The Reaper Dreadnought
The Ice Dragon, the divine being the people of the Ice Palace had served for generations. Its entire body was covered in pure white scales, and when fully extended its length exceeded several hundred meters. The massive horn embedded in its forehead resembled a stag's antler and gleamed like blue crystal, while its eyes looked as though enormous ice islands had been set into them. Anyone who had seen it once could never forget its mystical aura and fantastical appearance.
Yet the being worshipped as a god was not a god at all. The name Guardian suited it far better. For countless years it had protected both the Ice Palace and the Frost Forest alike. And it was not only humans who revered this existence as a god. There were others who had looked up to it as a great being and pledged their loyalty—namely, the Snow Wolves. The very progenitor of the Snow Wolves had been an ordinary wolf upon whom the Guardian Ice Dragon bestowed its power. Thus, to them, the Ice Dragon was both king and parent, an entity to whom respect and loyalty were only natural.
Even so, though worshipped as a god, it was not one. It was a living creature with a finite lifespan, and therefore it had limits.
"That is why the Ice Dragon intends to pass on the responsibilities, duties, and power of guardianship to the successor it has raised. We gathered here to protect it during that process."
Yu-na explained that the ritual was being held somewhere safe within the Frost Forest. Because the ceremony consumed an enormous amount of mental energy, the Ice Dragon would be weakened, and so humans and Snow Wolves—two different races—had come together to guard it.
Yu-na's story was long if one considered the details, yet short in its conclusion: until the Ice Dragon's successor safely received its power, they had chosen to become shields, even at great risk.
"Protect it from what, exactly?"
If that was the case, the question remained—what could possibly threaten the Ice Dragon? No matter how weakened it became, it was still a dragon. What kind of existence could endanger a dragon's life?
"The Reaper—Dreadnought (The Fearless One)."
The one who answered was not Yu-na, but Per, standing beside her.
"The messenger of death who enjoys devouring Snow Wolves more than anything else."
Per spoke of the existence that threatened the Ice Dragon's life with a tone that suggested he would tear it apart if given the chance.
"It has enormous black wings lined with black spikes along its back, arms grotesquely large like a gorilla's, and a neck that does not support its head from below. It has neither eyes nor a nose—only a massive mouth on its upper torso. A true monster."
According to Per, no one knew how long it had lived in the Frost Forest, nor whether it had been born there or was some foreign, aberrant creature that had wandered in from outside.
"What we do know is that it feeds on fear and delights in the terror of living beings more than anything else. Once, it turned the entire Frost Forest into a living hell."
Even that monster, however, could not defeat the Ice Dragon, the Guardian who protected both the Ice Palace and the Frost Forest. Unable to stand by and watch the creature's horrific slaughter that claimed countless lives, the Ice Dragon had personally intervened and inflicted a fatal wound upon the Dreadnought—a wound that should never have healed. By all rights, the monster should have died, yet through its tenacious vitality it still lived somewhere in this eerily silent Frost Forest, breathing.
Per finished his tale with a furrowed brow.
"Dreadnought (The Fearless One)..."
A monster bearing such a name, yet one that fed upon the fear of living creatures—it was truly ironic.
"Krrrng. That thing is cruel and treacherous. It will never miss this opportunity while the Ice Dragon is weakened."
"Exactly. And it's absurdly strong."
Yu-na agreed with Per's growling words.
Elsid looked at the two of them and spoke.
"Would it be all right if I joined as well?"
He asked to be included in the fight against this unknown monster he had only heard about.
"By all means."
"Krrrng. Strong warriors are always welcome."
Yu-na and Per welcomed Elsid's offer without hesitation, now that he had fully recovered and returned to peak condition.
***
After leaving the cave, Elsid stepped onto a snow-covered plain nestled among the trees of the Frost Forest, where Snow Wolves stood gathered in great numbers.
"Krrrrng... The human is strong. I want to fight."
Nearly a hundred Snow Wolves watched him with an air that suggested they might pounce at any moment, murmuring among themselves.
"Krrrng. Don't worry. I've already ordered them not to start a fight unless the other side attacks first."
Per approached as if to reassure him.
"Krrrng. Sorry about that. Snow Wolves—myself excluded—love fighting more than anything. Especially against strong warriors."
Elsid shook his head at Per's words. Being acknowledged as strong was gratifying, but without Per's command as their king, they might have been unable to suppress their fighting spirit and attacked him despite being allies.
"Haaam. When is this Dreadnought going to show up? I'm dying of boredom."
Meanwhile, Yu-na complained about the enemy that had yet to appear. Since they had no idea when or how it would strike, they had gathered to wait together, but the waiting itself seemed terribly dull.
"Oh, right. I've been thinking you looked familiar for some reason... You..."
While feeling bored, Yu-na had been idly drawing shapes around her eyes with her finger when she turned to look at him and asked,
"Do you know someone named Vandel?"
Elsid's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected name.
"How do you know Vandel?"
"Judging by that reaction, he must be an acquaintance of yours. It's nothing special. He said he was a blacksmith traveling the world in search of new materials to forge swords, and I helped him a little..."
Yu-na shrugged at his question, then rummaged through her belongings.
"As thanks, he gave me this sword called Seola (Snow Fang)."
A moment later, a dagger with a pure white blade etched with beautiful flower patterns emerged from her embrace, gleaming.
"That dagger was forged by Vandel?"
"Want it? I don't need it anymore, unlike before."
Though he had only asked a question, Yu-na suddenly sheathed the dagger and tossed it toward him without warning.
"Huh?!"
Startled and confused, Elsid reflexively caught the flying weapon with the trained instincts of a swordsman. It was cold—freezing cold, as though made of something that chilled to the bone.
"Why are you giving this to me...?"
Still holding the icy dagger, he asked Yu-na the question that remained unanswered.
"Like I said, I don't need it now. Besides, rather than using it as decoration, it'd be better off in the hands of a swordsman who can actually wield it properly."
"Even though it's a sword Vandel made?"
"Do you think I'm giving it away because I don't understand its value? I know exactly what I'm doing."
The sword called Faker (The Deceiver) possessed the ability to freely transform into any sword the user had ever seen throughout their life. Even if it appeared to be merely a decorative blade, this sword named Seola surely concealed its own true power. Knowing that, Yu-na had still chosen to hand it over.
"I'll accept it gratefully."
Any further refusal would have been rude. Therefore, Elsid decided not to reject it any longer and accepted the freezing, pure-white dagger of beautiful design.
"Do you know anything else about Vandel?"
He asked afterward, hoping for more clues about his friend. The sword was important, but Vandel's story mattered even more.
"Not really... He spent most of his time holed up in the forge, completely focused on making swords. While he was doing that, I was usually training on my own, so I think my younger sister—who brought him meals—would know more than I do..."
Contrary to his expectations, Yu-na shook her head and said she knew nothing. She even suggested her sister might know more. In that case, once this matter was settled, he would have to ask Yuran, who was waiting in the village behind the Ice Palace, just as originally planned.
"Oh, right. There was one strange thing, though."
Just as he was feeling disappointed, Yu-na spoke up as though she had remembered something.
"At first I thought he was just exhausted from working too hard, but there was definitely a distinct presence."
"What do you mean?"
"That blacksmith boy Vandel was talking to something beside him. When I looked closely, I saw a black, lump-like thing."
A black lump? Yu-na's expression was far too serious for him to dismiss it as a simple slime. It was clearly something beyond comparison, yet there were no clues to identify what it might be.
"Krrrng. What are you two talking about so intently? The 'black snow' has already started falling..."
Just then, Per, who had been standing silently nearby, interrupted.
"Black snow?"
As Per said, instead of pure white snow, a murky black snow he had never seen before was falling from the sky and landing on the ground.
"Krrrng. Be careful. This is a sign that the 'Reaper' is approaching."
It was not only the snow falling from the sky that had turned black. Before they knew it, black clouds had completely covered the heavens.
"Finally. I was starting to get a crick in my neck from waiting."
Seeing the black clouds, Yu-na had already drawn the longsword at her waist and taken a combat stance.
"Krrrng. It's coming."
Like her, Per lowered his body, ready to spring forward at any moment.
The battle was about to begin.