Chapter 223
Chapter: 223
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 223
>Chapter Title: Heart of Ice (4)
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>Preparations to retreat from the outpost were completed in no time.
These were soldiers who rotated duty stations every few days, traveling back and forth between the territory and the outposts. They were well-practiced at packing lightly.
Once they buried the remaining preserved rations in the snow, all that remained in the outpost were the empty ice tents standing forlornly.
"Then, we'll proceed to the next outpost like this."
Orden reported to Sungjin after the final inspection.
On the way back to the territory, they planned to stop at every accessible outpost to gather the soldiers. For those too far off the route, they had already sent emergency muster signals.
"But, Young Master, what about those...?"
Sir Oscar whispered to him gravely from the side.
*How should I know?*
Orden turned back with a troubled expression.
There, against the backdrop of the rugged canyon, stood three massive ice giants side by side, gleaming silver in the rising sunlight. If one didn't know they were magical beasts, it might even be called a majestic sight.
Who would have thought he'd end up facing these things so peacefully?
"What's with the long faces? Of course we're taking the ice beasts! They're valuable assets to us."
Sungjin pushed back strongly, sensing the group's reluctance.
"But, Your Highness, those magical beasts could turn on us at any moment..."
"Relax. I'm controlling them just fine."
Even with Sungjin's firm assurance, the group's unease didn't fade easily.
Sir Masain's stern face, in particular, seemed to radiate a resolve to slay them at the first sign of trouble.
"Your Highness! Cast aside those unholy things at once! I'll smash them to pieces right now!"
When the ice beasts first appeared, Masain had truly lost his mind.
For someone who recoiled in horror at heretics or demons, it was a natural reaction. Even Sungjin found the glacier trolls' defiance of natural laws utterly bizarre.
*...No frame or joints?*
Surprisingly, they lacked even a skeleton. No organs, no connective tissues linking their parts.
Chunks of ice were simply intertwined and floating in the air, forming the shape of a giant!
If he weren't familiar with the laws of the material world, Sungjin might have suspected demonic trickery too.
[This is... less troll and more like a golem from the material world?]
The Demon King groaned after inspecting them for a while.
*There are really things like this in the material world?*
[Yeah. Some things move according to the laws governing that world. This is a common sight in early material realms.]
Not just golems—living creatures too, apparently.
The Demon King added,
[They're so simplistic they lack proper volume or mass. It's like only the skin remains, floating and moving around an invisible skeleton.]
...Just what is this material world, anyway?
In any case, it was Sungjin's two holy knights who calmed Masain down before swords could clash.
"I don't sense much demonic energy from these Bing... fellows. Heh heh."
"Regarding glacier trolls, even the Inquisition has long been divided in opinion, Sir Masain. They're not alive, nor is there proof of demonic involvement—as noted in 'Wonders of Continental Exploration'... Ahem! O-Of course, I haven't read that forbidden text myself!"
Thanks, Sir Sharon!
And Sir Valerie, how far have you devoured those forbidden books as an inquisitor?
"Sir Masain. If these ice beasts fight the enemy's glacier trolls for us, it's a huge advantage. They'll charge into danger first in our stead."
"......"
"Don't worry. We can always rip out their hearts and stop them. As long as I'm in control, they won't rebel easily."
Only then did Masain skeptically confirm with Sungjin once more.
"So, as long as those things are moving, Your Highness won't need to fight yourself?"
"Uh, yeah. Something like that?"
Only after Sungjin said that did Masain finally sheath his sword, Miserra, at his waist.
But even afterward, the group's discomfort around the ice beasts lingered.
Every time an ice beast took a heavy step—thud—as they moved away from the outpost, the group visibly flinched.
*In the imperial palace, they'd just accept it without question...*
Sungjin thought to himself, yawning secretly.
*Well, with Father there, they could relax more easily.*
And so, the group set off slowly toward the next outpost, the massive ice beasts trailing behind. There were six outposts total on the way back to the territory—still a long way to go.
Crunch, crunch.
As he walked behind Masain, Sungjin occasionally blew aura—huff—onto the knight's snowshoe tracks to erase them. It was a sort of Schnishe application.
"Truly impressive, Your Highness. You're the only one among us who can move without snowshoes. You're as good as the people of Sigismund Territory."
Sir Valerie, who had been watching with fascination, closed the distance and spoke up.
"Hmm, it's less training and more..."
*If I don't do something like this, I'll fall asleep in seconds.*
"You look tired, somehow."
"Yeah. I didn't sleep well."
Last night, Sungjin had strained his spirit eyes examining material world artifacts all night.
That's when he vaguely grasped how to use the ice shards. And after experimenting with this "ice heart" until nearly dawn, he finally caught a short nap.
[Did you really need to investigate so urgently? Even with spirit image crystals, overusing your spirit eyes like that strains the body.]
The Demon King lightly scolded him.
But it couldn't be helped.
〚Registrable entities: 3/25〛
See? Three were already registered to the ice shard. Naturally, he'd want to test summoning more right away.
*Plus, I keep feeling anxious. Like I need to hurry with everything.*
Sungjin's initial plan had been to head straight into the canyon with the group after reuniting—like the Lycanslopes, clutching ice shards to probe the canyon's ice.
Since there were signs they were registering and controlling more entities, mimicking them might let him intercept glacier trolls midway.
*But...*
Reuniting with the group made him realize it was impossible.
Masain would never allow it, and with him guarding so tightly, sneaking off again was out of the question.
*Well, I've caused too much trouble lately.*
He needed to rein it in a bit. Ever since the spirit tree incident, he could feel Masain's anxiety and tension skin-deep.
So instead of secretly scouting the canyon, Sungjin had pulled an all-nighter exploring the prompts floating over the ice shard.
〚Glacier Troll Ice Heart〛
〚@#Veraa%d Dungeon Boss, obtained from Glacier Troll King □□. Set activity conditions for registered entities and issue simple commands.〛
〚Item Grade: A〛
It felt game-like, but treated as an actual item—complete with a dungeon boss.
Catching the Glacier Troll King grants this? Maybe multiple such items already exist.
〚*Cannot access current sH#;aoie& server.〛
Server...
Is this broken-named "server" somewhere in the material world, or is the server the material world itself?
Unable to connect—does that mean it's gone, like Ionia?
Lost in such thoughts while fiddling with the ice shard, Sungjin suddenly felt his consciousness being sucked into it.
*...?!*
He jolted and dropped it, and the sensation vanished instantly.
[What's wrong?]
"No, it was just... something."
Wary, he gripped the shard again and focused. Sure enough, his consciousness was pulled away once more.
But thankfully, unlike before, his soul didn't leave his body.
It felt closer to the [Rift]—a consciousness existing in two places at once, another form of expansion.
*...A bit different from that time.*
At the Scarfino estate, and in Father's spirit image world.
Sungjin had felt his consciousness elevating and expanding massively. Father had warned him then:
-You have no need to go there yet.
So.
If this were truly dangerous, Father would surely stop him immediately, right?
With that conclusion, Sungjin closed his eyes, clutching the shard, and waited.
*...Hmm. Father's not coming, huh.*
What? Then it's fine?
Only then did Sungjin relax and surrender to the expanding consciousness. At the same time, faint thread-like lines appeared in his spirit eyes, stretching from the shard to somewhere.
As if marking where his consciousness should go.
*One, two, three.*
Coincidentally, there were exactly three lines.
〚Registrable entities: 3/25〛
No way this was coincidence. Sungjin intuited it instantly.
Yes—like his link to Max, his consciousness was connecting to the glacier trolls via the ice shard!
Soon, he sensed his consciousness existing simultaneously in the canyon's ice, a snowdrift in the tundra, and the edge of an unfrozen cold lake.
Fleeting, faint sensations—but these must be the glacier trolls registered to the "ice heart."
Trying to focus more closely, countless prompts suddenly flooded his vision. Even with spirit image crystals, they overlapped too much to read.
*This is dizzying...*
Reluctantly, he focused on one—the nearest, in the canyon's ice.
Finally, he extracted meaningful text from it.
〚Dormant〛
〚Temperature Scroll: Active (Ice Separation) -----/- Dormant (Ice Fusion)〛
〚Mode Setting: *Auto* / Manual〛
*Marquess Dasiano searching for glacier trolls means he can control them even in the material world? Then maybe I can too?*
After much trial and error, Sungjin finally shifted it to [Active]. By switching to 'Manual' mode and fiddling with the temperature bar.
Amazingly, it all responded to his thoughts. Though it required intense focus.
Soon, the awakened glacier troll began grinding away ice and moving in place.
*Somehow, it's working, sorta?*
At least no new prompts appeared. With the existing messy overlaps, maze-like menus popping up would have been a nightmare.
*Come to think of it, Sisle's hand warmer was similar. Just strongly visualize the temperature, and it adjusts.*
That seemed to be how material world items worked in the present world.
In any case, Sungjin learned a few things while experimenting.
First, more glacier trolls were likely dormant in the canyon's ice.
Second.
*The one controlling the glacier trolls isn't Marquess Dasiano—it's someone else!*
Sungjin wasn't a multitasking whiz, but he wasn't hopelessly bad either. Yet controlling even one this way demanded huge focus.
Chaining that from a familiar, via a dim-witted Lycanslope? Absurd!
*Plus, they planned to link more entities here. No way they could control that many from afar. If they attack with glacier trolls, the controller must be nearby with an ice heart...*
Thus, Sungjin directed the other two toward the outpost. By then, it was early dawn.
Crack, crack.
Dazedly focusing on the slow-moving glacier trolls breaking through thick ice, Sungjin suddenly thought:
*Man, I want some shaved ice...*
And dozed off.
"Even Captain Bruno, a former Decaron Knight, can't wield Schnishe that skillfully. Your Highness's talent truly transcends human limits."
Sir Valerie's continued words snapped Sungjin out of his reverie, recalling yesterday.
"Indeed, Lady Claudia is always saying 'Our Highness is a genius'—and she's absolutely right."
"...Lady Claudia did?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Sir Valerie nodded, his eyes crinkling in a round smile.
"Sometimes she's so smitten, you can tell she's truly [Enchanted] by you."
"......"
Uh, somehow...
Staring blankly at Sir Valerie's face amid the unfamiliar vibe, it happened.
KABOOM!
A massive impact from behind kicked up a blizzard of snow. The startled group drew weapons in unison.
"Ah, sorry for the scare. Ice Beast No. 3 tripped on a rock."
Sungjin sheepishly calmed them.
It was the glacier troll that had taken so long to emerge from the ice—Bing-su No. 3.
Gathering all three glacier trolls together surprisingly allowed group control. Thanks to that, Sungjin could maneuver them without much hassle.
But was it his imagination?
Compared to Nos. 1 and 2, No. 3 felt a bit sluggish?