Chapter 122
QqtW2“Wow, the more I look at it, the stranger it seems.”mceLDi
s2Uu6hoHugo muttered while waving his hand in the air.0J9v7G
z7EVNsAs soon as you stepped outside the designated area, a terrifying gust slammed into your body, but if you took just one step inside, the wind stopped dead.QYS
Pum1U2He had heard stories of places where, just a few steps apart, one area was soaked by rain and the other completely dry—but this was something else.JGyLRWv
rDgWhile a snowstorm raged all around, only the spot where Lucian’s group stood remained untouched.ceGA9s
oeP“I don’t get how in the world people like this lost. If they set their minds to it, they could flip a whole kingdom.”sD2
Tc9n48J“That would be true if all the mages in the world were at my master’s level, but even among mages, the difference in skill is huge.”enM6d
e6FJFColin replied with a bitter smile to Hugo’s doubt.WFbE
FozQ7“Even I can’t use such advanced magic. Only high-level mages, like my master, can do it—and even then, it requires thorough preparation. He must have been getting ready for over ten years at least.”0rilp
lD2m“From what I heard, it took exactly fourteen years. Before that, even for him, going there and back just once was a gamble with his life.”PTy
ej8JT“…I see.”EJf
wsDXZfVWhen Helen chimed in, the smile vanished from Colin’s face. He still seemed bothered about having been left out by his master and fellow disciples.zKB
CVPjE8The atmosphere grew tense for a moment, until Lucian’s serious voice broke the silence.L7B
Y4nLS“Leave the magic lesson for later. You’ll have plenty of time. What matters now is finding a resting point along the way.”4bT4
nlLdu2Thanks to the magic, a path had opened to cross beyond the snowfield.2pXhM
mbZ0JHhBut just being able to cross didn’t mean they could camp.5jbD
D2bLEAHEven if that area was warmer than the surroundings, trying to sleep in that cold would turn them into frozen corpses by morning.QG4I5fn
whESince they would have to travel for several days, they needed a safe spot to rest and sleep.HQmdM
qBmGxAY“Helen, where’s the first rest point? If what you said is right, we should be close.”JieMT
B95“We’re almost there. Look over there.”SrX3RMH
jduSEpHelen raised her finger and pointed. At first, it looked like just a snow-covered hill, but upon closer inspection, a window was sticking out from the mounds.OykPMq
gMoSNOnly then did Lucian realize it wasn’t a hill but a cabin half-buried in snow.sCLtP
1Fn“…Is that really okay? Even if we remove the snow, the door looks like it’ll be frozen shut and won’t open.”j7G
4Pg7“It’s a cabin full of runes engraved to prevent freezing. Just clearing the snow is enough to open it surprisingly easily. Besides, there are two mages here, so we don’t even have to clean it by hand.”I8uI1
UhHt“Do we really need two? I’ll take care of it, you rest. I want to show off a bit too.”jLzJ30
m9jColin walked forward reluctantly as he spoke. His tone clearly showed he was still bitter, so Helen stepped back with an awkward smile.PKp6MJL
bXhBSoon after, standing in front of the snow-buried cabin, Colin raised his hand.chm5Ml
gvZvG9D“Disperse.”Rd6NF
N5oMWhoosh.ocCF
2x1cJs0With a voice that echoed like in a cave, the accumulated snow collapsed and fell away.vmOp
i8eFor a cabin that had been buried under snow, its appearance was in better shape than expected. Lucian opened the door as carefully as possible.fN7ifM
6VWNLCreeaak.BjCH4
uIikQCi‘It’s really not frozen.’t20
ygjkVLMHe had feared that trying to open a frozen door might break it or rip it off, but there seemed to be no risk of that.kh5AXx
6yA6Just as Helen had said, the engraved runes prevented it from freezing.QMwi5
szBowxwUpon entering the cabin, Lucian’s eyes widened in surprise at the warmth inside.nDQrmJ
xdyEh“It’s warm. Is this also thanks to the runes?”gS3aB
93sh“Yes. They prevent the door from freezing and also serve as heating. Only the food storage doesn’t have engraved runes, so be careful with that.”UlleGZ
OFrg6sO“Food storage?”Q60
qVYDwgg“It’s that box over there.”v3I
NDSbnqOHelen walked toward a corner and opened a cabinet-like piece of furniture. Inside, several chunks of fresh meat hung from hooks.Wnm
7MLd3At the same time, a cutting chill poured from the interior into the cabin.Taoq
DYLm“If you leave it open too long, the temperature drops, so you have to take only what’s needed and do it quickly.”yAI5g
voqmKesJust like she said, Helen quickly pulled out a few pieces of meat and headed toward the fireplace.dzB
KamXStanding on the spread-out hide on the floor, she placed the meat into a pot already set up, and at that moment, flames flared up.h3lq
8hnNjsfUpon seeing the faintly glowing runes around it, Lucian clicked his tongue.1nX7C
K9tPf0“More runes? How many did you engrave here? No, wait—how do you even know runes like these?”qo8c2y
OMeARunes were practically lost knowledge due to the mage persecution.7UQb
y2VriX9Even court mages barely knew a handful of essential ones used for combat.eIP
ZGl93However, the runes now glowing didn’t look like combat runes, but rather everyday-use runes, lost long ago.xmQ
XkKThey might seem minor, but when used well, they could improve the quality of life many times over—not just for nobles, but for commoners too.1PLQX
YjwmEC“My master is a Magus, the highest rank among mages. This is one of the support points he created, pouring in all his strength over more than ten years, so it should be this impressive.”od6gUc
UPbA“No, what I meant is…”yApqL1
YtW63ZLucian shook his head, realizing Helen had misunderstood him.MPdYhg
U8qHe hadn’t yet confirmed what kind of person her master really was, and there was no need to praise him in advance.jEyrHf
A9uGhHowever, Helen continued speaking without losing her satisfied expression.He6SJN
EnO6O“You haven’t seen anything yet. There’s something even more impressive.”TG1oN
owk4“Now what, is the cabin going to turn into a palace?”bRL1sB
s0p“No. The meat turns into medicine.”3xlzP
enMYnp“Medicine?”iJ2
mtJYTSLucian was about to ask what that meant, but when he closely observed the meat Helen had just taken out, he froze completely.4w0
iFHFrom the meat, slaughtered quite some time ago, magical energy was clearly flowing.Cvey
LArFv***5SIsoY
bVS6cJr“Umm.”Ly8ICck
XR4aLKT“Ah.”CEfW
ActCFZAfter tasting Helen’s cooking, Lucian’s group couldn’t stop exclaiming in amazement.U0rL
843EdXIt wasn’t because it was incredibly delicious, nor because it was a dish they had never seen before.IUt66ri
dkdmQIt was simply meat cooked in an ordinary way, and yet it produced an effect similar to that of an elixir.Plf
LcsviA“Just eating meat already increases mana…”ojX
qvsxv“Isn’t it like the people living here drink an elixir every day?”PX87W
JGWainHugo and Raymond kept murmuring with their mouths full, impressed. Felicia, on the other hand, chewed the meat with an impassive expression.XFXxdn
eUKsdv“But the increase is far too slight. Even if you eat it every day, it would take an eternity to get an effect comparable to a real elixir.”GZjc
TkA6She wasn’t comparing it to nectar, but to low-level elixirs that, with enough connections and enormous sums of money, could barely be obtained.Qxeko
vKWNWCEven those elixirs had an almost incalculable value for common people, but still, it was debatable to go through a fixed diet for decades just for that effect.gdYe
GcOCcnjIt wasn’t a matter of flavor, but of the fact that you’d have to live in an environment where that meat was constantly available, which would make moving freely on the battlefield impossible.Cz5
Lo41“It might be useful for a wealthy noble to strengthen their body, but if the goal is to train knights, it would be better to obtain elixirs and give them directly.”C2elgBJ
GLVbHe“Lady Felicia’s words are accurate.”0gbn8i
MNfEqyHelen nodded calmly, supporting her opinion.bSu75sX
dgSYOe8“No matter how curious its effects may be, in the end, it’s still beast meat. It can’t compare to an elixir, the very essence of alchemy. It would take decades of consumption to match the effect of a single elixir. But…”Tkqx4
MeLk8s6Tap.fsd
a17RHelen set down the wooden utensil on the table and spoke in a low voice.bguMXv
k2wMe“The tribes living in this region eat this meat every day.”lnq2iS
Oh35“…”XDA18jt
b3uXVz3“It’s not that they choose only the best beasts. Every beast hunted here produces meat like this.”2RZZ
Dd7uThey didn’t have the option of picking only the best cuts. The meat of any animal hunted for survival was imbued with mana.6U0m
ZZb9rTThat’s why, for the barbarian tribes, all of it was nothing more than everyday food.RdXV
5DzO1HUntil the final moments of their lives, they filled their stomachs with that meat.Kg9
9AM0q“To get the effect of an elixir, one would have to eat it for decades, but the inhabitants here already have. From the moment they stop drinking milk and start chewing solid food, they eat it.”3c1H
Igq“Then it’s as if they’ve all taken elixirs. Their physical capabilities must be just as formidable.”OXqz
nPnsIf the goal were to train knights, it might still fall short. Great strength doesn’t automatically mean developing leadership or depth in swordsmanship.U0qZFof
6BeBut if the goal were soldiers, that would be a different story.fyG2j0s
Syq8QAIIf warriors with strength comparable to knights formed an army and charged through enemy lines.ecfg
wQlAIIf, with a single clash, they could unilaterally wipe out enemy troops.cAM
uZEvR5‘With less than half the enemy’s numbers, they could become the most powerful army, capable of spreading terror.’80T6Ld
pdUThe corners of Lucian’s lips lifted slightly. The army beyond the snowfield, which had been a vague idea until now, was beginning to take concrete shape.3Yzy
AM69***nkv
zXbAx3After spending the night in the cabin, Lucian’s group set off the next morning.LpX3
ixGEgiNTo be honest, it was hard to tell whether it was morning or still night. The blizzards were so intense the sun was barely visible.Ehx
sXZsopwThey only judged by the color of the sky—if it was violet, it was day; if it turned completely black, it was night.Gy67
UqxjUN“…Damn it. Now I understand why no one ever came back after trying to cross the snowfield without magic.”ZRJJJ0V
0IxKoBy the tenth day, Hugo muttered while shivering. With sunlight so faint that it was barely distinguishable from night, and a cold that even knights couldn’t endure for long, it was a frozen hell.BTPJIz
asaTo make matters worse, after ten days of continuous marching, the barbarian tribes’ settlement still hadn’t appeared.yaS4vu
yINIf Helen and Colin’s master hadn’t opened the path, and if he hadn’t set up shelters along the way, they would’ve already frozen to death.nr2ZgI1
9CJ“By the way, the promised fifteen days have passed. Why hasn’t this so-called tribe appeared yet?”zFT
xM3d64“One more day of marching will be enough. If we forced the pace, we could reach it today, but we’ve slowed down to conserve strength, so don’t worry.”xVoG3
xJ7y9yG“That sounds good. Or does it? To them, we’ll just be intruders.”3WizPK
wR9js“The master is aware of our visit, so they’ll receive us as guests. I’ve been here a few times before…”eEKcJy
9QhvBtjHelen, who had been explaining everything to Hugo, suddenly stopped. When the others followed her gaze, they saw dark silhouettes in the distance.RPKgFzh
EWEBJ8The moment they blinked to get a better look, a roar echoed from that direction.3bfHK
MMg“Who dares set foot in the dragon’s territory?!”AHM8
SIc6uThe thunderous voice struck the eardrums of Lucian’s group. Even without containing magic, the shout was so powerful it made their ears ring. If there had been mountains nearby, it would’ve triggered an avalanche.7ABuqG
cv3FZp1Lucian frowned at the show of force and was about to step forward when Helen spoke.0jE2p
0zCpr“Leave it to me. If this works, we might avoid a fight.”xlW
FHD“Hmm.”QY5xtIq
9BoRAt Helen’s words, Lucian slightly tilted his chin, as if to say, “Go ahead.” With his permission granted, Helen stepped forward and spoke softly.vHk
pwymps“A roar worthy of a warrior. Few possess a voice like that—are you Lord Gunstein?”NciJWF
hgDCDnK“A woman? What is a woman doing in this place?”sLLIG3O
w5As1In the voice from the other side, there was a hint of confusion. Clearly, he hadn’t expected a woman to make it this far beyond the snowfield.Xcui
mnZSensing the other’s softened attitude, Helen smiled even more and continued.QCW
PgRPgHa“Have you forgotten me? I’m Helen. I trained as a guide under the master, the Conductor. There was even a banquet where you personally served me liquor. Do you remember?”vhXBmp
B77aRJAfter her words, the other side fell silent. Moments later, the shadows cautiously began to approach, as if still on guard.sK1JSI
CCYgWhen both sides got close enough to clearly see each other, Lucian’s group opened their eyes wide.dgHL
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