Chapter 62
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Back to the Snowy Mountains Again - 3
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Compared to when the expedition began, we were far better equipped now.
Our own ride, the sleigh from the Pure White Sole Tribe (complete with a driver).
The first Molar Black Spear from the Molar Tribe, capable of unlimited javelin throws.
The ice arrows that Clara had seized from the Icicle Arrow Tribe.
And now, Irina—the chieftain of the Ice Flower Tribe and apostle of Orunar—had joined us to lend her aid.
"If only we had weapons from the Frost Claw Tribe, we'd have the full set."
"Then, would you use their weapons if we still had them?"
"Nah, I don't really like those weapons anyway, so I'll just take the thought."
Camilla offered weapons from the Frost Claw Tribe, but I turned them down.
The claws, shaped like beast talons and infused with frost, exuded an otherworldly aura, but the Snowy Mountain trolls we had to face were inherently resistant to cold.
They simply weren't a good matchup, making them worthless for this expedition.
"We'll grab them after everything's done."
"Leave them in our village if you need to."
"Thank you for the kindness."
"It's nothing. For my son-in-law, this much is the least I can do!"
Thanks to Irina's generosity, we could offload our unnecessary gear.
But son-in-law?
Wasn't it son-in-law of a handyman or grandson-in-law or something?
'Guess this is another translation quirk.'
Pushing aside the minor issue, I turned to Sylvia.
"Are you really coming along?"
"Yeah, I want to help see this through to the end."
"But the end of the Snowy Mountains where we're headed is even more dangerous than here."
Sylvia was the only non-combatant in our expedition party. Helen and Irina could wield divine miracles as apostles, but Sylvia couldn't. We couldn't drag her—the one we'd only brought for translation—into such peril.
"I know. But as a member of the Ice Flower Tribe, I want to take responsibility too."
"You were born in the Ice Flower Tribe, but you grew up mostly in Lugeron Village, right? You don't need to force yourself to take on that burden."
"Still... Aunt said that even if it's just in case, someone like me needs to be there..."
"Irina said that?"
"So it shall be. If I fail, then at least Sylvia must be there.
"Fail?"
"Using the power of a god doesn't guarantee success. Especially not against the legacy of an outer god. So we need a proxy in case of failure. The children in the village now lack the aptitude to handle the divine relic 'Burning Ice,' but Sylvia was born with it. Thus, considering my potential failure, she must come.
"...What happens if the miracle fails?"
"Death.
"What?"
The final answer came not from me, but from Clara.
Her face filled with dismay, she asked her great-aunt Irina.
"Then does that mean Mom dies if she fails too?"
"So it shall be.
"Then we absolutely can't bring her!"
"Clara..."
Sylvia's expression grew subtly complicated at her daughter's worry.
"Helen, is that true?"
"Yes. Master Sian could perform miracles easily due to his innate divine power, but ordinary humans struggle their whole lives to even glimpse one. Miracles through relics double the difficulty. Death as the price of failure wouldn't be unusual."
"What if I do it?"
If Helen was right, my divine power exceeded that of most humans—on par with a nymph, the proxies of the gods. Maybe I could use the 'Burning Ice' in Irina and Sylvia's place.
But Helen shot down the idea immediately.
"Impossible. No matter how high your divine power, Master Sian, to commune with a god, you must align with their nature and doctrines. You can use Hestia's miracles thanks to your devotion and effort for your family.
"What if I followed Orunar's doctrines starting now?"
"Still impossible. Orunar is a dead god. Without the blood ties like the Ice Flower Tribe's, Orunar cannot accept new followers.
"I see."
In the end, it meant the expedition could fail if Irina or Sylvia sacrificed themselves.
"Sigh... We'll take Sylvia as Irina says.
"Sian?!"
Clara shot me a look laced with betrayal, but there was no choice.
"Clara, my decision doesn't matter. Even if I say no, they won't back down.
"Correct. Even if you opposed it, Master Sian, I planned to bring her by force.
The Holy Kingdom, which resolved thorny issues across the continent, might seem like apostles of justice at a glance, but they were utilitarians at heart. From their view, saving a backwater village family was trivial if it meant saving the world.
Of course, it was revolting that an apostle of Hestia, goddess of love and family, would say such things. But what could we do? They did it to protect more families.
"If I'd known it would come to this, I never would've brought Sylvia from the start."
"Nuhahaha, don't worry too much. This old lady will stake her life to seal it, so fret not.
Irina laughed to lighten the mood, but it only tormented Sylvia more.
That's the problem—you're her aunt, old lady.
"Haa... Get some rest tonight. We leave at dawn. Everyone, rest properly until then.
Feeling downcast, I stepped out of the cave for some fresh air.
But it wasn't Clara, Sylvia, or even Helen who followed.
"Hero."
It was Camilla.
"What?"
"You seemed dissatisfied, so I followed.
"You call that dissatisfied?"
We'd only known Irina for a couple of days, but seeing her eyes well up at the sight of Sylvia, chatting animatedly in the northern tongue—it was clear how much she loved her.
And Sylvia was feeling that familial warmth too.
Yet now, so soon after reuniting, Irina might have to die. And if she failed, Sylvia could die too.
That alone was infuriating, but what grated more was that there was nothing I could do.
"Hero."
"What?"
"Take this.
"What?"
With that, Camilla suddenly drew her sword, wreathed it in blue aura, and unleashed a sword beam at me.
Has she lost her mind?
Boom!
I barely deflected it with Robera, but my hands went numb.
"What the hell was that?"
"You just blocked a strike from a 3rd-rank knight—one of only 500 on the continent.
No, don't change the subject.
I wanted to snap at her, but Camilla pressed first.
"I know your grievance well, Hero. You can't understand why an oracle came to you—a quiet villager—instead of one of the continent's top powerhouses. You must even resent Hestia for it.
"Obviously. I'm just a regular hunter.
Though lately I'd realized I wasn't that regular, on the continental scale, I didn't think I stood out.
Camilla's strike had chilled me to the bone, and I'd nearly died to Wolf's attack back then.
But Camilla saw it differently.
"You need to know this, though. You are one of the continent's elite. From the moment you received the cold god's blessing, no one else could fulfill this oracle.
"Blessing or not, I can't agree I'm elite. I can't even use aura.
"No need to obsess over aura. Knights divide ranks by aura mastery, but you don't need to. And don't you have that rare divine power others lack?
"I can't control it.
The reason I'd fixated on aura was simple: it was controllable.
Divine power wasn't. It wasn't my domain. It was just borrowing from the gods—no room for the applications others managed with aura, hard to wield effectively.
"True, miracles are tricky in that way, as you say.
Camilla swung her sword as she spoke.
Her sudden attack was blocked by Robera again, just like before.
"But you're special, Hero.
"Me?"
"Looks like you haven't realized it yourself.
"Of course not!
This time, I counterattacked amid her assault.
"I've lived my life in the forest. What would I know? I only learned about divine power recently.
"Then you're not a frog in a well—you're a dragon in one.
"Haa... A dragon, huh.
Camilla's high praise left me dumbfounded, but she stared into my eyes earnestly.
"Your base physical abilities surpass mine, a 3rd-rank. Do you know what that means?
"No idea. Dragon in a well, remember?
"It means your raw physical prowess rivals 3rd-rank.
"......"
"So have some confidence. A hero's humility lifts others, not debases himself.
"Yeah... Thanks for the lesson.
"Don't mention it. Just doing my duty as an elder.
"Ouch, that stings a bit.
Without the scar across her face, Camilla would pass for early twenties, no question.
A few years older and she treats me like a kid—not exactly welcome.
Then Camilla dropped a new bombshell.
"You're mistaking something. Despite appearances, I'm forty.
"Forty?"
"Those who train in mana and aura age slowly. People like Sylvia and Irina, youthful beyond their years, are more common than you think. Did you picture me as that beauty knight from recent novels who became the continent's top knight commander in her twenties?
"Uh... No words for that.
"Thanks for seeing me young. But people must match their station in conduct. That goes for you too, Hero. You need firmer belief in yourself.
Camilla's critique irked me even as I conceded it.
Not a word of it was wrong.
Maintaining her kindly mentor air, Camilla drew her shield for the first time.
"I get it's disorienting. Can't just believe in yourself overnight, so I'll instill it directly.
"How?"
"Like this.
Camilla cloaked her shield—not her sword—in blue aura, radiating the pressure of a fortress wall.
I lunged at her like a beast with Robera.
Boom!
Oddly, I was the one flung back.
'This isn't instilling confidence—it's crushing it, isn't it?'
Before I could think, Camilla fired another sword beam.