Chapter 17 : Thawing (3)
Chapter 17: Thawing (3)
"Anyway, it is a sure method, right?"
"The information is reliable, but I can't guarantee the results."
"Would it kill you to just say yes? So what exactly do we do?"
Hindir paused at the question before bringing up something else.
"Why did you leave your family?"
"Why are you suddenly asking that? You acted like you didn’t care before."
"The only reason to expect this method to work is your bloodline. If you just ran away because you hated your family, then it’s meaningless."
"Why are you trying to scare me?"
Grumbling, Ubol fell into brief thought.
And soon, once he seemed to have organized his thoughts, he spoke.
"I'm an illegitimate child of the family."
Not exactly a shocking revelation.
"So?"
"Huh?"
"You left just because you're illegitimate?"
There had always been countless illegitimate children in noble families.
But an illegitimate child of the Parno family was a different matter.
That family, where succession was extremely difficult, never abandoned a child—even an illegitimate one.
And he was a son, no less.
"Ha! Acting like you knew everything about Parno, huh?"
"I'm not up to date on Parno these days."
"These days? As if things have changed. Anyway, Parno absolutely does not tolerate illegitimate children. Bloodline? Of course, it's valuable. But that only applies to those of pure blood."
"Pure blood?"
"Yeah. Hybrids aren't even treated like humans. To prevent their power from leaking, hybrids are isolated from the family. And they live their whole lives cleaning up after others, dying without ever escaping that fate."
"……"
It was an absurd story.
And the term "pure blood" was particularly concerning.
If his guess was right... then the Parno he remembered was truly gone.
"What defines pure blood?"
"It's just whether you carry only the family’s blood or if it's been mixed with outsider blood."
The answer he feared had come back.
He had heard stories of pure blood before.
It referred to those born through incestuous marriages within the Parno bloodline, a practice the family used in ancient times to gain stronger power.
Of course, "ancient times" meant over five hundred years ago.
At that time, the family head even said that the family's difficulty in producing offspring might be a curse born of that dangerous desire.
—"It will take a long time to correct this. But it is also part of our history and our future. We must strive not to repeat our mistakes through those teachings."
Hindir vaguely recalled what the Parno family head had said back then.
But the descendants were repeating the same mistake.
In other words, Ubol was one step removed from that mistake.
"The method I know might be more suitable for you than for those of pure blood. The one who used it was from the Parno family but had not inherited the bloodline's power."
It was the method the founder of Parno had used to initiate the bloodline.
Of course, he still had no intention of explaining the details.
"So they were of the bloodline but didn’t have its power?"
Ubol showed considerable interest in Hindir’s words.
"Right. But through this method, they were able to control cold. So maybe it’ll be even easier for someone like you who already harbors cold within. Either way, it’s better than starting from a blank slate."
"In that case……."
Hindir’s story naturally sparked hope.
But then Ubol suddenly asked in confusion.
"How do you even know stuff like this?"
"I had a connection with the Parno family in the past. Heard it back then."
"I’m from the family myself and I’ve never heard anything like that."
"You might not know because you're from a later generation."
"…How old are you, anyway?"
"Probably around seventy."
"Brother! Didn't you say you were sixty before?"
"Then let’s go with sixty-five."
Ubol suddenly lost all excitement and buried his face in his hands.
"Shit."
For some reason, it felt like death was right around the corner.
"Forget it. So what’s the method?"
"Your distant ancestor, who lacked the family’s power, went to Snow Dragon Valley to gain it. But jumping into Snow Dragon Valley with no ability is essentially suicide. In the end, he failed to escape and had to wait for death. The cold surrounding his entire body, the faint warmth of sunlight on his skin, the strands of icy wind, and the sound of snowflakes melting against his skin. He waited for the end, feeling everything about Snow Dragon Valley—but he didn’t die."
"…."
"His body temperature dropped to match the valley’s, and the snow on his skin no longer melted. That’s when he realized it. That he had become one with the energy of Snow Dragon Valley."
Even after Hindir finished the story, Ubol said nothing for a long time.
Eventually, he started looking increasingly baffled before opening his mouth.
"That’s it?"
"Yeah."
"That’s not even a method."
"Of course. It’s a story about the origin of Parno—who could possibly know the exact details?"
"……What did you just say?"
"Ah. Forget I said that."
Ubol’s face crumpled in frustration.
"Don’t tell me that story was about Parno’s founder?"
"Yes."
"Damn it. So there’s no confirmation at all. And you’re calling that a method? You’ve got to be kidding me."
"Then should we just forget about it?"
"……Damn it. Give me a drink."
Ubol wanted to get drunk.
The next day, Ubol was woken up by someone poking at him.
He didn’t really expect anything, but seeing a bearded man’s face right after opening his eyes instantly ruined his mood.
"Shit!"
"Whoa! Why are you yelling?"
"You bastard, get your face out of mine!"
"Ugh?"
Of course, without waiting, Ubol kicked the man away and got up.
"You're really something, huh."
"What?"
"As if anyone wants to see your ugly mug. Anyway, the boss wants to see you, so get out there."
Last night, after learning that Ubol had left his family, Duar’s confidence returned to his voice.
Of course, Ubol was much stronger in terms of power, but Duar had his elder brother backing him.
“Hoo…”
Ubol, knowing that as well, exercised superhuman patience and refrained from beating Duar to death once again.
“But aren’t you hot?”
“What?”
“I mean, with the stove burning like that and you sleeping with all those layers, I figured you'd be soaked in sweat. But you look fine?”
Just like Duar said, Ubol had felt chills and kept putting on more layers before falling asleep.
But even then, he hadn't felt particularly warm...
“Damn it.”
“Why the swearing again?”
Realizing once more that something was off with his condition, Ubol immediately went outside.
The first thing he saw was Hindir lying on the bare ground, using his arm as a pillow.
Some people shivered even when wrapped up, while others remained unbothered with their shirt off—it was utterly unfair.
“I’ve thought this before, but do you not feel cold or something? Or does that bear hide have some special effect?”
As Ubol approached, Hindir rose from the ground.
“It’s just my constitution.”
“Bullshit. You never give a straight answer. So are we starting now?”
“Yes. Follow me.”
Hindir led Ubol out of Choranchai and toward Snow Dragon Valley.
After following a treacherous cliff path into a narrow gorge, they finally arrived at a completely frozen valley.
“This is the place? What are we doing here?”
“You’re going to enter that valley and endure until you reach enlightenment.”
“…You seriously plan to push me to the brink of death? Is this really the way?”
Even Hindir couldn’t be sure.
It was merely a conclusion he had drawn based on his own speculation about how the founder of the Parno family had obtained his power.
“If you’re lucky, or if your five senses are more developed than expected, you might succeed. I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t die.”
“…What if I inherit the Snowy King’s army first and then trade with the family? Maybe they know the solution…”
But even he knew that made no sense, so his voice trailed off.
Since yesterday, he’d clearly felt that something was wrong with his body.
Honestly, even if he obtained the family’s mana technique right now, he wasn’t sure he could fix it.
“…Damn it! Fine. Let’s do this!”
Ubol slapped his own cheek and took off his top.
In the meantime, Hindir approached the valley and placed one hand on the ice.
Sssss—
The ice melted rapidly.
“…No wonder you walk around shirtless.”
Ubol shook his head at the unbelievable sight and stepped closer.
“Ugh… it’s freezing to death. When did you even find this place? Don’t tell me you wandered around at night without sleeping?”
“Fortunately, it was nearby.”
“Let’s hope that luck holds out.”
Soon, Ubol threw himself onto the surface of the now-thinned ice.
Crack—
Splash—!
The thin ice broke, and Ubol sank in.
“Uwaaahhh!”
The unbearable cold came as intense pain.
Ubol forcibly stopped himself from instinctively jumping out.
Seeing his determination, Hindir nodded.
“Ughhhh…”
Seeing Hindir’s calm demeanor made his blood boil, but his body was already going numb, and he didn’t think he could get out now anyway.
Hindir settled at a suitable distance and began meditating, using Ubol’s groaning as background noise.
As Ubol's entire body was wracked with extreme pain, his consciousness soon began to flicker.
Even when he briefly regained his senses, he couldn’t feel his body, so he wasn’t sure if he was awake or not.
At some point, even his vision blurred, and later he couldn't tell if it was day or night.
‘Shit. How long has it even been since I got in…? I’m really gonna die soon. Bastard, you’re supposed to save me, right?’
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Hindir’s quiet voice reached him.
“They say if you master the Parno Mana Technique, you can perfectly control cold. But imprisoning the force of nature in the flesh is extremely dangerous. That’s why the Parno Mana Technique was created—to maintain balance and stability. That’s also why Parno bloodlines always display ice-cold demeanors.”
He wanted to curse at the casual explanation, but his mouth was frozen shut, and soon he lost consciousness.
When Ubol next opened his eyes, all he could see was a world of pure white—ground and sky alike.
“Brother. I brought the food.”
“All right.”
Duar unpacked and set the food, and Hindir gave Ubol a brief glance before starting his meal.
Duar also sat down in front of Hindir to eat together.
“Anything going on at the camp?”
“Not really. It’s quiet. But that woman has such a fierce vibe that it’s hard to relax.”
That’s why he chose to eat here with Hindir instead of somewhere more comfortable.
“She doesn’t answer even when I ask if she’s going to eat… But then she quietly comes over and eats when it’s set up. Sometimes she feels like a ghost—terrifying.”
“For all that talk, you’re managing just fine.”
“Hehe… I guess exploring Snow Dragon Valley with you before helped me toughen up a bit.”
Hindir glanced sideways at Duar.
“…Ahem. Well, to be honest, it helps that she’s beautiful.”
“Don’t do anything stupid. Unlike Ubol, she won’t hesitate to draw a blade.”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
To be honest, Duar didn’t quite relate, but since it was Hindir saying it, he nodded anyway.
“But how long is that guy going to stay like that? It’s amazing he’s not dead yet.”
“Yeah. He’s holding up better than expected.”
Unlike what Ubol felt, five full days had already passed.
On the first day, he had cursed constantly and looked like he might jump out at any moment—then quickly quieted down as his body froze.
On the second day, his body floated like a corpse, then sank like a stone, repeating the cycle.
From the third day on, his expression calmed, and he didn’t move at all. That continued until today.
“He’s not dead. But breaking the ice and getting out is up to him.”
“Hmm… Do you think it would work if I tried that? Didn’t you say the founder of Parno was just a regular person?”
“Want to try it?”
“…Nope.”
Duar quickly came to his senses and finished eating.
“I’ll come back tomorrow morning.”
After Duar packed the dishes and left, the sun soon set, and darkness filled the valley.
Hindir spent the time meditating again.
Then, suddenly, he looked up toward the frozen waterfall.
There stood an old man with white hair and white robes, bathed in faint moonlight.