Chapter 104 : Winter Soldiers

After taking in the trio, we continued moving.

Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—we didn’t encounter any monsters for a while. 

This allowed us to enjoy a brief moment of peace.

Currently, in front of me, sunlight filtered through the dense trees and reflected off the snow, creating a unique and mystical atmosphere.

The serenity of the snowy field felt oddly contradictory. If I could feel the cold, I might have described the situation differently. 

However, thanks to my magical artifact, that wasn’t a concern.

As a result, I felt quite relaxed. 

I suspected I wasn’t alone in this sentiment, given Olivia’s bored expression as she trudged along behind me.

But not everyone shared this tranquility.

Looking down slightly, I spotted someone who was very busy amidst the calm atmosphere—Reina.

For some reason, she wasn’t walking but hopping around with a remarkably serious expression on her face. 

Wherever her feet landed, it was precisely on the footprints left by Artorius, who had gone ahead.

Curious about her odd behavior, I wondered for a moment what she was doing before realization struck me.

It seemed she was trying not to leave any footprints in the snow.

Was she… doing “that”?

In that instant, memories of my childhood came rushing back.

I recalled deliberately stepping only on the white parts of crosswalks as I crossed them. 

The sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when I reached the other side without touching the black parts was unparalleled—a feeling any child in Korea would understand.

It seemed Reina was playing what we’d call “the lava game,” something every child has likely tried at least once.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Kids are the same everywhere, aren’t they? 

Even in this otherworld, despite being a different species, there are shared quirks.

‘She’s just a kid after all.’

Though she sometimes acts beyond her years, moments like these remind me that she’s still a child.

I smiled softly.

Reina hopped along with an intense focus, as if her life depended on it. 

Carefully placing her tiny feet into Artorius’s larger footprints, she moved forward step by step.

Just watching her was enough to bring a smile to my face.

Ah, so relaxing. Just seeing her lifts my spirits.

But alas, her grand adventure soon came to an end.

“Huh?”

Artorius had stopped, and with him, so had the footprints that served as Reina’s path. 

She seemed puzzled by the absence of more prints and stood balanced on one foot at the last mark, looking up in confusion.

Losing her balance, she nearly fell, but I quickly caught her and spoke to address her curiosity.

“Why did everyone stop?”

Not only Artorius but also the hero and Agnes, who had been leading, had come to a halt.

Agnes responded to my question, not with words, but by raising a finger to her lips for silence and then pointing ahead.

Following her gaze, I turned to look and was shocked.

In the direction they were staring, dozens of soldiers were moving in formation.

At first, I thought, “Why are there so many soldiers here?” but the reality before my eyes was undeniable.

They were soldiers made of snow.

At a glance, there were at least several dozen of them, all moving in perfect unison.

“What… what are those?”

A dumbfounded murmur escaped my lips.

“Winter’s Soldiers,” Olivia replied in a low voice.

“They’re called that.”

“Winter’s Soldiers?”

The name was strikingly straightforward, but it fit. Their appearance was enough to embody the term “winter.”

“Are they… human?”

“No.”

When I asked the most pressing question, Olivia shook her head.

“Then what are they?”

“I can’t give you a definitive answer. No one knows. There’s been extensive research on Winter’s Soldiers, but none of it has yielded any conclusive results. Their true nature remains a subject of heated debate.”

Olivia continued, “Some say they are spirits of nature given physical form. Others claim they are the lingering remnants of ancient people who ruled the North before it froze over. And some believe they are soldiers created by the snow maiden, Glacia, to protect herself.”

“But here in the North…”

“They’re said to be trials sent by nature to test humanity,” Agnes added quietly.

Olivia nodded slightly in agreement.

“The lack of solid evidence means they remain shrouded in mystery. For now, there are only theories.”

Only theories.

I recalled hearing about them from Redros at some point, though this was my first time seeing them in person.

“But one thing is certain—they’re quite a sight, aren’t they?”

“They certainly are,” I agreed.

The scene before us was indeed captivating.

A line of pure white soldiers marching behind a mounted knight created a truly picturesque view.

“So pretty…” Reina whispered softly.

It was like stepping into a fairy tale.

“Many researchers are drawn to them for the same reason. Just think about it—a military force made entirely of snow! Isn’t it romantic?”

“In stories, they’re said to be…”

“Wait a moment. I have a question.”

I interrupted Olivia, who was enthusiastically explaining, to ask something important.

“They won’t attack us, right?”

“Of course not! Strangely enough, those things never attack unless they’re attacked first. So as long as we don’t make the first move, they won’t harm us. Isn’t that fascinating?”

“Well, that’s a relief…”

I trailed off, pointing to a specific spot.

“Then why is that one acting like that?”

Ahead of us, the knight leading the formation had suddenly stopped and was now staring directly at us.

That was when the problem began.

The knight, who had been silently watching us, suddenly started trembling, as if consumed by rage.

“Huh…?”

Olivia, who had been full of confidence just moments ago, now sounded uncertain. 

Judging by her expression, it wasn’t just me who found the situation odd.

Then, the knight acted.

Drawing a faintly glowing blue sword from its scabbard, it pointed the blade at us and shouted something loudly.

In response, the dozens of soldiers behind it began charging toward us.

“I thought they don’t attack us?!”

I asked Olivia in a panicked voice.

Her reply, however, was far less confident than before.

“Probably… not?”

Unfortunately, her uncertainty was immediately shattered by the voice of the hero, who hadn’t been part of the conversation until now.

“Prepare for battle!”

The brief peace we had enjoyed was over, replaced by a sudden and intense battle.

In front of me, the hero party was now clashing with dozens of soldiers in a fierce fight.

The hero led the charge, cutting down enemies at the front. 

Agnes supported him, while Olivia and Bliss provided assistance from behind. 

Artorius protected them, ensuring no harm came to the rear.

It was a perfectly balanced distribution of roles.

While the personalities of the members were anything but balanced, their combat abilities were unparalleled. 

Together, they formed a powerful force.

As they moved seamlessly as one, their coordinated actions could only be described as perfect.

And so, I stayed back and watched.

Not because I was lazy—honestly, I wanted to join in—but I couldn’t risk exposing my true identity. 

I had to conserve my strength to avoid suspicion, and besides, I needed to protect Rein.

That meant I was different from the trio beside me, who were trembling in fear.

Still, standing behind the hero was incredibly reassuring. 

I wondered if this was how human soldiers felt when facing demonic armies with the hero by their side.

Damn it.

Anyway, let’s pause my trivial musings and explain the situation.

First of all, the soldiers weren’t initially targeting us.

So Olivia’s earlier statement wasn’t entirely wrong.

Then why were we fighting? Because their actual target was none other than the trembling trio beside me.

This had turned the fight into a defensive battle to protect them.

Now that I think about it, aren’t they experiencing something extraordinary? 

They’re being personally protected by the hero party—a privilege not even a king could easily enjoy.

Truly a once-in-a-lifetime escort service.

As I mused on these random thoughts, I refocused on the situation before me.

“Ugh! How many more are there?!”

“They just keep coming!”

The battle had been going on for quite some time. 

Initially, it seemed like it would end quickly, but that was far from the reality.

The reason for this prolonged fight was the soldiers’ peculiar nature.

Individually, they weren’t strong, but they didn’t stay down when defeated.

Even when their bodies were sliced apart, they simply lost shape momentarily before reassembling and attacking again, as if nothing had happened.

This made them incredibly troublesome, forcing everyone to stay on high alert to fend off attacks from all sides.

According to Olivia, the only way to stop them was to keep fighting until they no longer got up.

But that time seemed far off, as their numbers showed no sign of dwindling.

So, here’s the question: What should I do until then? Should I just sit here and wait it out?

That might be fine, but honestly, I already had an answer.

I hadn’t been idly sitting around. 

While appearing inactive, I had been observing the situation closely and noticed something odd.

Out of the numerous soldiers, two were behaving strangely.

They pretended to attack but never actually followed through.

Most fighters wouldn’t notice, as it required careful observation.

While it could be dismissed as typical group dynamics—there are always slackers—it was their gazes that caught my attention.

Unlike the other soldiers, who were fixated on the trio, these two occasionally glanced at us.

It felt as if they were checking our positions.

From this, I formed a hypothesis:

Those two aren’t Winter’s Soldiers. 

They’re merely pretending to be. And for some reason, they seem to be targeting either me or Rein.

To test this theory, I quietly stood up, holding Rein in my arms, and moved.

“Where are we going?”

Rein asked curiously.

I raised a finger to my lips, signaling for silence. Rein mimicked the gesture, giggling softly.

As I began moving, I recalled the moment I had noticed it.

The instant I stood up with Rein in my arms, the heads of those two soldiers turned toward us.

“What is it?”

“What’s what?”

“Nothing…”

Well, I’ll find out soon enough.

The two suspicious figures were now following us.