The Stroft Family (1)
I fetched a rope that had been neatly stored in the corner of the warehouse and tied myself up. My hands were clumsy with the knots, so it wasn't particularly tight, but I managed to secure myself enough to keep from collapsing onto the floor. I wriggled my body this way and that, testing if the rope would hold. As I finished this bizarre display, the Holy Sword spoke to me in a hesitant voice.
"[You look absolutely...]"
"Yeah, I look ridiculous. I know."
I muttered, tightening the knot further. There. This way, even if I suddenly blacked out, I wouldn't smash my head against the floor. If I failed to endure the trial of the Crown of Thorns and lost consciousness again, there was no guarantee it would luckily slip off my head like last time. If I fell face-first onto the floor while wearing it, the thorns would tear my scalp to shreds.
"[No, that is not what I meant... Never mind. Do as you wish.]"
"What? If you have something to say, just say it."
"[It is nothing! Just put the crown on your head already.]"
The Holy Sword hesitated again before letting out a mental sigh, as if giving up. What on earth was she trying to say? Shaking my head, I pulled the wooden box toward me. Nestled quietly inside, the Crown of Thorns looked as gruesome as ever.
"I know you're powerful, but..."
It was a holy relic capable of knocking me out instantly. I doubted there were many artifacts in this world that possessed such overwhelming mana. The problem was that I had absolutely no information on what this crown was actually for, or what kind of power I would receive upon passing its trial.
"[That depends on your heart, Elroy. However, I cannot tell you what this crown is meant to do.]"
Well, I hadn't expected it to be that easy anyway. The only knowledge I possessed was the few lines of text I had read before falling into this world. Avoiding the sharpest thorns, I lifted the crown from the wooden box. A faint trace of magical power seeped from the crown, traveling up my fingertips and into my body.
"If it looks like I'm about to lose consciousness, call out to me. I'll try to hang on somehow."
"[Understood. I wish you luck.]"
Without hesitating any further, I raised the crown to my head. The Crown of Thorns settled over my hair. I took a tense breath, wondering what kind of trial it would subject me to this time.
"So far, so..."
Of course, I spoke too soon. The moment the words left my mouth, the crown's magic surged into my mind. Alright, fine. What do you have for me this time? Since my body didn't hurt, it didn't seem like it was going to inflict physical pain...
Then, my vision suddenly plunged into pitch-black darkness. My eyes were wide open, yet I saw nothing. Perhaps my eyes had grown too accustomed to the perpetual daylight of this world; the darkness felt foreign and unsettling.
"[Elroy? It seems you have not lost consciousness yet.]"
The Holy Sword's voice still reached me. I wanted to open my mouth and reply, but no sound came out. And then, a wind began to blow from somewhere far, far away.
"[Are you still al...]"
The Holy Sword's voice grew increasingly faint. I shook my head, wondering if my consciousness was slipping. But it wasn't. I could tell because my spatial awareness was still sharp. As the wind whipped up with renewed force, I suddenly found myself standing alone in the middle of a vast plain.
"...What is this?"
A cold, damp sensation clung to my ankles. The plain was a field of snow. I blinked and looked up. The world before me seemed split in two—a stark contrast of black sky and white earth. Was the crown showing me this landscape? Frowning, I reached for the Holy Sword in my mind and habitually groped at my waist. But the familiar voice did not answer.
"Overcome this alone. Is that the idea?"
Naturally, the Holy Sword was not at my hip. I let out a bitter laugh and surveyed the snowy plain once more. It was so completely blanketed in white that I hadn't realized it at first, but the terrain looked incredibly familiar.
"Wait, this is..."
I frowned. Yes, I had passed through here just a few days ago. It was the vast plain on the way to Evernode. Because the land, once carpeted in short green grass, was now dyed pure white, I hadn't recognized it immediately.
"...But nothing is happening."
I furrowed my brow, clenching and unclenching my fists. My body was intact and moved according to my will. Of course, the pulse of mana that usually throbbed in tandem with my heartbeat was completely gone. Smacking my lips in disappointment, I tried to move my legs.
"Alright."
The sensation of my feet sinking into the snow was annoyingly vivid. I turned around to see a dark fir forest covered in snow. The stream that used to flow nearby seemed completely frozen over. I had a strong premonition that I needed to head toward Evernode. Reconstructing the path to the fortress in my mind, I took a slow step forward. My footprints were the only marks left on the snowy path.
...Was the road always this long? Without a horse to ride or mana to lighten my body, every step through the heavy snow was an arduous chore. Snow began to fall gently from above, though when I looked up, there was no sky to speak of—only pitch-black darkness.
I walked. I walked and walked, yet Evernode did not appear. Just as I began to wonder if the trial was simply to walk forever, the pale silhouette of Evernode's fortress finally loomed over the hill.
"..."
However, I couldn't rush toward the fortress with joy. Dread—a deep, certain dread—was pricking at my nerves. Something is there. Turn back immediately. Ignore it and walk away. My instincts whispered. If I crossed Evernode's gates, whatever the crown had prepared would surely be waiting for me.
"...Screw that."
If I only acted on instinct, I'd be a beast, not a human. I began to climb the slope. The closer I got to the fortress, the more intense the cold became. As I drew near, I saw that the gates were wide open. There was no sign of life. I peered into various corners of Evernode, searching for anything out of the ordinary, but there were only empty buildings and snow-covered streets. Nothing that could be called a trial.
Then where was this grating sensation coming from? I turned my gaze toward the northern forest outside the outer wall, where the patrols usually went. I had a premonition that I had to go there to end the trial, but at the same time, a warning screamed that I must not.
"Let's see what kind of grand spectacle you've prepared..."
I exhaled a tense breath as I stared at the gaping entrance of the outer wall. White plumes of breath escaped my lips. The falling snow began to pour down with a violence far too intense to be called a mere flurry. Flakes gathered on the bridge of my nose. Ignoring the snow piling on my shoulders, I walked toward the exit as if possessed.
"..."
It was silent. I couldn't even hear the wind howling in my ears. The falling snow whipped across the ground in a blizzard, and the trees shook, shedding their twigs, yet the only sound I could hear was my own breathing. My breath grew ragged against my will as I raised my head. Something was coming. My vision trembled. Beyond the forest, something was approaching very slowly.
Habitually, I reached for my waist and tried to channel mana, but right now, I was nothing more than a powerless human. My legs froze. I felt the ground begin to vibrate like a massive drum.
Thump. Thump. At its movements, massive trees snapped like matchsticks, and mountains crumbled like sand dunes. Thump. Thump. A foot? What was I looking at? What was moving? The world was collapsing. Yet, I could only stare blankly at the sight. A white shroud of annihilation devoured the horizon, quietly but rapidly closing in on Evernode.
I stood between the fortress and the entity, waiting. An overwhelming terror paralyzed me. Thump. The drumming stopped. The forest before me was flattened. I realized that what had crushed the entire forest was a single foot. A wind strong enough to uproot trees scraped against my skin. In the agonizing pain of my body being torn apart by the gale, I raised my head. 'It' looked down at me, and slowly lifted its foot.
Thump.
. . .
"[...Elroy.]"
My body shuddered. My head hung limp, swaying like a pendulum. I blinked and lifted my head.
"What happened?"
"[The crown's magic showed you a dream-like vision. That was likely the trial it chose to inflict upon you. I could have intervened, but had I done so, that holy relic would have shattered, unable to withstand my power.]"
The Crown of Thorns seemed to have fallen to the floor when my head slumped. I carefully picked it up, opened the wooden box, and placed it inside.
"[I am sorry I could not be of help.]"
"No, it's fine. It was something I had to overcome on my own anyway."
Shaking my head, I closed the lid of the box. "Did you see what the crown showed me?"
"[No. Watching you might have defeated the purpose of the trial, so I purposely refrained. What did you see?]"
I stroked the wooden box at the Holy Sword's question. "A Giant."
"[...I see.]"
"Without my mana or the Holy Sword, I was completely helpless. I could only stand there and wait to be crushed."
It wasn't a pleasant feeling. Frowning, I cut the ropes binding my torso.
"[How did it feel?]"
"...I realized that must be how people feel when they face the Calamities with absolutely nothing."
I stood up with a bitter smile. I didn't know how long I had been tied to the pillar on my knees, but my legs were incredibly numb.
"Is the crown testing my resolve?"
"[All holy relics do. They never choose their master based on physical strength.]"
"...And you?"
No. I started to ask the Holy Sword a question but shut my mouth. She didn't press me on my unfinished sentence either. Stumbling forward, I pulled back the blackout curtains and looked out the window. No snow fell through the brilliant, piercing sunlight.
The patrol duties, which took place once every two days, were slowly becoming second nature. No matter how much Grand Duke Quenor had vouched for me, the northern knights and soldiers had treated me with consistent suspicion—at least, until they actually went on patrol with me. Well, that also meant their attitudes completely shifted after we returned.
"I didn't realize it during the last patrol, but Lady Daphne is an incredible mage."
Daphne's performance had been pivotal during this patrol. Fitting for a mage destined to become the world's only 8-Circle mage, her magic evolved and advanced with every single outing. This time, she had cast the same protective barrier on all the patrol members that she had previously cast on me. Thanks to her, the soldiers hadn't suffered even a minor scratch during their skirmishes with the monsters.
"She's a 5-Circle mage, after all. Of course she's amazing," Georg said proudly.
I smiled at him. Daphne's protective magic was naturally of immense help to Georg, a heavy warrior who always fought on the front lines. Unused to compliments, Daphne blushed under the shower of praise from the patrol members and habitually edged closer to me. The soldiers smiled warmly at the sight.
After stabling my horse, I noticed a subtle, bustling energy in the air. It wasn't a negative commotion, but rather a busy preparation, like the excitement before welcoming an important guest. I looked back at the patrol members, who all had expressions that said, Ah, today is the day.
"Is something happening today?"
At my question, one of the soldiers grinned and nodded. "Yes. Today is the day the 'Iron-Blooded Princess' returns to Evernode."
'Iron-Blooded Princess'? I tilted my head at the unfamiliar moniker. No such character had ever appeared in the novel. Was she someone related to the North? Seeing my puzzled expression, a knight shrugged with a smile similar to the soldier's.
"You'll find out soon enough."
The Iron-Blooded Princess. Judging by the title alone, it sounded like the epithet of a powerful female knight. If such a distinctive character existed in Evernode, there was no way she wouldn't have been mentioned in the original work.
"Ah, there is the Grand Duke. Let's go."
His tone was somewhat urgent. I furrowed my brow and looked at Georg, who knew the North well, but he only shook his head in ignorance.
"What, you've never heard of her either?"
"No idea. At least, I never heard of her ten years ago."
Well, I'd see for myself soon enough. A carriage pulled up in front of Grand Duke Quenor. The Grand Duke gathered us, just back from our patrol, and lined us up in front of the carriage. We stood in formation, completely clueless, dragged along by Quenor. Before I could even ask what was going on, the carriage door opened, and a beautiful middle-aged woman stepped out.
"My love,"
Grand Duke Quenor embraced his wife, his eyes practically dripping with affection. Following the Grand Duchess, two more people stepped out of the carriage.
"Father."
A tall young man who was the spitting image of Grand Duke Quenor. He was the Grand Duke's eldest son, whom I recalled from the original novel.
"Look, the Iron-Blooded Princess is stepping down," the knight behind me whispered, tapping my shoulder.
Following the young man, a solemn-looking girl of about nine years old stepped out.
"...The Iron-Blooded Princess?"
When I turned around with a bewildered expression, the knights and soldiers nodded in unison, grins plastered across their faces.