The inside of the carriage was silent.
Beyond the shaking window, the snow-covered landscape blurred past.
A thick mist gradually settled over the horizon, and though the sun had not yet set, an inky darkness swallowed the surroundings.
It was a sign—we were getting closer to the Northern Front.
I stared blankly outside.
Whether it was the cold air or some other reason, the tips of my ears burned with warmth.
A strange unease stirred deep within me.
“Teacher, are you okay?”
A sudden voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I flinched and turned around.
It was Liel.
She was looking at me with concern.
“Ah, yeah. I’m fine.”
I tried to keep my expression calm, but my voice betrayed me, trembling ever so slightly.
Liel watched me for a moment before offering a small smile.
“If you’re tired, you can lean on me.”
For a moment, I couldn’t respond.
I only shook my head lightly.
Even with my eyes closed, the memories of last night resurfaced in my mind.
The trembling of my fingertips as I turned the pages of the book.
The rapid pounding of my heart.
The strange warmth that had wrapped around my body.
I let out a quiet sigh and turned back to the window.
Outside, the darkness grew deeper.
In the distance, a massive wall loomed faintly into view.
That—was our destination. The Northern Front.
The carriage gradually slowed as it approached the towering fortress walls.
From afar, the sounds of battle could already be heard.
The sharp clash of metal rang through the air, carried by the wind along with the shouts of battling soldiers.
And then, a creeping sense of unease—like something ominous seeping into my skin.
As the carriage arrived at the fortress wall, a soldier stepped forward to block our path at the checkpoint.
“Halt! Identify yourselves!”
The soldier was covered in dust, gripping his spear with one hand.
His face was worn with exhaustion, his eyes sunken deep into his skull.
His armor was stained with dried blood in several places, and one of his arms was tightly wrapped in bandages.
Even at a glance, he looked completely drained.
It was clear he hadn’t had a proper meal or rest in a long time.
Amel stepped forward and spoke firmly.
“The Hero and their party have arrived. Grant us immediate entry.”
The soldier’s expression froze.
Then, as if realizing something, he stiffened and hastily saluted.
“T-The Hero… has arrived? Is this real?!”
He let out a hollow laugh, glancing back and forth at us in disbelief.
“…Has the front line already become this dire?”
Amel’s voice was cold.
The soldier bit his lip before finally speaking in a heavy tone.
“…The Northern Front is in an extremely precarious state.”
His voice was hoarse—whether from exhaustion or a deeper fear, it was hard to tell.
“How much have we lost?”
Alex asked gravely.
The soldier hesitated, his expression tense, as if reluctant to answer.
Then, in a hushed voice, he finally admitted,
“…About 40%.”
“…What?”
Alex’s face hardened.
Sua’s eyes widened in shock.
“What do you mean? Just a few weeks ago, I heard that only 10% of the Northern Front had been breached!”
The soldier wore a pained expression and nodded with difficulty.
“Yes, that’s true… but recently, the enemy has been advancing at an unbelievably fast pace.”
Amel narrowed her eyes.
“That kind of speed is abnormal. Something isn’t right.”
The soldier hesitated.
His expression looked as if he was hiding something.
Noticing this, Amel’s voice turned sharp.
“What are you keeping from us?”
At that moment, the soldier fell silent.
Then, after biting his lip and glancing around nervously, he murmured in a hushed voice.
“…The Demon King has appeared.”
A heavy silence filled the carriage.
“…What?”
Amel’s voice wavered slightly.
Even Alex’s expression hardened.
“The Demon King?”
The soldier’s hands trembled as he nodded.
“Yes…! This isn’t just a high-ranking demon commander or a general. The real Demon King… has personally appeared on the front lines.”
I swallowed hard.
The Demon King.
The ultimate adversary of the Hero—the ruler of the demons.
That overwhelming existence was now personally making a move here.
The soldier clenched his fists tightly.
“The moment the Demon King showed up on the battlefield, our forces crumbled instantly…!
Ordinary soldiers froze in place just by coming into contact with his aura.
Even high-ranking priests and knights… couldn’t withstand his power.”
I listened blankly, gripping my hands tightly.
The cold air seeped deep into my lungs.
This… was completely unexpected.
I had heard that the Northern Front was collapsing, but this wasn’t just because the enemy was strong—
If the Demon King himself was moving, then this was an entirely different problem.
Amel muttered heavily.
“This isn’t just a territorial dispute. If the Demon King is acting personally, then this means a true Great War is beginning.”
The soldier bit his lip hard.
“The capital… is already taking this crisis seriously. We requested additional reinforcements, but with the Demon King present on the battlefield, we don’t know how long we can hold out.”
Alex let out a short breath.
“Alright. Then our path is clear.”
He drew his sword and secured it tightly in its sheath.
“We’re heading to the front.”
The moment those words fell, everyone’s expressions hardened.
No one voiced their fear, but we all felt it.
This battle was on an entirely different scale from anything before.
Quietly, I stepped out of the carriage and looked up at the sky.
The northern sky remained shrouded in dark clouds, and the distant echoes of battle cries filled the air.
I clenched my fist tightly.
This wasn’t a story from the past or a scene from a game.
We were heading into a real battlefield—where the Demon King himself awaited.
“…My god.”
“What… is all this?”
After passing through the massive fortress walls, we entered the front-line base.
The defensive garrison.
It was already no different from a battlefield.
Buildings were half-collapsed, and the streets bore the deep scars of war.
But more than anything.
“There are… too many groans.”
Sua murmured.
Wounded soldiers lay scattered along the road.
Some had bandages wrapped around them, but many had received no proper treatment, their groans filling the cold air.
Between the rows of tents, medics rushed about, their faces weary from exhaustion.
I quietly observed my surroundings.
The air carried the sharp scent of blood.
The snow-covered ground, stained with red, felt less like a battlefield and more like a massive graveyard.
“Hey, you! Stop right there!”
A soldier approached us.
One of his eyes was covered with a bandage, and his clothes were torn in multiple places.
But his eyes—his eyes still burned with life.
“This is the front line. Civilians can’t just wander around—”
His words cut off abruptly.
His gaze landed on Sua, then shifted to Amel.
His eyes widened.
“This presence… Could it be…? Are you the Hero’s party?”
Amel nodded.
“Yes. We’ve come at the kingdom’s request.”
At that, the soldier swallowed hard.
Then, closing his eyes, he let out a deep sigh of relief.
“Hah… At last, reinforcements have arrived.”
But his expression quickly hardened again.
“The situation at the front line is dire. I can’t guarantee how much longer we’ll hold.”
Amel narrowed her eyes.
“It’s that bad?”
The soldier let out a bitter laugh.
“You’ll see for yourselves soon enough.”
With that, he led us toward the camp.
And on our way there, we passed countless wounded soldiers.
Survivors of battle.
But left without proper treatment.
A soldier groaned in pain, his arm crudely wrapped in bloodied bandages, the limb long gone.
Another sat with a broken leg, gritting his teeth as he waited for aid.
And then, there were those—who would never move again.
“…There are too many.”
Liel whispered.
Her hands trembled slightly.
I quietly reached out and held her hand.
She turned to look at me, then took a deep breath—steadying herself.
I quietly kept walking.
The scene before me spoke volumes about the brutality of war—about the kind of battle we had just stepped into.
By the time we reached the front of the camp, we could already sense the restless movement within.
Soldiers moved ceaselessly, transporting supplies.
The wounded still lined up outside the medical tents, waiting for aid.
The wind was cold, but even sharper than the air was the overwhelming despair that blanketed this place.
We silently prepared to step inside when.
“…Liel?”
Liel had fallen a step behind us, hesitating.
Her eyes wavered, and her fingertips trembled slightly.
I stopped walking and approached her.
“Are you okay?”
Hearing my voice, Liel flinched and looked up.
She tried to smile, but the expression was unsteady, fragile.
“Ah… Yes… I’m just a little nervous.”
Clasping her hands together, she continued in a small voice.
“I’ve never been to a place like this before… and seeing everyone like this… they all look so exhausted.”
I watched her for a moment before reaching out gently.
Resting a light hand on her shoulder, I spoke slowly.
“If you’re scared, you can lean on me.”
Liel’s eyes flickered slightly.
For a brief moment, she said nothing.
Then, finally, she gave a small nod.
“…Okay.”