The Snowy Mountains
The Blue Steel Knight Order of the Priulri family was waiting for us as we emerged from the Magic Tower. “Welcome back, young master, young lady.”
At their head stood Orca, the vice-commander. Since Commander William had to remain behind to guard the territory, Orca had come in his place to greet us.
Isis greeted him warmly. “It’s been a while, Sir Orca. Have you been well?”
“Of course! And you, young lady? Have you been keeping well?”
“Yes, I’ve been fine too.”
Having trained alongside the knights since she was a child, Isis shared a bond with them that I couldn’t even begin to compare to. Even the other knights’ gazes were drawn more to her than to me, the eldest son. That alone spoke volumes about the difference.
But Isis apparently couldn’t stand it. “Sir Orca, Luan came with me as well.”
“It’s good to see you too, young master. It’s been quite some time. You seem to have grown tremendously in the meantime.”
“You flatter me.”
Orca and I shook hands. Having known me before my possession, he was clearly struck by the stark contrast between then and now. A broad smile filled his face. At his level, he could probably sense exactly how far I had advanced. He was no doubt thinking that sending me to the academy had been the right decision after all.
After offering a few more words of encouragement and praise, Orca gestured toward the carriage. “Then please, climb aboard. We’ll depart immediately.”
“Alright. Let’s go, Luan.”
And so, under the escort of the Blue Steel Knight Order, we rode the carriage toward Priulri territory.
Before long, the Snowy Mountains loomed before us. The peaks soared so high they seemed to pierce the sky, their summits hidden in the clouds. Only the eternal snow blanketing the ridges hinted at their ancient history.
Though in reality, it hasn’t been there for ten thousand years.
As I recalled the game’s setting, Orca knocked on the carriage window.
Tap tap!
“We’ll be passing through the Snowy Mountains from here. It could be dangerous, so if you need to step outside for any reason, please let us know in advance!”
Though the words were directed at both of us, his gaze was fixed on me. Isis possessed martial prowess that rivaled even the knights, so he probably figured she could handle any monsters we might encounter without issue.
When I nodded, the carriage soon began to move again.
A full half-day passed like that. By the time the sun began to sink low, it happened.
─Uwooooooooh!
The roar of monsters echoed down the gorge, filling the air around us.
[All units, stay alert!]
Almost as soon as Orca issued the command, the monsters’ assault came raining down. It was a barrage of ice orbs. Each one, the size of an adult’s head, carried the destructive force of a cannonball.
Kwaaaaang!
But the knights all drew their aura blades and sliced through the ice orbs with laughable ease. They hadn’t simply cut them apart either. With precise control of their strength, the orbs shattered into harmless fragments that didn’t so much as scratch the carriage. It was a perfect demonstration of the Blue Steel Knight Order’s capabilities.
Still, there was no room for relief. The monsters’ attack had only just begun.
─Uwooooooooh!
After their first volley failed, a group of yetis poked their heads out from the top of the gorge and began forming more ice orbs to hurl at us. They had seized the high ground and intended to wear us down with one-sided bombardment.
Orca immediately gave new orders. “We’re breaking through the gorge! Ignore the yetis!”
The Blue Steel Knight Order was exceptional. But if they tried climbing the steep cliffs while exposed to the yetis’ attacks, casualties would be inevitable. With two more days of travel ahead, losing fighting strength this early would be a serious problem. The best way to preserve our forces was simply to ignore them and push forward.
And so we moved to escape the gorge while defending against the yetis’ barrage.
But the situation only grew more dire.
─Grrrrrr!
A pack of snow leopards appeared from the front, blocking our path. The yetis didn’t attack them. In the wild, the strong devoured the weak. The monsters had instinctively reached a silent agreement to eliminate us first.
Orca clicked his tongue softly as he quickly assessed the situation, then made his decision. “All knights! Do not let those beasts lay a single claw on the carriage! I’ll deal with the yetis in the gorge. Hold out until I return!”
The most troublesome threat right now was the yetis’ aerial assault. The snow leopards could be handled by the rest of the knights, so sending Orca to eliminate the yetis first was the fastest way to resolve the crisis.
He began scaling the gorge with movements so agile it was hard to believe he was wearing heavy full-plate armor. The yetis’ attacks immediately focused entirely on him.
At the same time, the snow leopards charged, clashing with the knights. Blood sprayed in every direction, and the metallic stench of iron assaulted my nose.
Will this be okay?
I doubted the knights would actually lose, but if anyone got injured on the very first day, I wasn’t sure we’d reach the territory without further complications.
Apparently thinking the same thing, Isis, who had been watching anxiously from inside the carriage, stood up. “Luan, I’m going out to help for a bit. Will you stay here?”
“…Yes. Be careful.”
Trying to stop her now would be the wrong move. I simply gave her a trusting look mixed with a touch of worry. Isis smiled brightly and declared with confidence, “I won’t get hurt at all. I’ll be right back.”
She shed her coat, stepped out of the carriage, and pulled a long spear from her spatial pouch. Then she leaped high into the air.
She landed right in the middle of the battlefield.
Isis shouted powerfully as she drove her spear into the ground.
Kwaaaaaang!
A wave of silver mana spread out from the spear like a pulse, sweeping away every snow leopard that had been tangled up with the knights in a single stroke. At the same time, it created a domain that bestowed blessings upon the knights within its range.
A brilliant silver banner made of pure mana fluttered from the spear she held. This was her unique skill, For Victory. It inflicted powerful crowd control while granting buffs to all allies inside its area.
Isis’s ability to maintain the top spot in popularity wasn’t just because of her stunning appearance and backstory. Her overwhelmingly powerful performance played a huge part too. Who could possibly dislike a woman who fought on the front lines as a damage dealer while simultaneously supporting the entire team with buffs?
The blessed knights redoubled their efforts to slaughter the snow leopards with Isis at the center.
I watched her back—small but solid and reliable—and recalled a memory from the past.
It was the same back then, too.
The incident that had given the original Luan Priulri a goal, only for him to fail and fall into despair.
*
“Scadia!”
“Luan!”
One year after their engagement, Luan and Scadia reunited and embraced each other warmly. Though their relationship had changed from cherished friends to lifelong partners, the two children were still too young to feel any romantic tension.
Isis watched the scene with a gentle smile.
After a brief reunion with Luan, Scadia greeted Isis as well. “It’s been a while, sister.”
“It has. Have you been well, Scadia?”
“Yes. Mother’s condition improved a lot after she took the snow ginseng you sent last time. She asked me to thank you.”
“Really? I’m glad to hear that. Anyway, it’s cold out. Let’s get in the carriage.”
“Okay, sister. Luan, escort me please!”
Scadia held out her hand in an exaggeratedly elegant manner, mimicking a princess. Luan grinned and took it.
Once all three were aboard, the carriage set off.
The accident happened that night.
They had entered the Snowy Mountains. The sun had set, and they were preparing to sleep when a sudden tremor shook everything.
Rumble rumble rumble…
“W-what’s that?”
“Is it an earthquake?”
“Luan, Scadia, both of you stay calm! I’ll go check what’s happening.”
Isis tried to soothe the panicked pair and was about to step out of the carriage when an even stronger impact struck.
Kwaaaaang!
“Kyaaaah!”
“Ouch!”
“Ugh! Both of you, come here!”
Even as the world seemed to spin wildly, Isis wrapped her arms around Luan and Scadia, shielding them with her body. They tumbled helplessly inside the overturned carriage until a final massive shock brought everything to a stop.
After a moment, Luan and Scadia cautiously lifted their heads. Isis’s face came into view. She was suppressing the pain from the bruises covering her body and gave them a small smile.
“Are you two okay?”
“Sister…”
“Sister, what about you? Are you alright?”
Luan’s voice trembled with tears while Scadia carefully touched Isis’s injuries. Reading their reactions, Isis patted their shoulders and comforted them.
“I’m fine. It doesn’t feel like any bones are broken. More importantly, we need to get outside quickly. The carriage is overturned. We can’t stay here.”
“O-okay! Sister!”
“This way. I think we can get out through here.”
Scadia quickly regained her composure and found the exit. The three of them pushed open the carriage door and crawled out.
“Where are we?”
“…Did we get caught in an avalanche?”
While Luan looked around in confusion, Scadia examined the unnaturally formed snow and began analyzing the cause.
In the meantime, Isis pulled a small communication device from her spatial pouch.
“Sister, what’s that?”
“It’s called a communication device. We can use it to contact the knight order.”
“Really? So they’ll come rescue us?”
“Yes. So please be quiet for a moment. I’m going to try contacting them now.”
Luan was only twelve. In such an urgent situation, his barrage of pointless questions would have been frustrating for anyone. Yet Isis answered him patiently and with dignity.
She immediately attempted to reach the knights through the device. But something in this space seemed to be interfering with the signal. The communicator refused to work properly.
“Sister, why isn’t it working?”
Even at Luan’s question, Isis simply stared down at the device and bit her lip. The disappointment was clearly heavy for her as well. Still, she quickly regained her composure and thought of their next move.
“Luan, Scadia. Both of you, stand up. We need to leave this place immediately.”
“Huh? Why?”
“The noise will attract monsters. It’s dangerous, so we have to move quickly!”
Isis’s judgment was swift. Under her guidance, the group quickly distanced themselves from the wrecked carriage.
Unfortunately, simply leaving the area wasn’t enough to shake off the monsters. The problem was that the spot where the carriage had been swept to happened to be inside snow leopard territory.
The group was chased by a passing snow leopard and eventually became surrounded.
─Grrrrr!
The beast bared its fangs, its face twisted in a snarl. Its dull coat and sunken sides suggested it was a weak individual that had fallen behind in its pack. But even a weak leopard was still a leopard. Its presence alone was overwhelming.
The vivid killing intent in its eyes filled the young Luan with overwhelming terror. As his whole body trembled, Isis stepped forward, spear in hand.
“Don’t worry, Luan. Big sister will take care of it.”
“B-but…”
“It’s okay. Your sister is strong, remember?”
“…Okay.”
Even at twelve years old, Luan understood. No matter how much training Isis had done since she was little, there was no way a twelve-year-old girl could handle a snow leopard. Yet the fact that all he could do was believe in her filled him with a sense of powerlessness.
Scadia spoke to her. “Don’t worry about Luan! I’ll protect him!”
“You will?”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
“Thank you.”
After expressing her gratitude, Isis’s face hardened with seriousness. She slowly leveled her spear at the snow leopard.
Sensing the threat, the beast circled them once before kicking off the ground and charging.
Kraaaaaang!
The battle between twelve-year-old Isis and the snow leopard had begun.
Under Scadia’s protection, Luan could only watch helplessly.
Sister, you can do it!
Perhaps his encouragement helped. Isis used the fact that the snow leopard was starving against it, focusing entirely on defense before launching sharp counterattacks. As the fight dragged on, the beast accumulated wounds and its stamina began to fail.
But there was one thing she had overlooked. The snow leopard’s target wasn’t just Isis.
The moment it realized the human in front of it was too difficult to kill, it turned its gaze toward the easiest prey.
─Kraaaaaang!
The snow leopard suddenly broke away from Isis and charged straight at Luan.
“Ah! No!”
Isis tried to stop it, but she couldn’t catch up to a beast that had already leaped. In that moment of absolute crisis—
“You can’t touch Luan!”
Scadia activated a spell she had prepared in advance, launching an ice missile at the snow leopard. But her mana pool was still small and her skill level low. The attack lacked the power to stop the beast entirely.
It only bought a fraction of a second.
Thanks to that, Isis had nearly caught up, but even if she killed the leopard in that state, she wouldn’t be able to guarantee Luan’s safety.
So Isis must have decided that sacrificing one of her arms was better than letting Luan lose his life.
A normal twelve-year-old girl would never have thought of such a thing, let alone acted on it. Yet she thrust her forearm straight into the snow leopard’s gaping maw.
Crunch!
“Ughhh!”
Her slender forearm was pierced by razor-sharp fangs, blood pouring freely.
“S-sister!”
“Sister!”
While Luan and Scadia froze in horror, Isis used the fact that the leopard’s movements were now restricted and drove her spear straight into its throat.
Shunk!
The sharp spearhead plunged in from above and burst out below.
─Keeeeeeng!
The snow leopard howled in agony and violently shook Isis off.
Thud!
Having exhausted every last ounce of strength by piercing its throat, Isis was flung helplessly through the air and rolled across the snow.
The snow leopard staggered, unable to stop the blood gushing from its neck, before finally collapsing.
The victor of that desperate, life-or-death battle was Isis.
But even the victor’s survival was uncertain.
“Siiiiiiister!!”
Luan, who had been standing there in a daze, screamed at the top of his lungs and ran to her.
Isis looked at him and smiled faintly. “Haa… Luan… I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“Sister! Sister! What do we do? Your wound…!”
Her breathing was shallow and ragged. Seeing her in such a precarious state, as if she might stop breathing at any moment, Luan couldn’t hold back his tears.
He frantically tore off his coat and tried to wrap her arm, but the wound was far too deep and wide for such crude first aid to stop the bleeding. Still, he desperately tried everything he could think of, struggling with all his might.
…The memories after that became hazy.
Perhaps his emotions had grown so intense that his brain simply shut down. The one thing he remembered clearly was that the rescue team from the Blue Steel Knight Order arrived just before Isis lost consciousness.
And the vow he had made while clutching her hands tightly as she was being carried away.
“I’ll become stronger! I’ll definitely become stronger! I’ll become the strongest in the world and protect you, sister!”