The Mad Dog of the Empire Has Returned

Chapter 103. The North is Cold

An expensive carriage is quite large. Being large, it can carry a lot of luggage. And it can also carry many people. Enough to carry all of us who came from Saint-Denis and still add one new person.

“Why is that human glaring at me?”

Klaus, Adellian's butler and escort knight, had a look of utter displeasure on his face.

“I am not glaring. I am merely being cautious.”

“What did I do?”

“It is not because of something you did. I am being cautious to prevent you from doing something.”

He was a crazy human.

He had asked to be killed, saying he couldn't attend to Adellian because of his vacation…

‘I should have killed him then.’

Of course, he wasn't asking me to kill him.

But anyway.

“Doesn't it feel like it's getting colder?”

Just as Piontek said, the closer we got to where Chris was, the colder the air that touched our skin became.

Bartier opened the curtain to look outside. He couldn't see outside because of the frost that had formed.

Egbaldo, sitting next to him, had a dark expression he had never shown before.

“I don't have any winter clothes…”

“You're so big, yet you feel the cold?”

“What does my size have to do with it?”

“You have a lot of muscles, so with those muscles, the cold… keck.”

Egbaldo choked Piontek, who was cheerfully fooling around.

Piontek flailed, begging for his life, while the others moved back to avoid getting caught in his grasp.

“Just stay still. It's distracting.”

Adellian sighed and shook her head.

White breath began to escape her lips.

“Are you very cold, my lady? Shall I generate some heat?”

“I'm fine.”

“No. It's getting colder, so I must do something. I shall use my sword…”

What was he planning to do by drawing a sword in such a confined space?

I reached out and pushed Klaus's sword hilt.

“Hey, why are you doing this?”

“You're asking because you don't know?”

I had to prevent the misfortune of a hole being made in the carriage, letting the cold wind rush in unabated.

Klaus told me to let go several times.

I firmly replied, ‘No,’ several times.

Amidst the chaos in the carriage, Michelle wiped the window clean.

Through the cleared frost, white powder was fluttering down from the sky.

“Huh? Snow?”

At Michelle's words, everyone crowded around the window to look outside.

“Move aside.”

“L-let me see and t-tell you the situation.”

“Odekerkh, move back. It's frustrating when you talk.”

“You move back.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

It wasn't like it was their first time seeing snow, why were they acting like that…

In the midst of the chaos of everyone trying to see from the front, the carriage jolted! It moved up and down violently.

Ouch! Eek! Oof! Each person let out a groan as they were pushed back to their respective seats.

Neeeigh.

As if to match its passengers, the well-running horse cried out as if in pain.

“My lady!”

The coachman called for Adellian.

“The horses are struggling because of the sudden cold. I think we need to move to a nearby village to warm up.”

Adellian looked at me with eyes that asked what she should do.

With the horses finding it difficult to move, there was no clear solution.

For now, rather than looking for something inside, I should look around outside and think about what to do.

Whooosh.

As I stepped out of the carriage, what greeted me was a wind that felt like it was cutting through my flesh.

I knew the north was cold. So, I came wearing as many clothes as I could.

But…

“Ughhhh. What's with this weather?”

Piontek, who followed me out, rubbed his body to an almost distracting degree.

He too was wearing a lot of clothes. But in this weather, it was of little use.

“Do not worry. Weather like this can be controlled with fire. Everyone, step aside.”

Klaus, who had come out at some point, drew his sword and struck a plausible pose, rotating his Mana Circle.

‘He’s 2nd Circle.’

He must have trained in his own way; he was stronger than before.

But…

Psssssh.

He wasn't fighting a person; trying to use power against mother nature was like hitting a rock with an egg.

“If I try a few more times, a path will open. The horses will also endure the cold and…”

“Let's stop. Pouring a bucket of water into the sea doesn't make it fresh water.”

“No, how is that and this…”

“It's not different. You're not a fool.”

Did that human hit his head while I wasn't looking? I thought he was smart, but he's a complete fool.

I was wrong to expect anything.

I sighed and started walking along the well-trodden path.

Clip, clop, clip, clop.

Beyond the hazy dust, two horses were coming towards me.

Piontek and Klaus, who had followed, raised their guards sharply.

At that moment, an intense killing intent flew like an arrow.

“We might have to fight, so be ready.”

I gripped Dawn and stared at the darkening silhouette of the horses.

The horse in the middle increased its speed.

I opened my Mana Heart. The moment it entered my range, I would bring it down in a single blow.

“They are not enemies! Calm down!”

Gradually, as the dust cleared, a familiar face was revealed.

“Bethel.”

I told Piontek and Klaus they could lower their guard and approached Bethel.

“It has been a while, Your Highness.”

Bethel dismounted from his horse, knelt, and bowed his head.

Such polite behavior from Bethel.

“What kind of trick are you pulling?”

Did he think I would let it slide if he acted all polite after sending killing intent, pretending nothing had happened?

I raised the blade of Dawn and pointed it at Bethel.

Bethel gave a pitiful smile and shook his head from side to side.

“I-it was a joke. A joke.”

“If you joke like that a second time, I might just slice a person up?”

“Hey, that's not possible. I was just trying to prove it to Your Highness. That I haven't been slacking off.”

As he said, it seemed he hadn't been slacking off while keeping an eye on Chris. If he had been, he wouldn't have a large scar on his face like he did now. Seeing the lingering redness, it seemed to be a recent wound.

“Why don't you just cut him down without holding back?”

Rodrigo, who arrived late, clicked his tongue.

He approached me and draped the fur he was wearing over me.

“You are late. Did something happen?”

“I had to save a dying family.”

Rodrigo tilted his head as if he didn't know what I was talking about.

I just smiled and waved my hand, meaning he didn't need to know.

“If I had known you would be this late, I would have moved with you.”

After the martial arts tournament, Rodrigo and Elliot moved to the north first.

I told them not to and to return to the main castle, but they both refused.

‘We must prepare a warm place for Your Highness to stay.’

I had told them that no matter how warm it got in the north, if I was the only one warm, I would only get cursed at by others.

‘We will research ways for everyone to stay warm.’

Rodrigo was also stubborn. Elliot was a bonus.

“How is the Margrave?”

“He seems busy. He's usually like that, but especially so recently.”

It seemed Uresra's movements were unusual, so he must be busy trying to find something out.

That aside, who was that friend?

“Laurent Gudbiyon Saint-Sard, I have been ordered to escort Your Highness.”

“Your title?”

“Count.”

I observed Saint-Sard carefully. His overall attire had a dry feel, a fur cloak mixed with gray and white, a rope and a leather pouch hanging from his waist, and the smell of gunpowder that brushed past my nose.

“You're the leader of a search party.”

“How did you know?”

“Because those two humans would be useless in the north. Especially when it comes to finding their way.”

Bethel protested, saying, ‘Not me. I’ve proven my worth here so many times,’ but no one listened.

“By the way, how did you know I was here?”

Saint-Sard pointed his finger to the sky. An eagle was circling there.

“So we've been watched the whole way.”

“It was a measure to escort Your Highness safely. I apologize if you were inconvenienced.”

“Why would something like that inconvenience me?”

It was a thankful thing, as he appeared appropriately when we were stranded.

“Let's go to where the carriage has stopped.”

At Saint-Sard's words, Klaus turned his steps as if telling him to follow.

“Where are they from? The barrier?”

I nodded to Piontek, who asked in a small voice.

Piontek's eyes widened as he looked at their outfits with curiosity.

He was shivering from the cold despite wearing a lot of layers, but they seemed to move comfortably without any such issues, which he found amazing.

“Where have you been… who?”

Adellian asked, seeing Bethel, Saint-Sard, and Rodrigo.

“He is the leader of the northern search party. He has come to pick you up.”

Saint-Sard smiled gently, as if to say there was no need to be on guard, and approached the horse that was exhausted from the cold. He then took out a red pill and fed it to the horse.

Neeeigh!

The horse, which had been crouching as if it were about to die, stood up roughly, startling the coachman who was watching.

“What happened? Why is the horse suddenly like this?”

“It’s because its frozen muscles suddenly thawed. It hurts.”

“Is it related to what you just fed it?”

Saint-Sard took out the remaining pills.

“These are for horses.”

The coachman said, “Ah,” and placed his hand on the horse, which was shaking its body.

“It's very warm. If these things can make them generate heat, then for a person…”

“They would vomit and die from too much heat.”

The coachman let out a more emphatic, “Ah!”

“Your Highness, I have brought separate clothes.”

Rodrigo unpacked the luggage that had been loaded onto the carriage.

“If we're going by carriage, there's no need to change.”

“It would be better for Your Highness to ride a horse rather than the carriage.”

Saint-Sard looked at me with an expression that said he wished I would.

It seemed he had something else to say. Something quite serious at that.

***

A dark room, a huge table, a map on it, and ivory dolls.

Chris, sitting in the conference room, scratched his forehead and stared blankly at the map.

“What about their movements?”

“I apologize.”

Chris rested his chin on his hand and frowned. It was because he couldn't read any clear direction.

It had been three months since they had been trying to grasp Uresra's movements. But they had gained nothing.

The staff members watched Chris, who was sighing deeply.

“We sent people outside the barrier, but no one has returned…”

“The reconnaissance eagles have also disappeared. We can't send them out because we don't have many left.”

“Something is happening outside the barrier, but we can't figure out if it's because of the Uresra bastards or something else.”

A recurring problem for which no solution could be found.

Chris clenched his jaw tightly.

Many officers had died while eliminating internal spies. Among them were several officers with extensive practical experience.

They had to discard all their prepared strategies and tactics because they didn't know how far they had been exposed.

The barrier's weaknesses were exposed, and they had to spend more than the necessary budget to repair those locations.

To fight with all this, grasping the enemy's movements was crucial.

But they couldn't find out anything.

‘Since all the spies we planted have disappeared, they must be planning something, but…’

Without information, only his anxiety grew larger.

“Do you think they will deploy spies again?”

No one answered Chris's question.

Deploying spies meant they were going to watch the situation.

But he didn't think for a moment that would happen.

Everyone in the conference room was the same.

Poooo!

Chris looked out the window.

The sound of the sentry's horn, which blew when something was discovered.

Soldiers in the barracks ran around frantically.

Knock, knock, knock.

“What is it?”

A sense of tension appeared on Chris's face.