Chapter 257
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 257
Winter Castle.
A fortress in the northern reaches of the continent, where blizzards raged without end.
Even in this frozen wasteland, tragic news arrived by messenger. The Devalis family on the western front had been annihilated; their great wall had been breached.
The reports that followed were even grimmer. The demon army, having completely seized the western front, was now marching toward the Gunhilds’ Winter Castle, which sat adjacent to the Devalis territory.
Upon hearing the news, the soldiers of Winter Castle prepared for battle with hollow expressions. They sharpened their blades and inspected their armor as they always did, but they could not shake the gnawing anxiety eating at their hearts.
If the triple walls of the Devalis fortress—the greatest stronghold in the middle realm and the shield of humanity—had been shattered, there was no guarantee that even Winter Castle could hold.
As the clouds of war gathered over the ramparts, the master of the castle spoke.
“Freya.”
Thunder Sword Wodanaz Gunhild, head of the Gunhild family, gripped his only daughter’s shoulders. His voice was heavy with resolve.
“You will leave the territory with your nanny. The knights and I will handle this.”
If the demon army reached Winter Castle, the outcome was as clear as day. Normally, Wodanaz would have confidently declared victory, but the situation was dire. He couldn't even count on reinforcements from the allied forces of humanity. The Empire was on the other side of the continent; even if they dispatched airships immediately, it would take days for them to arrive.
The Demon King’s army would surely end the siege before then.
This place would soon become a slaughterhouse. He could not allow Freya to remain.
“Father, I can’t—”
As Freya tried to protest, Wodanaz’s face hardened.
“Have you not heard the news? The Devalis family is gone! Do you truly think that bastard will spare you?”
“…”
“To think I once considered taking a man like that as my son-in-law.”
Wodanaz clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with a fearsome, furious fighting spirit. Feeling the sheer weight of her father’s rage, Freya swallowed her words.
In truth, she had heard from the Chairman that Roen was planning something. But upon hearing of the Devalis family’s destruction, her faith in him had begun to waver. What cause or plan could possibly justify the slaughter of so many soldiers and civilians?
If she hadn't heard the story of Roen’s past from Ciel, she might have reacted exactly like her father.
Steeling her resolve, Freya’s eyes flashed as she cried out, “No matter what you say, Father, I will stay and fight to the end!”
She had to be sure. There were too many things she needed to ask Roen in person. She refused to flee Winter Castle like a coward.
Wodanaz let out a weary sigh and nodded. “…I knew you’d say that. You’re just as stubborn as your mother was.”
Fwip—!
In that instant, Wodanaz struck Freya’s pressure point.
“Ah…”
Her consciousness began to fade immediately. Through the encroaching haze, she heard her father’s muffled voice.
“You are my only blood, my beloved daughter. I lost your mother… I cannot lose you too. You must survive.”
Clunk.
“Shuen, take good care of Freya.”
The unconscious Freya was loaded onto a carriage and sent away. Wodanaz watched the carriage disappear into the snow in silence before turning back toward the battlements.
*
Swoosh—.
In the northwestern part of the continent lay the Forest of Silence, where the main force of the Demon King’s army was temporarily encamped.
Carmilla emerged from a pool of blood to deliver her report.
“Freya has left the territory in a carriage. She is currently passing through Pine Canyon, roughly a three-day journey from here. Shall I capture her?”
I thought for a moment, then shook my head.
“…No, this is for the best.”
I didn’t want Freya to see me like this. Nor did I want her to witness Winter Castle in flames. With her gone, I could do what needed to be done without worrying about prying eyes.
“…”
After receiving the report, I slumped back down, staring blankly at the floor.
Carmilla looked at me, her expression clouded with concern. “Are you really okay?”
I looked up with hollow eyes. “Do I look like I’m okay?”
Ever since this war began, I hadn’t been able to close my eyes in peace for a single second. After choosing the Devalis family as the first target and escalating the conflict, a normal life had become an impossibility.
But it was an unavoidable choice.
To instantly quell the demons’ discontent and achieve the best possible results, I had to strike the Devalis family first.
‘To command this war according to my plan, I must have the demons’ absolute support.’
I had to imprint the fact that I was on their side—that I was their King—into their very souls. The Devalis territory was the place in the human realm with the deepest ties to Roen. In a way, choosing it as the first target was the most logical move to prove my "betrayal."
Furthermore, the Devalis territory was a border city adjacent to the demon realm. Its soldiers and people lived prepared for death… and in the original story, their deaths were already fated.
There was also the matter of efficiency. Conquering a large, populous city was the fastest way to gather dark energy.
‘I could either break through small towns and villages across the continent one by one, or conquer a major city all at once.’
For the sake of a ‘controllable war,’ I chose the latter. I couldn't control every mindless monster or cruel demon spread across the continent. Left to their own devices, they wouldn't just kill humans; they would toy with them, tormenting them like playthings.
If that happened, it would be impossible to gather the negative energy I needed, and I wouldn't be able to preserve the souls and karma of the dead. To prevent that worst-case scenario, I had halted all sporadic battles across the continent and funneled all forces toward a single point.
Finally, I chose the most intense battlefields to maximize casualties among the demons themselves. Although we broke through the wall in just a week, a significant number of their elite troops were sacrificed in the process.
Those were my reasons for targeting the Devalis family. The same logic applied to Winter Castle.
But having reasons didn't justify my actions. In the end, I had created tens of thousands of innocent victims and driven a multitude of demons to their deaths.
I took a deep breath, struggling to swallow the rage and regret boiling in my chest.
Shhhk—.
Space tore open, and Gillean appeared to deliver his report.
“The main gate of Winter Castle has been breached.”
It had been only three days since the 1st Corps, led by Yutena, had begun their assault.
Winter Castle had fallen.
*
With the same heavy heart I’d carried while surveying the collapsed walls of Devalis, I set foot in the ruins of Winter Castle.
The beautiful northern fortress, a citadel of snow and ice, had been trampled into rubble by the feet of demonic beasts.
Soon, I came face to face with its master.
Gasping for breath atop a mountain of monster corpses stood Thunder Sword Wodanaz Gunhild. Freya’s father.
True to his reputation as a man who had reached the pinnacle of a Sword Master, he had single-handedly slaughtered thousands of monsters. But now, even a glance told me he was at death's door. Even if I placed him in a space where time stood still, healing him was impossible.
I bowed politely to the dying man.
“It has been a long time, Family Head.”
Despite his life hanging by a thread, Wodanaz erupted in fury at the sight of me.
“You bastard! How could you betray humanity and side with the demon realm?! How could you trample your own homeland and slaughter your own kin?!”
Wodanaz’s roar shook the air like a Dragon’s Fear. His shout alone was enough to kill lesser monsters.
But I showed no reaction.
“That is something you do not need to know.”
This was neither the time nor the place for explanations. I didn't need his understanding.
When I refused to answer, Wodanaz’s grip on his sword loosened. He asked in a weak, trembling voice, “Was Freya… nothing to you?”
He was asking about his daughter. He wanted to confirm the safety of the girl he had sent away. I had no intention of harming her, so I gave him the only answer he needed.
“Of course not. She was… someone I loved.”
Perhaps not the current me, but the Roen of the past certainly had.
“Hah… is that so?”
Fling—.
Having heard what he needed, Wodanaz threw his sword at my feet. His last wish—confirming Freya’s safety—was fulfilled. He no longer had any attachment to life.
“Then hurry up and kill me.”
I caught the sword and bowed my head.
“Your will shall be done.”
The end of a true warrior. Thunder Sword Wodanaz, who fought at the very front to protect his people, his fighting spirit burning until his final breath.
I didn't want to insult his resolve, but I wanted Freya’s happiness more. This was the man who had almost been my father-in-law. A man like a boisterous uncle, who had once greeted a young Roen with a hearty laugh.
‘A man like you… deserves to live out your natural lifespan and die happily by Freya’s side.’
Therefore, you must die by my hand now.
*
After we had completely secured Winter Castle, an urgent report arrived from Gillean.
“My King, some of the Venerables are pursuing Freya Gunhild.”
“What?”
As I scowled, Gillean’s body tensed. He hurried to explain.
“They claimed they couldn't leave any embers of trouble behind. They acted on their own…”
Was this their way of showing discontent for my decision to spare Aslan? Before Gillean could even finish his sentence, I tore through space.
Zwoong—.
I teleported through a portal in mid-air, and Freya’s carriage, currently under siege, came into view. The eyes of the Venerable attacking her widened at my sudden appearance.
“M-My King—”
Slice—.
Before he could offer an excuse, I swung my sword. Shainar’s head fell, rolling across the frozen earth.
As of today, the Elven Venerable had been replaced.
Without another word, I stood before the carriage. To be precise, I stood before Freya, who had been desperately fighting the Venerable.
“Hah… hah…”
She looked at me with trembling eyes. “Roen… you…”
It was Freya, whom I was facing again after two long years. I could see how much she had grown. She had become more beautiful, and far stronger. Her expression told me she had a thousand questions.
I, too, had so much I wanted to say.
But right now, I was her enemy.
I had burned down her home, Winter Castle, and killed the people who lived there. I had also—temporarily—killed her father, Wodanaz. At this point, words were useless.
In that case, I would move according to the set course of fate. I would forge Freya further, until she became a true Hero. That was the only way to perfectly execute the plan I had set in motion.
I suppressed my personal desires. With a single sentence, I shattered Freya’s expectations.
“Your father, Lord Wodanaz, died by my hand.”
Freya’s face went deathly pale. “…W-what did you just say?”
“You heard me.”
Flick—.
I threw Wodanaz’s sword. The Thunder Sword quivered as it pierced the ground between us.
In that moment, the light vanished from Freya’s eyes.
“If you want revenge, become stronger. Become a true Hero and come find me.”
Revenge is the ultimate catalyst. Freya would soon be reborn as a true Hero and come for my head.
“I will be waiting in the Demon King’s Castle.”
She would eventually come to kill me, wielding the holy sword Ascalon to avenge her father.