Chapter 337
Chapter 337
Chapter 337
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 337 – Sigrid’s Boomerang
Three days later.
The wind brushed gently across her face, carrying with it both the bleak cold of snow and the timeless weight of the northern frontier. It felt like the chill of a thousand years mixed with the cool clarity of the snowy plains.
Her brows knit slightly as she awoke in the midst of this winter, a chill spreading through her body, forcing her eyes open.
She seemed to be on a moving vehicle, the bumpy snow-covered mountain road causing the seat beneath her to sway and rattle.
And yet, there was still a faint warmth against her left shoulder.
That warmth reminded her of when she was a sickly child, and her mother had sat beside her just like this.
Slowly, Sigrid turned her head.
Beside her in the cold wind sat her companion, wearing a white shirt and a diamond-patterned waistcoat, his expression calm as he held the reins.
“...”
The young man on her left noticed she was awake, glanced at her with a light smile, but kept most of his attention on the path ahead as he steered the sleigh across the snowy ground.
“I can’t muster any strength…”
Sigrid’s voice was unusually frail and languid. She wrapped the thick coat covering her body more tightly around herself.
So this was how cold winter really was.
The northern snowfields had short days; she couldn’t tell if it was morning or afternoon — and soon, it would likely get even colder.
She ignored the mess in her hair and kept staring at Lan Qi.
She didn’t know how long she had been unconscious, nor where they had gone.
Even the collar of Lan Qi’s usually neat overcoat was crumpled, having been used by her as a blanket.
“You were unconscious for three days. During that time, it was mostly Boss Cat who took care of you. We’re still on the road from the Northern Border Province to the Snowfield Province — probably a few more days before we get there.”
Lan Qi seemed to know exactly what she wanted to ask and answered casually.
Although Boss Cat’s magic was weak, she was still able to use some high-level healing cards to ease a bit of Sigrid’s injuries.
Sigrid’s gaze lowered to the small black cat sitting between her and Lan Qi. She knew that if this cat used [Transformation: Human], she would probably look like a cute girl.
Boss Cat still trembled slightly under Sigrid’s stare, timid as ever.
“Thank you, little black cat.”
Sigrid expressed her gratitude.
“...Meow-meow.”
The black cat seemed almost afraid to accept the thanks of the Cardinal Bishop of Ba’tian, but she shrank her head and nodded shyly.
For some reason, she felt Sigrid wasn’t as terrifying as before — maybe because Sigrid’s tone was softer now, or perhaps because the terrifying aura she once carried had almost completely vanished.
“By the way, Sigrid, I need to tell you something.”
Lan Qi thought for a moment before speaking.
“What?”
Sigrid asked.
“It seems like you’ve been locked into a sealed state.”
Lan Qi said thoughtfully, though not with absolute certainty.
He had faintly sensed the spell Askson had used in his final strike against Sigrid. It hadn’t only dealt a mortal wound but had nearly frozen her entire state in place.
The wound on her back had torn through flesh and even exposed glimpses of white bone. Whenever her body tried to regenerate, there was a faint cracking sound — the wound would heal, then split open again. It was hard to imagine the pain this cycle caused. Boss Cat had no choice but to layer bandages tightly over it.
Even with her inhuman regenerative ability, she was unable to recover.
This sealing spell was similar in some ways to the [Eternal Undeath Punishment] seal Lan Qi had obtained at the Banquet of Heretical Villains. It not only inflicted damage but also forbade all recovery — even dispelling seemed impossible.
It was likely that Askson had long prepared this spell, specifically to kill someone like Sigrid whose regeneration was absurdly strong.
To undo it, they would either need a ninth-tier sealing master stronger than Askson, or they would have to kill Askson himself.
“...”
Sigrid fell silent at this. She could feel it too — that her strength hadn’t returned at all, as if she were still suspended at the moment of her near-death.
As she was now, even a fifth- or sixth-tier priest of Annihilation could probably finish her off with a single strike.
“Askson and that man in black should both be heavily injured. They won’t be coming south to chase us any time soon.”
Lan Qi added.
Even so, they were still deep in enemy territory. Communications were blocked, leaving them unable to send word to the Imperial Capital or to other southern branches of the Ba’tian Church.
They were essentially on their own.
“What do we do now?”
Sigrid asked him.
She guessed that the good news was that Lan Qi had managed to bring her out of the Northern Border Province alive, and that they had shaken off the black-robed man and the Bishop of Annihilation.
But that didn’t mean they could make it back to Helrom unscathed.
Even if they tried heading south, they would almost certainly be intercepted by annihilation cultists at every turn. Askson might be hiding to heal and wary of Lan Qi’s explosive tactics, but he would never hesitate to throw his underlings’ lives away.
There would definitely be countless enemies lying in wait ahead, ready to stop them at all costs.
“All the way south, back to Helrom.”
Lan Qi said with a light smile, as if this were just another trip — as though every part of the journey was meant to be savored.
“...”
Sigrid hadn’t thought she would one day find herself on the run, with no clear future in sight.
So this was what it felt like to lose the strength that had always allowed her to rest easy.
But seeing Lan Qi remain so calm and optimistic, she found herself relaxing a little too.
It was, after all, a life she had just barely clawed back. Somehow, this thorny road through wind and snow felt… oddly welcome.
And most importantly, she wasn’t alone — she had someone who had faced life and death alongside her. With that, the road ahead no longer seemed quite so impossible.
“Saint Son, you’d better protect me. I’m just a fragile girl.”
Sigrid said with a faint smile.
In her current state, she was weaker even than the false identity she had been using as “Sid.”
“I should make it clear first: right now, I’m just your companion. In theory, I might be able to save your life — but if you decide to throw it away, I won’t stop you. I respect other people’s fates.
When I judge that what you’re about to do is certain death, I’ll stop following you.”
Lan Qi turned to look at her, smiling without the slightest trace of pity.
“...”
Sigrid kept smiling, though her lips pressed together as if holding back her anger.
She had heard this line somewhere before.
“And when I judge that the enemy is far stronger than me, I’ll act as a reasonable fourth-tier Sealing Master should — which means running away when I need to, and deciding whether to sell you out or take you with me while running.”
Lan Qi closed his eyes, utterly carefree, explaining his “operating principles” like he was stating a disclaimer.
“...”
Sigrid stayed silent, smiling as she stared at him. If she had her strength back, she really might have tried to strangle this green-tea bastard.
“That’s why my favorability really matters.”
Lan Qi dropped the reins, patted Sigrid on the shoulder, and spoke as if it were an undeniable truth.
Sigrid was quiet for a moment.
“Saint Son.”
“Mm?”
“You’d better not talk like that to other women.”
“Why?”
“Because I have a good temper, so I won’t really do anything to you — but not every woman does.”
Sigrid said with a brilliant smile.
But it was the kind of smile people had when they were this close to losing their patience.