Chapter 222
Chapter: 222
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 222
>Chapter Title: Heart of Ice (3)
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Before the sentries spotted the massive migration of glacier trolls. Fortunately, someone inside the Ice Wall base had noticed the anomaly a little earlier.
“Sir Vincent!”
Countess Ilma, rushing out of her ice tent in a fluster after receiving an unbelievable report from a soldier, bumped straight into the elderly Vincent.
The old man, already fully armed, stared toward the snowy plains with a deeply troubled expression.
“When the prince’s message arrived, I thought it was nonsense, but who would’ve thought the glacier trolls would actually come.”
It was the affirmation of a Decaron Knight. This was no mistake by the sentries.
“I’ll check the situation first.”
Countess Ilma immediately climbed the ice wall and surveyed the snowy plains.
Sure enough, countless glacier trolls blanketed the expanse. She had served in the Wolf Knight Order for over twenty years, yet even she had never witnessed such a bizarre sight.
The massive ice monsters crawling forward on their bellies, wriggling in unison, almost looked comical at first glance.
“Well, I’ll be. In all my years, I’ve never seen glacier trolls gathered and moving like that.”
The white-haired veteran standing beside her rubbed his eyes in disbelief as well.
At least their large size had allowed the sentries to spot them early. They were still hundreds of meters away.
“Thirty of them…”
An exact number of glacier trolls.
Arrayed in near-perfect symmetry centered on the middle of the ice wall, heading straight toward it. Was someone truly directing them in such an organized manner?
A foreboding image suddenly flashed through Countess Ilma’s mind.
Even if the glacier trolls stood fully upright, they wouldn’t reach the height of the ice wall.
But if they could be controlled so systematically, and if by some chance they gathered at a single point?
“They’d form a massive hill of ice from glacier trolls!”
If that exact number piled up without stragglers, they could easily reach the top of the ice wall.
It was a chilling thought.
‘No! This isn’t the time to worry about that.’
Countess Ilma shook her head.
The glacier trolls’ power alone couldn’t be ignored.
If they all reached the base safely and began pounding the ice wall, no matter how thick it was, it would only be a matter of time before it crumbled.
Meanwhile, the soldiers facing them would have extremely limited mobility.
“We should thin their numbers on the plains as much as possible. I’ll take the swift-footed knights and engage them out there.”
The elderly Vincent seemed to share Countess Ilma’s thinking.
“Do it. I’ll help.”
While Countess Ilma hurriedly summoned and assembled the Wolf Knight Order, preparations were already underway atop the ice wall.
“Raid! Glacier trolls!”
“Rig pulleys on the ice wall!”
“Archers, to your positions!”
The initial panic was brief. Soldiers hardened by a lifetime defending the demon realm followed their ingrained protocols unconsciously, steadying their nerves.
In the dim dawn before sunrise, bright torches were lit here and there, bathing the gray ice wall in yellow light.
“Hold your arrows until they’re in direct range. Instead, rear archers, focus on operating the pulleys to haul back the retreating Wolf Knights in time!”
“Yes, Captain!”
“Front archers, stay sharp for any lycanslopes that might appear from behind!”
Indiscriminate arrows in a melee with allies were a double-edged sword.
The Wolf Knights wouldn’t be hit by stray shots, of course, but they didn’t need to worry about friendly fire while fighting glacier trolls.
Arrows couldn’t inflict meaningful damage on glacier trolls without infusing them with powerful aura anyway.
Just then, a young Wolf Knight asked with a bewildered look.
“They’re approaching completely prone. How do we even fight that? And so many at once—it’s our first time. The engagement protocols don’t cover this.”
Normally, they formed squads to surround an ice monster, chipping away at its legs to reduce its base until it toppled downhill, lost balance, collapsed, and then struck its heart properly.
That was the standard protocol for fighting ten-meter ice monsters.
But Countess Ilma dismissed the concern in a firm voice.
“Then we should be grateful. Prone or not, it just brings their hearts closer to our sword strikes!”
“Yes!”
Her crisp commands rained down on the tense knights.
“Everyone, stay sharp! Don’t think that’s all of them! Lycanslopes are surely coming behind!”
Meanwhile, Hendrick the Margrave, summoned by the elderly Vincent, realized upon assessing the situation that they needed to prepare for the worst.
“Tell them to hurry the expansion of the Second Ice Wall. And send word to the First Ice Wall to do the same.”
“Yes? But…”
“It doesn’t matter if part of the ice wall collapses. Hurry!”
After snapping at the soldier, Hendrick anxiously scanned the watchtower atop the ice wall, biting his lip.
‘I don’t think the Third Ice Wall will fall…’
But this was the word of the prince who had foreseen the unexpected glacier troll raid. Preparing for the worst couldn’t hurt.
And around that time.
Changes began among the glacier trolls as well.
As the ice wall lit up brightly and the base’s forces bustled about, some realized they’d been spotted and abruptly rose, charging toward the wall.
Uwoooo—
Uuuu—
Countess Ilma, poised to descend just below the ice wall, suddenly witnessed something odd.
‘…There’s a clear delay in their response to commands?’
While the half approaching from the left began rising mid-crawl, those on the right remained prone, scrambling awkwardly.
‘At least two command structures…!’
Someone was observing from afar and directing them. Which meant these glacier trolls might not be their doing.
Realizing this, Countess Ilma shouted to the Wolf Knight Order.
“Wolf Knight Order, follow me! We need to take down as many glacier trolls as possible on the plains!”
Then she turned to the old man one last time.
“Sir Vincent. I leave it to you.”
An unprecedented crisis for the territory.
In this moment, the most reliable force here was the sole Decaron Knight, Vincent.
“Got it. I’ll take the lead.”
Vincent scratched his head as he replied.
“But it’s strange, isn’t it? Charging straight across the open plains like this. I’ve got a bad feeling about the north…”
“Please hurry!”
“Alright!”
Whoosh! Without using a rope, Vincent leaped off, sliding down the forty-meter sheer ice wall.
The Wolf Knights followed, rappelling down on ropes rigged at points along the wall.
“Form five-man training squads as your base. Start with the ones on the edges, take them out one by one. This’ll be an unprecedented mass melee, so squad leaders, fluidly lure them and link up with adjacent squads as needed!”
“Yes!”
Vincent, kicking up snow mist as he charged, violently collided with the lead glacier troll.
Boom!
One of its legs shattered, ice shards flying everywhere.
Uuuu—
Taking the non-scream as a signal—
“Charge!”
Led by Countess Ilma, the Wolf Knights deployed their snowshoes and dashed across the snowfield.
* * *
“The Ice Wall base is under attack!”
In the northern canyon.
The early morning messenger roused everyone at the outpost.
“Dozens of glacier trolls…?”
Orden muttered in a trembling voice as he read the report.
Could it really be as Prince Mores had said?
The group turned to the prince in stunned unison.
“Hm?”
The young prince, rubbing sleep from his eyes, shrugged at their stares.
“Oh, right. I told you, didn’t I? Looks like the lycanslopes are controlling the glacier trolls.”
“…”
Orden and his entourage exchanged glances.
It was hard to believe. Since Zigsmund Territory became the guardian of the demon realm, no such massive gathering of glacier trolls had occurred, nor had anyone imagined they could be manipulated by other beasts.
What’s done was done, though.
“Lord Archduke. Shouldn’t we hurry back to the Third Ice Wall?”
“Countess Ilma and Sir Vincent are at the Ice Wall base. I don’t think it’ll fall easily…”
“That’s true.”
As they whispered among themselves.
Prince Mores, gazing thoughtfully at the canyon area, quietly called to Orden.
“Lord Archduke.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Why not pull all the soldiers here and retreat to the territory? If they’re trying a feint, leaving a small force at this outpost is dangerous.”
“A feint…?”
Yesterday, Orden would have agreed without hesitation. Beasts without reason couldn’t possibly.
But the impossible large-scale glacier troll assault had been confirmed.
In that case.
‘Whether the beasts are acting on their own or someone’s pulling strings from behind. Anyone capable of such organized movement could absolutely pull off a feint!’
Orden imagined glacier trolls and lycanslopes swarming this spot all at once.
The outposts dotted through the canyon were defensive bases with high ice walls on rocky highlands.
But none could withstand a massive beast assault alone.
‘Retreating late could trap us in isolation. Better to move now, consolidate all outpost forces, and head to the canyon entrance…’
It wasn’t on the scale of the Third Ice Wall, but a fortress blocking the entrance near the territory border existed.
Move everyone there and have Sir Sebastian send reinforcements.
‘We can hold!’
As he reached that conclusion.
Awooooo—
A wolf howled long toward beyond the canyon.
The prince perked up as if remembering something.
“Oh, right! There’s something I need to check and pick up.”
“Yes?”
“It should be arriving soon. I summoned it here earlier.”
“...?”
As Orden puzzled over it. His keen senses picked up a faint ground tremor, like distant thuds.
“...!”
Orden shot to his feet in alarm. It was approaching at tremendous speed, the vibrations growing without restraint.
Moments later, a sentry on watch screamed.
“Gl… glacier troll!”
“What? Glacier troll?”
Everyone paled and leaped up.
Thud thud thud!
As the sentry said, a ten-meter ice giant emerged from beyond the canyon amid the tremors.
Its dull features obscured by snow and ice shards. Countless ice chunks rippled like muscles with its movements—a surreal yet familiar form.
“It really was a feint…!”
Orden muttered in despair.
‘At least until His Highness evacuates to the territory, we have to hold them here!’
Shing.
Steel drawn, Orden steeled himself. His comrades followed suit, clanging weapons aimed at the beast.
At that moment.
“Oh, so that’s what a glacier troll looks like?”
Prince Mores rose casually, commenting nonchalantly.
“Your Highness! Get back!”
Sir Masain grabbed him in panic, but the prince peered curiously at the approaching glacier trolls.
Then, oddly enough, he muttered in confusion.
“Huh? But one’s missing?”
“…Yes?”
“Don’t worry, everyone. These are the ones I called. They’re our allies.”
…What?
As Orden gawked, the prince explained with a hint of pride.
“I told you yesterday, right? That the lycanslopes seem to control these ice chunks to make glacier trolls.”
“...!”
“To prove it, I had to try it myself. This ice heart had three registered, so I just summoned them. Wonder where the other one went.”
Seriously?
As everyone reeled in shock, the prince scratched his cheek.
“Hm, maybe it got stuck on a glacier on the way.”
No sooner had he said it.
Thud thud! Another tremor from afar.
As all stood dumbfounded, only the young prince beamed happily.
“Oh, looks like they’re all here. Look. I even named them already. How about Glacier No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, in order of arrival?”