Into the Frozen North
Two full months had already passed since the Hero Academy's semester began.
Winter was steadily giving way, and for a time we had been enjoying the mild warmth of May while continuing our academy lives in the imperial capital. That stretch of ordinary days, however, proved short-lived. Now we were walking the streets of a small, utterly unfamiliar city nestled in the empire's far north.
The bitter chill lurking at our feet made the truth unmistakable — this was the North, no question about it.
The streets thronged with people hurrying about their business, and no matter where we looked, snow blanketed everything, only sharpening the cold.
Though this place clearly belonged to the same empire, the architecture and clothing were so different that an exotic air clung to every corner.
I stopped in front of a small but elegant building with an old-fashioned charm.
…This should be it.
Restaurant Kalanchoe. Without a doubt, the shop I had been looking for.
"Is this the place you were searching for, Young Master?"
I turned. Three girls stood side by side behind me, watching me closely.
Dressed in soft winter clothes so unlike their academy uniforms, they radiated a charm all their own. Whether from the northern wind or not, their cheeks were flushed a pretty pink that made them look especially endearing.
"It will take some time to arrange a carriage, so we'll have a meal first."
"Understood."
"I was getting hungry anyway — perfect!"
"It is about lunchtime, isn't it?"
Encouraged by their cheerful replies, I pushed open the wooden door. A little bell on the handle jingled, and a wave of warm air welcomed us inside.
"Welc'me!"
"We'll take table A-8."
"Of course. Right this way."
Following the friendly waitress, we made our way to a window seat framed by floor-to-ceiling glass. Enri dropped into her chair at once and melted across the tabletop.
"Ahhh — it's so warm…"
Elizabeth scolded her for being undignified, but as far as I could tell, Elizabeth and Angela wore nearly identical expressions. They simply had the self-control not to sprawl.
"The North is so fascinating. The buildings, the people — everything feels just a little different."
Angela sipped her warmed appetizer soup and gazed out at the street with open curiosity.
"Heh. Snow falls year-round up here, so the architecture developed to match."
"Come to think of it, Lady Elizabeth is from the North as well, isn't she?"
"Yes, that's right. House Spencer, like Young Master's family, is based in the North."
While Elizabeth and Angela traded questions, Enri — still half-melted like a slime — suddenly remembered something and cut in.
"By the way, why are we switching carriages all of a sudden? The one we rode here was huge and super comfortable…"
Thanks to my willingness to spend freely, we had traveled from the academy in a top-class carriage, and Enri clearly hated to part with that luxury.
Unfortunately, there was no helping it.
"Horses can't endure the northern cold. From this border town onward, we have to take carriages pulled by Rock Birds — enormous birds native to the region."
In the original story, players who got lazy and tried to push through on horseback had frozen to death more than once. I remembered that detail clearly.
Of course, later on people rode around in carriages drawn by eight Pegasus decked out in reinforcement magic and Legendary-grade gear — but by that point, cold, heat, even clouds of poison gas might as well have been free passes.
"Whoa, that's amazing. Giant birds pulling carriages… I can barely picture it."
Rock Birds were a northern species. They couldn't fly, but they could race across the ground at impressive speed — something like oversized ostriches. Their aggression was low, their size far outstripped any ostrich, and their sociable nature made them friendly with people. In the North, they were a common substitute for horses.
"We'll be picking up a Rock Bird carriage after we eat, so you'll see them soon enough."
"Rock Birds may be large, but they're truly gentle and adorable."
Elizabeth seemed quite fond of them.
"You two really do know a lot. I suppose that's only natural, given that the North is home for both of you."
Elizabeth went without saying — but I, too, had visited this region hundreds of times as the protagonist of the game. It felt almost as familiar as a hometown.
Well, this is my first time actually setting foot here in person.
We talked about the North while the dishes we had ordered filled the table, and we finished our first northern meal in high spirits.
"That was an excellent meal."
"Ugh, I'm so full and warm. I could die happy right now…"
"Northern cooking is nice and spicy. I like it."
Seeing their satisfied faces, I ordered the local specialty — strawberry sherbet — then rose from my seat.
"Will you not be having dessert, Young Master?"
"I need a word with the owner. I'll be right back."
"Ah, so this is an acquaintance's establishment. Understood. We'll wait here."
"Good."
Restaurant Kalanchoe shared the same layout as Begonia in Tirhi, so finding my way down into the basement was simple. Past several doors in the underground storeroom, deeper still, a refined chamber appeared — the sort of reception room one might find in a noble manor, with a familiar air about it.
Inside, a middle-aged man was already waiting for me.
"Young Master Taylor Winchester — thank you for gracing our branch with your presence."
As expected of the Information Guild. No introductions were necessary.
"What about the goods?"
Even faced with the abrupt question, the man only smiled and set a pouch on the table.
"Prepared perfectly, of course."
He drew another pouch from his coat and laid it down as well.
"If it isn't too forward of me… might I ask why you require such things?"
I snorted.
"I decline. You're the Information Guild — dig it up yourselves, the way a proper guild should."
They sold information for money, yet expected mine for free. Shameless didn't begin to cover it.
"Hahaha. A foolish question on my part."
He had clearly anticipated the refusal; he laughed it off without a hint of awkwardness.
I accepted the pouch from him and met his eyes.
"Instead, I'll purchase a piece of information."
"Information, you say?"
"Everything you have on the Winchester ducal house. My family."
That was where we were headed next. I needed every scrap of intelligence I could get on Winchester.
"…I am truly sorry, but our guild does not handle information on high-ranking nobility."
The man looked puzzled that I would want data on my own house, then refused with an apologetic expression.
What a joke.
I knew exactly how contradictory — and how ridiculous — that lie was.
"The Information Guild doesn't sell information? Even a passing dog would laugh."
I pulled a pouch of gold coins from my inventory and set it on the desk.
The soft clink of coins rang through the quiet room.
"To do business in the empire, one inevitably becomes entangled with high-ranking figures—"
Clink.
Another pouch of gold settled atop the first.
"Y-Young Master, it truly is impossible!"
Clink. Clink.
"Well, that is…"
His pupils shook as if caught in a violent storm.
Time for the finishing touch.
Clink.
"…"
If money can't solve a problem, consider whether you simply don't have enough of it.
Gold was an excellent conversational tool. I walked away with a satisfactory amount of information.
After finishing our meal, we headed for the station where our reserved carriage was waiting.
Anyone traveling farther north had to change carriages here, so the place was packed with mercenaries, merchants, and travelers of every kind.
"Ugh, going from somewhere warm straight outside is freezing…"
"It'll be warm again once we're in the carriage. Just hang on a little longer."
Enri was shivering so hard that Angela unwound the fur scarf from her own neck and wrapped it around Enri's.
"Hwaaah, Angela, I love you so much."
"Yes, yes."
We passed through the crowded waiting hall and kept walking until an astonishing number of carriages came into view, all lined up and waiting. Dozens of carriages and the enormous birds hitched to them stood in rows — a spectacle impressive enough on its own.
"Wow! That's incredible!"
"Wait, Enri! You don't even know which carriage is ours — don't just run off!"
The cold forgotten, Enri's eyes sparkled as she bolted toward the carriages. We hurried after her, searching for the one we had reserved.