Chapter 125
Chapter 125
The wind of the snowfield subsided.
It was the silence that came after battle.
But I instinctively realized it.
That this stillness was not mere peace.
Amid the faintly scattering snowstorm, a presence wrapped in a cold aura revealed itself.
I narrowed my eyes and turned my gaze.
And an instinctive word slipped out of my mouth.
“……Aunt?”
The figure before me looked at me and smiled.
Izumi Winterbell.
A being known as the ‘Black Snow’ of the North.
A direct descendant of the Winterbell Family, one of the finest in both swordsmanship and tactics. And one of the few family members I could call ‘Aunt.’
Izumi wore her usual radiant smile.
But I knew.
That within that smile, there was not only simple affection.
With every step she took, the knights following her calmly took their positions.
“What are you doing here, Ran?”
A clear and composed voice.
Yet it carried a weight that was far from light.
I turned my gaze.
Behind Izumi stood rows of knights clad in black armor.
The moment they looked at me, they all knelt at once.
The Black Sword Corps.
The shadow of the Winterbell Family.
A legion responsible for reconnaissance, scouting, and combat power.
They were blades that left no trace, and the moment they revealed themselves on the battlefield, their enemies were already dead.
And that very Black Sword Corps was showing me respect.
For a brief moment, strength gathered at my fingertips.
This feeling… was incredibly strange.
I remembered who I was in the past.
Even though I carried the blood of Winterbell, I had never been acknowledged by anyone.
One unworthy of bearing the family name.
A half-crippled waste.
A being whose disappearance at any time would not have been strange.
Yet now, the Black Sword Corps was kneeling before me.
I looked down at them.
They looked up at me.
Only now… were they acknowledging me as a Winterbell?
Swallowing my complicated emotions, I gave a short reply.
“……I was carrying out a search for the demon race under the Patriarch’s orders.”
Izumi’s eyebrow rose slightly.
“A search for the demon race?”
“Yes.”
“And did you find anything?”
I nodded.
“Yes. I encountered the demon race.”
Her gaze swept the surroundings.
Sharp eyes that examined the battlefield.
Then she inspected the knights one by one.
Izumi soon nodded lightly in admiration.
“Hm. This is beyond my expectations.”
I gave no reply.
But she seemed to find even that reaction amusing as she smiled.
“Ran, you’ve grown far more than I remember.”
Her voice was filled with certainty.
And at the same time, there was a strange hint of joy mixed within.
I narrowed my eyes and spoke quietly.
“Aunt, the fact that you’ve come this far… does that mean the demon search is already finished?”
Izumi smiled faintly at my question and spoke in a familiar tone.
“You won’t need to continue the search any longer.”
“……?”
As she raised her hand and gave a signal, the knights of the Black Sword Corps lined up behind her moved all at once.
At that moment—
A cold energy surged up from the ground.
Instinctively, I gripped my sword.
The snowfield froze in an instant, and the air tightened.
This is……
No way?
Izumi smiled as she spoke.
“We’ve already discovered their base.”
‘……What?’
I drew in a breath.
‘They already found it?’
“While we were investigating under the Patriarch’s orders, we came across an interesting trace.”
She lightly snapped her fingers.
At that, one member of the Black Sword Corps stepped forward and held out a small piece of ice to me.
I took the fragment.
Inside the ice—
A faint trace of demonic energy floated within.
I frowned.
“This is…”
“A trace left behind by the demon race. And as a result of our Black Sword Corps tracking it ……”
Izumi snapped her fingers.
At that moment, the knights of the Black Sword Corps all drew their swords at once.
“We found out that their base is not far from here.”
I narrowed my eyes.
As expected, they weren’t moving individually.
If the demon race had established a base, then their scale was far larger than we had anticipated.
Izumi Winterbell.
The senses of ‘Black Snow’ had already determined our next objective.
Izumi spoke.
“Ran, decide for yourself what you will do.”
Her eyes were sharp.
“Now is the time for you to prove that you are a true Winterbell.”
I raised my sword.
And answered shortly.
“……Let’s go. We’ll have to raid their base.”
Izumi smiled, as if satisfied.
“Good. I’ve been waiting for that answer.”
As she raised her hand and gave a signal, the Black Sword Corps moved all at once.
I adjusted my grip on my sword as I cut through the snowstorm.
There was only one thing left for us to do now.
—Completely destroy the demon race’s stronghold.
And carve the name of Winterbell into this battlefield.
The moment Izumi Winterbell finished speaking, the Black Sword Corps moved in unison.
Their black armor seemed to absorb light even in the darkness.
Measured footsteps, movements without excess.
Each and every one of them were perfectly trained warriors.
I tightened my grip on my sword.
We had only managed to hunt a single demon.
I had thought that wasn’t all, but I hadn’t expected there to be a base.
Now, we had to pursue them and uproot them completely.
“We’re moving out.”
At my words, the White Wolf Knights responded immediately.
“Yes!”
Fatigue was visible on their faces, yet not a single one of them showed weakness.
That was what it meant to be knights of Winterbell, protectors of the North.
Izumi looked at me with interest and said,
“You’ve become quite convincing, Ran. Now you really look like a proper wolf. Hahaha.”
“I’m carrying out the Patriarch’s orders.”
She let out a small chuckle.
“Right, I’m starting to expect even more from you.”
Without saying anything further, I followed after the Black Sword Corps.
The snowstorm grew fierce once more.
But we advanced.
No one complained.
Toward the demon race’s base.
‘I need to stay alert. If they’ve prepared a base separately, there’s a high chance that multiple high-ranking demons are involved.’
From time to time, I called over Camille, the commander of the knights, and explained how dangerous our destination was, what kind of demons we would face, and the traits and characteristics of the demon race.
The information I relayed was then passed on by Camille to the White Wolf Knights.
A guide of Black Snow.
Izumi and the Black Sword Corps took the lead.
Their footprints remained in the snow, only to disappear whenever the wind passed.
Yet they did not lose their direction.
I moved closer to Izumi and asked,
“Where is the base?”
Izumi lightly shook the piece of ice in her hand as she replied,
“If you follow the trace of demonic energy etched within the ice, the path will naturally reveal itself.”
I narrowed my eyes.
It didn’t take long to realize that the ‘trace’ she spoke of wasn’t merely residual demonic energy.
The reason the Black Sword Corps moved with such certainty.
They weren’t simply relying on their senses to find the demon race’s base.
“……Did they leave the trace on purpose?”
“Most likely.”
Izumi nodded.
“The demon race are predators far worse than humans. Some of them enjoy watching their prey run, and others deliberately lure them in. They’re dangerous in many ways.”
It was information I already knew.
In my previous life, I had probably killed far more demons than Izumi Winterbell.
I narrowed my eyes once more.
“Then…… it could also be a trap.”
“That’s a possibility.”
Knowingly walking into a trap……
Honestly, it was something I couldn’t understand at all by common sense.
Even so.
The reason I was participating in this operation was……
Because of the confidence Izumi Winterbell possessed.
She smiled as if it didn’t matter at all.
“But should we fear something like that? Ran. We are not some common, insignificant family. Winterbell. Those three syllables alone are enough to explain everything.”
I let out a small chuckle and swung my sword once, brushing off the snow.
“A wise answer.”
Izumi gave a small laugh, as if pleased with my reaction.
“Yes, that much is fine. That is the kind of confidence someone at my level should have—and at your level, you must always know to guard against arrogance.”
Just like that, we continued walking.
And after a while.
The knight walking at the front of the Black Sword Corps raised his hand.
Izumi immediately stopped, and both I and the White Wolf Knights halted in sync.
The knight spoke in a low voice.
“We’ve found it.”
The demon race’s base.
We looked toward it.
A den of demons.
As the snowstorm cleared, our view opened up completely.
And at that moment,
I saw the sight before us clearly.
A massive fissure had been carved deep into the ground.
Though it was covered in snow, a dark crimson energy seeped out from the cracks.
This wasn’t a simple cave.
This was a place where the demon race had built their nest.
Quietly, I drew my sword.
“Is this it?”
Izumi smiled as she replied,
“Yes. This is where the demon race is hiding.”
I scanned the surroundings.
I couldn’t hear a single sound.
But this wasn’t mere silence.
They were waiting for us.
I spoke in a low voice.
“Are you planning to launch the attack immediately?”
Izumi nodded.
“That would be best. But…”
Her voice soon turned sharp.
“We’re not the ones going in first.”
I frowned slightly.
“Then?”
“We draw them out.”
Izumi gestured as she deployed part of the Black Sword Corps.
At her calm command, the knights moved, gripping their swords.
Watching Izumi’s command, I spoke quietly.
“As expected, Aunt, you’re used to this sort of thing.”
Izumi smiled.
“If it weren’t for things like this, there’d be no reason for me to be called Black Snow, would there?”
I drew in a short breath.
But I still didn’t let my guard down.
Izumi lightly snapped her fingers.
At that moment—
Boom!
Something struck the cave.
A heavy impact rang out, and the interior of the cave shook violently.
And then—
“Kraaaaaaak!”
From inside the cave, the roars of the demon race burst out.
I gripped my sword tightly.
“……They’re here.”
Izumi smiled as she said,
“Now then, shall we begin the hunt in earnest?”
I gave a short laugh.
And drew my sword.
“Sounds good.”
At that moment, dozens of demons burst out of the cave. They rampaged wildly, glaring at us with red eyes.
Their instincts must have been screaming at them.
Kill the ones in front of them.
But—
I thrust my sword forward and shouted,
“Hold formation! Kill them all!”
The White Wolf Knights all drew their swords at once. Their expressions were a mix of tension and excitement.
Considering this battlefield alongside the Black Sword Corps, whose strength ranked among the very best in Winterbell, such a reaction was only natural.
On the snow, blooming white—
Once again,
The battle began.