Frost Wind (3)
Shortly after, the Grand Duke’s knights came rushing in.
“Princess!”
“Are you unharmed?”
They fell speechless at the sight of the blood pooling across the ground—blood spilled by both enemies and allies. Most of the rangers had survived, though a few had lost too much blood and would never open their eyes again.
“Damn those rebel bastards…”
Guilt over their fallen comrades and shame at having failed to protect the princess weighed heavily on them. None of the knights could lift their heads.
Dina spoke gently, encouraging them.
“Raise your heads. This isn’t your fault.”
“…”
“Hurry and move the wounded. Capture the prisoners and interrogate them.”
“Yes!”
The knights shouted their reply, then hesitated. They had noticed the unfamiliar man standing nearby.
“Princess, who is this gentleman…?”
Dina smiled brightly.
“A noble from the Empire. He saved my life.”
“!”
Dante bowed with proper courtesy.
“I am Dante Aision of House Aision.”
“Aision…?”
“The count’s family from the western coast. I imagine the name is unfamiliar to you.”
The knights nodded. They had never heard of the family, but that hardly mattered. What mattered was that this man was the hero who had rescued their princess.
“Lord Dante, you must be exhausted. I’ll have a room prepared so you can rest properly.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Princess.”
Dina led the way, and Dante followed. Their destination was the campsite near the Ice Wall.
Once the battle ended, the aches and stiffness finally caught up to him. Dante stretched to ease his tense muscles.
‘That was far too close.’
Sir Dan, was it? He was the strongest opponent Dante had ever faced. His judgment had been lightning-fast and decisive. He knew exactly when to press an attack and when to retreat, and the moment Dante showed the slightest opening, he exploited it without mercy. That level of skill came only from long experience. A terrifying foe.
If Dante hadn’t commanded powerful insects like the Noon Fairies, he never would have won.
[Haaah~ We’re out of mana~!]
[Our little ones are starving to death~!]
The red honeybees inside him whined and buzzed restlessly. This time, Dante agreed with them. The mana expenditure had been enormous. He would need to rest and let the bees replenish their stores.
Dante quietly reviewed the fight. Overall, it hadn’t gone badly, but his usual bug-taming tactics were clearly weakened in the north.
‘I can’t rely on the same strategies I used in the Empire…’
Gathering swarms of wild insects to confuse and overwhelm the enemy had worked well when rescuing Princess Esilia, but the same approach wouldn’t work here. This land was frozen solid beneath endless cold.
Still—if he could find new insects native to this region, he might develop more varied and flexible tactics. Bugs that lived only in snow and ice. Creatures like the Snowstorm Beetle mentioned in the guidebook the Tower Master had given him—bugs that could move freely even in the bitter northern cold.
“Lord Dante~!”
Rivera came running from a distance, both hands clutching large cups.
“Drink this!”
“What is it?”
“Hot chocolate! I asked for some and they gave it to me!”
Steaming hot chocolate topped with floating marshmallows. Dante drank it with Rivera, letting the warmth seep back into his body. Hot chocolate truly tasted best in the cold.
Some time later, a man and woman approached Dante’s tent.
“May I have a moment?”
“!!!”
Rivera jumped in surprise, while Dante regarded the pair with calm eyes.
“G-Grand Duke…!”
“And you are?”
“This is my attendant, Rivera.”
“You’ve taken a northerner as your attendant.”
“Yes. A northerner makes the best guide in the north.”
The visitors were none other than the Grand Duke and Duchess of Karmilton, just as Rivera had recognized at a glance. Dante was quietly impressed.
‘He really is strikingly handsome.’
Perhaps it came with being the northern grand duke in a romance fantasy world. The phrase “handsome as ice” was no exaggeration. Cold eyes, translucent skin, hair the deep blue of midnight. His looks were so sharp that an ordinary woman might forget how to breathe in his presence. Dante’s appreciation, however, ended there.
‘As for the Duchess…’
Compared to the Grand Duke’s overwhelming beauty, the Duchess appeared relatively ordinary—though still lovely by the standards of a world where appearances were already above average.
The man with the snow-cool features spoke first.
“Charles Karmilton, Duke of Karmilton.”
“Dante Aision of House Aision.”
The two men exchanged only the bare minimum of words, and in that brief exchange each took the other’s measure.
‘A straightforward young man.’
‘His Grace speaks only when he has something to say.’
Both smiled faintly at the same moment.
‘I like him.’
‘I like him.’
Rivera looked flustered, and the Duchess gave an awkward laugh, but Dante and the Duke moved straight to business.
“Thank you for helping my daughter.”
“I only did what any imperial noble should.”
“Is there anything you desire as a reward?”
“Nothing in particular. However, if you have useful information, I would appreciate it.”
“Information?”
“I am a mage. For academic purposes, I’m researching the unique insects of the north. Any information you could share would be greatly appreciated.”
“A mage. I have no expertise in magic, so I cannot help you there. Instead, I’ll introduce you to someone. Come to the castle—there should be a person who can assist you.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
“No, thank you.”
The Duke was a man of few words, and Dante was hardly talkative himself. Their conversation soon ran dry. At the perfect moment, the Duchess stepped in.
“You go ahead and rest. I have something to discuss with Lord Dante.”
“Very well.”
The Duke left after promising Dante whatever support he might need. Once he was gone, the Duchess smiled softly.
“Lord Dante Aision. How is Princess Esilia?”
Dante nodded. He recalled the story Princess Esilia had once told him. The Duke was a man and therefore not close to her, but the Duchess and the princess were quite friendly.
“She’s the same as ever. When was the last time you saw her?”
“I first met her when the princess was fifteen. I haven’t seen her since.”
The Duchess lowered her eyes slightly, lost in memory.
“I can’t tell you how surprised I was when I first met her. A girl no older than my own daughter approached me and asked, ‘How is life in the north?’”
The princess and the Duchess had first met at a New Year’s gathering. Barvena Karmilton, wife of the northern grand duke, had originally been born in the Empire as the youngest daughter of Marquis Danich.
“The north is cold, but I’ve adapted well enough,” I answered. Then the princess said, “I’m glad you’ve adapted. But have you told your family about it?”
The marriage between Duke Karmilton and Barvena had been arranged by the Prime Minister to strengthen ties between the Danich marquisate and the Karmilton duchy. The Empire regularly sent noble daughters north for this purpose, and this time it had been the Danich family’s turn.
Marquis Danich obeyed without complaint, but his daughters refused to go. They were already living comfortably in the Empire—why travel to the frozen north to marry? To protect his beloved daughters, the marquis resorted to a scheme. He selected one niece who could be sent north without issue and formally adopted her into the Danich family. That girl was Barvena.
Barvena took the Danich name and married the Duke. Everyone knew it was a political union, and no one expected the cold, ice-hearted Duke to give her a happy life. Yet something extraordinary happened. The famously frigid Duke of Karmilton fell completely in love with the country girl from the Empire.
In truth, Barvena had done nothing special. She had simply offered a warm, gentle heart to a lonely man living in the cold north. That was all.
The rumor that the Duke truly loved Barvena reached the Danich marquisate. His daughters immediately contacted her.
[Who do you think you have to thank for becoming Duchess?]
[It’ll be troublesome if people find out you’re just some stray we picked up.]
[You know you should treat us well, don’t you?]
Barvena didn’t know what to do. The Duke could handle matters in the north, but he had no reach in the Empire. She didn’t want to burden him with such petty troubles.
Just then, she met the fifteen-year-old Princess Esilia. Covering her face with a fan, the princess whispered to her.
“The princess said she wished to be my friend. She told me that if I entrusted the Danich problem to her, she would resolve everything.”
Dante nodded.
“She must have resolved it.”
“Yes… The princess took care of everything. I don’t know what happened, but the marquis’s daughters all sent me letters of apology, and they never contacted me privately again.”
If it was Princess Esilia, she would have handled it cleanly. The marquis’s daughters? What of them? If the princess wished to bury someone, she could do so without difficulty.
After receiving that favor, the Duchess became one of Princess Esilia’s people.
“I was so happy to receive word from her after so long.”
The Duchess smiled at Dante.
“Lord Dante, you said you came at the princess’s request. I’ll help you with anything you need.”
Indeed. The Duchess was the northern ally Princess Esilia had prepared in advance.
“I’ll be counting on you, Madam.”
“Rely on me whenever you wish.”
Dante exchanged polite farewells with the Duchess.
The Duchess also summoned the princess.
“Did you rest well, Lord Dante?”
Princess Dina’s cheeks were faintly flushed. She sat demurely in her chair. Dante, Dina, and the Duchess formed a small circle.
Dante spoke first.
“I didn’t expect to run into the liberation army the moment I arrived in the north.”
Dina answered with a bitter smile.
“It became quite the headache. Their leader must be clever. To strike during a monster wave, when soldiers can’t easily be pulled away…”
“Why target the princess specifically?”
“They need Karmilton blood. The liberation army wants to turn Karmilton into an independent kingdom, but it would be strange to have independence without a ruler, wouldn’t it?”
“…So they intend to crown you queen?”
“Yes. I don’t know what they’re thinking, trying to make a queen through kidnapping.”
Princess Dina’s blood was half northern and half imperial. Crowning her as the new northern queen wouldn’t be strange at all—the legitimacy of the Karmilton name was clear.
Dante frowned slightly.
“I thought they were simply trying to force Karmilton’s independence, but it seems they have a plan after all.”
“Well…”
The princess spoke carefully.
“In my opinion, there appear to be two factions within the liberation army.”
“Factions?”
“One side wants to keep the Karmilton family, while the other wants to crown an entirely new king.”
For a moment, Dante thought of a certain warrior. Sir Dan—which side did he belong to?
“Princess, about the man called Sir Dan…”
“He seems to support the Karmilton faction. He always speaks to me with proper respect.”
Even among those mad independence fanatics, factions existed. Dante realized he would need to investigate more thoroughly.
“Actually, Princess Esilia asked me to look into the Karmilton liberation army.”
“From the princess…?”
“Yes. The liberation army has caused trouble in the Empire before.”
The true target was the religious group behind them—the Hand of Power—but at least the desire to deal with the liberation army was shared by both the Empire and the north. That worked in Dante’s favor.
“During my train journey, I happened to save someone connected to part of the liberation army.”
“Ah. Perhaps…?”
“Yes. Rivera.”
Dante continued.
“Through Rivera, I plan to make contact with elements of the liberation army and sketch out the overall picture.”
Princess Dina’s face lit up with a bright smile.
“If it’s you, Lord Dante, I can trust you completely! What perfect timing for your arrival!”
Just then, a faint buzzing sound approached. A small insect flew over and landed gently on Dante’s shoulder. Dina and the Duchess both exclaimed in admiration.
“Oh my!”
“A snowstorm beetle?”
When Dante extended his finger, the insect crawled onto his fingertip as if seeking affection.
‘Snowstorm beetle.’
A pure white beetle with an icy shell. It had sensed Dante’s mana and come to him on purpose.
The princess cried out excitedly.
“Lord Dante must truly have received the blessing of the Aurora!”
“The blessing of the Aurora?”
“She is the guardian deity of the north. The snowstorm beetle is a divine messenger sent by the Aurora for humanity.”
The pure white beetle twitched its antennae, as if welcoming Dante to the north.