An Unexpected Face
“…….”
Arteon’s gaze remained fixed on Theobalt.
He had no idea why the man was in the army at this point in time, but simply seeing him left Arteon unable to hide his bewilderment.
Has the future I knew… changed?
He still could not grasp the reason, yet the altered future weighed heavily on his mind—far too much to dismiss as mere coincidence.
“Um, Lieutenant…?”
“Ah. Forgive me. My mind wandered for a moment.”
At Theobalt’s words, Arteon gave a slight shake of his head.
Whatever the reason, the fact that the man stood here now was unchanged.
I should have Lisiven look into this as well.
It was something he could investigate later.
Arteon looked at Theobalt once more.
But just then—
“Lieutenant Arteon!”
A familiar voice called from behind, and Arteon turned.
The man approaching had striking features—blond hair touched with brown, and vivid blue eyes. His build was solid and powerful. As he drew near, Arteon turned fully to face him.
“Captain Isaac.”
Arteon’s eyes softened for a moment.
One of the reasons he had accepted the transfer to Aicled when Velkain first raised it had been Isaac.
Skill was skill, but Arteon knew better than anyone the man’s character and the care he showed his subordinates.
And besides…
Arteon’s gaze slid past Isaac to the figure walking alongside him.
That man is…
The crisp folds of a meticulously kept uniform. A battlefield presence held in check, yet impossible to fully conceal. The aura flowing from him was quiet—yet it carried the crushing pressure only the truly strong could radiate.
Arteon would stake his life on it: even the Kar commanders he had fought before had never pressed down on him like this.
Lukael… Hargeil.
In his previous life he had only ever heard the name from afar. They had shared the same battlefields, but always at a distance where the man was little more than a silhouette.
I never imagined I would see him this close…
One of those who would one day be called heroes of the North.
Even for Arteon, standing face-to-face with such a man was no small surprise.
Arteon brought his heels together and snapped into a perfect salute.
“Heart of Steel! Lieutenant Arteon, reporting to Special Unit Commander Lukael Hargeil.”
His strong voice rang out clearly.
Lukael offered a faint smile and extended his hand.
“A pleasure to meet you.”
The voice that followed was low and firm.
“I am Lukael Hargeil. My rank is the same as Captain Isaac’s—Captain. Call me Unit Commander, or simply Captain Lukael.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
Arteon took the offered hand and shook it lightly.
The palm was cold, yet calluses packed it so densely they registered at once. The weight of countless battlefields long endured seemed to travel through his fingertips.
Lukael spoke again.
“There are matters to discuss, so let’s head to my tent. Deputy Commander, you come as well.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Arteon followed the two men toward the tent where Lukael was quartered.
A soft warmth greeted them inside—utterly unlike the brutal cold beyond the flaps. An artifact at the center of the tent was active, drawing heat from a mana stone.
“You must be freezing. Warm yourself with this first.”
Lukael held out a cup of lightly heated wine.
Arteon did not refuse. He took a swallow of the warm wine.
“That soldier earlier—do you know him?”
“Sir?”
“You two seemed to be speaking as if you were acquainted.”
At Lukael’s question, Arteon shook his head.
“No, sir. He merely resembled someone I knew. It caught me off guard for a moment.”
“Hmm… Is that so? The man has something of a story. I only asked out of curiosity.”
“…….”
Arteon’s eyes narrowed slightly at those words.
Even that much suggested Theobalt had some circumstance hanging over him.
If I had my way…
He wanted to ask right then and there—but it seemed wiser not to draw unnecessary attention to Theobalt.
Something definitely happened to him.
He could uncover the details through Lisiven later.
Arteon cleared Theobalt from his thoughts. There was work to do now.
Once Arteon emptied his cup and set it down, Lukael spoke.
“In that case… I suppose the first order of business is a brief overview of our situation here.”
Arteon nodded.
Lukael began outlining the current state of Aicled. Most of it Arteon already knew. There was nothing particularly unusual about Aicled’s circumstances—except for the condition of the men stationed here.
“The blizzards have grown so severe that movement itself is becoming difficult, never mind visibility. Standing watch in this cold is getting harder by the day as well.”
“So the cold is the real problem.”
“Exactly.”
Lukael nodded.
I thought the rumors were exaggerated…
Despite his youthful appearance, the young man clearly grasped the flow of the battlefield. Lukael’s gaze toward Arteon grew more serious.
Then Isaac, standing beside them, spoke up.
“Movement is the same story. We’ve looked for ways over those ice walls, but there’s simply no getting across.”
Isaac let out a quiet sigh.
It was only natural. The canyon walls of Aicled were towering sheets of ice, and attempting to climb them in a blizzard was suicide.
Even in the past, no one ever crossed those walls.
This place was on an entirely different level from the walls of Helikel Canyon. Crossing them was considered outright impossible.
Of course…
If I had to name a way—someone at the 7-Star realm or higher might manage it.
But there was no one like that here. Not in the entire North.
Isaac, however, was not finished.
“Which means we have no choice but to take the narrow path through the canyon… and the number who can move through at once is limited. More than anything, the terrain favors the defenders far too heavily.”
Arteon nodded at Isaac’s assessment.
Simply passing through the canyon carried enormous risk. The only real option was to smash through with overwhelming force—yet the enemy holding that ground were no ordinary foes either.
Then Lukael spoke quietly.
“For that reason, we intend to move on the night the blizzard is at its worst. Their visibility will be just as poor; they won’t easily detect our advance.”
In the end, the only method left was to strike at a moment the enemy would least expect.
Arteon answered in a low voice.
“…It will be a brutal night.”
Lukael nodded.
“I expect the greatest problem during the march will be the cold. No matter how fine the gear, nothing fully stops a northern blizzard.”
Even holding out with mana would not last long. Bodies could freeze solid in less than an hour.
The mood in the tent sank at once.
But then Lukael let out a small breath and forced a smile.
“Come to think of it, I’ve done nothing but paint a grim picture for a man who just arrived. Still—every soldier assembled for this special unit is exceptionally skilled. I’ll introduce you to the men. We should also confirm your quarters.”
“Understood, sir.”
At Arteon’s reply, Lukael led the way out of the tent.
Isaac followed, shrugging with a grin.
“Honestly, I never expected you to come. I only heard you’d joined after I got here myself.”
“Is that so?”
“Seeing you again is a real relief.”
Arteon smiled as well.
“I came because I knew you were here, Captain. If you hadn’t been… I might not have come at all.”
“Ha. Look who’s learned to flatter while I wasn’t looking.”
Isaac gave Arteon’s chest a playful thump and laughed.
The two traded light banter as they walked toward where the unit was waiting.
But the moment they neared the tent—
“C-Commander! It’s urgent!”
A shout rang out from the distance, and both men’s eyes snapped toward the sound.
It was the narrow path through Aicled Canyon.
Snow whirled in savage spirals, and the freezing wind roared up the rock walls like a vortex climbing toward the sky.
And at the heart of it—
Drip… drip… drip…
Thick droplets of blood struck the ground with a heavy sound.
Fingers stained dark with red. Light seeped between them as a man’s gaze fell upon the corpse of a soldier sprawled at his feet.
An Imperial soldier, frozen in terror, dead without even understanding how—or why.
As the man’s eyes settled on the dead face, a voice drifted from behind him.
“You let him get away?”
At the words, a black silhouette’s eyes flashed with killing intent.
The man turned toward the voice and answered, murder thick in his tone.
“I sent him on purpose. So they’ll grow wary. What you want is time, isn’t it?”
“Not time. We want to make certain no one passes through this place at all.”
A voice that seemed to carry a thin, mocking smile. The man in black replied,
“I’ll handle it. Stay out of my way.”
“Hmph. And what if they come prepared because of it? That could make things even more dangerous.”
The point was fair enough—but the man only lifted his head and cast his gaze far beyond the canyon.
Through the blizzard-shrouded dark, Imperial banners seemed to flutter faintly in the distance. The wind almost carried the sound of their screams.
He gave a short, cold laugh.
“It doesn’t matter what preparations they make.”
His voice dropped low and heavy, splitting the snow.
“Here… no one survives.”
With those words his fist clenched tight.
Then he looked toward the man waiting behind the blizzard.
“When this is over… you will keep your promise.”
“No need to worry about that. We’re taking excellent care of them in a very safe place.”
Fwaah!
At those words, a tremendous killing aura erupted from the black silhouette’s body.
Behind the snow, the man who had been smiling with greasy ease went rigid.
“W-What is this…! That attitude! Are you saying you’ll break the promise?!”
“…….”
The killing intent was thick enough to make flesh crawl—but at last the man in black clenched his fist and turned his head the other way.
Whether what dripped from his hand was the dead Imperial soldier’s blood… or his own… was impossible to tell.
The black silhouette spoke.
“I keep… my promises. So you had better keep yours as well.”
With that, his form vanished into the blizzard.
At the ghostlike movement, the Kar warrior who had been watching could only swallow hard, his face drained of color.