand again. Her hands clenched into fists, her teeth grinding, her entire frame shaking, but she still did not stop. Even when she collapsed again, she kept trying.
"What a stubborn woman," he muttered inwardly.
Then, to his surprise, she managed to sit up once more despite the blood in her mouth. Her eyes, which moments ago were filled with madness, now flickered with something different. For just a brief instant, he saw sadness there, faint and fleeting, before it vanished.
He suddenly felt tense, a strange heaviness gripping his chest. It was as if his surroundings whispered to him through the wind itself. The air had grown colder, sharper, unnatural. It felt as though winter itself had descended upon Velhart in that single moment.
He glanced toward her and saw something erupt around her body, sparks of ice bursting into the air and scattering across the ground. Fortunately, he had kept his distance, so the explosion only grazed him.
"What in the world is she doing now?" he thought, his voice uneasy.
The storm of ice soon began to fade, the cold mist swirling around her slowly dimming, and when it cleared, he finally saw her again. But what stood before him was no longer the same woman. Something about her had changed, something deeply wrong, though he could not yet tell what it was. But deep down, he already felt it.
"Damn it… Damn it… Damn it all! Just how much can one man's luck be so twisted? Tell me, what sin did I commit in my past life to end up in a situation like this? Who told me to save that waitress anyway? Ah, curse you…"
In front of him, Effie stood almost the same as before, but her armor had changed beyond recognition, and her bleeding had stopped entirely as though her body itself had sealed the wounds. Her form was now wrapped in layers of ice that held her in an embrace not to let her fall to the ground, and her breathing, though soft and shallow, carried a heavy chill with every exhale.
The corners of her lips were pale, and instead of blood, frozen shards glittered faintly between them. Even her skin seemed to merge with the frost that lingered and crawled across her shoulders and neck.
Slowly, she lifted one hand, her palm facing him, and it glowed with curling wisps of fog as if the air itself bent to her will. Her eyes were closed, but from beneath her lashes, thin lines of blood still trailed down her cheeks before solidifying into fragile, red-tinged ice.
He felt an immense level of mana being twisted around her to cast a spell... no, casting a spell. He didn't need to guess what she was doing, but he knew if he stayed here, he would inevitably die.
"What to do… what to do… what can I even do?" he thought bitterly, his teeth clenching as frustration built inside his chest. "What else is there besides running away now? There's no chance I can withstand that kind of spell. I can feel it even now… she's about to cast something truly monstrous."
His eyes darted around, searching for any sign of escape, and they landed on Eska, who still stood far in the distance, unmoving and silent like a statue carved from stone. She hadn't moved an inch, which meant perhaps there was a chance that the spell's reach would not extend to her.
If he kept his distance, maybe he could still survive it. But something tugged at his thoughts, a sharp reminder that made his stomach twist.
"Wait… crap! Even if I somehow survive this, what about Arwyn? She's still sleeping on the roof… she wouldn't even wake before the cold kills her. In the worst case, she'll freeze to death before realizing it. Well… who cares? I should be thinking about myself right now. It doesn't matter. Forget it and just run."
He ran a trembling hand through his hair, trying to gather his thoughts, but then froze mid-motion, his eyes widening as a dreadful realization dawned upon him. His hood was missing. Somewhere along the chaos, he had forgotten to wear it.
"Which means… Eska… she's seen my hair and maybe found my true identity. Did she? Should I kill her? No, wait... idiot, if you were planning to kill her, then why are you risking your life saving her in the first place? What kind of nonsense is this?"
He gritted his teeth, his thoughts spiraling between panic and resignation. If only he had a sword, he might have silenced her before she could utter a word, but he was unarmed, and lunging toward her now would only mean instant death.
The ground beneath Effie was already transforming, the earth cracking and turning into a smooth layer of pale blue glass-like ice that spread outward like a living thing, swallowing the soil and air alike. The sight made his breath catch and his body tremble... not from fear of her, but from the cold itself that seemed to seep into his bones.
He turned, preparing to dash away, but something deep within him refused to let him. His instincts screamed at him to run, but his legs stopped after only a few steps as if chained by something unseen.
"To hell with this…" he muttered through clenched teeth.
Without wasting another second, he spun toward the haunted house. The creeping frost had already begun to claim its walls, spreading in jagged veins of ice that glittered faintly under the moonlight. The cold had almost reached his boots when he leapt upward, catching the window ledge, then launched himself higher until his fingers grasped the cliff's edge.
With a strained breath and pounding heart, he hauled himself up onto the roof.
For a brief moment, he forgot the pain throbbing in his chest and simply exhaled, his breath turning to mist. His eyes drifted to the sleeping beauty beside him... Arwyn... who still rested as if nothing outside concerned her. Her face, calm and peaceful, looked almost divine under the pale light.
Her mint-green hair, which was neatly tied into a ponytail, lay over the roof like a bundle of silk, swaying gently in the faint wind, and her soft pink lips parted slightly, glimmering in the dim glow. He stared for a second, not in admiration but in weary disbelief, before sighing heavily.
Kael crouched beside her, his face carrying an expression that mixed exhaustion and quiet resolve. "Please… forgive me, Arwyn."
With that, he slipped one arm beneath her back and lifted her head gently, making her face tilt toward him. Her skin felt cold against his touch. Then he slid his other arm beneath her thighs and braced himself, lifting her fully into his arms. She was clad in armor, thankfully, which made the hold slightly easier, though he soon realized something else which he hadn't expected...
"Damn… just how heavy is this woman?" he groaned under his breath, tightening his grip. "And here I thought women were supposed to be lighter… well, whatever. At least I've managed to fulfill one dream of mine... holding one like a storybook prince. Though I guess this isn't quite the moment for that."
He almost laughed at his own ridiculous thought, but the sound froze in his throat as his gaze dropped.
The ice had already reached the rooftop, spreading with unnatural speed, creeping closer and closer from every direction. The air thickened with frost, the shingles beneath his feet cracking and whitening. He could feel the cold biting at his skin even through his clothes. Whatever spell she was casting, it wasn't just powerful... it was absolute. If it reached him, there would be nothing left but a statue of ice where he was standing straight and holding a woman in his arm.
His jaw tightened. He had no intention of dying today, nor was he going to let the psycho Princess die either.
Speaking of the Princess, he simply threw her like a doll across his shoulder, holding her thigh firmly to keep her from slipping. Her head rested on his back awkwardly, of course. Soon, his body leaned forward slightly, his muscles tensing as though he was preparing to leap at any given moment.
The wind began to stir around him, his sleeves fluttered softly at first, then wilder with each passing heartbeat. The air itself seemed to vibrate, trembling as the wind pressure grew sharper and heavier, gathering strength with a will of its own until it no longer felt like mere wind but something fierce and alive.
He guided that storm, shaping it like a small typhoon that coiled around him, protecting him completely. The ice that chased after him had nearly reached its mark, and its breath of frost was ready to devour him whole, but before it could even touch the edge of his presence, he released the gathered wind beneath his feet.
The release came with a tremendous pressure that cracked the rooftop a little, and in the next instant, his body shot upward like a shadow carried by a hurricane.
In less than a second, he was soaring high above, rising faster than his mind could register.
Flying through the air wasn't something new to him. In truth, it wasn't even flying... it was being launched. The first time he had found himself in the sky was when he came back from that strange vision, and the second was when he jumped to save Eska. Either way, he had somehow grown rather comfortable with the sensation.
The rush of air brushing against his face, the weightlessness, the sound of the wind whispering past his ears... it all felt oddly familiar. It was almost exaggerated how natural it seemed to him, as though he had been born to move with the wind itself. And yet, this time was a little different, since he wasn't alone. Carrying someone with him made everything uncertain. He wasn't sure how to land smoothly, not that he had mastered landing in the first place.
"Well, who cares... if I fail, she'll just get a few scratches, that's all..."
As if mocking his careless thought, his body slowed mid-air, the movement suddenly pausing as he looked down. From that height, the view stretched out beneath him like a frozen painting. The town's beauty was gone, or perhaps it had simply changed into another kind of beauty... cold, eerie, and still.
Effie had frozen the river below the bridge, the bridge itself, even several nearby houses and trees, all turned to glassy ice that shimmered faintly in the dim moonlight. From up there, it looked as though he was staring down at a world carved entirely from crystal. Beautiful, yes, but terrifying in its silence.
"Just what the hell is she... well, why am I even surprised? She's an S-Ranked mage who has already unlocked several steps. I should've expected something like this. In fact, I should be disappointed, since there are those who can freeze an entire town without effort..."
Before he could finish his own thought, the air whistled sharply around him as gravity took him back down. He was falling like a dark silhouette through the pale air, his shape barely visible against the moonlight. He had no intention of crashing to his death today, not with a woman hanging over his shoulder.
In an instant, he stopped mid-fall and hovered there, suspended in the air as the winds swirled below him. The movement looked almost effortless, but his body trembled slightly from the control it required.
He was not capable of flight in the truest sense. He had never managed to command the outer winds, the free-flowing air that filled the skies, but who said he couldn't fly at all? He could, just not for long. His mana capacity wouldn't allow it. He had once thought such a skill was unnecessary, but now he understood even a few seconds of flight could save his life. That alone made it worthwhile.
He shifted the flow of wind beneath him, adjusting his balance, and looked toward the bridge where Eska still stood. The ice had stopped just short of her, unable to reach. Seeing that, he felt an unspoken relief spread through him but a little darkened as well.
"What's wrong with me lately? I keep saving women left and right. Well, technically two women. Still, that's not like me at all... something must be seriously wrong with me..."
He sighed deeply and glanced down.
"At least her spell is finally over."
He descended gently, letting the wind cushion his landing. His feet met the icy surface of the roof with a dull thud, and pain spread through his legs as though the cold itself had bitten into his bones. Still, he managed to keep the woman safe in his arms, lowering her carefully.
The entire roof had turned pale blue, slick and frozen solid, so he could almost feel the frost trying to seep through his boots. It was far too cold to let her rest directly on the ice, so with a small frown, he took off his coat, spread it on the ground, and laid her upon it. She didn't wake, just murmured softly in her sleep and curled faintly, as if accepting his care even in her dreams.
And then he unsheathed her sword, which was sheathed at her waist, and glanced at it darkly as two crimson orbs stared at him from the reflection. Of course, it was his own eyes showing through the mask.
He gave her one last glance before straightening up, stretching his hand, and using the healing spell to heal the rest of the hole in his chest and a few other shallow cuts. The wounds closed slowly, the stinging still there but bearable.
Just as he was about to ready himself for what came next, a soft murmur broke the silence.
"F-father... M-mother... I... I'm sorry... please forgive me... I won't ever do that again... please... don't leave me here... I'm all alone... I'm afraid..."
Her voice trembled with grief. Arwyn was clutching at his coat with both hands, her knuckles white, and tears streamed down her face. Her words sounded far away, lost in some dream that only she could see. He stood there quietly, unsure of what to do. It wasn't like he could walk into her dreams to offer comfort. He sighed softly, shook his head, and turned away.
As he walked, a strange thought came to him... one that had never crossed his mind before. What about his own parents? Did he have any? Of course he must have, otherwise how was he even born? But he had never known them, never heard their voices, never seen their faces. He had no memory at all. Were they alive? Were they even real? He couldn't say. Sometimes he wondered if that mysterious woman, the one he felt such an unexplainable connection with, could be his mother. But that made little sense. She looked too young, far too young for that to be possible.
"Then again... wasn't Seraphina's mother too young as well? Though I only spoke to her once, so I barely know anything... speaking of her family, doesn't she have a little sister too? I wonder how that brat is doing... no, I definitely don't. The less I think about that monster, the better."
And suddenly, out of thin air, a strange voice resounded inside his mind, making him stumble on his own feet until he barely managed to catch himself before falling completely.
[My, oh my, it seems my dear brother-in-law has finally remembered me after, what, three long years? Ah, greetings, big bro. Did I startle you? Oh, sorry about that, baby. And I just couldn't help but overhear you calling me a brat again, can you please stop that already? I've become a young woman now.]
Kael let out a long sigh and spoke in his thoughts, his expression showing a faint trace of irritation.
[Can you please stop doing this sudden talk in my head without warning? At least give me a sign or something before you start. You almost gave me a heart attack.]
For a few moments, silence followed, but soon her voice returned, carrying that same teasing tone.
[Ah, what can I do? My hands are tied, you know that. Did you forget I can hear everything whenever someone thinks about me? If I want to talk to them, I have to make the connection at that exact moment, otherwise I wouldn't be able to reach them. And oh gods, just how many days has it been since you last thought of me? I truly believed you were dead for real this time.]
Indeed, the youngest daughter of the Valthrone family possessed a strange and troublesome ability, one that allowed her to sense a person's thoughts whenever they thought about her and even connect directly into their mind. Only Kael knew about this power, and no one else. That was precisely the reason he never thought of her more than necessary, in fact he made sure to avoid it at all costs.
Kael lingered for a while, scratching the back of his head as if trying to gather his words.
[I was busy lately, that's why.]
Another brief pause followed, and then her voice returned again, playful and sweet yet suspiciously curious.
[Hey babe, can I ask you a question?]
Kael frowned slightly, his tone dry as he responded.
[What is it now?]
She stayed quiet for a moment, and when she finally spoke, her words carried a hint of mischief that made his eyes twitch slightly.
[You wouldn't happen to be inside Seraphina, would you?]
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(Chapter Ended)
To be continued...