Zhe Zilin turned his eyes sideways to look at Osha.
The girl’s expression was gentle and soft as she smiled lightly at him.
Yet deep within her eyes, the obsessive shadow was direct and naked, written full of the determination to obtain what she wanted.
Griet, who had been standing guard at the doorway, stepped forward and requested, “Princess, the eternally frozen polar region has bone-eroding cold and is filled with danger on all sides. It is far too risky for you to go. Please bring twenty personal guards to accompany and protect you.”
Osha refused outright.
Her tone was lazy and indifferent.
Her fingertips lightly traced across the cold stone surface of the coffin while her gaze remained stuck to the side of Zhe Zilin’s face the entire time.
“Too many people would be noisy and create too much movement. It would disturb the Ice Demon and also scare Ailia away.”
She wanted Ed to personally witness how the witch who had guarded the Northern Territory for more than ten years would shed all her gentleness and kindness and transform into a traitor who defected to the monsters.
She wanted Ed to personally grow disappointed in Ailia and personally sever the final thread of lingering attachment in his heart.
Zhe Zilin clearly understood Osha’s thoughts, yet he did not refute them.
Bringing more people would only leave them constrained by others.
A small team moving in secret would instead allow them to catch up to Ailia even faster.
He had to find the girl as quickly as possible and uncover the complete truth behind why she had taken the King of the North’s remains and rushed to the polar region.
The cold, indifferent faces of those nobles who stood by and kicked someone when they were down, as well as Osha’s deliberately provocative words, were still not enough to make him believe that Ailia had betrayed them.
“We leave immediately.”
Zhe Zilin said in a deep voice.
Griet once again stood before Osha and requested, “In order to protect the princess’s safety, I must remain by your side and guard you at all times.”
Osha shrugged her shoulders and left the decision to Zhe Zilin.
“That depends on Sir Ed.”
Griet then turned and bowed toward Ed.
“Sir, I protect the princess in the name of the king. I must fulfill my knight’s oath.”
Zhe Zilin nodded and agreed to let Griet join the team.
The polar region was perilous.
Having a knight follow them could be considered an additional guarantee of combat strength.
He no longer lingered.
Passing through the crowd, he happened to meet the half-orcs who had come to join the excitement.
One-Eye’s face was completely serious.
“If we head to the polar region now, we will probably only reach the canyon in the afternoon. That is precisely when the wind and snow are at their strongest, and also the most difficult time to enter the polar region.”
Scar wore a smile on his face as he rubbed his hands together.
“This is exactly what makes it exciting. It’s just a bit of wind and snow.”
One-Eye could not see even the slightest wavering expression on Zhe Zilin’s face.
He changed his approach and said, “If an accident occurs, things may go against our wishes and we may be unable to catch up to the witch.”
Zhe Zilin raised his eyes and looked at the surging wind and snow outside the hall.
The long sky was as dark as ink. Goose-feather snowflakes fell without end.
“I have a reason that forces me to do this. If we encounter an accident, do not force yourselves. Preserving your own lives is the most important.”
One-Eye’s brows tightly furrowed.
His single eye was filled with gravity.
Having experienced it once before, he understood the dangers of the eternally frozen polar region better than anyone.
He had wanted to say a few more words of dissuasion, yet Scar pushed him aside with one hand.
“Listen to Boss.”
One-Eye said nothing more and simply nodded.
Scar spoke with extreme seriousness. “Boss, since we have chosen to follow you, from now on there is no need to say things like telling us to preserve ourselves. We half-orcs will follow you through life and death.”
Zhe Zilin patted Scar’s shoulder and gave a soft “mm.” Perhaps it was a stereotype, but in his memories half-orcs were never this righteous. Cunning was the synonym for half-orcs.
Scar and the others were even more principled than certain people.
Once they muddle-headedly decided to follow him, they could even set life and death aside.
The only helpers Zhe Zilin could currently trust were these few of them.
***
Time was pressing.
After preparing sufficient food, the eight of them rode the best horses of the Northern Territory.
Under the watchful eyes of the nobles, they left North City and headed straight north toward the eternally frozen polar region.
Because only One-Eye among the eight was familiar with the path ahead, the half-orcs rode at the very front.
Zhe Zilin and Osha occupied the middle, while Griet followed at the rear.
The sound of horse hooves stepping on the half-meter-thick snow layer was extremely quiet, as though silencers had been installed.
The group of people in the forest hurried along rapidly in complete silence.
The eternally frozen polar region was relatively far from North City.
Zhe Zilin calculated in his heart that they had already been away from North City for several hours, yet they had not even seen the outline of the canyon.
The afternoon arrival that One-Eye had mentioned was probably an overly idealized guess.
Looking at the current situation, they might not even be able to enter the polar region by nightfall.
Yet the eight of them did not grow slack.
The leading One-Eye also realized this problem and increased the frequency of cracking his horsewhip.
In the snow, the horses’ speed could not compare to flat ground.
Both resistance and endurance were major problems.
Even the best horses of the Northern Territory could not run for an entire day in the snow without rest.
Considering the dangers after entering the canyon, One-Eye slowed his speed and came beside Zhe Zilin.
Facing the wind and snow, he shouted loudly, “We must let the horses rest. Otherwise we will not be able to pass through the canyon.”
Zhe Zilin nodded and asked One-Eye, “How much longer until we reach the canyon?”
“Another three or four hours and we should be able to see the canyon.”
The closer they drew to the eternally frozen polar region, the more piercing the wind and snow became.
The cold wind carried fragmented snow that struck their cheeks like fine ice needles piercing flesh, bone-chilling and numbing.
Zhe Zilin lowered his body to reduce the cold wind drilling into his limbs and causing his body to lose temperature.
He looked toward Osha with concern.
On horseback, Osha remained composed and self-assured, her expression indifferent.
Seeing the concerned gaze Zhe Zilin cast her way, she smiled calmly. “Hell is much colder than this.”
Although she said this, joy still rose in her heart. Her originally cold and indifferent eyes gained a few extra traces of gentleness.
Zhe Zilin drew closer to Osha and removed his own fur overcoat.
“Putting this on will be much warmer.”
Osha had wanted to refuse, yet Zhe Zilin gave her no chance and immediately draped it over her.
She had no choice but to tightly grip the lapels and pull the fur coat close around herself.
When she looked at Zhe Zilin’s profile once more, her eyes seemed to stretch into silk.
Ed, the way you act so domineeringly… I truly cannot stop myself from wanting more.
Finally, before night fell, a gray-white outline that split heaven and earth appeared before Zhe Zilin’s eyes.
The mountain ranges rose straight from the ground.
The rock walls were entirely covered in thick ice that had not melted for a thousand years.
The ice surface reflected a deathly blue-white cold light.
The two mountains pressed toward each other, splitting open a long, narrow, and deep fissure—this was the canyon that connected the outside world to the heart of the polar region.
At the canyon’s mouth, giant snow winds howled.
The sound of the wind was mournful, like the wails of ten thousand restless souls, several times more violent than the wind and snow in the forest.
The flying snow filling the sky was kneaded by the mad wind into ice mist that enveloped the entire canyon entrance.
“We’ve arrived.”
One-Eye reined in his warhorse. His rough voice overpowered the roaring wind and snow.
Zhe Zilin ordered them to rest on the spot and prepare to enter the canyon.
The food carried on horseback was only enough for the several of them to make do for seven days.
Yet now was not the time to be stingy.
Zhe Zilin used the fire magic he had learned the previous night to light the firewood and heat the food.
The sky gradually grew dim.
Zhe Zilin planned to let everyone warm their bodies by the fire, eat and drink their fill, and then pass through the canyon in one go.
If an accident occurred midway, they would still have enough strength to deal with it.
They rested until night fell. The flames were extinguished.
The eight of them mounted their horses once more and began traveling again.
After traveling another two hours, they finally arrived at the canyon entrance.
The cold wind stirred their robes.
Zhe Zilin raised his hand and pressed it against the Dragon Slayer at his waist.
His gaze pierced through the ice mist filling the sky and stared fixedly into the depths of the canyon.
He spoke only a single word.
“Enter!”
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