“Is this the Frostguard?”
Every step I took, my feet sank deep into the snow. The cold snowstorm scraped across my face, but my gaze never left the towering castle walls in the distance.
The castle walls, carved from the entire snowy mountain, seemed as if they were piercing the sky. Above the gate, the Frostwolf flag fluttered. A white wolf howled on the banner. Every time the wind blew, it felt like I could hear the wolf’s cry.
“I can’t believe people live here…”
Below the castle walls, a town sprawled out. Buildings made of ice were lined up neatly. The people walking through the streets all wore thick fur clothes.
White smoke rose from various places in the city. Stoves were set up around the streets, and people gathered around them to chat.
“Even if Aris is angry, she wouldn’t follow me all the way here.”
Aris is a Dragon type… no, she is the Dragon itself, so she hates the cold.
“Finally, have I found a safe place…”
It was an interesting joke. To speak of safety in the frontlines that the demon army is targeting.
I raised my right hand. A cold chill wrapped around my left hand’s back. The cursed sword ‘Twilight’.
A small smile spread across my lips. Now that I have a proper weapon, I should face an opponent worthy of it.
“Four Heavenly Kings… sounds good.”
There couldn’t be a better trial.
Soldiers were patrolling the city streets. They all seemed to be elite troops with plenty of combat experience.
Their weapons were unusual. They had long staffs with sharp spears on one side and pickaxe-like blades on the other. I think they called them ice-picking spears?
I overheard a conversation between the patrol soldiers.
“I heard the Frozen Legion attacked again.”
“This is the third time this month.”
“Don’t worry. We have the Duke.”
Their voices were filled with pride. The patrol soldier’s eyes changed.
“That’s right. As long as the Duke is here, the Frostguard is invincible.”
“I heard that even the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Army run away when they see the Duke!”
‘Kiara Frostguard.’
The strongest guardian of the North. A hero who faced the Four Heavenly Kings alone without a party of heroes.
Our party defeated two of the Four Heavenly Kings, but that was when we had the optimal members gathered.
To face the Four Heavenly Kings alone and win… that’s unimaginable.
As I walked along the castle walls, I inspected the defensive facilities. Magic circles carved into the walls emitted a faint blue light.
“Do you know how amazing the Duke was back then?”
A merchant was telling customers.
“When one of the Four Heavenly Kings attacked the gate, the Duke stood firm with just an ice sword. And at the age of eighteen.”
“Really, at that age, did she face the Four Heavenly Kings?”
“I’ll never forget his eyes. Cold as ice on the outside, but there was a burning flame within…”
Fatigue settled over me. I turned my gaze and saw the cathedral just ahead.
“Shall we rest here for a moment?”
Even in the barren North, the cathedral was a warm place for heroes. It was like a Pokémon Center.
As soon as the sun rose, the Frostguard’s guard appeared. I had just been rubbing my eyes, still half asleep.
“Hero, the Duke requests an audience.”
The drowsiness immediately disappeared.
‘Have they already figured out who I am?’
It seems my arrival yesterday was discovered. Well, that’s only natural. With this level of security, they must have known.
Following the guard’s lead, I headed toward the castle. The massive building made of ice and stone exuded a sense of power.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
Another guard greeted us at the main entrance. The Frostwolf emblem on their armor glowed with a blue light.
After a short wait, we were led inside the castle. The cold marble hallway stretched endlessly. The wolf patterns drawn on the walls seemed to move as if alive.
‘This castle itself is a fortress.’
The magic circles etched into the walls of the corridor glowed faintly. Defensive magic was intricately woven throughout.
“Before you meet the Duke, let me offer you one piece of advice…”
The guiding guard hesitated before speaking.
“Please refrain from unnecessary words. The Duke is not very patient.”
When we arrived in front of the audience chamber, a giant ice door opened before us. The Frostwolf handle sent a chill through my body as I gripped it.
Beyond the massive door, a cold energy burst forth. The chill was so intense that I felt like my lungs would freeze just by inhaling. Of course, I was fine, but she stood before a huge map on the wall. She moved ice markers on the map, checking the strategy.
“Hero, welcome.”
Kiara Frostguard.
Her silver hair, flowing to her shoulders, harmonized with her pale skin. Her transparent blue eyes turned toward me.
The Frostwolf emblem engraved on her armor enhanced her majesty. The white wolf fur draped over her shoulders fluttered gently in the breeze.
Kiara did not step back from the map. Instead, she picked up another ice marker.
“This is perfect timing.”
She placed the marker on the eastern castle wall and continued.
“This is our current defense line. As you can see…”
Her fingertips tapped the ice marker coldly, exuding the dignity of a ruler. She was the protector, commanding the battlefield.
“The Frozen Legion is targeting this point. But…”
Kiara moved the marker to the center and smiled coldly.
“I am here to protect it. And that is enough.”
Her gaze swept over me. It felt like an ice blade had brushed past me.
“It’s strange and yet interesting that you, a hero, would come all the way to this frontier. Are you… perhaps running from someone?”
A cold smile appeared on her lips.
“Just… on a journey.”
“A journey? A hero who should defeat the Demon King?”
Kiara’s gaze sharpened.
“Or… are you running away from something more terrifying than the Demon King?”
“Do I look like that?”
“It’s not hard to distinguish the eyes of a fugitive.”
Kiara slowly approached. The cold chill grew stronger.
“In a place where we fight the demon army every day… a fugitive wouldn’t survive a single day.”
Kiara’s blue eyes turned toward me.
“I don’t know what you’re running from, but…”
She took another step closer. Ice crystals began to rise from the ground.
“This is not a place for you to hide.”
The meaning behind her words was clear. The Frostguard is not a refuge for fugitives, but a stronghold for warriors.
“A fugitive… that’s an interesting misunderstanding.”
“I came to fight, Your Grace. I didn’t come to flee.”
“Heh. And what do you plan to fight?”
“Against the Four Heavenly Kings.”
Her eyes flickered slightly.
“An interesting proposition. So… the hero is going to hunt down the Four Heavenly Kings? For the sake of our Frostguard?”
An icy chill lingered in Kiara’s voice.
“Not exactly ‘for the sake of.'”
I shrugged.
“I’m just bored, and I heard there was a good opponent…”
The temperature in the audience chamber dropped sharply at my words. A dangerous energy flickered in Kiara’s blue eyes.
“A good opponent, you say…”
“Well, I’ve already defeated two of the Four Heavenly Kings.”
A cold smile appeared on Kiara’s lips.
“I don’t enjoy fighting like you do.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say I enjoy it exactly…”
“We in the Frostguard don’t fight for fun. We fight because we must.”
Kiara pointed to the eastern castle wall.
“Do you see that? The place where we fought the Frozen Legion yesterday. Even now, the ice is mixed with blood.”
A strange emotion laced her voice.
“You think the Four Heavenly Kings are… good opponents?”
Kiara slowly turned her head. Her blue eyes shone coldly like moonlight.
“You wouldn’t understand. You didn’t grow up here…”
Her gaze drifted into the distance, as if she were searching for an old memory.
“Can you hear the wind? It’s not just a snowstorm. It’s the screams of the dead. After fighting the Four Heavenly Kings for decades, we…”
Kiara’s voice trembled for a moment but quickly regained its cold composure.
“If you’re looking for an opponent to fight, I’d recommend another place. Here… we only fight to survive.”
I had clearly touched on something wrong. I could feel the old wound in her tone.
“Hero, what we desire… is not victory. We just want to protect what’s ours. That’s it.”
The ice marker in her hand faintly glowed. It seemed as though the souls of many fallen warriors were embedded within it.
Kiara slowly turned her body. The wolf fur on her shoulders fluttered coldly.
“Frostguard wasn’t always this cold… wasn’t it because of the Four Heavenly Kings? If we could just eliminate him…”
“Enough. Save your hero stories for another place.”
“I’m just trying to help…”
“You want to help us… save us from this dreadful cold… Hero, do you see us as weaklings in need of assistance?”
Kiara’s tone had turned sharp. Did I touch a nerve in the northern pride?
“Our Frostguard has been defending against the Four Heavenly Kings’ attacks until now. Without your help. This is not an empire that pampers you. This is not a small country that needs a hero’s blessing. Don’t speak as if you know everything here just because you’re a hero.”
It’s not because I’m a hero, but because I know the original story…
“Help, you say? Then, what about your sister…”
Kiara muttered before stopping. Her eyes shook for a brief moment. I didn’t miss the emotion that passed through her blue eyes.
Something… like an old wound.
“We have our own way. In the Frostguard, the title of ‘hero’ means nothing. Here, you’re just another warrior holding a sword.”
She walked over to the window. The castle walls faintly appeared through the snowstorm.
Kiara’s voice grew cold.
“If you wish to stay here, forget your title as a hero. Here, we speak through strength.”
I had solved everything so far by relying on my title as a hero.
Outside the window, the snowstorm raged. The Frostwolf flag fluttered fiercely atop the castle walls.
“If you want to prove yourself…”
Her hand reached for the sword at her waist. The frosty scabbard glowed faintly.
“Tomorrow at noon, in the training grounds. Show me.”
Kiara’s cold gaze was still fixed on me. There was northern pride in her eyes.
Challenge or leave.
The choice was clear.