Chapter 195
Chapter: 195
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 195
>Chapter Title: Sigismund Territory (4)
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>“…A walk?”
Seongjin nodded at Masain’s question.
“Yeah. A walk. I just want to go up a bit, to that spot over there.”
Seongjin had decided not to provoke this overly sensitive knight for the time being. He would announce his intentions before going anywhere and stick as close to him as possible.
If he slipped away even one more time, the knight seemed ready to forgo sleep entirely just to keep watch. Of course, evading the eyes of an elite knight providing close protection was no easy task, and Seongjin still lacked that thing called ‘trust.’
“I want to properly take in the snow-covered scenery. I’ve been cooped up in the carriage lately, and it’s been stifling.”
Masain’s eyebrow twitched upward for a moment. It was obvious what he was thinking: ‘What scheme is this now?’
“It’s still too dangerous to wander around. We’re close to the demonic frontier—magic beasts could appear at any moment. For the past few days, I’ve been hearing wolf howls nearby.”
“But you’ll protect me, right?”
“Well… I don’t have much experience dealing with magic beasts myself, so if some unexpected situation arises…”
Just then, Hermann, who had been listening from the side, chimed in thoughtlessly to back Seongjin up.
“You don’t need to worry about that, Sir Masain. The wolves spend the summer around Sigismund Territory, but they head north to Ortona before autumn. The howls you’ve heard are probably from a straggler separated from the pack.”
“…….”
“Since we’ve stopped anyway, why not have an early lunch here? It’ll take some time to prepare, so it might be a good chance for Your Highness to take a short stroll and refresh yourself… Huh? What’s wrong?”
Hermann trailed off as he belatedly noticed Masain’s menacing expression. Captain Bruno silently patted his shoulder with eyes full of pity.
“Huh? Huh?”
Seongjin gave a pleased smile back at Hermann, who was breaking into a cold sweat amid the ominous atmosphere.
*Hermann. I won’t forget your sacrifice.*
*To make me want to volunteer a discount on the goods myself—you’re truly remarkable.*
* * *
Crunch crunch.
Fresh footprints stamped into the snow, white as drawing paper.
Towering conifers stood silently, blanketed in pristine ice flowers. Seongjin looked around, newly overcome with emotion.
*Snow… how long has it been?*
After Gehenna’s invasion, Earth had suffered abnormal weather, trapped in sweltering summer heat year-round. Snow had become a thing unseen for decades.
As he unwittingly immersed himself in the scenery, Seongjin snapped back to focus, directing his senses toward the purpose of coming here.
*That gaze…*
The gaze that had dogged him relentlessly was now maintaining a fixed distance as they drew closer, gradually pulling away.
And around that point, even the Demon King sensed something amiss.
[I think I know what you’re talking about, but it’s not clear. Too faint.]
*Really?*
[But how did you notice? It’s still too far for souls to be visible.]
Who knows? What could it be?
Still, was there a way to catch up to the owner of that gaze? Running outright was tricky with snow burying his knees.
Seongjin turned to look at Masain and Orden following a few steps behind.
Masain, who had vehemently opposed the walk, had relented only after Orden—experienced in magic beast hunts—insisted on joining. He still wore a face full of displeasure, though.
Orden, on the other hand, looked utterly relaxed, as if out for a casual stroll.
*Wait a minute. His steps are actually light?*
Unlike Masain, who plowed deep furrows with every step, Orden tread lightly over the snow, moving effortlessly.
Around his footprints, the snow spread shallow and wide, leaving faint traces like snowshoes.
*Whoa, that looks amazing and convenient. Is that the ‘treading snow without trace’ thing you only hear about?*
“Sir Orden. How do you do that?”
Orden paused briefly and glanced down at his feet.
“Ah, this is an old aura training method called ‘Schnischuhe,’ passed down only in Sigismund Territory. You can’t keep putting on and taking off snowshoes every time the terrain changes.”
In short, to traverse the frozen demonic frontier swiftly, one had to alternate between dirt paths, ice, and snow.
Thus, Sigismund knights learned to apply aura like shoes where appropriate.
On snow, they spread footprints wide with soft aura control; on ice, they used rough, unrefined control for spike-like friction.
“How exactly do you do it? Can I learn?”
“Well, it’s not a skill you pick up quickly. If I had to compare, it’s similar to the ‘Small Sword Veil Deployment’ from Banahas Four Forms, Fifth Stance. Just wrapping it around your feet instead of your hands.”
“Hmm.”
Seongjin recalled the Banahas Four Forms step by step and tried operating his aura. But adapting a sword technique directly to his feet wasn’t easy.
As he scowled and stomped futilely into the snow, a faint smile crossed Orden’s face.
“It’s not weightless right now, Your Highness. Unlike simply emitting aura on a sword, you need to create a circuit that circulates it externally and returns it to your body. To deploy it unconsciously while walking snow takes considerable training.”
“I see.”
Seongjin felt briefly disappointed, but then a thought struck him.
*Hold on. Do I really need to mimic the Banahas method from the start? It just seems to complicate the control.*
*Wouldn’t it be simpler to just spread aura wide around my feet?*
No need to hesitate on an idea—test it. Hadn’t even the Holy Emperor said as much in the Rift before?
*-When intent crystallizes, it manifests in reality like this.*
Seongjin strove to vividly recall that sensation. Concentrate all body aura to his feet, imagine wearing broad, light snowshoes, and move.
The aura would circle along the snowshoe shape, returning via a loose net of woven aura strands.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Orden watched amusedly as the prince flailed blindly on the snow with eyes closed.
But only for a moment. Even his unflappable eyes widened in surprise.
“…?!”
Gradually, the depth of the prince’s footfalls lessened, until soon he was sprinting freely over the snow. It was unbelievable even seeing it plainly.
“Haha, check this out! Sir Masain!”
The prince’s footprints were now even fainter and broader than Orden’s. Aura wrapped around both feet, he joyfully dashed up the hill.
“Your Highness!”
Masain, horrified, churned through the snow in pursuit, but the prince was already far ahead.
Orden, staring blankly at the two, murmured softly.
“…A genius?”
He, hailed as a genius swordsman since childhood, never thought he’d say that about someone else.
*No, but…*
Something felt subtly off.
Aura emitted in a consistent shape, yet not following any particular method. The starting points of emission varied, judging by the tracks.
And without forming an external circulation circuit, the aura cycled back to the body on its own.
Could this really be explained as mere ‘genius’?
“Your Highness!”
Meanwhile, ignoring Masain’s calls, Seongjin raced excitedly before another idea hit.
*What if I refine this for less friction and narrow the width to the extreme?*
The concrete image he envisioned manifested instantly in aura. Seeing the prince rocket down the slope like an arrow, Masain paled.
“Your Highneeeess?”
“Hahaha!”
Swoosh!
Easily passing Masain and Orden, Seongjin reached mid-hill, unable to brake, and tumbled head over heels into the snow.
He’d pictured skiing, but controlling it like actual skis was harder than expected.
“Huh? Your Highness?”
“Are you all right?”
The two, faces ashen, rushed down toward him—then froze. The prince had already sprung up, shaking off snow, and charged back up the hill.
Woooow.
A wolf howl echoed from somewhere, but no one paid it mind now.
Thud thud thud.
While Masain dithered whether to chase up or down, Seongjin overtook him in a flash and reached the hilltop.
“Uh…….”
Before Masain could call out.
Swoosh!
With even greater acceleration on his aura skis, Seongjin shot down the hill.
The speed was so intense that whipping wind made it hard to keep eyes open.
He blew past Masain and Orden, vanishing in an instant beyond the distant conifers!
“…?”
“…….”
The two gawked in the direction he’d gone, then realized the situation and cried out in horror.
“Oh no, Your Highness!?”
“Your Highneeeess!!”
Pale-faced, they scrambled after him into the forest.
* * *
Surprisingly, Seongjin’s wild ride didn’t last long.
Once into the woods, densely packed conifers obstructed the path.
He tried dodging collisions, but with momentum too high, control slipped.
Boom!
He slammed hard into a massive tree trunk, rolling on the ground, dazed from impact.
To make matters worse, a pile of snow avalanched from the branches, turning him into a snowman. He simply lay buried comfortably.
“Urgh…….”
*Got too carried away with the new trick.*
Throb throb.
Rubbing his aching, spinning head, the Demon King suddenly called in a tense voice.
[…Hey, Seongjin.]
*Yeah?*
[Get a grip and look ahead.]
*…What?*
Seongjin echoed the question, but soon sensed an ominous presence right before him and widened his eyes.
Grrrrr……
Sure enough, a massive beast loomed by his head. A gigantic ash-gray wolf, calf-sized.
Meeting its dry, probing gaze, Seongjin was certain.
*…This is the one!*
The creature that had prowled his group, howling.
The one steadily watching him from afar.
Step step.
As the wolf approached slowly, Seongjin instinctively reached for the nutcracker at his waist.
But he held off drawing his sword, opting to observe. Those pitch-black eyes held a distinct intelligence unfit for a mere beast.
Soon, its breath nearly touched his nose.
[Who are you to chase me?]
A clear thought-wave spoke directly into his mind.
“……?”
Seongjin blinked.
*A wolf… talking?*
Shock passed quickly. Since it sought conversation, no reason to refuse.
Masking surprise, Seongjin retorted.
“Then who are you, spying on us since earlier?”
[I sensed kin nearby and came to check…]
“Kin?”
The wolf’s jet-black eyes fixed on him briefly.
[Up close, the aura is fainter than I thought. Probably not.]
“…….”
[But looking again, it seems similar after all…]
*What the hell, man?*
Fed up, Seongjin snapped.
“So are you saying it is kin, or isn’t it?”
The wolf’s muzzle wrinkled, revealing hidden fangs.
Grrrr.
[Why blame me for your own oddity? It’s all because of you.]
“Because of me?”
[Yes. If you mixed hay and straw and asked if it’s fodder or bedding, could you answer easily? It depends entirely on the mixer’s intent.]
*Whoa, that example’s weirdly specific.*
So thinking, Seongjin suddenly shivered as chill seeped through him.
Excitement faded; snow was rapidly stealing his body heat.
Shivering lightly, the wolf tilted its head.
[Even layered in fur like that, you’re cold? With that much aura?]
*Wow, I figured it wasn’t ordinary, but it senses aura activation too?*
“But think about it. Constantly operating aura to warm the body means enduring cold weather through nonstop exercise—a barbaric notion…”
*No, let’s stop.*
*What am I even doing arguing with a wolf?*