Pour! Drink! The Victory Banquet!
All eyes were on Yu-na, filled with awe and a tangle of other emotions, each person lost in their own thoughts. Elsid, too, had slipped into a world of his own.
So that's the "super sense" that only Sword Kings and above possess...
The ability to read the flow of air, draw it toward oneself with a swing of the blade, then expel a massive volume of it in one direction to freeze everything in its path—Seolpa. Even if the surrounding northern cold had made it possible to encase that colossal dreadnought in ice, the technique itself was extraordinary. The image of her swinging her sword through empty space refused to leave his mind.
It was like watching someone dance.
Elsid admired Yu-na not only for the super sense of a Sword King and for turning the entire dreadnought into frozen powder, but for something else entirely. The very way she wielded her blade had struck him like a blow.
Would my sword even reach her?
When he imagined crossing blades with that dancing swordsmanship, he could never picture his own weapon landing. Every mental clash ended the same way: the moment his blade met hers, it was pulled in like a pebble caught in a whirlpool, deflected, and sent flying from his grasp.
Of course a half-baked swordsman like me wouldn't stand a chance.
Yet despite the frustration, Elsid's face showed neither frown nor disappointment. If anything, he would have been disappointed in Yu-na if his half-formed blade had managed to touch her. After all, he was not a true swordsman yet. He could strike living beings with a sword and even kill them, but he could never cut them open and draw blood. That was not something one could call swordsmanship. That was why he remained half-baked.
When will I finally become a real swordsman?
With that thought, Elsid fastened the wooden sword at his waist.
"...This really is goodbye. Thanks for everything until now."
While he spoke, Yu-na gazed at the pure-white dagger Seola in her hand with a bittersweet expression, offering her own farewell. Elsid watched her quietly.
"What are you staring at? You're going to bore a hole through my face."
Just then, Luke sauntered over and gave Elsid's shoulder a light tap.
"Pretty frustrated, aren't you?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"Haha, of course. You're making the exact same face you did the first time we met."
The first time they met—Luke had been beating up a dozen back-alley thugs to earn lunch money.
"All I did was threaten you like usual and tell you to get lost, and you beat me half to death with your fists."
"Yeah. That definitely happened."
Elsid still remembered that day vividly. Back then he had still been a teenager, his temper quick to boil, and he had pounded Luke with both fists until the boy was nearly dead.
"I thought to myself back then—damn, he's strong. My fists couldn't even graze him. What kind of monster is this...?"
"You really thought that?"
"To me, you looked like someone who lived beyond the sky itself."
Luke clenched his fist, a smile spreading across his face.
"I still can't forget that day. Forget the hundreds of punches—I remember what you said afterward."
Elsid listened, reflecting that he had indeed hit the boy quite a lot.
"You said you'd teach me the strongest fist on earth instead of those petty fists that only hurt others..."
"..."
The words stirred a strange sense of déjà vu. Elsid was fairly certain he had first heard something similar from his grandfather when he was only five years old, rummaging through corpses. He must have changed the phrasing and passed it on to Luke.
"Even while traveling the continent and fighting strong opponents, I always think about it. What exactly did you mean by the strongest fist on earth...?"
The conversation was cut short.
"Krrrng! Proud human warriors, you won, so why the long faces? You should be laughing! Krarara!"
Before anyone could reply, a pair of arms landed on Elsid's and Luke's shoulders. Per, the Snow Wolf King, had returned to his original form—silver eyes and all—his Snow Wolf technique undone. His hearty laughter shattered the heavy silence that had filled the space.
Soon after, humans and Snow Wolves alike stirred from their thoughts and began to move.
"Those warriors still on their feet, help the injured. The battle is over. It's time to go home."
Shaman Yu-ran, who had led the warriors, began organizing the wounded for the return to the village.
"What about you... what are your plans?"
"We'll fetch the wild boars and deer we've stored in our Snow Wolf ice cellars. I'm sure the human warriors are hungry too."
She trailed off, then turned to Per.
"That's very generous. We'll see you later, then."
At Per's words, Yu-ran bowed her head in thanks. The tremor had already left her voice.
***
Once the fighting ended, the Ice Palace warriors and many others—humans and Snow Wolves alike—returned together to the Ice Palace. By the time they arrived, the sun had set and night had fallen, yet neither race cared. They threw themselves into a raucous drinking party. Having risked their lives fighting side by side, most of the wariness between them had long since vanished. They poured and drank together, celebrating their victory.
"Krrrng! So human liquor really is this delicious!"
"Kahaha! Of course it is. This is the Ice Palace's pride—winter fruit wine! There's plenty more, so drink as much as you like!"
Village chief Bergen, unaware that the Snow Wolf happily downing drink after drink in front of him was actually the king of his race, kept passing him cup after cup. The two clinked their glasses merrily.
"Haha, you're a fun young fellow. Here, take my cup too. So what happened to the cheater at the martial tournament in the end?"
"He got his qualification revoked so he can never enter again, got pelted with stones by the spectators, and then..."
Luke, meanwhile, had already been surrounded by Ice Palace warriors, swapping stories of past tournaments over drinks. The air was cold, but the atmosphere around the feast was warm and lively.
Elsid watched the gathering from a corner, eating roasted deer by himself without sharing a single cup with anyone. Seola had already been returned to Yu-na earlier. "You used it well," she had said. Now wrapped in cloth, the dagger rested inside the old backpack he usually wore on his back. Because it constantly radiated cold air, he could now store more than just jerky and other preserved foods inside it.
"What are you thinking about, sitting here all alone?"
While he was eating by himself, Yu-ran—who he had assumed was still talking with her sister—approached and asked.
"It's nothing. I just prefer being alone."
Elsid shook his head.
"Don't sit there looking miserable with that stubborn head of yours. Go find my sword and follow me properly, you eighteen-year-old thorn in my side."
"What are you suddenly..."
Yu-ran had changed her tone completely and said something strange. Elsid blinked in confusion.
"You still haven't received the reward for the request. I was supposed to tell you what I know about the person searching for cold-infused materials."
While he was still flustered, Yu-ran continued. Now that she mentioned it, she had posted the request as an adventurer, and he had accepted it. So this odd statement, delivered in that altered tone, was the reward?
"The man searching for those materials—his name is Vandel—asked me to pass this on."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"He said that if a stubborn, meddlesome man wearing a wooden sword at his waist ever shows up, I'm to tell him this along with everything else."
Everything she knew about Vandel—the son of the blacksmith Elsid had been searching for, his old rival and friend...
"You're not already tired, are you? If you want to land even one hit on me, you'll have to roll around and suffer a lot more first."
He wished he hadn't heard it. That damned bastard. He had thought it was a clue, but in the end it was just another jab meant to rile him up.
"Is that all?"
"Yes. Those were the last words Vandel left before departing the Ice Palace."
Elsid asked just in case, but Yu-ran nodded, confirming that was everything.
"I'm going to get some air, Yu-ran."
Elsid wrapped his black bearskin coat tightly around himself to cool his overheating head and quietly slipped out of the village after bowing to Yu-ran in thanks.
Afterward, he wandered the other parts of the Ice Palace, letting the cold air wash over him and temper his anger. The quiet of the dark night helped restore a sense of calm.
"I should head back soon."
Once he felt he had his emotions under control, Elsid turned toward the village.
"Ugh, my head hurts. How much liquor did those old men pour into a delicate lady like me?"
Blocking his path was Shin Yu-na, clutching her head with a scowl, muttering to herself under the influence of drink.
"Huh? What are you doing here?"
"That's what I want to ask you."
The moment she saw Elsid, Shin Yu-na fired back, but the question was one Elsid himself wanted to ask. Had she come out for a nighttime stroll to sober up? That was the only guess he could safely make.