Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Collection (2)
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Cardina.
She looked like a young empress standing tall over the northern snowfields.
Her white hair gleamed softly, as if absorbing the moonlight, swaying gently in the cold wind.
Her skin, even whiter than her hair, stood in stark contrast to the black eyepatch covering her right eye.
No emotion showed on her face.
An aura of chilling remoteness enveloped her, making her hard to approach.
Federback bowed his head.
"You've arrived, Sister."
"......"
Cardina tore her gaze from Federback and began inspecting the baggage.
"Is this the procession heading to the Levarb House?"
"Yes."
Federback nodded.
The Cardina from before his regression hadn't been particularly affectionate.
A brilliant and cool-headed heroine in everything she did.
Federback had always felt burdened by his sister's presence.
Just standing next to her invited comparisons, making him shrink back.
So he'd avoided her as much as possible.
But.
'Now I see it clearly.'
To Federback's eyes, seasoned by long years, the current Cardina looked like an innocent girl.
That's why he could guess her intentions for coming here.
"You don't need to worry about me. I'll return safe and sound."
"......!"
Cardina flinched at Federback's words.
Her icy gaze, like the northern winds, wavered with surprise for a moment.
"Who said I was worried about you?"
Cardina snapped curtly.
Federback fell silent for a moment.
'Why didn't I notice this side of her back then?'
Now, her face was unmistakably that of a girl.
One who couldn't be honest and was full of embarrassment.
Unaware of Federback's thoughts, Cardina awkwardly changed the subject.
"I assume you've finished preparations and are resting?"
"Yes."
"I'll need to inspect everything. We have to fix any deficiencies right away."
Cardina's sharp eyes scanned the baggage carts one by one.
Her genius powers of observation, seasoned senses, and vast knowledge of logistics.
The hexagonal genius tolerated not even the slightest mistake as she examined the carts.
In the past, he'd have thought she was just nitpicking to scold him.
But.
'Her worry for her little brother is excessive. And she's clumsy at expressing it.'
To the regressed Federback's eyes, Cardina's true feelings were transparent.
"Winter gear?"
"Ready."
"Provisions?"
"Plenty loaded."
"The road ahead is full of dangerous monsters."
"Arms are sufficient as well."
Cardina and Federback inspected the supplies like an emperor and a field commander.
Soon.
"......!"
Cardina stopped in front of one cart.
She turned a piercing gaze on Federback.
"Whose sleeping bag is this?"
"Mine."
"This is your sleeping bag? This thin, ragged thing?"
Cardina lifted the sleeping bag from the cart, frowning.
Without even looking at Federback, she continued.
"Do you underestimate the blizzards of the northern snowfields? Thinking you can fend them off with a sack stuffed haphazardly with cotton—you're still just a child. If you're going out to commit suicide, quit now and stay in your room."
Of course, Federback's sleeping bag, being military issue, wasn't luxurious but was far from thin and perfectly adequate against the cold.
The youngest young master of the house wouldn't be issued faulty gear anyway.
But Federback didn't contradict her.
"I thought it was still usable, but my judgment was lacking. I'll ask the quartermaster for a new one."
"Hmph."
Cardina turned her head.
"To cross the northern snowfields, you need a sleeping bag made from white fox tail fur. Anything less, and you'll freeze to death."
Such an expensive item wouldn't be standard issue.
"I doubt the quartermaster has anything that fancy."
"What, you'll just sit there and die if not? So passive."
"......"
Federback had nothing to say and simply stood there.
At that moment.
"What a disgrace if the heir of Meursault freezes to death unable to cross the mountains."
Cardina tossed the leather sack she was carrying at Federback.
"......?"
As Federback stood still, Cardina gestured impatiently.
"I brought an extra one, so load it somewhere."
With that, she strode off in her military boots.
Federback opened the leather sack Cardina had left behind.
"!"
Inside was a thick sleeping bag woven from white fox tail fur.
Kiiiiing―
A flesh-cutting gale blew in.
The northern snowfields.
An endless world of pure white.
The snow-covered earth and sky blurred into one another.
Whooo― ooooh!
The pale, frigid storm engulfed everything.
Front, back, left, right, up, down... only white repeated infinitely.
...Crack! Snap!
Tree branches unable to bear the weight of the snow snapped one after another.
Clack-clack― clack-clack― clack-clack―
The delegation led by Federback raced toward Levarb Castle.
It took about ten days from Meursault to Levarb.
A perilous journey crossing two mountains, six frozen lakes, and sheer cliffs linked by rope bridges.
With winter arriving earlier than last year, there were even more hazards.
'Especially the monsters.'
Federback leaned against a pile of baggage on the carriage, watching ahead.
The monsters, starved by the early harsh cold, would bare their fangs even at human groups they normally ignored.
And sure enough.
"Monsters!"
A shout came from the vanguard scout.
Federback grabbed a crossbow from beside him.
Whiiiing―
He aimed through the snowflakes carried on the wind.
'Brings back memories.'
Federback recalled the time before his regression.
The hero party once had an archer.
The female elf he'd been closest to.
'Even if they're traitors who sided with demons, aren't they children? How can you shoot kids like this?'
'How to shoot a kid? Just aim lower than for an adult.'
'That's not what I mean! They're still kids, aren't they? Didn't you feel anything when shooting?'
'Recoil?'
She, who had lost her family to demons, used to argue with Federback constantly.
But through countless wars, they grew closer than anyone.
Hiding in caves for days as the only two survivors, they'd even shared bodies a few times.
'...She died in the mid-to-late stages of the Demon World War.'
Her face floated before his eyes.
It was the first face that came to mind when he found the elixir in Meursault's secret vault.
'But the party members from then aren't in this world anymore.'
Thinking of her face stirred needless sentiment.
[Grrr!]
So the frost wolves emerging from the blizzard sounded especially grating.
"Annoying mutts."
Federback raised the crossbow.
The techniques she'd taught him were still fresh in his hands.
Click― crick...
Federback loaded the bolt using the goat's foot lever.
Soon.
Bam―!
The bolt shot straight, piercing the frost wolf's maw and skewering its heart within.
[Keng!?]
The frost wolf died instantly in mid-air and tumbled to the ground.
Without hesitation, Federback reloaded mechanically.
Click―bam! Click―bam! Click―bam! Click―bam! Click―bam! Click―bam! Click―bam!
Each lever cock and trigger pull felled a wolf without fail.
Every bolt struck a vital spot.
It took little time for all the wolves that had descended below the treeline to lie stuck in the snow with bloodstains.
The soldiers, who had watched in awe, belatedly erupted in cheers.
"Long live Young Master Federback!"
"Glory eternal to House Meursault!"
"My word! A true divine archer!"
It was rare in the North for a noble to outdo soldiers in slaying monsters.
As the soldiers skinned the frost wolves and salvaged meat, they clicked their tongues in amazement.
"Never seen crossbow accuracy like that."
"Look at these frost wolves. Horse-sized, aren't they?"
"Heavens, how does one instant-kill them with a single bolt?"
The soldiers gazed at Federback with reverent eyes.
Then.
"Good grief. What's the big deal about a few mangy dogs?"
Someone sneered beside Federback.
Administrator Yuda.
Shivering, he sidled up to Federback anyway.
"Must be scared heading to that fearsome Levarb House, eh? That's why you're needlessly exerting yourself. Why not leave it to the underlings and maintain some dignity? Tch!"
"......"
"W-what? Did I say something wrong? Whether it's childishness or overconfidence, you should tense up a bit. Recognize your position objectively. What if I don't back you up in negotiations?"
Yuda pressed with insinuating tones.
He still seemed to misunderstand why he'd been included in this procession.
Federback made no retort.
Merely.
"Administrator Yuda."
"Y-yes?"
"You've got grime on your neck."
"Huh? I cleaned it... tch."
"We're about to meet the Levarb patriarch. Better go clean."
He simply handed a clean towel to the baffled Administrator Yuda.
"Wash up and wait."
"......?"
The moment Yuda shuddered with inexplicable dread, the vanguard shouted.
"There it is ahead!"
Through the blizzard, the shadowy silhouette of a castle loomed faintly.
A mad dog ignorant of its place, trying to climb atop its master's head.
The Levarb House castle stood there.