King of the North - 3
The words "half-sister" hit me like a brain freeze.
A towering woman with abs—who's bigger than me—is my sister? It felt like some barbarian joke at first, but Bruna's confident demeanor made it clear she was dead serious.
Who would've thought the Altesia bloodline extended up here to the North?
"You look like you're having trouble accepting it."
"Can you blame me? Hearing out of the blue that we're blood-related? And it's not just me, either."
Rakshar had his eyes wide open, and Cress's mouth was hanging agape. Both of them were clearly blindsided. With zero resemblance between us, it was hard to picture us as family.
I demanded a detailed explanation from her to make it sink in.
"In the Frost Bear tribe, we have a custom of gifting a bear paw necklace to the most precious person in our lives. That's why our tribesfolk cut off the paw from their first bear kill."
"That paw is huge—the bear you first hunted must've been..."
"My grandmother was a great female warrior. She was practically guaranteed a spot among the grand warriors who challenge the Trial of the Gods. But she gave up that glory of her own accord."
I could already sense where this was going the moment she started the story. A warrior who lives and dies by honor, forced to abandon glory. Only one reason came to mind.
"She wasn't alone anymore, right?"
"Sharp one, aren't you? That's right—Grandma chose her child over glory. As a warrior, it was a failure, but as a mother, it earned her respect. However..."
Bruna clenched her fist tight. Veins bulged starkly on the back of her hand—it was downright intimidating. The rage packed into that grip hit me hard. Just in case, I took a cautious step back.
And that turned out to be a wise move.
"But the tribesfolk made an issue of the bloodline. They started shunning Grandma for carrying a weak outsider's seed in a warrior's body."
Bruna threw a punch into the air. The sheer wind pressure from her fist alone was no joke—what if it'd connected? My guts would've been pulp, at minimum.
"So, your grandfather..."
"The man Grandma gave the bear paw to. Yeah, our grandfathers are the same."
"I had a hunch midway through, and I wasn't wrong."
I let out a long sigh. A bloodline born between our grandfather—the previous family head, not my father—and a barbarian. That explained why she called me her half-brother. Technically, Bruna and I were paternal half-cousins.
"I get it completely now."
"Feel free to speak casually. We're practically family."
Bruna picked up on my discomfort with formal speech and accommodated me. It wasn't about Cress watching, either. A tribe chief who ditched protocol felt so free-spirited and bold.
"...Mind if I ask something?"
"Ask away."
"What humiliation did Grandma go through to make you that furious?"
"It's not exactly a feel-good story. But you wanna hear it?"
"Grandpa sowed his seed and headed back home, right? Maybe he felt some sense of responsibility?"
"UHAHAHAHA!"
Bruna burst into laughter that echoed outside. Even her laugh was so refreshing—it felt like chatting with a burly construction-site uncle. More like gaining a brother than a sister.
"No need for responsibility. Grandpa knew about the pregnancy and tried to stay by her side. But Grandma insisted she could handle it alone and chased him off! Said she'd crush his balls if he didn't head home right then."
"Oof..."
"That's why our family harbors no grudge against Grandpa. It was Grandma's choice—we respect it."
I nodded. If the previous head had knocked her up and bolted, leaving her to suffer, this conversation wouldn't be happening. Bruna would've tried to kill me, her grandfather's blood kin. Even with Cress here.
"The ones deserving resentment aren't Grandpa—they're the beastly scum who didn't value life."
"Beasts?"
"The old Frost Bear tribe. They couldn't accept an outsider's seed, so they tried to force a miscarriage on Grandma physically."
"What...?"
I'd figured the bullying stopped at collective shunning. But the reality blew past my wildest imagination. Forced abortion without her consent? Yeah, that was repulsive.
"They waited till she was suffering morning sickness, tied her up, and punched her stomach repeatedly."
"Those crazy bastards! They deserved to be beaten to death!"
"I agree. But Grandma endured the one-sided violence without flinching and protected the fetus."
"H-how?"
"She absorbed every shock heading to the womb with just her abs alone. And she shattered the fists of her attackers in turn."
"..."
I was speechless. With her hands bound, tanking punches from barbarians—not ordinary folk—with her abs, and breaking them? If humanity's—no, the world's strongest woman existed, it'd be Bruna's grandma.
"She even welcomed challenges anytime, scaring them off."
"What an incredible woman. Seriously."
"Yeah, she's the one I respect most."
I'd thought no one could top the lunatics punching a pregnant woman without consent. But hearing how she tanked it and invited more challenges? My mind reeled. Fake madness followed by true madness. How the hell did Grandpa charm a woman like that?
"But separate from my respect for Grandma, the tribesfolk's atrocities are unforgivable. So I took over the tribe and purged all the filthy, vile thinkers."
Bruna unclenched her fist and gazed at her palm. Calluses everywhere, but nothing special. Yet her eyes held a poignant sadness, as if she saw something else.
"My Frost Bear tribe is different now—come visit anytime! I'll treat you like the honored guest and family you are."
"Got it. Last question: Ever been told you had no talent in life?"
"Not sure what you're getting at. But to answer—no talent with weapons, that's for sure. No matter what I picked up, it was clumsy. So I honed my body instead. Muscles never betray you!"
Bruna flexed her bicep, kissed the bulging muscle. Pure strength earned her the chief seat. Impressive, but it seemed Altesia's curse applied to her too. Unlike me, though, it hadn't touched her body—that made sense. With the world's strongest woman as grandma, what could a curse do? It just stole her weapon and magic talent and bailed.
Impressive...
I think so too. I've seen my share of humans and prided myself on it, but this makes me realize how green I was.
Having tasted Altesia's curse firsthand, Tyrbing was singing praises for Bruna, who defied it and pushed her body to the limit. A win for humanity, for sure.
"My turn now."
"Huh? For what?"
"I have questions too. Expect serious answers."
"Fair's fair."
"Did you pass the Trial of the Gods?"
Without a word, Cress stepped behind me. She placed a hand over my head, manifesting the Eternal Ice Crown made of eternal ice. She'd been storing the eternal ice in her body, as the Grand Ice Spirit. Any northern warrior would recognize it instantly.
"You really passed the Trial of the Gods. Even the gods wouldn't have predicted my brother was the one."
"I was pretty shocked too. Family up north? No clue."
"Speaking of, any word on Krag? He went up the snow mountain vowing to kill you."
Crack! Pop!
Bruna started limbering up, radiating sharp killing intent. She meant to throw down if Krag returned.
"Ah, about that..."
Snap!Thud!!
Cress flicked her finger, dropping an ice pillar at the entrance and triggering a mini-earthquake. Rakshar and Bruna barely reacted—probably numb after seeing three chiefs frozen solid in one go.
"That ice pillar that just fell... no way...?"
"Way."
I led them outside. Hundreds of barbarians had gathered. Not an ambush to kill me—my crew who'd come north with me was waiting out there too.
"Wh-what? Why's everyone gathered here?"
Confused, I felt Cress tap my shoulder and point skyward. A massive mirror floated above, broadcasting my every move live, crown and all.
"Cress, you've been airing me across the entire tundra this whole time?"
"Yup! How's my surprise?"
Rakshar and Bruna emerged next, making me look like a leader with two chiefs in tow. The warriors dropped to their knees en masse, raising weapons high. Then, with a roar that could shift mountains, they bellowed:
"We pay respects to the King of the North!!"