Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Back to the Snowy Mountains Again - 1
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There was a flame burning with a blue light inside the vast cavern.
That was the 'Burning Ice'.
When Helen first mentioned it, I'd imagined something simple like a marble with a flame trapped inside ice, but fantasy reality surpassed all expectations.
"It's really burning."
"That's amazing."
"Is that the divine legacy, the 'Burning Ice'?"
The 'Burning Ice' was truly ablaze.
Yet unlike ordinary fire, it didn't warm or heat the surroundings—instead, a faint chill hung in the air.
"This isn't a divine legacy. It's a divine relic."
"So it is."
"A divine relic?"
"Think of it as part of a god's body. The fact that one exists here means Lady Oronak truly met her end in the Final War."
"But Lady Oronak's love, which watches over our North, remains ever strong."
Irina gazed at the 'Burning Ice' with eyes full of longing as she spoke those words. Helen suddenly began to pray, and the holy knights who'd come with her followed suit.
The mood had shifted abruptly, but seeing it resonate among the god's faithful, I joined in the prayer to match the atmosphere.
And then.
[O child.]
[O child blessed with the warmest love of the goddess from on high, I offer my very body to you directly. Please, protect my children.]
'Huh?'
A benevolent woman's voice whispered in my ear, and at the same time, a strange hallucination appeared before my eyes.
The vision showed a colossal dragon made of blue ice standing right in front of me. It unfurled wings vast enough to blanket the entire North, breathed a frigid gust toward me, then vanished like a mirage.
"Ahh..."
"Sian?"
But it seemed I wasn't the only one who'd seen it—everyone looked flustered. Irina was on the verge of fainting, and Helen stared at me with a pale face.
Camilla, the only one unfazed, made a suggestion as she eyed me.
"Hero, have you ever thought about becoming the Cardinal of the Holy Kingdom?"
"No."
...
The Burning Ice had shrunk slightly, and at the same time, a blue tattoo in the shape of a divine script appeared on my chest.
Why?
"It seems Lady Oronak bestowed her blessing directly upon you, Sian."
"Didn't you say she was already dead?"
"A god's death is only complete when they are forgotten. As long as devotees like us still serve Lady Oronak, she exists. However, compared to other gods, her ability to act is restricted. If not for direct contact with this relic, you wouldn't have even heard her will."
"So she's not dead—just dying."
"Precisely."
Theology grew more complex the more I delved into it, far beyond what I'd imagined.
"She asked me to protect her children... so as expected..."
"Yes. It seems to refer to defending the North from the 'Lowliest Wanderers' awakened in the snowy mountains."
"Hmm... but uncontrollable power is to be avoided. Helen, do you know what this blessing does?"
"From the divine script I can read, it's a blessing of cold resistance and immunity."
"Immunity? Immunity to what?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but it seems granted to resist the unique divinity of the 'Lowliest Wanderers'."
Following Helen's explanation, I stripped off my upper clothes and stepped outside to test the cold resistance.
I truly felt no chill.
But while my body no longer registered the cold, it didn't mean I felt warm either.
'It just feels like my constitution has become like that of a native Northerner.'
For a god's blessing, it was underwhelming—nothing as grand as I'd hoped.
"You look dissatisfied."
"I expected more from a blessing given directly by a god."
"It's unavoidable. Since the Final War, the divine realm and mortal world have grown distant, weakening the gods' influence compared to the mythic age."
"Myths are tricky."
"There's much to learn."
Helen smiled as she spoke.
I couldn't shake the feeling that her growing fondness for me was beyond the ordinary.
Was it because of her high divine power as a cleric?
"So, are you planning to fight right away?"
I pondered Helen's question for a moment.
Irina had requested our help in exchange: save her tribe from the Frost Claw tribe encircling Oronak's tomb.
"I still need to plan our strategy."
"Understood."
Of course, Irina's request wouldn't be easy.
They outnumbered us, had more supplies, and knew the terrain. We were short on numbers and provisions.
'If I use Roar like last time, maybe...'
But Helen had warned against it due to the risks, so I planned to avoid it if possible.
'Guerrilla tactics would be ideal...'
Due to the Northern tribes' shared code, no one except the Frost Flower tribe could enter Oronak's tomb.
They claimed it brought a divine curse, but since nothing happened to us, it was clearly baseless superstition.
Regardless, I'd sketched a guerrilla plan using the Sole tribe's mobility and elite warriors, but Camilla shot it down.
"We lack supplies."
"Haa... Should've hunted some wild boars on the way here."
The ample food we'd brought for this expedition was already running low.
Apparently, the Sole tribe members we'd brought as mounts had depleted it faster than expected.
"Regrettable, but it seems we'll have to go with a full frontal assault."
"You really love those head-on battles, huh? Knight thing?"
As I glanced at the other holy knights, they shook their heads at Camilla too. Seemed like her personal quirk.
"Sian, Mom said the village doesn't have much food to share with us either."
"Can't be helped. They haven't been able to hunt or forage much lately because of the Frost Claw tribe."
"What's your plan, Hero?"
"What else? We're at a disadvantage, so we strike first with a surprise attack."
"Seizing the initiative... A solid plan, but they'll be on even higher alert because of us."
"Probably. That's why we'll take another route."
"Another route?"
"Yeah. Under this lake."
This place we'd thought was a cave was actually inside Oronak's corpse, atop a lake.
In other words, the ground we stood on was the frozen surface of the lake itself.
"They won't expect anyone to come out this way."
"Considering the cold, the lake depths would freeze your bones."
"Don't worry. I've got the blessing."
Oronak's cold resistance blessing.
I didn't know how much it would help, but it was worth trying.
"But that's only possible for you, Hero."
"One person is enough for a sneak attack. Besides, I'll be shattering the ice mid-fight, so I need to operate solo."
"Creating chaos by destroying the terrain... Then we'll exploit the openings."
"Use the Sole tribe's mobility to draw them into skirmishes and pull back. Leave the so-called great warriors to me."
"Understood. Before we begin, shall we pre-mark the ice areas to shatter?"
"Good idea."
With that, I finalized the strategy with Camilla and prepared to enter the lake.
Robera wasn't suited for underwater use, so I handed it to Clara and modified Black Spear into a harpoon.
Thus equipped, I plunged into the pitch-black depths of the lake.
...
The Frost Claw tribe was the strongest force in the North.
They wielded unique tribal weapons like the Molar tribe, tamed wolves like the Sole tribe, and boasted strong tribal bonds like the Icicle Arrow tribe.
Being in the southern North, they enjoyed a warm summer climate that allowed some farming. Bordering Star Duke's lands extensively, they absorbed imperial culture and technology unlike other Northern tribes.
These advantages swelled their numbers. Through trade with imperials, they adopted advanced culture and tech, growing ever stronger.
"How long do we gotta do this?"
"Yeah, tell me about it."
"Wanna head back quick and grab a drink."
"Yeti tendon with booze... guk..."
But at some point, the Frost Claw tribe began losing their identity as Northern tribesfolk.
It was due to the superior imperial culture and its decadent pleasures.
This trend was especially strong among the young.
Why endure the harsh North when the empire—practically paradise—seemed so much better?
Reading this shift, Star Duke offered them a deal: unify the North under him, and he'd accept them as his subjects.
At first, chieftain Dave resisted, but shifting tribal opinion forced him to accept, leading to the present.
They besieged the Frost Flower tribe, the North's mediators; ambushed and nearly exterminated their only allies, the Molar tribe; the Sole tribe fled swiftly; and the Icicle Arrow tribe held out in sieges like now.
Despite fierce resistance, full unification was only a matter of time.
Craaaaack.
"What was that?"
"Sudden cracks?"
But that held true only without outside interference.