Chapter 15 : Thawing (1)
Chapter 15: Thawing (1)
At Hindir’s words, Ubol was briefly flustered, then eventually opened his mouth.
“You want me to fight the Second General?”
“Yeah.”
“Uh… why, though? Wouldn’t it be faster if you just handled it?”
At Ubol’s words, Hindir let out a small laugh.
“Do you even hear yourself? The whole time I was fighting, I could feel her killing intent itching the back of my neck.”
“……”
Ubol was left speechless.
‘That monster bastard.’
Wasn’t he saying that he had felt bloodlust seeping out during those tense clashes?
‘He’s probably bluffing. Damn it.’
Either way, Ubol wanted to avoid this fight.
Just as he didn’t completely trust Hindir, it was only natural for Hindir not to fully trust him either.
This fight seemed like Hindir’s way of forcing him to openly oppose the Snowy King’s Army, leaving no room for second thoughts…
‘The problem is that I might die.’
If he fought the Second General, Moritz, he’d have to use the power of his bloodline, and even then, he couldn’t guarantee a win.
‘Why the hell did Bel have to die already…’
If it were that guy, maybe this wouldn’t be happening.
Of course, if Bel hadn’t died, this situation wouldn’t have come about in the first place.
“You seem deep in thought.”
“I’m always deep in thought.”
“Doesn’t really look like it.”
“Damn it. When your life’s on the line, it’s only natural to think a lot.”
While Ubol was stuck in his indecision, Hindir subtly glanced at the Second General.
She had been silently staring him down without uttering a single word.
Even when her own master was fighting and dying, she merely watched.
She hadn’t shown even a hint of presence, but if Hindir had stood her next to Ubol with their eyes closed, he would’ve smashed Ubol’s head without hesitation.
In the end, Hindir clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Forget it.”
“Damn it! I can do it! I said I can!”
Ubol snapped, but Hindir simply shook his head as he packed away the Blood Bear’s hide.
“The Second General herself doesn’t seem inclined to fight.”
“What?”
“She’s never shown much interest, not even in the Snowy King’s Army or her mentor.”
A flustered Ubol glanced at Moritz, but all he saw was her usual blank expression.
“Brother, what about the rest of them?”
Duar asked Hindir.
“There’s no point in flexing against headless ones. If they want to leave, let them. If they want revenge, let them try. If they want to rest before leaving, they can come to Choranchai.”
“……?”
Hindir’s words made no sense.
But no one dared to ask again, and Hindir headed toward Choranchai.
“W-wait! What is this? What are we supposed to do?”
Ubol, flustered, chased after Hindir.
“Neither you nor she wants to fight. It’s unfortunate, but we’ll let this one slide and prepare the stage again later.”
“I mean, it doesn’t have to be that way… But isn’t it weird just letting them go like that? Wouldn’t it be cleaner to finish them off now?”
“Then do it yourself.”
“……”
Ubol briefly glanced over the remaining enemies, then turned his head.
“Damn it. Fine. Let’s drink. I need to get so drunk I won’t even notice if they sneak up in the night and slice my throat. I can’t endure this sober.”
Ubol didn’t think of himself as an ordinary man.
But watching Hindir’s incomprehensible behavior and unshakable calm made him feel unbearably average.
Even Duar seemed calmer than he was, which made his blood boil.
“They’re all crazy.”
But the madness didn’t end there.
“Holy shit…”
The Second General, Moritz, had brought her surviving subordinates to Choranchai.
More precisely, they had followed her when she moved.
Even when he was at the Main Temple, Ubol knew very little about Moritz.
He could count the times he had heard her speak on one hand, and he had never even seen her converse with the First or Third General.
She was such an enigma that even the Snowy King seemed cautious around her.
And yet here she was, drinking the liquor Hindir had handed her, making Ubol wonder if he was the one who’d lost his mind.
“Am I… am I the weird one?”
Ubol asked Duar in a voice full of grievance.
“You’ve fought him before, right? You know what he’s like. Just accept it—it’s easier that way.”
“Don’t act like you’re unbothered! You’re not even touching the liquor either!”
“Ah, I drank too much yesterday. But what’s with you? Why are you so pissy?”
Ubol fumed at the fact that Duar was the only one he could even talk to.
“You two look like you get along.”
Hindir, who had suddenly approached, said that, and Ubol groaned as he rubbed his face with both hands.
“Get along? Us?”
Ubol promptly kicked Duar.
“Ugh! Are you insane?”
“Have you lost your mind? Drinking with those bastards? Who knows what they might do?”
Ignoring Duar’s protests, Ubol pointed at Moritz and her subordinates.
“Night should be peaceful. If you’re going to fight, do it after the sun rises.”
“That’s… seriously insane. Who goes by that?”
“Haha, that’s just how we are.”
Charun warriors, during their warrior training, were constantly exposed to danger.
Because of that, offering drinks to anyone they met at night, friend or foe, became a tradition of the Charun.
At least if they drank and mingled, they could pass a quiet night.
Of course, things rarely went as planned.
Usually, it ended with insults and blade fights like Ubol’s current reaction.
“But the only one actually drinking is the Second General. The rest aren’t even touching it. Those bastards are definitely sharpening their blades. No—maybe I should team up with the Second General and take you d— Damn it. Give me a drink too.”
In the end, Ubol held out his cup and took a drink.
He realized how absurd his own words had been.
No matter how much he allied with Moritz, after seeing Hindir’s skills during the day, he didn’t think he could win.
A night raid?
He’d been with Hindir for the past few days. Hadn’t he seen enough?
That monster might be so sensitive to sound that no one even knows whether he sleeps at night or not.
In other words, any ambush attempt from those guys would likely be meaningless.
“Hoo…”
Ubol took another drink to calm his tangled thoughts.
Judging by how quickly he felt tipsy, he realized just how tense he had been today.
“Fight the Second General tomorrow.”
“Why the sudden change?”
Ubol sobered up instantly.
“All the generals have already fallen. Well, one is still standing, but let’s say she’s fine. The only one left is the Snowy King. Once he’s down, it’s over.”
“No. Even if I defeat the Snowy King, I can’t immediately take control of the Snowy King’s Army. Unless he cooperates. If not, I might have to fight the entire Snowy King’s Army before I even get to him.”
“I’ll help. I’ll pledge loyalty to you, so just cancel that fight with the woman. No—let’s both help you. If we get hurt for no reason, it might actually ruin your strategy. So then…”
As Ubol kept rambling, Hindir raised a hand to stop him.
“Are you going back to your family?”
“I’m not. …Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
“Once I take control of the Snowy King’s Army, you’ll lead it.”
“What? I thought you were taking it over?”
“If I achieve my goal, I won’t need it anymore. But I can’t just let them go free—they’re dangerous. So grow stronger with Moritz’s help.”
Hindir didn’t fully agree with what Duar had said about the role of the Snowy King’s Army, but he did like the idea of containing criminals from across the continent in one place.
“Wow… So you’re targeting the Snowy King’s Army just to use them for a bit?”
“Why? Is that a problem?”
“It’s just shocking to even think that way. If you’re going to do that, wouldn’t it be better to work with the Snowy King? Or make a deal with the First General?”
“What I need is the top of the Snowy King’s Army. Do you think the First General would allow that? Would the Snowy King accept it?”
“…They wouldn’t. Damn it.”
“So you take over the Snowy King’s Army later and turn it into something more useful.”
As he said that, he glanced at Duar.
Duar looked at Hindir with his usual dumb expression.
He hadn’t thought this far initially.
It was a decision made after a night of reflection, following the conversation with Duar yesterday.
Hindir couldn’t continue leading the Snowy King’s Army.
When it was time to truly step into the world, he had to appear not as Hindir of the Snowy King’s Army, but as Hindir of the Charun tribe.
“Heh… Damn it. You want me to become the head of a gang of thugs? My family would faint if they heard that.”
Ubol shook his head.
“Don’t you actually like the idea?”
“I love it. I’m dying to see the look on their faces when they learn someone with their blood is leading a bunch of thugs. But…”
Just imagining it gave him a thrill, but there was one serious problem.
“Those bastards won’t let me live.”
“Then get stronger.”
“If that were easy, I wouldn’t be in this mess. So, what are you offering that woman in return for her help?”
“No idea. I’ll ask her tomorrow.”
“…Unbelievable… Just give me more liquor.”
For some reason, he wanted to get completely drunk.
Somehow, he felt like he wouldn’t get many chances to drink in the future.
Second General Moritz barely drank.
As soon as the foul stench of the liquor touched her lips, she thought no human should be drinking this stuff.
Her mind was still too cluttered from everything that had happened today.
Even the fact that she had come here and taken a seat felt absurd…
By all rights, she should return to the Snowy King’s Army, but she couldn’t ignore the intensity and impact Hindir had left on her.
‘What the hell is that monster?’
Moritz was Dardiom’s first disciple.
But she had only held the title formally, and Dardiom had merely offered her guidance because she had decent talent.
So while she was quite skilled…
Hindir, who had been drinking strong liquor without any snacks, suddenly stood and headed for his room.
He was probably going to sleep.
Ubol and Duar also left shortly after, leaving only the members of the Snowy King’s Army behind.
“Just give the order, and we’ll act immediately.”
One subordinate whispered to Moritz, but she shook her head.
“We won’t fight.”
“Why not?”
“There’s no chance.”
“But he drank a lot. No one could stay sane after downing that kind of trash liquor.”
Unlike Dardiom, who showed little reaction to the deaths of his subordinates, these people believed they owed him a great debt.
He had turned them from nobodies into respectable swordfighters—how could they not feel that way?
“Didn’t we come here for revenge? And even our master was defeated. How can we, as his disciples, just sit here and do nothing?”
“……”
Moritz glanced at him briefly, then fell silent, and so did the others.
If she didn’t answer immediately, it meant she wasn’t willing to discuss it further.
At the same time, it meant she wouldn’t stop them from doing whatever they wanted.
“This will be reported to the Main Temple.”
With those words that sounded more like a warning, he signaled his companions with a look.
They were probably planning to act when the time was right.
Moritz lost interest and spent some time alone until the moon was overhead, then found an empty room and lay down.
Soon, her senses picked up her subordinates moving.
‘Will they succeed?’
She briefly recalled how Hindir fought and began analyzing each of his movements.
But before long, she fell asleep.
And when she opened her eyes the next morning, she was the only one from the Snowy King’s Army left in Choranchai.
“You don’t seem too shaken.”
When she stepped outside, Hindir was calmly stirring some unidentified liquid in a cauldron as if nothing had happened during the night.
“……”
“Not all of them died. Seems like they tried to ambush me, but gave up and chose to run instead.”
“……”
“If you want to leave too, you can. I won’t stop you. Though I doubt you can go back to the Snowy King’s Army now.”
“……”
“If you’ve got no particular plans, then just stay here and kill Ubol.”
“…Are you insane?”
At last, the tightly sealed lips of Moritz opened.